The cafeteria, as usual, was loud. Students grouped with their friends and classmates at the tables around the room, chatting loudly, and my friend Hayley and I were the same."I'm so jealous," Hayley muttered, pouting at me from across the table. "How did you end up in a closet with Evan? I was at another party and had some drunk guy hit on me and grab my ass, then had his girlfriend giving me shit when I tried to complain because she thought I was going after her man. As if I'm that kind of girl."Her nose wrinkled in irritation. Hayley was my clos-est friend. Just like Evan, we'd gone through high school together, though it wasn't until our sophomore year when we were grouped for a project that we realized we had a lot in common and became friends. She was the first real best friend I'd ever had, and we shared pretty much eve-rything.So, of course, I told her about last night."It felt amazing," I said, sighing. "Best thing I've ever felt. So much better than doing it mysel
A few weeks la-ter..."Evan Stewart," I whispered as I bent my head to the girl in the seat next tome.She nodded, "I know."I wanted to ask how she knew, but I didn't get the chance. She didn't introduce herself and then she flipped her dark brown hair to the side and stood up as the prin-cipal's door flung open. He didn't even say a word be-fore she started to stride towards him. "Ms. Johnson. Mr. Stewart in here now."Fuck!His glasses were foggy, and I had a feeling I knew why I was being called in here. I'd been stupid. Out late and partying and ignoring my final exams. The same thing that I did every year. But this year was important. I'd been kicked out of my private school and the only school that would accept me was a public school, I didn't have any other choices. My mom cringed at my behavior and hit the bottle. The same way that she al-ways did whenever there was a crisis, and lately there'd been one too many. I didn't have brains like my sister. No, my only
When did I become such a dork? Wanting attention from a girl, wasn't something that I'd ever felt before. Not once. I didn't have to, they gave it to me before I could even think about it. Ever since I hit puberty, it was almost as if I'd become a magnet. One that attracted the opposite sex in a heartbeat. "I have a confession to make," she said, and it caught the principal's attention and stopped the tense atmosphere which made time stand still and it felt as if, at some point, even the clock had gone mute. I hated coming in here, the threat of being kicked out of another school meant that my only future would be to stay at home. With my drunk mom.Hell no!'Stewart, the rich quarterback love magnet.' Every-one needed a nickname in high school, and that just hap-pened to be mine. Not, 'Stewart, the miserable kid with the alcoholic mom and cheating dad, who'd been kicked out of one too many schools.'I was too popular and had too much cash to be la-beled what I was behind clo
I walked out of Mr. Hopkins office as if the floor was laid with hot coal. I knew that Mr. Hopkins wanted to talk to me. Ask me the million dollar question that made his face grimace with anger; why the hell had I lied. The truth was I didn´t know, there were a thousand other ways to try and get Evan's attention, this just seemed to be the perfect way to do it.Then again, I wanted him to like me for me, not be-cause of what happened in the closet or because I'd tak-en the blame for him when he cheated on a test. If I'd told Evan that it was me in the closet, would he want to get to know me for the wrong reasons? In the end, Prin-cipal Hopkins gave me detention for two weeks. Light punishment for cheating, but everyone in that room knew that it was a lie. Whatever.It wasn't like anyone was going to say anything about it. Not when it was my word against Evan's, but I was counting on the fact that nobody would question us, so the punishment was less irritating than it should have
I felt a little guilty as I went through the rest of my classes for the day. Well, guilty, but also deeply intrigued by that girl.Anita.I had thanked her for doing what she did, but that didn't feel like enough to me. Besides, I wouldn't mind sitting close to her even if all I got to do was watch her. Her clothes weren't a slim fit and didn't show much skin, unlike a lot of the girls I saw every day, but I was starting to think that underneath those clothes, she had delicious curves just begging to be explored.Fuck, don't think like that.Pushing the thoughts aside, I headed for detention. Class was over, but I wasn't in a hurry to go home, and it wasn't the first time I'd ditched my friends over a girl either, so it didn't matter to them when I said I was busy. They misunderstood what I meant, and gave me annoying catcalls and wolf whistles behind my back. I ignored them.Stopping outside the door, I knocked, then pushed it open. A teacher was seated at the front, and a f
I woke up early in the morning. Not because I re-membered to set my alarm clock. These days, I didn't even need to.My parents were arguing, and even with my door closed, the noise was hard to muffle. I groaned and rolled off the bed, and went to take a shower. Not for the first time, I was glad to have my own bathroom. I didn't have to get out there with them to get ready. I was ready way too soon, and I picked up my stuff. It was too early for school, but I couldn't stay there any-more.Mom and Dad had moved their argument down-stairs. I heard something like glass break and hurried over. I stuck my head into the kitchen, but it was noth-ing. A glass just fell, and neither of them noticed. Mom was probably the one who threw it. I looked at her, and it took less than a second to realize she was drunk.Mom? Already? My thoughts turned sour and I knew my day was ruined already.I said nothing as I ducked back out, and felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out, and scoff
"So, what do you like to do in your free time?"I was surprised he was talking to me. Hell, I was surprised he'd driven all this way just to pick me up for school. I'd even wondered if I was dreaming and pinched my arm just outside the door before I jumped in, and I was subtly rubbing the small red mark."I read," I said after a minute. My tone sounded normal, but I couldn't be any further from calm. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, but I was a better actor than I thought."What do you read?""Um," I frowned, thinking quickly. "I'm in the mid-dle of a book called Christine right now. I circle different authors, and when I find ones I like, I go through the backlist, but not all at once, and I'm back on Stephen King for now. After that one, I'll read Carrie and The Shining, then find something else to read.""Really?" Evan said, glancing at me, a wide grin on his face. Before I could ask why he was so happy, he told me. "I love Stephen King books. There are some newer
"I still can't believe you're hanging out with that girl," Abe muttered. "I thought people were kidding, but I saw you."I rolled my eyes and looked away. We were on the football field even if it was out of season. A habit that never died even during spring and I pretended to be en-grossed with the runners doing laps around the track."Why do you say that like it's a crime?"He smirked. "It's just unlike you, and it is all over the school. Girls keep coming up to me and asking me about it like it's any of my business in the first place."Abe smacked my shoulder, and I frowned. He was a quarterback on the team, and he was a big guy. He was also one of the guys I regularly hung out with.Mason, the team's linebacker, grinned as he smacked me on my other shoulder."Tell the truth; she's the same girl you've been blow-ing us off for, right? Tell us her name.""Would you guys shut up," I grumbled.I knew people were talking about it, and I guess it was big news. It had been