8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

I stepped out of the office and looked at my schedule to find a room number. Period one was science in D-8. I walked down several hallways to the "D" hall and counted each room that I passed. "Eight," I said, pointing at the window on the old door before looking inside. The teacher was standing, monitoring the class. Great , I thought. Just perfect . I didn't need any extra attention. I had been on time for school, but I had to pick up my schedule. I didn't think it would be that difficult. The line was out the office door. I wished I would have picked it up a week earlier like most people had. I couldn't get myself to go in early, though. I needed a bit more time, and then, so quickly, the week got away from me.I stood tall, squared my shoulders, and decided it was a great time to make my first public operation make-everyone-think-I-am-fine appearance. I reluctantly grabbed the door handle, wishing I wasn't there, andwalked in. All twenty-five or so people in the classroom looked over at me—the teacher, too. I took a deep breath and walked up to the teacher to show him my schedule.

He nodded and pointed to a chair at the front of the class. A boy with brown-blond hair and brown eyes was sitting in the seat next to mine. After I sat down, I realized that it was Sam, one of Ryker's friends from football. He turned to me.

"Hey, Emma. Did you have a good summer?"

I gave a slight smile. "Yeah, I did—thanks," I managed to say.

He nodded an accepting nod before putting his head down on his desk.

I looked at him, thinking he was pretty cute, and if I had met him my freshman year, I would have liked attention from him. That is a weird thing for you to be thinking. I wanted to date, but I never really looked at boys and classified them as cute or whatever. I had never pursued anyone before. I mean, I have Ryker . Other guys had shown interest in me, like the boy from my horrible junior high dance fiasco. I was even a cheerleader once upon a time. I groaned, just thinking about that. My mom wanted me to involve myself more at school, and Karen, my only friend other than Ryker at the time, was trying out, so I just went along with it. Most of the time, looking back at that part of my life, I had felt like some sort of zombie, walking stoically through it all. In so many ways, it felt like I had truly awakened over the summer. Like, even before my parents' passing, I was never that way.

What changed? Was it their passing that changed me? Maybe –

A huge part of me gave most of the credit to my neighbor, Shad, who had caused me to feel things I had never felt before. There were times when I remembered awesome moments with Ryker, but most of that was just a blur; those times were very confusing, especially because the cheer squad was so not me. Why had I even tried out? Oh right, because of my mom and Karen. She had tried to get me more involved at school, wanted me to try new things, and so I tried cheerleading—which was a big mistake, namely because of Karen. Not everyone was a good friend to me like Ryker was. I had learned that lesson the hard way.

I entertained the possibility that maybe I never really understood who I was. I mean, I had always been a total follower, and even though following others was what I had done for my entire life, after my parents' deaths, it didn't seem like something I would do anymore . Great—now you sound like an even more crazy person, Emma. But seriously, after my parents' death, I had felt such pain and sorrow. Hadn't it flooded through me like a bursting dam? I had never experienced emotions like that before. I thought at first, of course I would feel that way ; I had just lost my parents. But then, in truth, I questioned: when had I ever cried? Ever screamed? Ever yelled before their passing? I remembered laughing, sometimes, with my dad, and hugging my mom a few times, but after the car crash, things changed. There was a rush of so many feelings, feelings I could not cope with. Then, I met Shad, and he seemed to re-start whatever lifeless existence I had been living . Once, I was so numb; once, I was too intense—and suddenly? I felt alive in the best of ways, like I could be myself even though I didn't know who I really was. And why is that? How could someone, at sixteen, not know who they are, at least just a little bit? It felt to me that I was like that princess, Sleeping Beauty, from mom's storybook, the one who had awakened from a three hundred year slumber after waiting all that time for her prince to wake her up–and not with a kiss–at least that was how Mom's story went.

I looked at Sam, who was frowning as he listened to the teacher lecturing.

Some people had assumed over the years that Ryker and I were a couple. Nope. That had never been the case. He had never made a single move on me, even though there were times over the years when I thought it would be easier for us to just be together. As time went on, I forgot about that altogether. I thought that there would be enough time later on to figure out if Ryker and I could ever be a couple. Truthfully, I had no true desire to date him, but my mother and father had been best friends before marrying–just like Ryker and I, so I believed we were compatible and, perhaps, each other's best choice.

