Breathless (2 page)

Luckily, only first bell had rung, and we made it to class with moments to spare. It was hard not to notice that all eyes were on me as we entered the room. I knew everyone wondered why I was looking less than stellar. I heard a few whispers and saw a couple of notes exchange hands. I guessed my glory days were over. But, I didn’t care, so long as I got a few winks every night.

Addie was laughing with some of the other girls in the corner, shooting glances my way every now and then. I was sure they were chatting about how they could get me on track to becoming one of the popular people. I had been so close to having it all, meaning—as Addie had told me when we pulled into the parking lot earlier—popularity and brains. She knew I had been suffering, but my sleepless regime had opened so many doors for us. We were on the cusp of greatness, as she put it. Despite the fact that her family had more money than the Hiltons, she just couldn’t manage to catch the attention of the “in” crowd. Personally, I thought they were intimidated by her. She was pretty, poised, and filthy rich, after all. Regardless, if I stopped wearing all the right clothes and spending extra time on my looks, she feared we would blend back in with all the others. She cringed as she said the word “blend.” But, it was never my goal. Truly, the only reason I had given my otherwise ordinary appearance any thought as of late was because I had been sleep deprived and rising before the crack of dawn each day. Now, that I was sleeping through the night again—or so I hoped—I simply wouldn’t have the time to spend primping and fussing over my pale and uncontrollable curls. Addie didn’t find the notion acceptable. I didn’t care.

Now, as we chatted idly while waiting for first period English to begin, I felt another chill run along my spine. I pulled my jacket tight around my shoulders and looked to see who would dare to open a window in mid-November. But, no one had moved, and the windows were closed. That’s when I noticed
him
sitting at the back of the room. Addie must have seen him too because at that exact moment, she shot me a look. Without a single word, she said so much. Seconds later, Mr. Sheppherd called the class to order, and my head snapped back to the front of the room. My attention didn’t follow. I was still thinking about our mysterious new classmate, while trying to keep my teeth from chattering in the cold. He’d left me breathless.

It was all I could do to sit through class without stealing another look. I had waited for Mr. Sheppherd to make the usual “new kid” introductions, but I was out of luck. He didn’t say a word. Instead, he clambered on for at least 45 minutes about Lady Macbeth’s need to get the blood off her hands. Rarely did anyone escape the embarrassment of being hauled up in front of the class to tell us who they were, where they came from, and why they were here, and for once, I was disappointed by this. When the buzzer finally rang, I sneaked a quick peak back, hoping
he
might not notice. But, he was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the class was still collecting their things, and he was gone.

I saw Addie look to the back of the room, and she seemed as confused as me. She dashed to my side.

“
Did you see him? He was real, right? I mean, I didn’t imagine that there was someone new in the back of the room, did I?”

Addie continued on with another anxious round of questions as we walked out into the hall. I was ready to tell her that he must have been a figment of both of our imaginations, when I saw him leaning against the lockers across the hall. He looked casual, but intense. His emerald eyes were burning a hole in my own. I tried to look away, but I couldn’t. Something about him held my gaze. The next thing I knew, he was gone. I stared down the hall, but he had disappeared into the mob of students that were madly scrambling to reach their next classes. It was clear to me that Addie hadn’t noticed him standing there. In fact, she hadn’t stopped talking. Not once. It felt like my eyes had been locked with his for minutes, but it must have only been seconds because when I returned to the conversation, Addie was just finishing the same sentence she had started when I first caught sight of him.

“
Earth to Lia. Did you hear me? I was asking what you’re planning to wear to Hannah’s party. Do you know yet? It’s going to be very important that you wear just the right thing.”

She’d already forgotten about him, but I couldn’t. His face was ingrained in my mind. I tried to act normal, but I couldn’t focus, and Addie knew it.

“
Lia,” she snapped. “Are you listening to me at all?”

I turned quickly to her, seeing the pleading expression in her eyes. She had a magazine open to the center spread, where several very chic outfits were displayed across the pages.

