A Proscriptive Relationship (2 page)

My jaw dropped a little. “Stupid? I thought you were in trouble!”

“
And you thought you’d be able to take them out?”

“
Well, no, but—”

“
Here’s a little bit of advice, then. Next time, don’t try to be a hero. It’s dangerous. You could get hurt.”

Deflating a bit, I dropped my gaze. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero . . . I just couldn’t leave someone I thought needed help.”

“
It’s thoughtful, but stupid,” he said, not unkindly.

Feeling like I was being lectured, I just nodded.

“
But I should thank you too. It would’ve been bad if I’d fought back,” the stranger added, making a face.

“
Er . . . why is that?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. I should go.”

“Already?” As soon as the words left my mouth I blushed deeply. What was I doing? I didn’t even know this guy! Even if he said he wasn’t a killer, he still could be. There was definitely something wrong with me.

The gray-eyed man chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t want to impose . . .”

I gave him a small smile. “You wouldn’t be . . . but I
am
afraid of what my mom would say if she came home and found a strange man here.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not that strange.”

“No, you were just going to be assaulted in an alley like any other average person, right?” I said sarcastically.

He cocked his head to the side, an amused expression crossing his face. “You’re one to talk. Coming out of nowhere and shouting at them in your girly little voice.”

“I do not have a girly little voice,” I responded, slightly miffed. “I really thought they were going to beat you up.”

He shrugged, holding up his hands defensively. “I know, I know.” Moving around me, he reached for the front door’s door handle.

“Wait!” I demanded.

He paused, turning around to look at me. “What?”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Secret,” he responded, a smirk sliding onto his face. Then he opened the door and slipped out. “Have a nice night.”

LESSON ONE

The shrill ringing of my alarm clock pierced the dead quiet of my room. It lasted only a split second before my hand collided with the annoying electronic, silencing it immediately. Cold bit at my now exposed hand and I quickly returned it to the toasty, safe haven under my comforter.

After a few moments of silence I groaned to myself. Even though it was freezing in my room, I had to get up and get ready. No more dreaming about the handsome, mysterious man that I had dragged to my house the week before. I took a deep breath and counted to three before seizing the edge of my comforter and tossing it off of me. The frigid air tempted me into going back under the covers, but I fought it valiantly. Besides, I wanted to know why my room was so damn cold in the first place.

My bare feet touched the freezing floor and I padded over to the air vent. I stuck my foot in front of the airway and pulled it back with a frown. The air conditioner was on, not the heat. Had my mom mistakenly turned it on instead of the heat? I exhaled and treaded wearily out of my room and into the hallway, which was only a few degrees warmer than my bedroom.

“Mom?”

I waited for an answer, and after a few moments of silence I tried again, walking towards my mom’s bedroom. I paused outside of the door and knocked gently. Still no answer. I opened it and peered inside to see my mom sound asleep on the bed, her clothes still on. I sighed to myself and walked over to her closet, grabbing an extra comforter and covering her.

“Jeez,” I muttered, frowning at her. “Don’t overwork yourself this much.”

I exited the room and made my way to the thermostat. My mom had indeed turned the air conditioning on instead of the heater. I turned the knob in the opposite direction and set it to a very warm temperature. After that I stumbled to the bathroom to take a shower.

The warm water felt relaxing on my back and I lingered a little longer than I should have. My thoughts were preoccupied about the umber-haired man. Who was he? Would I be able to see him again? It was incredibly frustrating that he wouldn’t at least tell me his name. That was basic manners, wasn’t it? But then again, I realized, I didn’t exactly tell him my name either.

When I was done washing my hair, I hopped out of the shower and briskly dried off my body and towel-dried my hair as best as I could. I wrapped that towel around my head and another around my body and made my way back to my bedroom. It was my last first day of school—and I wanted to look cute. Unfortunately cute and I didn’t mesh well. Eventually I ended up pulling out a simple pair of washed jeans, a black tank top, and a light blue plaid shirt that I knew would bring out my blue eyes well.