But if Ryker thought of me as anything other than a friend, he had never expressed it. I knew that he just thought of me as a friend, and although that made the possibility of being with him, someday, shatter, it hadn't even hurt me. That is strange, isn't it? I asked myself. Because, when you love someone and they don't feel the same way about you, it should hurt, right? I mean, I knew Ryker loved me, but he isn't romantically in love with me, right? I assured myself. It would have been so convenient for us to date, seeing as we were always together, but that wasn't why people dated. I still thought highly of him. I did love him and needed him in my life; I couldn't imagine my life without him. Is that romantic love? I wondered .

No it is not.

My soul knew when I was trying to convince myself of a lie.

Before I knew it, class was over, and I was on my way to second period. That wasn't so bad , I told myself; one period down, and three more to go! I found the classroom for my second period at the back of the campus; unfortunately, it was a very long walk.

In class, our math teacher had all of us students line up before directing us to our assigned tables. I folded up my schedule and headed in the direction her finger indicated. A boy and a girl were already there. I walked to the table, ready for stupid conversations, and I honestly wanted to cry. Okay—I really need to figure out these feelings and emotions. No one is dying; this is just math class, Emma . I remembered my determination: I had to make that year different. I would give no one any reason to believe that anything was wrong with me.

My mother taught me when I was younger that "sometimes when you are afraid, the only thing you can do is take a deep breath, close your eyes, and just jump." I, of course, had received that advice from her when I was seven and she had urged me to jump from the high dive during my swimming lesson when she thought I wasn't going to jump from the ten foot high dive. I had not really been afraid back then, but the same advice she had given me then definitely applied to Operation make-everyone-think-I-am-fine because, for the first time, I truly understood the lesson. Back then, I thought it strange that she thought I would mind jumping. Finally—I got it: people have fears . Maybe I never had fears before, which, let's be honest, is starting to really weird-me-out, but I can handle this; even if I was a zombie before, that doesn't mean I am one now, I argued for myself.

Maybe I needed to read a book about zombies. Maybe that would help.

I was not only afraid to jump , I was afraid to interact with my classmates even though I was a nearly grown young woman. I was afraid of conversations that would lead to opening up my dark life and my deep despair to others. I took a deep breath, letting oxygen fill me up as if I were a cup of water under the spout of a pitcher that was empty, for all of its contents were already mine. I decided that I would just "jump"—or in that case, keep my eyes open and take my seat.

The girl to the left was of an average size and height. She had dark brown, wavy hair that just hit her shoulders. She wore a cheerleader uniform in Columbia blue, white, and navy blue. She turned and glared at me. I wanted to scream. It was Karen. The boy sitting across from her was tan with light brown hair. His eyes were a light gray. His features, though arranged well, were harsh, and he looked rather upset as I sat down.

I pulled out a notebook and a pencil. The door opened, and Shad walked in. I felt my heart beating so quickly, and I couldn't get enough oxygen. I thought I was drowning. Was it possible that I would not be able to reach the pool's surface even after my courageous jump from the high dive? I regained my senses; I wished and I prayed that my astonishment at seeing him walk through the door would not be too obvious. I brushed a strand of hair from my face. I did not know that I could feel that way, that this is what living feels like.

I watched as the teacher looked down at her seating chart, and I lost my breath as she pointed to the table where I sat. I tried, really hard, not to stare—but failed miserably.

Shad is incredibly stare-at-able. Is that a word? Because he is it.

