2 - Popular from a distance

Dean didn't know whether to like or hate the fact that once he had noticed the new girl, Aria, it seemed he started seeing her everywhere around school he went. Just that same day he saw her twice more at the lockers and then outside on the grass in front of the school's main entrance as she talked with a couple of the basket ball team.

It seemed to him that the three guys that had come from New Zealand to play basketball were all very protective of her. He still had no idea how the hell that giant was supposedly her brother, he was definitely polynesian, right down to the cultural tattoos and frizzy afro of hair that he braided like cornrows whereas Aria had definite european features, and tanned skin, not to mention those amazing green eyes.

He also started hearing more conversations about her, he wasn't sure if it was his inate abilities honing in on what he was curious about or just that he was taking more notice in general but it seemed to him there was more than a few guys looking covertly in her direction. Luckily they all seemed completely intimidated by the three giant basketballers that hovered around her like sentinels and purposely told any guys caught trying to talk to her to back off.

He frowned at that.

He didn't like the way they seemed to control who she spoke to.

He had also noticed they always seemed to tease her, grabbing her phone and tossing it between themselves, or taking her lunch off her and holding it far up out of reach. She was nowhere near their heights, Dean guessed she may be only about five foot six, she didn't even reach Kahlia's massive pectorials. A lot of the time the three of them would pick her up and toss her around too, especially when she tried to argue. She would literally weigh nothing to big guys like them and Dean felt they were far too carefree about it all.

He had an opportunity the next day to see she was sitting under a tree on the grassy bank that seperated the tennis courts from the sports field. Classes were in session and he wondered why she was out here. He wandered across, coming up behind her and saw she had a sketch pad on her lap and she was drawing. She looked up as his shadow crossed over her and he grinned down on her.

"Hey." He said, casual and confident. He looked away, raking his hair from his eyes and scanned the area for any other people.

"Ah...hey." Aria answered with a little perplexed but curious tone. "What are you doing out of class?"

He leaned his shoulder on the tree coming to her side, tucking his hands into his leather jacket and crossed his feet. "Shouldn't that be my question to you?"

She looked down at her sketch pad and then turned herself to face him, looking back up with a squint into the sun. "I'm currently in art class, and we've all be told to go outside and find an isolated spot and draw what you see, as far as I'm aware you don't do art."

He chuckled, licking his tongue out over his teeth and dropping his head, making his fringe of hair drop in front of his eyes again. As he flicked his gaze up he saw her staring at him with wide wondrous eyes at the sexy posing he was doing. He met her gaze and held it for a moment before she looked away, shy and awkward. He grinned and stepped next to her and dropped to the grass, stretching his legs out as he leaned back on his hands. "Why don't you draw me?"

She gave him a strange frown as he sat down then snorted in amusement as his suggestion. "Then my picture wouldn't look very isolated, would it."

"Hmm...shame." He leaned over towards her, looking at her sketch. It had the next tree in the foreground showing the building behind it. It was really good and he huffed, impressed. "You're pretty good, I wouldn't mind modelling for you if you need one."

He tilted his head up so he looked directly at her and saw her eyes widen, her pupils dilate and he could hear her heart speed up slightly. "Are you serious?" She asked sounding completely bewildered.

He sat up, wiping his hands and shrugged. "Sure, why not? Especially if it meant getting out of classes for it."

"Huh, I knew there had to be a logical explanation..." She seemed bitter and he chuckled.

"Besides what?"

"Nothing..." She breathed, tucking her hair behind her ear and looking away like she was annoyed with him now.

"Oh, were you hoping I wanted to just spend time with you, new girl?"

"No...why would I?" She barked, cutting him off before he could say anything insulting.

He snorted. "Come on, let me finish...I was going to say because I wouldn't mind getting to know you..."

The look she gave him was scathing and it startled him. "Why, got some bet going?"

He laughed, raking his hair back and lifted his knees, leaning on them with an arm and dropping his head down to look up at her with a cute look. "Now why would you say something crazy like that?"

She licked her lips, feeling quite nervous at having him look at her with those intense eyes of his. She was never good at having a guy's full attention, she had never really had a boyfriend before, being the Alpha's daughter carried with it a no looking, no touching policy within the pack back home and at school she had always had the annoying Kahlia to scare off any potential boyfriend.

