said, "I can find my own way around."
There was nothing meaningful in the way he said it, he just simply turned her down. But I could feel the students surrounding us, holding their breath and stiff as boards. I had never seen Lacy turned down and doubted she ever had been. The tension in the air confirmed that suspicion.
Confusion and shock crossed her face for a brief second before she masked them with a friendly smile. "Well, if you change your mind..." she laughed and turned to face the teacher as if nothing had happened.
Bailey shot me an oh my god look from across the room. I just shrugged and pondered the new guy as a mystery.
At lunch, as I expected, Michael was surrounded by girls bombarding him with millions of questions that I couldn't hear the answers to. I sat near Eric and a couple of guys on the other side of the dining hall. I felt bad for Michael. I knew what it was like to come to a new school, and this one could be overwhelming. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have this level of attention though. He probably felt like he was drowning.
"What, you aren't drooling over the new guy?" Eric said bitterly. His sandy blond head, crispy with gel, hung low today. He was ordinarily the most popular guy in school.
I just shrugged, "I don't drool over anyone." That earned a slight grin from him.
Bailey came to sit next to me after tearing herself away from the crowd. She could never resist anything even remotely exciting. She parked herself in the chair and planted a kiss on Eric’s cheek. They entered into a conversation about the next party he was going to have, which seemed to lift his spirits. I found myself glancing over to Michael’s table.
I stopped breathing. He was staring openly at me. He had to look past at least ten girls, to maintain his focus on me. It was unfathomable! Why would he be interested in me when every girl in our class, strike that, our entire school, was up for grabs.
Lacy followed his gaze and then pursed her lips. I looked away from both of them, trying to diffuse the potential war that would be inevitable if I stepped in her way. The next thing I heard was a loud thud and several gasps. I twisted back around to see Lacy on the floor holding her ankle, and her books scattered across the hardwood floor.
As everyone frenzied around her, she looked directly at Michael and asked, "Can someone please help me to the nurse?" She put on her perfected puppy-dog face no one could resist.
Everyone looked at Michael expectantly. There was a twitch in his jaw so slight that I may have imagined it. Then he stood up and scooped her off the floor. She dramatically threw her arms around his neck saying, "Thank you so much!"
As he carried her out of the dining hall, I saw her lay her head on his shoulder.
I cringed inside.
My last class for the day was fine arts, my favorite. There was something about having a brush in my hand and creating something on canvas that made all my worries disappear. It was the painkiller that got me through my parents’ deaths.
Mrs. Wood gave her usual pre-class lecture, which was more of an inspirational speech. Then she directed us to continue working on our landscape paintings. Just as I cleared a spot for my work, a tall, dark, and lethally sexy guy walked into the room. It was Michael, again. He was in all my classes. Really, what were the odds?
She exchanged a few words with him and then brought him to my table. There were only three of us at the four-person table, conveniently the only table with an open seat. It would seem the universe was trying to shove him in my face. The two other guys who shared my table only really spoke to each other, and I’m almost positive they batted for the other team.
Michael smiled when she introduced us. He inclined his head, "Lily."
I loved the way he said my name, it rolled off his tongue like the juices from an exotic fruit, in a deep, almost raspy voice.
"Nice to meet you," I barely spoke, blushing.
In
There was nothing meaningful in the way he said it, he just simply turned her down. But I could feel the students surrounding us, holding their breath and stiff as boards. I had never seen Lacy turned down and doubted she ever had been. The tension in the air confirmed that suspicion.
Confusion and shock crossed her face for a brief second before she masked them with a friendly smile. "Well, if you change your mind..." she laughed and turned to face the teacher as if nothing had happened.
Bailey shot me an oh my god look from across the room. I just shrugged and pondered the new guy as a mystery.
At lunch, as I expected, Michael was surrounded by girls bombarding him with millions of questions that I couldn't hear the answers to. I sat near Eric and a couple of guys on the other side of the dining hall. I felt bad for Michael. I knew what it was like to come to a new school, and this one could be overwhelming. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have this level of attention though. He probably felt like he was drowning.
"What, you aren't drooling over the new guy?" Eric said bitterly. His sandy blond head, crispy with gel, hung low today. He was ordinarily the most popular guy in school.
I just shrugged, "I don't drool over anyone." That earned a slight grin from him.
Bailey came to sit next to me after tearing herself away from the crowd. She could never resist anything even remotely exciting. She parked herself in the chair and planted a kiss on Eric’s cheek. They entered into a conversation about the next party he was going to have, which seemed to lift his spirits. I found myself glancing over to Michael’s table.
I stopped breathing. He was staring openly at me. He had to look past at least ten girls, to maintain his focus on me. It was unfathomable! Why would he be interested in me when every girl in our class, strike that, our entire school, was up for grabs.
Lacy followed his gaze and then pursed her lips. I looked away from both of them, trying to diffuse the potential war that would be inevitable if I stepped in her way. The next thing I heard was a loud thud and several gasps. I twisted back around to see Lacy on the floor holding her ankle, and her books scattered across the hardwood floor.
As everyone frenzied around her, she looked directly at Michael and asked, "Can someone please help me to the nurse?" She put on her perfected puppy-dog face no one could resist.
Everyone looked at Michael expectantly. There was a twitch in his jaw so slight that I may have imagined it. Then he stood up and scooped her off the floor. She dramatically threw her arms around his neck saying, "Thank you so much!"
As he carried her out of the dining hall, I saw her lay her head on his shoulder.
I cringed inside.
My last class for the day was fine arts, my favorite. There was something about having a brush in my hand and creating something on canvas that made all my worries disappear. It was the painkiller that got me through my parents’ deaths.
Mrs. Wood gave her usual pre-class lecture, which was more of an inspirational speech. Then she directed us to continue working on our landscape paintings. Just as I cleared a spot for my work, a tall, dark, and lethally sexy guy walked into the room. It was Michael, again. He was in all my classes. Really, what were the odds?
She exchanged a few words with him and then brought him to my table. There were only three of us at the four-person table, conveniently the only table with an open seat. It would seem the universe was trying to shove him in my face. The two other guys who shared my table only really spoke to each other, and I’m almost positive they batted for the other team.
Michael smiled when she introduced us. He inclined his head, "Lily."
I loved the way he said my name, it rolled off his tongue like the juices from an exotic fruit, in a deep, almost raspy voice.
"Nice to meet you," I barely spoke, blushing.
In
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