Chapter 3: Unexpected

As I walked through the hectic hallways of Degrassi, I saw Owen. I walked right up to him and leaned against the lockers.

"Hey, Owen." I said. He stopped putting the books in his locker and looked in my direction.

"Hi, buddy what's up?" he asked. I just shrugged. I still had Riley on my mind though.

"Eh, nothing much. I plan on confronting Riley today." I said proudly. He raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Really? No one ever talks to them. I mean not like in an actual conversation."

"Well then, today, I make history." I said with a chuckle. The day went on pretty much the same. I had P.E., Intro Research, and Computer Illustration; the usual. It was finally time for lunch. As I exited Mr. Lampson's class, I headed for the cafeteria. I was finally gonna settle this. Marisol came up behind and squealed in my ear.

"So I just aced this totally boring pop quiz today…" and everything else was blah, blah, blah from then on. When I finally reached my destination, I looked around. What I saw isn't what surprised me; it was who I didn't. Riley wasn't there. The day that I decided to confront him and he's just not here? Maybe he's in the bathroom. I got my usual lunch and sat with my friends. I would glance at the 'Holy Stavros' table every so often. The bell for lunch to end finally rang and there was still no sign of Riley anywhere. Even in Algebra he was gone. Well, there's always tomorrow.

So many days had passed that I had actually lost count. Riley still hadn't been to school. I hope he wasn't too sick. What, what am I saying? The guy pretty much burns holes in my skin the first day and shoves past me because he can't transfer out of the same class I'm in and I'm feeling sorry for him? Yep, that's it. I saw Adonis walking down the hall and I decided to approach him.

"Hey, um, Adonis right?" I asked. He looked at and smiled.

"Yes, what's it to ya?" he asked rudely.

"Is Riley okay? I haven't seen him in a few days-"

"Why is this my concern?" he asked. I was completely taken aback by his behavior.

"Well, Riley and I have Algebra together and I hadn't seen him so… I thought that maybe he was sick or something." I explained.

"Just mind your own business…" he said and closed his locker. "Okay?" He then walked away. Okay, that was weird. Just then there was a slight tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see that it was Arabella.

"Hi, Arabella." I said.

"Look, don't mind Adonis, he just lets the handsomeness get to his head sometimes. But Riley is just fine; personal issues. He'll be back before you now it." she said and walked away too. Man that family is weird.

When I got back home, I talked to Zoey for a while and went to my room. I couldn't help but wonder where Riley was. It's not that I was obsessed, but it just seemed weird to miss so many days of school. Hopefully he'd be back tomorrow. While I was so deep in thought I didn't notice Zoey come in my room.

"Hey, Dad and Layla want to talk to us via web chat." she said happily. I got off of my bed and turned on the computer. Once everything was set up we started to talk to dad.

"So guys, how's your new school?" he asked.

"I love it and the boys are so cute." Zoey screamed. Dad had that uneasy look.

"Be very careful Zoey, I still don't trust boys' yet." he said. Layla then came into view.

"Oh honey, lighten up. She's 18 now. She'll be graduating soon and she will eventually have a boyfriend. Maybe even a husband. Right Zo?" Layla asked. Zoey nodded her head. The things these women talked about. Thank god for being about to block my mind from it.

"So, Zane, what's up with you? You haven't said a word." dad said.

"Everything's fine. The kids are very homey. They make me feel like this is my real home." I lied smoothly. Dad and Layla smiled.

"So, where are you guys now?" Zoey asked. Layla looked around for a sign.

"Ah, we're in Colorado. I love it here. We might even look for a house." she said. Dad furrowed his eyebrows. After about an hour of talking about our stay here and what's going on with them, we decided that it was time for bed.

"We love you guys! See you soon." they shouted. I turned off my computer and sat on my bed. Zoey came over and laid down beside me.

"You really miss Cali, don't you?" she asked. I nodded my head and turned towards her. She rubbed her hands through her thick black hair. Us Parks were known for our dazzling smiles and great hair. "Look, I miss it too. But we had school and we couldn't just be left home alone. And we both know that being home schooled on the road wasn't that cool either."

"Yeah I understand. It's just that, there's something about this town… I can't put my finger on it." I said. Zoey leaned up on one arm.

"Really? Like what?" she asked.