He smiled at me as he pulled out his chair and took a seat. Before I could even try to say something like, "hi," the teacher started talking. I am sitting across from Shad, I thought with a gleeful inner squeal. I tried to tame my racing heart. It was no small task to accomplish. His hair was a night sky without any stars. His eyes were bright and warm like the sun. I was mesmerized by his face as if I had never seen him before. How handsome he looked just sitting there, his face relaxed, attentive to the teacher. His strong jaw and defined cheekbones added to his beauty. As the teacher continued lecturing, I wished that I were no longer alive. How could I sit across from him ? Feelings rushed through me and made me feel too many emotions all at once. I pulled out my notebook and took another peek at his face to find out that he was suddenly looking at me, and in a very strange, confused, but happy way? Maybe? I tried to avert my gaze quickly. I was sure that my obvious awe of him was apparent on my face. I turned to look at Karen, and I was thankful that she was ignoring me. I looked at the math book in front of me and realized, again in horror, that I was in an advanced math class. There was nothing advanced about my math skills. I couldn't stop my mind from freaking out. I am going to flunk this class for certain, and will I humiliate myself in the process? Yes. And in front of this intoxicating, gorgeous boy? Oh, Great. I felt a hard jab to my side and turned to face Karen.

"Um, are you going to drool?" Thankfully, she whispered the question to me. I very stealthily stepped on her foot, and she winced in pain and grunted.

"Shut up," I said back, glaring at her. I wasn't afraid of her: Hello Karen, I am not an emotionless zombie with no backbone anymore!

"Hey, you're new, right?" I shrunk back into my chair as Karen's voice rose in volume so that everyone could hear it at our table, and possibly at every table in the class.

I looked at Shad, and he looked directly into my eyes. I was a little self-conscious. What was he doing? It is his gaze that is lighting up my soul. The melody played in my head, just for him, once again, and I could not stop the crazy emotions that bubbled up inside of me, looking to escape. His lips lifted into a smile. Finally, after the faraway look left his eyes, he spoke to me as he answered Karen's question.

"Yes."

I tried not to focus on his eyes, but they were too unreal for words. I could not look away, even if I'd wanted to. What is the matter with me? I'd seen cute boys before—even had earlier that day. Sam, he was cute, and I had noticed, but I hadn't almost hyperventilated or passed out from looking at him. What is it about this boy?

"Yeah, duh," the gray-eyed boy said, interrupting my thoughts. "Why else would we not know him?"

"Oh, don't be a jerk, Tim," Karen smiled. "It's just a stupid question," Tim glared at Karen.

Shad watched them talk and laughed silently under his breath; then, he looked at me again.

There it is! There is just this something about him that calls to me, something so familiar. I felt my face grow warm, thinking about the dried out lavender rose on top of my dresser. I wanted to know who he was and why he had given me that rose. Did he feel the same things I felt when he looked at me? I really just wanted to reach out and touch him—

"You don't have to wear a uniform to our school, although I love the look. It's so academic, like one of those urban fantasy academy books," she said with a dreamy smile that made me angry. It was true, he did look really hot in his button-down, khaki pants, and dark blue blazer. Is that what girls mean when they say they love a man in uniform? Cause if so, I understood.

Shad did not answer.

Karen cleared her throat and continued, "So anyways, that is Tim, this is Emma, and I am Karen. Welcome to our school," Karen continued warmly.

"Thank you, but we've met before," Shad nodded in my direction, his gaze still on me. "I am Shad," he smiled at me—his eyes holding my attention, yet again. I broke my gaze and looked away, just in time to see a look of confusion flush across Karen's face.

"You've met Emma ?" The shock was apparent in her voice.

Shad nodded, still looking only at me.

"Yes, Emma is my neighbor ." The way he said "neighbor" made my heart soar. He said it like it was the highest praise. Praise for randomly living across the street from him?

I'll take it . I made an ever conscious effort to avert my eyes and was proud of myself for doing so. My heart raced, its melody still humming. Why did it seem like I could feel his eyes on me—seeing me? I couldn't help but want to reach out and touch his hand. When he had helped me up off the ground two weeks earlier and we touched, it was as if magic existed, and the world was brighter because of it. That time seemed so long ago, and I ached for more of him. I wanted to feel the electric pulse of his touch, wanted to make sure it was real and not just my imagination. Is he really the one who made me come alive? Even my memories of the past seemed less hazy after our meeting. Is that because of him? I'd been walking around in a fuzzy, black and white world, but Shad turned on the color and focused the image. The need I had to simply touch him multiplied, and it felt to me as if I needed his touch more than I needed to breathe.