“
Which one do you like best,” she asked. “I like the third, but I’ll have to put it on special order to make sure it comes in time.”

Addie was from money. Her great grandfather was an inventor, and he was known to hit on a few successes now and then. His children invested their claims to the family fortune wisely, and their children, Addie’s mom and aunt, were set for life without ever lifting a finger themselves.

“
I was thinking of treating you to the fifth outfit. You know, for being such a good friend and all. Do you like it?”

Despite the past few weeks, I typically wasn’t all that interested in fashion. Addie was thrilled with my recent transformation, but she didn’t seem to grasp that it was directly related to my lack of sleep and the excess prep time that I had each morning as a result. Now that it looked like things were back to normal, she would have to get used to the idea that I would also be going back to the old routine. Although today, I was kind of upset that I hadn’t taken the time to at least smear some gloss across my creamy lips. Especially with the mysterious, yet hauntingly lovely, new student.

“
Come on, Addie. You know I can’t accept such a lavish gift. It drives me crazy when you do that. I’ll just wear my black dress.”

Addie knew better than to argue. We’d been best friends since second grade, and she had made one too many missteps in this area to test her luck again. Her last attempt ended with me mailing the Betsy Johnson mini dress she’d bought as a gift for my birthday to her cousin in Toledo when Addie refused to take it back. I knew Cecilia would appreciate the frock that was hot off the runway. When she called Addie to thank her for the gift—which I had, of course, suggested it was in a brief note—Addie threw a tantrum. We didn’t talk for a week. That was the longest we had gone since she moved to Evergreen a decade earlier. She didn’t want to go for round two, I was sure.

“
You can’t blame a girl for trying, can you? Never mind, don’t answer,” she said looking a little glum. “But seriously, you can’t wear that dress again. You wore it to the last three parties. It’s so last year.”

We were polar opposites. Addie was all about appearances, and I wasn’t sure I cared either way. Sure, what girl didn’t want to look nice sometimes, but I knew there was more to life. Before my dad died, I felt differently. But now, I had my priorities straight.

“
What if
he
’
s
there,” Addie asked, breaking my train of thought. “Did you see everyone staring at him? Even Rob looked jealous.”

I could only assume Addie was referring to the mysterious stranger from our first period class. I was beginning to think I had imagined the entire thing, so I was glad to be reminded that she had seen him too. For a minute, I wondered how he would even know about the party, but then I thought twice. What if he did? There was definitely something about him, and it took a lot to stir up the green-eyed monster in Rob’s eyes. Rob Masterson was the most-sought-after boy in our year. He was quarterback of the varsity football team and captain of just about every other sport’s team, too. He wore the right clothes, had sandy blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a body that would make Mr. Universe jealous. He got above average grades and was perfect in just about every way. Or, so most girls thought. Addie had been seeing him on and off for a few years, so she knew otherwise. Rob definitely had his faults. Jealousy was just one of them. Still, no other girl had ever caught Rob’s eye or piqued his attention. Yet another reason why Addie found it so difficult to mesh with the popular crowd. Currently, Addie and Rob were taking a break, but she was eager to rouse his interest and rekindle the flame.

“
Why would I care,” I asked Addie.

The look on her face made it clear that she was in shock.

“
Why would you care? Who wouldn’t? There is going to be serious competition for that boy. But, he didn’t take his eyes off of you the entire class. He didn’t even pick up a pen to take notes. It was very strange, intense,” she said. “I was planning to make my move, but I don’t think there’s much point. Judging by his fixation with the back of your head in first period, I would just be wasting my energy. Besides, it’s about time I give Rob another chance.”

“
You’re being ridiculous,” I told her, and I believed it. “With all the beautiful people in this freakishly attractive town, why would anyone like him even give me a second glance?”

Addie just shrugged, gave me a knowing look, and skipped off to her next class. I wouldn’t see her again until lunch.