"Like the Stavros'. Did you ever notice how pale they were?" I asked.

"Well, maybe they're albino." She chuckled.

"No, it's something else. I'm gonna find out what it is when I go to school." I said. Zoey shook her head.

"You are just like 'Nancy Drew'. Always wanting to figure stuff out, instead of just leaving it alone. But hey, I gotta give you props. You never give up and most of the time, you find what you're looking for." she said and left closing my room door.

Once again, the day went one as usual. The girls tried their best to flirt with me. It's really annoying when you think about it. But I just brush it off. I ran into Tristan coming out of the bathroom.

"Hey dude, is Riley here today?" I asked. Tristan nodded his head. I took a breath of relief. Okay, now I finally get to see what the deal is with him. "Thanks."

When it was time for lunch I saw him with his family. He had a different glow to him today. It was as if those past few days changed him. I sat with my friends and listened to their gossip. I waited patiently for the bell to ring and when it did, I flew out of my chair and went to Algebra. When I entered the classroom, I saw him. He still had that look of disappointment on his face. I took my assignment and sat down beside him. I was gonna just straight up ask him my questions, but decided to play it cool.

"Alright boys, you two are partners. Find x of these 30 problems and whoever gets it right first wins." Mrs. Wenger said. Great we were partners. Now he had to talk to me.

"Hi…" he said timidly. I looked at him and smiled. "I'm Riley Stavros. You're Alexander Park?" he asked. I hated when people called me by my full name. I'm gonna have to get that changed when I'm 18.

"Uh, just Zane." I said.

"I apologize for my behavior last week. It wasn't like me and it was rude." he said looking sad. Wow he was gorgeous.

"It's quite alright. I'm just glad we're speaking on good terms." I said. He then let out a hearty laugh. "You were gone for a while."

"Yeah about that, I… my friend Blaine was having trouble with something. Personal reasons really." he said. I nodded my head in understanding.

"Oh, this answer is 5." I said.

"May I check and see for myself?" he asked. I shrugged. When he went to grab the paper he touched my hand, I literally felt a spark. He quickly moved his hand away.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No, it was just a shock. No biggie." I reassured him. He looked relieved and continued to focus on the equation.

"Alright, 5 it is." he said with a smirk.

"See, I told you." I replied.

"So, um, are you liking Toronto?" he asked. Wow that was random.

"You're seriously asking if I like it here?" I asked with a quizzical look. The look on his face made it seem like he had overstepped his boundaries.

"Yeah, I am." he said matter of fact. I have to admit, he's brave.

"I guess so. I mean I don't have much of a choice." I said. He looked up at me and handed me the paper.

"Here check these. And everybody has a choice." he said.

"Well I didn't. You see, my dad married a musician and she plays a lot of shows. So with all the traveling and stuff, my dad felt it would be better if my sister and I stayed with my mom here. And these are correct, by the way." I explained.

"Oh. Do you like your step mom?"

"Layla? Yeah she's okay." I said.

"I'm sorry for the 50 questions. I'm just trying to understand you better." he said. That's weird, it seems like he was blushing, but I didn't see any red around his cheeks. Hmm. When the bell rang we exited the classroom. We had won by the way. As we walked to my locker I noticed that his eyes were a different color.

"That's funny?" I said. He looked at me with a strange look.

"What?"

"Your eyes were black, the last time I saw you. And now they're like this golden-brownish color." I said. I could see that he was trying to come up with some sort of answer.

"It's the way the lights are…um" and then he walked away. As I stood there and watched him leave, I couldn't help but wonder what was his function. Some things just didn't add up. Once I was across the parking lot of Degrassi, I took out some of my homework. The page I was looking for had something that I needed on it. And clumsy me, I dropped my paper and it blew away. I quickly threw my things in my truck and went after it. It blew into the street. I looked both ways and walked in the middle of the street to retrieve it. When I successfully had it in my hands, I looked up and saw Riley staring at me. For that split second I didn't even realize that I was still in the street. But I soon realized this when I turned around and saw a semi-truck heading towards me.

A/N: Ooh they finally meet. And there's a spark? Now for all of you who've seen Twilight, you all know what happens next. But if not, just hit review. You'll see it soon. Oh and to Jokestar Marisol is like Mike, Imogen is like Angela, and K.C is like Jessica.