Maybe this is proof that he is a vampire–I mean, are there not things like mind control? I mean, could he have imprinted on me or something? No–that is werewolves right? Gah, Emma this is the real world, not a fairytale, not a fantasy book, no matter how hot those vampires were–draining blood is not attractive. There is no way that Shad sucks out peoples' blood. I hated my thoughts. Oh, my flippin' goodness, I thought, and I was embarrassed of myself and of my wild train of thought. Get over it–he is not anything else. He is just a boy. Stop reading books.

Never.

I wanted to slap myself but refrained because I was in math class.

I locked my eyes upon Shad, and he seemed to be holding back a large grin by how he curled his lips inward, and his eyes almost seemed to shine.

What is so amusing to him? Me? Am I doing something? I looked away from him and glanced down at my hands.

The teacher began to talk, and we opened our books. We were assigned problems to do in "pairs or groups," and I was hopeful that Shad and I would end up working together, and that I would have an excuse to touch him.

Really? Emma? That is creepy . I couldn't explain the urge, and yes, I am no doubt turning into a creeper, but I was going to touch him. I would. Karen turned to Shad and then to me, interrupting my plans.

"You want to be my partner , Shad?" Karen asked, her voice sultry as if she were asking another question entirely.

Ew— I wanted to gag right there, or perhaps, I just wanted to strangle Karen. She really was unbelievable. I was starting to understand even more why we were no longer friends. That's it—I am turning into a murderer, aren't I? Wait. Am I the vampire in this story? Or maybe I am just a very possessive stalker ? That sounded better, possessive was better. Let's stick with that one.

Shad turned the book toward me and pointed to the questions we had to answer before responding to her—the queen of the school, and I felt a sadness wash through me in anticipation, knowing that would be the moment when Shad, along with any small interest he might have had in me, would be swallowed up and overtaken by Karen. Her spell seemed overpowering to the boys at Oak High.

Goodbye Shad; it was fun while it lasted , I said in my mind as I looked down at my hands, waiting for his response.

"Oh, I was planning on being Emma's partner."

I wanted to shout for joy, and even sing! He wanted to be my partner? I tried not to smile, but it was hard because how could I not smile when all that was wrong in my world—okay, so like for thirty seconds I imagined he was a Karen-goner, but for that amount of time I thought he would choose her, I was thinking the worst—but suddenly, because Shad was kryptonite to Karen and her superpower abilities to get whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it, it seemed like everything in the entire world could be made right.

That is the stupidest thing you've ever thought–actually, not true–You have had way more embarrassing and stupid thoughts . I told my inner voice to just be quiet , and then I turned and looked at Karen, and she gave me the dirtiest look possible. I then realized that Shad wasn't a normal football-playing-wanting-to-be-popular-jock type of guy as I had previously assumed.

We wrote out a word problem. I was horrible at math, so then if you add in a boy, who was like quite possibly the most attractive man in the universe as my math partner, we have now stumbled upon my worst nightmare. How had I not thought about that before? I blamed that on being caught up in that Shad daze. I wished that I was only just jumping off the high dive; that would have seemed less tragic. I had a knack for always getting math problems wrong. He started working on the problem, and I watched him and the way he held his pencil in his hand, and I wondered for the thousandth time what it would feel like to hold his hand again, and along with that thought, I felt another surge of warmth rush through my cheeks as soon as I remembered the electric warmth from our first meeting. I shook my head and told myself that I needed to stop thinking about Shad or else I would never get anything done and end up looking even more stupid. I picked up my pencil and started my descent toward mathematical death. Yes, it is a thing. He looked up at me as I finished.

"Are you done?" Shad took my paper from my hands without touching me, to my great dismay. He looked at it for a while, and I watched him. "How did you get that?" he asked.

I wondered if I could just hide under the table for the rest of class. I wanted to cry again, but I was so mad at myself for even having that emotion, that I didn't . Thank the heavens. I decided it was better to just spit out the truth, so I went with honesty and wanted to scream at my stupid heart for continuing to beat so fast.

"I am not going to lie; I am terrible at math. I think I was just put in a random math class. I am sorry you have me for a partner."

