Sara was distracted, as usual, and tapped her blunt pencil against her ruled paper. The class wasn't silent but her mind was other places, thinking about other things, other people. Her head rested on her palm, propped up by her elbow and her eyes flickered between her blank page and the clock. It was almost time to go home, back under house arrest until next time her father left her alone to go attend some work related venue.

Sara stopped as her head swung back to face her paper. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a flash of pink and felt the familiar feeling of being watched. She did not feel uncomfortable, just watched. She turned her head, her hair spilling into the void on the page and her eyes focus on Michael. He was leaning against his car, arms crossed and his pink, rolled up sleeves revealing his darkened skin.

He looked tired and drowsy, like he had been drinking all day. His facial hair didn't help him look any fresher but his attire covered it up well. His long legs were crossed at the ankle, and he kept glancing at his watch. Sara erupted inside with joy. She hadn't seen him for a while and there was only so much you could show a person over the phone.

She watched as he shifted his weight, using his big hands to lever himself from the car and lower his back to the hard metal once more. He run a hand up each arm, pushing the roughly rolled cuffs of his shirt over his elbows before placing both hands into his pockets. His gaze dropped to his feet as he shuffled his foot across the pavement.

Sara shot another glance at the clock as it neared the bell. The bell was automated, ringing at specific times of the day based on what time it was set. More often than not it was useless relying on your own watch to tell the time in school because it would never be set the same as the school's time. School time and real life were totally different.

When the clock inched closer to the hour Sara began packing her bag quietly. She didn't want to draw attention to herself or she would get a detention for such an act. Her friend shot her a questioning glance as she looked up from her work, a girl sitting next to her talking away into unheard ears. Sara rolled her eyes out the window without moving her head and her friend followed her gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw Michael, giving Sara a playfully jealous look.

Sara grinned wide, her happiness escaping on her face. The bell suddenly rattled through the classroom and chairs shuffled across the flooring as the teacher shouted the homework assignment over the noise. Every student started packing their bags away as Sara rushed past them and into the empty corridors. Within minutes the silence would be broken with talking and the rebounding noise of slamming lockers.

Sara's feet couldn't grip the poorly polished floor quick enough as she rounded a corner, her arms flying out to help her keep her balance. Her hair hung half loose and curly, bouncing on her shoulders each time she leapt into her next step. Pushing the heavy doors to the front of the school, Sara managed the open one with a loud clonk from the lock.

She paused briefly on the top step, her gaze falling to Michael as he stood waiting. He heard the commotion and their eyes met as he lifted his head to the door. Sara was there, wearing a broad smile, her eyes alight with joy. Suddenly he felt a numb, his hands balling into loose fists in his pockets as he fidgeted under her stare.

She skipped down the steps and up to him, slightly out of breath from her rushing. Sara held out her arms as she approached him, ready to take his lips in a searing kiss that would leave them both more satisfied than they could ever have been. Michael took his hands from his pockets and caught hers mid way as they began to snake around his neck, pulling them down but not allowing them to touch his body. As she leant in for the kiss, he pulled away, scanning the school yard for prying eyes.

"Michael?" she questioned and he released her hands and took her good feelings with his icy touch. "Are you ok?" she asked, puzzled by his sudden reluctance to enjoy their company. She searched his face for an answer when his lips failed to meet her request. His eyes were red and puffy and streaks stained his face from tears. She took a step towards him and brought her hand to his face.

Michael turned his head away, physically moving from her touch. Sara's hand froze millimetres from his cheek, her heat radiating his numbness. Michael swallowed hard, his mouth dry and uncooperative with his request. His eyes looked anywhere but at her and slowly she pulled her hand back, her face filled with worry. "What's wrong?" she demanded, cocking her head slightly.

Michael slid out from between her and the car and made his way around the front of the car. The school doors erupted and teenagers tumbled from the establishment, squeals of joy and laughter filling the air. Out of nowhere two buses appeared and filled with kids, their windows already open in readiness for the mass of bodies.

"Get in," he told her in a low voice, reaching for his own handle and pulling the door open. He disappeared into the car and his door shut behind him. Sara was frozen. She couldn't move. She hadn't realised, through all her joys, where she was until the doors had exploded with her peers. The fear in Michael's stinging eyes, the way he rejected her contact and why he was here hit her like a truck. He knew.

