Afraid to Love Again

"Sophia, look," Farah whispers from our adjoined desks, as we sit toward the back of Mr. Nelson's history class.

Her hazel eyes zero in on someone across the room, her slim eyebrows raised as she cocks her head to the side in that way that tells me she's looking at a guy. And she likes what she sees.

"What?" I whisper, peering down at my notebook filled with the lecture notes I'm supposed to memorize by next class.

My overly excited best friend doesn't stop nudging me, even as I try in vain to ignore my curiosity at whom she's staring at.

The last thing I'm interested in is some jock that Farah has her sights set on, but hell, I am curious.

Aggravated, I turn to where she tilts her head and follow the movement only to gasp audibly, seeing a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring at me from three desks over.

I was right. He is what you'd call a jock. A Lakers cap is drawn low on his head and there are three girls surrounding him, wanting his attention while he has his sights set on me.

He isn't staring, not in that way boys look at you with only one thing in mind.

He's just looking at me. With curiosity. With wonder. I know who he is, practically everyone at Beaumont High does.

Bryce Williams, a senior. He's the quarterback on our football team and definitely doesn't want for beauty.

Chocolate-brown eyes, tousled black hair, and a muscular frame - he’s any girl’s dream. And he’s looking at me? No way.

My cheeks flame red at the thought and I hastily turn my head to see if there’s someone behind me, but there’s no one. Oh goodness, it's me. Why the hell would he be looking at me?

"He’s looking at you!" my best friend gushes as I turn to see her biting her thumb in excitement.

When I look back at the boy, his eyebrows are raised and he has a wide smile playing on his full lips. I know I should look away.

My sister warned me away from boys like him, especially after hearing what people say about him.

They say he’s dangerous; that his last girlfriend, Kristy Jenkins, fled to private school after only two months of seeing him. Looking across from him now, I don’t know if I believe those rumors.