I heard Karen laugh, no doubt enjoying my embarrassment.

"It's okay. I can help you." He took the pencil from my hand, and moved his chair so that it was on my side of the table. Our legs brushed against each other, and I looked up at him, pleasantly surprised. "Is this okay?" he asked as his eyes gazed into mine, his voice so low as he leaned in to whisper in my ear. I thought I was about to melt into him.

"Oh yeah, sure," I said–but inside of myself, I was screaming: Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

I heard a grunt from Karen but didn't bother looking at her. Shad started explaining the problem, and I really tried to listen to him, but the song inside of me, the one I'd made up for him, was so loud and our bodies were so close together, that his bare arm brushed against mine, and I felt the same electric jolt from when we first met, and I sucked in my breath. He looked at me with a smile, and I wondered if he felt what I was feeling, too. As much as I wanted to lean into him and smell his cologne and kiss his face, I was proud of myself for my restraint. I tried to merely make sure our legs were touching the entire time.We were done before the bell rang at the end of the period, and at the bell, I quickly packed up my bag and turned in my paper. Shad was still talking to the teacher as I slipped out. I hurried because I wasn't sure if I could control myself and not run into his arms and beg him to hold me. Yeah—I am a crazy stalker.

As I walked out, Ryker was there at the door, smiling. I tried to calm myself. I had a strange feeling of home but also of irritation, which wrapped around me as he approached. I shook it off. It was Ryker, my best friend. My emotions, my mind, and my body were really out of sync, and again, I was afraid that I was going crazy.

We walked to the lunch area to eat. The cafeteria was large, and it was completely filled. I saw Shad in the corner, surrounded by girls. I tried looking all around, but I kept seeing those golden eyes, standing out in the middle of my search. What is it about him that makes me wish that I could be over there?

"So how has it been so far? Is operation make-everyone-think- you -are-fine going as planned?" Ryker smiled at me. I usually loved his smile, loved everything about him, really, but not then, and I tried to shove that thought away into the area of my brain where all my crazy thoughts seemed to be hanging out, along with my vampire theories and other fantastical ideas.

"Good—except I have math with the evil cheer queen," I frowned.

"That sucks," he said, taking a bite of his cafeteria pizza. "She seems to have found her next love interest," Ryker said with a laugh.

I turned and again looked toward Shad, but his eyes were already on me. He looked amazed ? Or excited? What the heck? I felt my heart sputter, and I quickly looked away. Ryker looked at me with a strange expression, his lips tight.

"What's up with you?" he asked, taking another bite.

"I don't know—something about that new boy. You know him, right? I heard you guys outside this morning," I said, nodding in Shad's direction .

Something is different–even weird–about Ryker, and I can't put my finger on it. What is it? Is it me? I'm obsessed with Shad, I want to cry every five seconds, and I want to kiss and hug Shad for no reason other than I feel that I just need to do it—as much as I need to breathe, and now, I feel like something is off with Ryker, too? What is happening? I was so glad that I had kept all that in the crazy area of my brain and that it didn't spill out of my mouth. You are good at one thing, at least, not letting the crazy spill out.

"Oh, yeah, he moved in across the street. I know him." He took another bite of food.

" How do you know him?" I asked as I picked up my fork, wondering if he would tell me more about their not so secretive conversation in front of my house that morning.

"Oh, uh—" He looked embarrassed.

"Yes?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

"We used to be, uh—friends, but he moved away for a while." He shrugged.

If that is the case, why had I never met him? I wondered. As far as I knew, I was Ryker's best friend, and he didn't have any other close friends, just like me. So, who is Shad to him? It didn't make sense.

"Let me just say that that boy is the finest thing I have ever seen, also wearing that ? Now, that is classy," a girl sat down beside me, picking a fry from off my plate and placing it into her mouth as she spoke.

"Excuse me, but do we know you?" Ryker asked, looking from me to her as I shrugged in confusion.

"I am new here, and as a new kid, I figured I had my pick of the tables. Good excuse to just sit anywhere and make some friends, right? You guys made the top of the list," the girl said to Ryker.

"Hey, Emma, is this seat taken?" I looked behind me and saw Sam.

