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Anxiety is what I am feeling right now. I am anxious because he has been gone for three weeks. Three weeks, is how long I've been waiting, wondering, and more importantly, worrying.

Did he get mauled by a bear? Is he sick with some kind of disease? These were just a few of the frantic thoughts running through my mind, when Jared disappeared.

This isn't the anxiety I feel when I'm about to take a test. It isn't the anxiety I feel when I am called on in class for an answer I don't know. No. This was much worse. This is the anxiety I get when I think that I might never see his face again, never get to hear his deep rumble of a laugh again. I was stupid to think I could forget Jared. The truth is I am too far gone in love with him.

Riiing!

The shrill bell signalled the beginning of third period. Late students shuffled in, and I watched them eagerly, looking for the tall, gorgeous man I was in love with.

I sighed in disappointment.

Not here again. Maybe I should go over to his house and... No!, I stopped myself, stalker much, Kim? He doesn't even know you exist!

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Gruen." A deep voice interrupted my internal argument. My heart suddenly tried to leap out of my chest and my breathing quickened.

Is that..? Dare I hope? I silently beg and look up to the front of the classroom from under my eyelashes. I have to stifle a gasp.

Wow. Is the only thought that registers in my brain, as I gape at the man making his way down the aisle to Jared's seat. There is something familiar about the way he walks. Another shocked gasp escapes as I realize that the man is Jared.

He isn't my Jared though. He's different; very different. This Jared has a buzz cut and is even taller than before. He had to have grown at least five inches and put on fifteen pounds of muscle!

At my gasp, he lifts his gaze from the desk in front of him and looks over at me.

Holy Mary, mother of God. I think in awe.

His eyes are still the same electric brown, but they're not the reason I'm so stunned. The look he is giving me is like nothing I could ever have imagined.

For the first two seconds he looks irritated with me, but then his expression completely shifts to one of ….adoration? How can that be? He probably doesn't even know my name.

I can't help but drown in his eyes. I have never been adored or even loved, and I guess you could say I'm having that neglected puppy reaction. You know the one, where the puppy latches onto the first person who shows it any kind of compassion? Well, right now that's me.

Ten seconds or so into the stare and I drop my gaze down to the chipped, wooden desk in front of me, blushing brighter than a tomato.

What was that? I think dazed, is there something on my face? I swipe my hand across my cheeks quickly, trying to be stealthy about it. My hand comes off clean. Guess not, I think.

I peek back over at him quickly to find him still staring at me, but this time he's grinning at me. I blush furiously. He'd never turned the full force of his grin on me before and it was making me lightheaded. At my blush, his grin stretched into a smile.

Wow, what a smile, I think.

"Hi," he whispers quietly, so as not to be heard by Mr. Gruen deep into a lecture on last night's homework.

"H-hey" I manage to stutter out. Great now he must think I'm mentally retarded or something, I grimace internally, but his smile just got bigger and bigger, until I think his face might split right in half.

And then he utters the sentence that crushes my heart so hard, I think I might cry: "What's your name?"

I've sat next to him for nine years and he doesn't know my name. "Am I really that invisible?" I whimper quietly.

He looks confused at my question and then upset at the look of pain on my face. "What do you mean?" he asks.

"I've sat next to you for nine years, in at least one of your classes." I repeat my earlier thought. A look of self-hatred comes onto his face, and he looks like somebody just ran over his puppy. His mouth opens and closes but nothing comes out. I wait for the excuse that is surely coming, but instead of an excuse I get an apology.

"I'm sorry." He says, and his face shows that he truly is.

"It's not okay, but I forgive you anyway." I tell him.

His face lights up like a Christmas tree. "So, what is your name?" he asks again.

I blush slightly, "It's kimberli," I say, "with an 'I' on the end."

He grins teasingly, "Well Kimberli with an 'I' on the end, are you busy after school?"

My eyes widen and my blush returns. My chronic shyness once again takes control of my body.

Jared, THE Jared is asking me out! I squeal inside my head. I can't bring myself to say anything other than a meek little "No." I peek at him from under my bangs and lashes to find he is still beaming at me. Is that smile frozen on his face?