She dropped her gaze back to her sketch pad, letting her hair fall like a curtain between them. Dean lifted his hand and with just his index finger pulled her hair back and gave her a genuine little smile that made his eyes sparkle. She kept flicking her eyes up and down, unable to maintain his gaze as a rosy blush spread across her cheeks.

"Sounds like you've been watching too many high school movies before you came over here...it would be a bit of a dick move to actually do something like that in real life, don't you think?" He asked her with an amused tone.

She pulled her knees up hugging her arms around them and resting her chin on them. "Yeah, it would." She agreed.

He let her hair fall back and moved, sliding himself down the small mound of grass so he was lying in front of her, lifted up on his forearms and tilted his head at her. "You're quite shy...but it's nice to be able to talk to you without those giant ballers around you."

Her large eyes stared at him in front of her and Dean thought she looked like an adorable bush baby the way she had her mouth pressed to her knees and seemed to be peeking at him. "How tall are you? You don't seem that far off them in height, you could probably play too if you wanted to."

He dropped his head, reaching out a hand to pluck at the grass. "Nah, i hate the game...can't stand the squeaking of the shoes on court."

She giggled and his eyes lifted shining with a satisifed smoulder that took her breath away. "Finally got you to laugh...that must be progress..." He rolled over onto his back and then rose to standing, his movements fluid and graceful. She looked up at him surprised as he smiled back at her. "I guess I'll get going while I'm ahead...catch ya around."

"Ah, okay...bye." She pouted at him suddenly getting up and leaving and watched him walk off, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. He turned suddenly and walked backwards for a couple of steps grinning at her like catching her looking at him was the best thing ever. He waved a cute little waggle of his fingers then turned away and was gone.

"What the hell was that all about?" Aria breathed out, clasping her cheeks with her hands and feeling the heat of her blushing. "Damn it...I've heard he liked to tease and play god's gift but that was montrous!"

She licked her lips and couldn't help but giggle to herself. "Ah damn it...I fell for it hook, line and sinker, I'm so pathetic!"

She looked at the time and picked up her things, standing up. It was time to get back to class anyway...

Dean sauntered off feeling quite pleased with himself, a blush and a giggle, he deserved a fucking medal for that. Damn the girl was so adorable, sassy and wicked tongued but melted like marshmellow at someone being nice to her.

As he turned around and saw her watching him leave he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Those large green eyes held an awe like expression of wonder in them like she saw him as quite the enigma. Good, that was a good response and he would take that to the bank. He gave her a cutesy little wave just to keep her guessing before turning back around and disappearing around the corner of the nearest building into a narrow throughfare.

"Where the hell were you?" Mark made him stop in his tracks.

"Why is the school burning down?" He grumbled back.

"You said you would be right behind me...when I turned around you weren't there."

Dean shrugged. "Clearly I took a detour." He leaned against the wall and grabbed Mark's shoulder pulling him back to the wall also.

"What..."

"Shhh..." He cut Mark's protest off and looked at the end of the building. Mark looked around him in the same direction, ready to drop his cigarette thinking it must be a teacher coming, relying on Dean's superior sense of smell.

They both silently watched as Aria walked past the gap, clutching her sketch pad to her chest with her pencil case tucked inbetween.

Dean sucked his teeth, his eyes going dark as he looked at the ground, scuffing his foot. Mark lurched up off the wall and stared at him for an explanation, smirking at him. When he got no response he pointed to the end of the way. "What the hell was that?"

Dean looked up with a lop-sided smirk. "What was what?"

Mark's expression widened in disbelief. "Did you secretly meet with her?" He stepped in close to Dean, sniffing him. Dean clucked his tongue and shoved him away.

"Knock it off..." He growled. "As if...I don't even fucking know her..."

"Don't give me that shit, you think I'm stupid, I saw the coy smirk on your face when she walked passed."

Dean chuckled, leaning his head back and looking up at the gap of sky above them. "It wasn't intentional, okay...I just saw her sitting alone with no giant goons so took the opportunity to say hello."

Mark looked gobsmacked. "And?"

"And nothing...it was that innocent..."

Mark scrutinized his face for a moment as Dean merely looked back completely expressionless. "Huh...you do like her though, eh?"

Dean shrugged, lifting off the wall and walking off down the lane. "She seems sweet, maybe too sweet for me."

Mark grinned as he flicked his cigarette away and followed. He couldn't wait to tell Hamish about this, this was hot news!