"Oh, hey, Sam. No, it's all yours," I answered with a happy smile. He sat down with his cafeteria tray and began eating his slice of pizza. The rest of Ryker's football team buddies found seats around us as well. The new girl took a seat beside me.

"My name is Ashlyn, but I go by Ash," the new girl said, holding out her hand to Ryker and then to me. Ryker looked at me with wide eyes, and I cracked a smile.

"We could always use a new friend," I said, taking Ash's hand in a firm shake, hearing the dozens of bangle bracelets she wore clank together. She had straight, black hair; purple-ish, blue eyes; and her smile, which was outlined in a dark purple-brown lipstick, seemed genuine and light. She wore a white T-Shirt with a hole in the collar and one hole on the side, exposing some of her tanned skin. I noticed, too, that she wore a clear gem around her neck; it looked like some kind of rock but when she moved, it picked up the light and sparkled. She wore a pair of ripped, light denim jeans and double black high-top converse.

"I am Emma, and this is Ryker, my best friend," I said as Ryker just stared at me as if trying to tell me not to talk to Ash.

That is weird.

"So what do you guys do around here for fun—besides taking in all that hotness over there?" She placed a hot pink backpack on the table, decorated with ink designs, created using a variety of colored permanent markers. She unzipped the largest pocket as I continued to stare at the drawings. I wondered if she drew the pictures herself. If so, she was a really good artist.

"Did you draw those?" I asked, pointing to her backpack.

"Yeah, I love to draw—can't help the impulse. Sometimes, I just get a marker and draw on things. My backpack was just there, begging me to help it out of its boring shell." She pulled out a sack lunch, and I decided I should probably stop staring at her. I turned to look at Shad, then at Ryker; Ryker didn't seem to agree that Shad was a "hottie" as he still scoffed at her comments from earlier. It was then that I noticed while taking a bite of my food, that they both, Shad and Ryker, were looking at me.

"Hot is a temperature," Ryker finally spoke, addressing Ash with an unfriendly glare.

Why? Why was he glaring?

"Yes, it is, and he makes my temperature rise," Ash said with a laugh. "But seriously, what is there to do around here?"

"You can swim in my pool sometime; it needs more use," I offered before I even had time to process what I was doing. I took a bite out of a fry. Could Ash be the perfect friend I had been hoping for? Excitement began to rise within me. Maybe making a friend wasn't as hard as I previously thought.

"You have a pool?! Yes, that sounds awesome. Would you, Ryker, be joining us?" she asked, batting her eyes at him. Ryker looked at her, then at me, as if he did not know what to do.

"Where Emma is, I am," he shrugged, and I beamed from the inside as I watched him stuff his mouth full of Pizza. Ryker was the best person in my life.

"Makes sense," Ash said with a knowing look toward Ryker. Does she think he is my boyfriend? I would let her know soon that was not the case. "So—pool party then?" Ash added, her eyes lighting up.

"I mean, Sure," I said, not wanting to admit that I had no other friends to invite . You don't want to lose this girl as a potential friend, Emma.

"Did someone say pool party?" Sam turned to me.

Before I could say anything, Ash spoke. "Yeah, just a few people at Emma's pool," she answered with a smile. "That's okay, right?" She looked to me for confirmation; she looked worried for a moment, but I smiled and nodded. I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea, but I knew Mary would be.

"We are in," Sam said before nodding to his friends beside him. A few more of his friends said they would come, too.

What have you gotten yourself into?

"Should we say tomorrow, after school?" Ash asked me, anxious to set a date.

"Sure, sounds good. I am sure my aunt won't mind."

"Awesome! Oh, I am so excited! I have been so bored all summer—you have no idea."

I looked over to Ryker who was staring at me with a look I couldn't read, which honestly was quite rare. I always seemed to know his looks. I turned my gaze to Shad, and then, he suddenly got up. Ryker moved his eyes from me to shoot a glare at Shad as he walked over to us. I tried not to blush as all the feelings that Shad seemed to stir up inside of me flooded through me, and I held back the need to jump him or give him a hug or attack him with a kiss.