Chapter 3 - Jealousy

The rest of the day dragged on. I hadn’t seen him again, but the buzz about his presence could be heard everywhere. Weak descriptions filled the room around me. From what I recalled, they didn’t do him justice. But, my memory was fuzzy.

In Biology, I could hear Rob Masterson complaining to Max Bigwell that the new guy had rained on his parade. No one had noticed Rob’s new hair cut thanks to the fact that they couldn’t take their eyes off of “Mr. Cool,” as Rob had called him. I chuckled, and both Max and Rob shot me a dirty look. I just shrugged. Britney and Lainie wouldn’t stop gushing about his brooding stare and black leather jacket. I smiled wryly when they began swooning over his tight behind. He’d disappeared so quickly both times I’d seen him that I didn’t have the privilege of watching him walk away. But I was sure that it was a privilege.

“
Did you see him,” Stella finally asked me. “It’s a shame if you didn’t. He was only here for a half day today, but I hear he’s going to start full time.”

“
Yeah. I saw him,” I said, trying to sound casual. “He was okay, I guess.”

I knew it was a completely ridiculous understatement, and I would almost have been disappointed if Chloe hadn’t taken the opportunity to ream me out for it. By now, she had joined our small gathering and looked like she was ready to explode.

“
No way, Lia. I can’t believe you said that,” Chloe started in on me slowly, her temper rising with each word. “He was to die for. I mean, he didn’t even come close to any of the guys around here.”

That, I couldn’t deny. He wasn’t anything like the other boys, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint why. Though I only saw him for a few fleeting moments, I could see that he was beyond beautiful. Even Rob didn’t compare. Truly, they couldn’t be compared—they were so very different, but I couldn’t say for sure why. There was something more, but it all seemed a bit hazy.

We kept chatting this way until Miss Krazinski started handing out our assignment. And even then, giggles escaped before we were organized into groups for our lab. Just as we were about to begin, I felt a cool breeze blow through the room. Before I could grab my sweater, I saw
him
standing in the corner. My heart paused, and I couldn’t take my eyes away.

“
Look,” Chloe whispered, nodding in his direction. “He’s here. How do I look?”

“
Why does it matter? You have Elliot,” Stella exclaimed. “He seems to think you look just fine.”

I laughed along with Britney and Lainie. They, too, had delicious boyfriends that most girls would be thrilled to even get a glance from. That didn’t mean they couldn’t comment on the new guy, they just had to decide if a shot at him was worth giving up what they had.

“
I’m going to talk to him,” Stella said confidently. Before we knew it, she was gone. As she scurried across the room, she looked back once with a teasing smile. We were in awe. Stella was beautiful and single. I was sure he would bite. Few guys could resist her long blond hair and big blue eyes. Until now, no one at Evergreen High had been good enough for her. We were in shock when we realized someone had finally struck her fancy.

We were even more shocked when he didn’t even to turn talk to her. In fact, as she drew near, he turned and walked swiftly out of the room. Suddenly, the room got warm, and I had to take off my sweater to cool down. Stella looked awestruck. Never had a boy blown past her without so much as a mild stare. We tried not to laugh, but it was hard. I couldn’t wait to tell Addie.

We took turns passing the scalpel around our little group, slicing pieces of the mushroom away and identifying its tiny parts. My mind was on other things when Lainie passed the knife my way, and my index finger took another gash in the exact same place as the night before. I winced at the pain, and as the blood started to flow, I heard a low gasp. I looked to see who made the shallow sound, but no one was nearby. Lainie was on the verge of crying, and Britney was screaming for the teacher. Panic ensued until I was able to convince the class that I was fine. Max ran to the nurse’s office and grabbed a large bandage. Once I was wrapped up tight, everyone relaxed and went back to work. Still, I couldn’t help but think something just wasn’t right. I felt fine, but there was something strange about this wound and the sound that I kept hearing in my head each time the blood began to flow.