Chapter 2

I spent the rest of the period avoiding the obnoxious staring of Paul Burke and when the bell rang I jumped out of my seat like it was on fire.

"Ready?" I asked Liza and Michael.

"Yeah…" Liza responded in a voice that I somehow knew meant that she had a million questions, "Do you have lunch?"

"Yup."

"Good. Me too." She waved to Michael, "See you after school."

"Mind if I join you?" The deep voice came from right in my ear. Way too close.

"Yes." I answered simply, turning to look him in the face. His face showed that he was clearly interested in me.

"Cool." He didn't seem surprised that I had given in so easily after he practically threw me on the floor.

"I meant yes I mind." I commented in a cool voice.

A look of disbelief crossed his face and his friends snickered across the room. But how could they even hear…. I dismissed the thought as quickly as it popped into my head and focused on the pressing problem: Aka the cocky guy trying to hit on me.

"So… are you saying no?"

"Yeah that's what I'm saying."

A look of annoyance and… hurt?... quickly flashed across his face before he put on a self assured smirk.

"Don't worry. You'll come around." He winked and strode back to his friends, one of which high fived him, the others shook their heads in a mix of pity, exasperation, and amusement.

Liza stifled a giggle with her and it was then that I realized my mouth was open and my face was frozen in a mask of disbelief and anger. I turned to glare at her briefly then said, "Let's go."

After buying a chicken patty sandwich and a bag of chips in the cafeteria, I made my way to the soda machine to get a Diet Coke to top off my completely unhealthy lunch. Not that I really cared; if I was going to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, I really couldn't be bothered with trying to eat healthy, I was screwed anyway. I straightened the dollar bill while waiting and finally inserted it into the machine, pressing A2 with my blood red acrylic nails. I grabbed the soda and went for the change when a hand beat me there. What is this Drive Juliet to Insanity Day?? Preparing myself to deal with some idiotic freshman with a strange habit of stealing peoples' change I looked up to see none other than Paul holding out my quarter. My eyes narrowed and I grabbed it out of his hand, muttering, "Thanks" and tried to escape quickly but of course he wouldn't have that.

"So, you're really mad at me for accidentally making you lose your balance?" He asked, blocking my way to the table, "Don't you think that's a little unfair considering you're the one who grabbed me?"

"Whoa wait," I slammed the tray I was holding on a nearby table, scaring the wits out of a sophomore girl, "You're trying to blame me for you knocking me on the floor?"

"Okay first of all calm down ok?" I think my anger was starting to make him angry because his hands were shaking like crazy and his eyes were guarded. "Who do you think I am that I would hurt you on purpose? You shouldn't have grabbed me and you know it."

"Well excuse me for trying to be friendly and actually meeting my lab partner!" I practically yelled.

"Okay! Okay… Can we just agree it was an accident and let it go." He sighed as I rolled my eyes, "Please?"

I sighed too and said, "Fine. Let's just forget and move on with our lives."

"Good. Thank you." Instead of sounding sarcastic like I would have, I thought I heard genuine relief in his voice.

"See you tomorrow Paul." I picked my tray back up and tried to walk away.

He blocked my way.

"Sit with me today." He said in that same sure voice.

"No thanks."

"What? But I thought you weren't mad!"

"I'm not. That doesn't mean that I like you anymore than I did before." Now I was just needling him. But really, it was too easy.

I watched his carefully controlled expression of self-confidence waver before he finally muttered, "Fine." Then he stormed to the cafeteria door and slammed it open, not looking back once. How overdramatic. I was a little shaken by his exit and his interest in me, but I was more frustrated that I really had no reason to dislike him other than his cocky attitude and accidentally embarrassing me. I realized I was still standing and took my seat next to Liz.

"Wow. What just happened between you and Paul?" She asked in an excited voice. But then again, I was starting to see that her voice always sounded like that.

"Nothing really. He just wanted to make sure I wasn't mad at him."

"What? But why would he even care? Paul doesn't care about anyone but his friends. He's never even had a girlfriend after all these years I've been going to school with him."

"Really? He seemed like a player to me."

"Well of course all the girls like him cause he's like a bad boy or something, but he's never showed any interest. Until now…" she nudged me suggestively.

"Oh no. I am not getting involved with him. I get a bad vibe from this guy."

"Yeah cause he's got that whole rebel thing going for him."

"Well, I'm not looking for a guy right now anyway." I mumbled. She was right. If I was being serious with myself, Paul was definitely seemed like my type. I had always been a bit of a rebel too.

"Mhhmm…" I glared and she ate the rest of her lunch without making any remarks about Paul.

I was sitting in Spanish, staring blankly out the window when it started. The snow. By the time I made it to my car at the end of the day, there was at least an inch on the ground and three missed text messages from my mom telling me to be very careful and was I sure I didn't want her to pick me up. I responded "No thanks and of course I'll be careful." I backed out slowly and started to make my way home. Even worse was the fact that it was all back roads to my house. I came around a curve at 30 and hit a patch of ice. The Toyota spun out of control and I gasped but couldn't even make a sound, trying to figure out if I was dreaming. I jerked the steering wheel desperately and kept my foot on the brake, but the car was headed off the road. The last thing I saw was the front of the car crunch into a tree before I blacked out.