Hormones—it's just hormones. Please body—control yourself! I demanded of myself, silently.

"Hi, Emma," Shad said, placing his hands in his pockets. His hair looked like it had been tousled in a gust of wind.

I wondered: What would it feel like to touch his hair, his face, to kiss his everything—Stop it, stop it. What would it feel like to kiss his neck? Well, that one just slipped on through, didn't it? I could not stop looking at his neck, and then at the Adam's apple just there — I cleared my throat: it would be so easy to stand up and kiss him right there—Oh, my heck; I am a vampire. This has to be proof of it.

He smiled at me, amusement in his eyes.

Did I say any of that out loud?

No.

"Hey, Shad. This is Sam, Ash, and of course, you know Ryker," I said, pointing to each person; my voice sounded more like squeaks than actual words.

Ryker shot me a strange look.

Why is he giving out those looks like they're candy?

"Hello," he said quickly to everyone at the table before returning his gaze back to me. Shad gave me a wink, and I just about became a puddle.

"Hello there, hot stuff. I would be happy to sing your song sometime," Ash added playfully to her introduction.

I laughed. Ash was very bold, unique, funny, and there was just something else about her that I liked. I looked to Shad who held her within his gaze, quizzically, for a few moments; then he nodded at her sideways as he turned to look back at me.

I cleared my throat again: ugh.

"Shad and I have math together," I explained to Ryker and Ash, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"You do?" Ryker asked.

"Yeah, I also have it with Karen, too; remember?" I pressed Ryker.

"Karen, yes. That is her name. Karen is very interesting. She doesn't really take no for an answer, does she?" Shad spoke softly near my ear, bending down to me.

"It would seem you have that in common with her, then," Ryker responded with a scowl darkening his face.

What is that about?

"You know, I am so sorry to inform you of this, Shad," I said, attempting to keep the conversation light. "But she has her sights set on you, and once she has her eyes set on her prey, you better bet she doesn't give up until she catches it; it being you ." I smiled and took a drink of my water.

"It's true, dude. She really is a piece of work," Sam said with a confirming chuckle.

"Well, I am not interested." He stood to his full height. I looked up at him. His eyes were still set on mine.

"Well, she will hate that," I responded with a smile. Why on earth was he looking at me like that? And why on earth was I not frightened?

Shouldn't I be afraid?

I looked at Ryker, and he was looking at me again, strangely, and I wanted to ask him what was wrong, desiring to take the worry from his face.

"So, Shad—" Ash began.

I looked at Ash as she leaned her elbows on the table.

"Yes."

"Emma and I are having a little party tomorrow after school at her house, a pool party—" She didn't get to finish because she was cut off by Ryker.

"He is busy; he has lots of other things to do, don't you, Shad? Your family business cannot run itself, now, can it?" Ryker asked.

"No, not busy at all. If you remember, Ryker, I have more time off as of late because my biggest project finally saw results—despite others' unwanted involvement. I will be there after work." He nodded to Ash, and I tried to not let it irritate me.

Maybe, having a friend who's a girl isn't such a good idea.

Maybe she would steal Shad away from me .

Emma, he isn't even yours—so stop.

Shad looked at me then, and smiled. "Well, it is nice talking with you, Emma, as always, and nice to meet you, Sam and Ash." Shad touched my shoulder, energy pulsed through me, and I loved the feeling. I wanted to cry with pure joy at his touch, beg him to never let me go.

I leaned into him just a little as Ryker moved Shad's hand away from me. How he had reached me from across the table seemed to be too quick to even be possible, yet there he was.

"I think you should go now," Ryker said firmly, standing between us. I rolled my eyes in annoyance at Ryker, ever my protector. They were standing mere inches apart: Shad with a smirk on his face, and Ryker with a scowl.

"Ryker, are you okay, dude?" Sam asked, looking back and forth between the two guys.

"Yes, it's fine," he replied without taking his gaze from Shad.

Shad laughed and moved away.

"See you all again, soon." Shad smiled, nodded to me, and then walked away.

"He annoys me," Ryker said as Shad walked out of the cafeteria.