When I was done getting dressed I went to my kitchen to eat a quick breakfast. After I finished, I slipped on my low-top Converse, and slung my backpack over my shoulders, stopping in the bathroom briefly to apply light makeup and brush my teeth. In the middle of rinsing, my phone started vibrating. I quickly swished the water in my mouth and spat it into the sink, wiping my mouth on a towel before answering the phone.

“
Morning,” I mumbled.

“
Morning, Holly!” my best friend of six years, Casey Rivers, returned sounding bright and chipper. Like she did all the time. No matter what ungodly hour it was. “Are you almost ready? I’m outside your house now.”

“
Yep, I’ll be out in a moment.”

“
Kay. See you soon,” Casey responded and I heard a click.

I closed my cell phone and stuffed it in my pocket, hurrying out of the bathroom and down the hallway. I took the stairs two at a time and stopped in the kitchen quickly to scribble a quick note for my mom. Finally I snatched my house keys off the key hanger and flung on a jacket before I stepped into the cool morning air.

Casey was waiting on the front steps. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back and swayed gently in the wind as she blew on her hands and rubbed them together to keep warm. She turned when she heard the door open, her brown eyes lighting up excitedly. “Hi,” she greeted me, her cheeks a rosy red and the moisture of her exhale creating fog in the air.

“
It’s cold,” I commented, pulling my jacket tighter around me as the wind nipped at my cheeks.

“
Yeah,” Casey responded, nodding her head vigorously. “Thank god this is our last year of walking to school.”

I chuckled. “Agreed. But you know you don’t have to walk with me. Don’t you have a car?”

Casey shrugged. “I get more exercise this way and it’s more fun.”

I shrugged back at her. “Whatever, I guess, let’s just go. I don’t know how long I can stand being outside.”

Casey nodded and together we set off down the sidewalk towards our school. It was only a twenty-minute walk, but in the freezing cold it seemed longer than that. I could feel goose bumps on the exposed part of my knee and wished I had worn a different pair of jeans.

“
So,” Casey started, turning to face me with a grin. “Any news about the mysterious stranger you saved?”

Frowning, I shook my head. “I wish.”

“
That’s too bad. I would have loved to meet him.”

“
I would love to see him again.”

An eager expression suddenly crossed Casey’s face. “You know what? There’s a new biology teacher this year.”

“
Really? Male or female?”

“
Male,” she responded, stuffing her hands deeper into her pockets. “I don’t know anything about him though, but I was thinking, what if he’s your mystery man?”

I laughed. “No way. This guy was young.”

“
So?”

“
Too young to be a teacher,” I clarified.

Casey’s expression dropped immediately. “Bummer. Maybe the teacher’s assistant? Are you taking biology this year?”

I nodded, pushing away a piece of my chestnut-colored hair that had flown into my face with a gust of wind. “Yeah. I took anatomy last year, so I was forced to take biology this year.”

Casey laughed. “I’m pretty sure everyone in our grade was forced to take anatomy last year and biology this year.”

“
Probably. I like biology though, so I don’t mind.”

“
I wouldn’t mind if this new biology teacher was young and handsome,” Casey stated, a dreamy look on her face.

I rolled my eyes. “There’s no way. All science teachers are creepy. They are usually old and bald. Or they have a lot of facial hair. Or they look at their students in inappropriate ways.”

“
Well, one can dream. But you’re right.”

“
I’m always right,” I told her with a wink. “I’m omniscient.”

“
Yeah, whatever,” she responded, rolling her eyes at me.

We came to the gates of our school and the building towered over us. I stared at in slight awe. It had been over two months since I had been this close to it. Casey grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards a group of people. I recognized them as some of my school friends: Sadie, Lance, Danielle, and Willis. They were all huddled together and I could hear them chattering excitedly.