"So, do you want to go somewhere with me?" he asks, looking at me with a nervous smile on his face.

"Sure?" I answer, but it comes out like a question.

"Great!" He says a little too loudly and Mr. Gruen hears him.

"Mr. Taqeem, I know that my lesson can put an ADD student to sleep, but could you at least attempt to pay attention to me instead of Ms. Birche?" he admonishes.

Jared doesn't even look at him, "Yeah, sorry Sir." He apologizes, not looking the least bit sorry.

"Very well then," Mr. Gruen concedes and continues with his lecture.

I turn to face the front and try to pay attention to the lecture, of which I missed more than half of. Jared continues to stare at me for the rest of lesson, making me lose my focus several times. Finally the bell rings and I gather up my things, and make my way out of the class at a quick pace, eager to get to lunch.

I hear someone shout my name, but I figure it's just my imagination so I keep walking. Suddenly, Jared pops in front of me and I run into him before I have time to stop. It's like running into a brick wall!

Man he's built I think incredulously, and just before I hit the ground, two very warm, very large arms catch me and stand me upright.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Jared says worriedly, "are you okay?"

I step out of his arms, suddenly self-conscious and manage to reply, "Yeah, I'm fine. You just stepped out of nowhere and surprised me, is all."

"Are you sure?" he pries, "because I can take you to the nurse's office!"

"Really, I'm fine Jared, I just fell. It happens all the time. Thanks for catching me though." I assure him shyly. He grins, the worry falling from his face.

"Anytime,"

By now I'm sure my face is so red, it might be permanent. "Well, I have to get to lunch," I say, glancing at the Tinker Bell watch on my wrist.

I try to sidestep him but he stops me with an arm saying, "I have lunch right now too. Sit with me?"

"Su-u-re" I stutter out. Talk like a normal person! How hard can it be Kim? I mentally berate myself as Jared leads the way to the lunchroom. He gets a tray and hands it to me with a smile.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." He replies, and then he grabs a tray for himself and starts piling on a mountain of food. I gape at the growing pile and he laughs at my expression.

"You're going to eat all that?" I ask him.

"Yep" he replies popping the 'p'.

I shrug my shoulders and then I grab an apple, a hoagie that looks a bit mouldy, and a carton of chocolate milk. We pay for our food and he leads me to his table with his friends sitting around it.

Paul Woods and Embry Call take up nearly half the table, they are so big. I sit down next to Jared and nervously fidget under the incredulous stares of his friends. Jared notices my fidgeting and glares at the boys. They suddenly find their food more interesting than my face.

Jared then introduces me to them. "Guys, this is Kim." he says nodding his head in my direction.

Paul jerks his head once in acknowledgement, and Embry smiles at me. "Is she...like Emily?" Embry asks after seeing the way Jared is looking at me.

Jared takes his eyes off my face long enough to nod at Embry and reply, "Yeah."

Paul's head snaps up. "Are you sure?" he asks tersely. For some reason I feel offended at the tone of his voice.

Jared nodded again at Paul. "Then we need to go see Sam. Now." he emphasizes when it didn't look like Jared was going to get up. Jared sighed and then gave me the look of adoration.

"I have to go. Can I pick you up after school today?" he asks with a pleading look in his eyes.

I blushed and nodded. His answering smile was wide. "Great I'll pick you up out front okay?"

"All right," I agree.

Then leaning down he took me by surprise by kissing my forehead.

I was still blushing furiously when he, Paul, and Embry strode out the emergency exit at the side of the cafeteria.

What just happened? I thought. And then it sunk in, as I touched my forehead with my fingertips.

Jared Taqeem kissed me! Oh My God!

And with that thought still running through my head, I head to my next period in a pleasurable daze. All I could think was how I just fell even more in love with Jared Taqeem. In fact, I was so busy dwelling on the kiss he gave me that I was completely missing the signs that were right in front of me.

The signs that could have saved my life.

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Jaredxkimx4ever