Sara slowly opened the door and fell into the seat, exhaling hard. Michael started the engine and the tyres screeched as the car left the curb. Sara felt scared. She felt like she had been caught sneaking out by her dad but for once she felt guilt. She felt remorse and wanted to make it all right. Michael didn't look at her or talk to her as they left the area. "Where are we going?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Michael shifted gears and the car slowed down as they turned a corner. He didn't answer her and his face was unreadable. Sara gripped at the door handle, her fingers tingling when the blood stopped flowing to their tips. She nervously brushed her hair from her face and scanned the surroundings. They were on a quiet street with very little cars parked on the curbs and ahead of them was the park.

"Michael…" Sara began turning to him once more but she was cut off.

"I don't know Sara!" he shouted slamming his foot on the break. Sara held on tighter as the car slid to a stop in the middle of the street. Its tail end wiggled in the road before it straightened up again, lurching its contents forward. His hands gripped the wheel and his arms locked straight, stopping him from hitting the window screen. "I don't know," he breathed lowering his head.

"Michael, I'm sorry," Sara offered. She couldn't imagine how she had made him feel and how he was feeling right now. His whole world was crumbling before him and all he could do was watch. He pressed his eyes closed at her words, placing a large paw to his brow to hide his tears that threatened to fall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he pleaded, turning to her with wide eyes and a cracking voice. Sara lowered her head, fiddling with her hands in her lap.

"Would you have wanted to know me if you knew?" she asked, avoiding his question with another. Michael sat open mouthed while he thought. What would he of done if he had known? While he believed Sara was eighteen, they could have been happy. Beyond happy. They could have been elated. Michael had never felt this way about anyone in his entire life. Sadly he turned away from her again, staring at the badge in the centre of his wheel.

Sara took his silence as a no. She shifted in her seat so her body was facing him. "It's only four years Michael," she told him bluntly. "And I'm seventeen soon," she said resting her hand on the back of the seat. Michael let out a chilling laugh at her words, sending her crashing back down into the darkness of an empty heart.

"That's not the point," he said sadly, turning his head to her again. "I could have got into so much trouble," he told her thinking with his head rather then his heart.

"We didn't do anything illegal Michael," she told him a little annoyed. "We are just two people who like each other," she pulled at a strand of thread on his headrest, her hand inches from the back of his neck.

Michael dug his nails into the steering wheel as he breathed in hard, his mind furious with thought. Technically she was right, they hadn't done anything illegal. Yet. Michael knew his limits and his boundaries were seriously compromised when it come to Sara. He had proved that last night when she had called him. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips before he spoke.

"Sara," he began, turning to her, dropping his hands from the steering wheel to his lap. "I am…" he stuttered, her expression eager for his words to fill the space between them. "I can't stop thinking about you," his eyes met hers but the dark sadness remained. "And it eats me up inside to know that you lied to me," Sara's eyes welled with tears and she brushed a shaky hand across her eyelids. "You're right, four years is just that but you are…" she cut off his speech with an angered quip.

"Don't you dare call me a child," she said through gritted teeth. "I am so fed up with my father treating me like a baby, not letting me grow up and live my life. I can't take that from you as well Michael." Michael watched her shaking hands clench with anger and her gentle eyes dissolve away into nothing. "I am not a child anymore," she told him frankly.

Michael stared at her for a long time as she cried. They both knew what was coming but neither wanted to be the first person to initiate it and turn out the bad guy in the never ending love story. Her sobs filled the car and Michael cried too, a few tears falling and being absorbed by his pants. "We can't do this anymore," he finally said with a broken voice full of hurt, sorrow and apologies.

Sara's body shook when more tears fell and it took all Michael had not to reach out and take her in his arms to sooth her pain. Sara half expected him too, like he had done so many times before but when it didn't come she yanked on the door handle and got out of his car. "Sara…" Michael called, diving into her seat as she slammed the door behind her and began to walk off in the direction they had come.

Michael leant back into his seat and cried. His life was ruined but he felt guiltier about ruining Sara's. He had no doubt she was his true love but fear outweighed his heart and plagued his being.

"What have I done?" he sighed, slamming the back of his head into the headrest and squeezing his eyes shut tightly.