“
Hi guys!” Casey greeted them, catching Danielle in a hug.

“
Holly!” Lance cried, pulling me into a tight hug.

I laughed, hugging him back. “Lance! Man, have I missed you and your sexy British accent!”

“
So I’m sexy now?” he asked, pulling away from me with a wink.

“
You wish,” I retorted, shaking my head. “I know I just got here, but can we move this little shindig inside? It’s freezing.”

The six of us trooped our way inside the school building, the warm air defrosting our frozen bodies. Students filled the entrance hall, chattering with friends; some were walking around with schedules in their hands, comparing their pieces of paper to the others’.

“
Let’s meet up in the hall after we get our schedules,” I suggested, wanting to drop my jacket off in my locker.

“
Sounds good to me,” Casey responded, pulling off her hat and running a hand through her hair. “See you in a bit.”

The six of us split up and headed to our assigned homeroom. Lance and I were in the same homeroom, so we went off together. He babbled on about his summer and how he visited his friends back in England. He had moved to Massachusetts a few years back, when we were freshman, and we had been best friends since.

I entered my homeroom and walked to where my seat was for the past three years and wasn’t surprised to find my schedule on the desk. I picked it up and scanned it quickly. The only name that stood out from the rest, and that I didn’t recognize, was Mr. Heywood.
He must be the new biology teacher
, I thought.

“
What periods do you have double biology?” Lance called from across the room.

“
Fourth and fifth,” I returned, scanning down the sheet of paper for my locker combination. I located it and read it a few times to memorize it.

“
So do I!”

“
Awesome,” I responded, stuffing my schedule into my pocket. “I’m going to my locker.”

“
Have fun.”

I left Lance in the classroom and headed out into the jammed hallway. A few of my friends called out greetings to me as I passed by them. Maneuvering around the crowds of students, I finally managed to make it to the back hall where my locket was located. Right on the corner. I spun the combo slowly and surprisingly opened it on my first try. A laugh left my lips when I noticed the small drawing off a muffin I had drawn back in ninth grade was still on the door. The janitors still couldn’t get it off. I let go of the locker door and began to pull my arms out of my jacket, only having a little difficulty. Suddenly, there was a quiet thud and my locker banged shut, catching the edge of my nose.

“
Ow!” I cried, slapping a hand to my nose.

There quick intake of air from beside me and I twirled around to come face-to-chest with someone. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a young man with umber hair. My eyes widened when I recognized the familiar, attractive gray eyes of my mystery man. He looked just as surprised, if not more, to see me. My mouth went dry and my mind blank. I definitely was not expecting to see him here.

We continued our mini staring contest for a few more moments. Once again my eyes were glued to his, focused on their unusual color. Eventually he came out of his shock, and a small smirk slipped onto his face. “Don’t go falling for my good looks already,” he commented, flicking my forehead.

I winced from the sudden contact and rubbed my forehead, glaring at the man while a light blush spread to my cheeks. “I—I’m not. I just wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Neither was I . . .”

I frowned at his annoyed expression. Why was this guy at my school? Was he a transfer student? There was no way he could be a freshman—he looked way too old. My eyebrows knitted as I tried to figure out his grade based on looks. Definitely not a sophomore. Maybe a junior, but most likely a senior like me. Maybe he was a transfer student!

“
Hey.”

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked back up at the handsome transfer student. “Yeah?”

“
Can you tell me how to get to room 1054?” he requested, his eyes never leaving my face. They held some kind of emotion I couldn’t recognize in them. Maybe he was nervous. I’d be nervous if I was the new kid during senior year.

I shook my head, repeating his question in my head. 1054. The room corresponded with my locker number. Smiling slightly, I nodded to him and pointed the way he had just come. “You go down this hallway, and take a right into the hallway that’s painted blue. It’ll be the last door before the stairs.”

He clicked his tongue and frowned. “I must have passed it. Oh well. Thanks.”