"Well, that is apparent," Ash agreed with a laugh. "What'd he do?—Steal your girlfriend? Take your lunch money?"

"Yeah, what is it with you two?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Great answer, Ryker," I grunted.

He shrugged his shoulders as he got up and threw away his trash. He walked behind where I was sitting and bent down, similar to what Shad had done, and then he whispered into my ear—I assumed that it was because he didn't want Ash to hear: "Please, just be careful with him, Em." He stood, turned, and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving me completely and utterly confused and irritated.

Third period was a blur as History class always seemed to be. I kept thinking back to my Math class, to Shad and those golden eyes, to lunch and his stare focused so often on me.My last and final period was English. I'd heard the buzz around school about my pool party, already. Things really seemed to escalate quickly. I hoped that Mary wouldn't be upset. I told myself that I was not irritated about it. I envisioned Shad shirtless, swimming in my pool, and nope, I was not upset at all. I actually loved Ash for thinking of making it a pool party and inviting Shad. I walked down to the "A" hall and stopped at a line that was forming outside the door to my English classroom. We were all waiting as the warning bell rang.

About five minutes passed; our class should have already started. Students began leaving. I saw him again– Shad, over by the door, leaning against the frame, writing in a notebook. I wondered what it was in that book that held his attention. I was turning into some lovesick puppy. I groaned. He looked up at me. He had such an amazing face; Seriously—who has a face like that? I quickly looked away and felt my face grow ten degrees hotter.

Finally, the teacher arrived and let us in. The desks were facing each other on opposite walls; my seat was at the back.

Shad sat by the teacher. He must be the teacher's assistant, I thought. As the teacher began lecturing, I tried as best I could to take notes. I glanced up and across the room as I moved my hair around my shoulders, feeling anxious, and I saw that Shad was looking at me, or I thought he was looking at me, but I couldn't really tell for sure. I ducked. I decided that he was probably just looking at the wall behind me or at a poster; yeah, that makes sense . When class ended, I hurried out the door. Shad stood outside, talking to a group of girls, and I rolled my eyes, just thinking about him and his crazy beauty. At least, I was not the only girl at school who was completely undone by him.

"Hey, Emma," I looked around; there stood Shad right by my side. I jumped, surprised by how quickly he had gotten to me.

"Oh, my gosh, you scared me!" I clenched my shirt at the neck.

He laughed, and his laugh bubbled up inside me, causing me to feel like I was glowing. The melody I made up for him started playing again, and I tried to focus on what he was saying.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He looked sincere.

"Oh—thanks. Yeah, no worries. I scare easily," I responded, looking at his feet.

"So, you left your notebook on the table in math class. I was going to give it to you at lunch, but Ryker kind of freaked out." He smiled as he handed me my blue notebook. I took it and held it against my chest.

"Oh, thank you. Yeah, he is pretty protective of me. Always has been."

"So, are you headed to work now—so you can help other boys buy lavender roses?" he asked, putting his hands again into his pockets.

"No, I have the day off. I work Wednesday, after school, next. How is your hobby going? Did the rose work out?" I wanted to slap myself. Did the rose work out? Really, Emma? Really? Did you just say that?

"Well, you tell me. I didn't actually end up keeping it. I gave it to someone instead," he shifted a little as he spoke.

"Oh, well, I guess next time you should buy two—you know, if you make a habit out of giving roses away and all." Again, what are you saying, Emma! Did I just sound like I want him to keep giving me roses? That is a little too forward.

"Look at you, still working even off the job. Looks like someone needs a raise," he smiled as he spoke, making eye contact.

"I get paid overtime for this, Shad."

He laughed again at my words, and the sound was captivating. His shoulders moved, and his eyes lit up like a shooting star. I could not help but laugh for a moment, too. It felt good.

When was the last time I laughed? It was too long because the act felt so unfamiliar—although pleasant. As I contemplated that thought, Shad moved closer, leaning in toward me, our shoulders touched just slightly, but enough to bring a warmth to my cheeks that lit up my world.

"I hope you liked the rose, Emma," he whispered in my ear, and before I could look at him or turn around, he was walking down the hall and became lost in the crowd of students, making their way home.