Chapter Three

A tall boy...man really, ran through the halls of West Roswell High, okay not ran but jogged, or walked very quickly. He was on a determined, and somewhat panicked rush, looking over his shoulder as he dodged other students. He was every girl's fantasy. Intense, brooding dark stare, generous lips, a dazzling smile, a mystery to every girl in the school...except two. Two girls knew him inside and out.

He finally ducked into an empty classroom, and threw his tall body into a seat, running a hand through his spiky hair. "Running from her again?" Came a female voice from a desk opposite him. He didn't jump, already knowing she was there, instead he just gave her a nasty glare that sent her into laughter. "That never worked on me, even when we were little, Michael..." The girl pointed out to one Michael Guerin, the star quarterback for their football team. He was the hottest and most popular guy in school, partly because he was hot, partly because he was a mystery, and partly because he looked older than his age of 18.

"She's after me again, I swear it. She wants me to ask her out to the formal and...Damn Ria, I don't want to go." He whined, indicating he was still a little boy under all that man.

Maria Deluca laughed softly, shaking her head as she closed her book. They both had a free period and this is where they would pass the time. In the empty classroom, out of everyone's eyes sight. She'd grown up, finally developing into a woman only last year. Her blonde curls had been chopped off into a short style, much to Michael's disdain. Her dark green eyes were no longer just wide child like eyes, but had been referred to, more than once by the male population of the school, bedroom eyes. She had grown taller, not as tall as she'd like, but she was average height and that was all that she cared about. But what had absolutely thrilled her, and made Michael weird around her, was her body. She'd filled out in all the right places. Gone was the baby softness of her face and body, replaced by caress-me curves. She was a woman in all the ways except one, she was still just funky Maria Deluca to her best friend since the womb.

"Michael, Parker is your girlfriend..." Maria tried not to pull one of her famous looks at the reference to Liz Parker, the girlfriend that had been around for three years. "If she wants you to take her to the formal, then you should suck it up and go." She said with a shrug, pursing her full lips and glancing at the clock. She sighed and began to gather her things as she pushed back her chair and stood. "Where have you been this entire time anyways?" She questioned, trying not to sound hurt. This had been their tradition since middle school. Free time during school was spent together.

"Liz and I ducked into the eraser room." Michael started with a grin, one that quickly faded at Maria's glare.

"Right..." Maria said with a glare, her voice stiff as was her back. One thing that she had in common with almost every girl in school, she was totally and completely in love with Michael Guerin. She had been since that one time kiss when she was 14. Only bad thing about that was Michael saw her only as a friend, a sister even, but nothing else. She had been tempted to just come out and tell him her crush, love...whatever it was, but had decided against it every time. It would ruin their friendship, and she knew Michael was in love with Liz, happy with her, and that was all she wanted for him. To be happy the way he deserved.

"Oh come on Ria, don't use that tone with me..." Michael said as he began to gather his things too, giving her his best puppy-dog look.

"I just don't feel like hearing what you and Parker have been doing...alright? I don't tell you about my flavor of the week, don't tell me about yours." She smirked as he winced in reference to her dates.

She never went out with the same guy more than once...unless you were Michael or Alex Whitman. Though everyone thought she was just a girl who could not settle down...it wasn't the truth. Maria never let herself get close to anyone except the friends she'd had for years. After years of listening to her parents fight, and then her father leaving, she'd decided at a young age that she would never let herself get into something serious, never let herself fall for anyone. Michael was safe to her, she knew he'd never want her, love her other than a friend, she could deal with that, she wouldn't be hurt.

"Gotcha..." Michael nodded slightly, slinging an arm good naturedly over Maria's shoulder as they left the room, "So who is the flavor of this week? Alex tells me you haven't picked someone, but that can't be, you always have someone picked out." He smirked down at her, and then glanced over the girls in the hall that looked at him with someone ken to hero worship. He turned that dazzling smile on them and winked, making most girls knee's buckle, or go into a giggling fit.

"I've been thinking of giving it a rest for a while, Amy's been getting on my case about school work and the guys I bring home." Maria chuckled. Amy. It was no longer Mom, it hadn't been mom for a long time. She was never corrected, she was never told to call her mom, and she hadn't...not since the day after her first kiss, not after what had happened that day, not after what Amy had said to her. She sighed and shook her head as she saw Michael's wink to the girls in the hall, "You better watch what you do Michael. You smile at a girl and they'll automatically think you two are going steady, you wink at a girl...well...at your rate, you'll be married by graduation." She smirked and slipped out from under his arm, stifling a grin as she saw his terrified expression. "I'll see you at lunch..." She called behind her, and continued on down the hall.

Michael glanced around himself at the girls, then quickly started to move, "RIA!" He called down the hall after her.

To Be Continued