by Nikki Landis
My stomach growled loudly and Gran smiled.
“Eat up, Hun.”
I drizzled some warm syrup over the pancakes and took a bite. Mmmm. Gran poured fresh squeezed orange juice into the glass in front of me, a small smile on her lips. She was such a good cook. She spoiled me rotten and I loved it.
Gran made everything homemade from scratch and she used fresh ingredients from her garden out back. She taught me from a young age how to cook and we both loved it. It was important to Gran that I had a good upbringing since my parents were gone. Personally I think she went a little overboard but I would never admit it.
I looked around the kitchen, chewing thoughtfully. I loved this house. It wasn’t huge but it had a large kitchen which was my favorite room. It was always filled with the smells and sounds of Gran’s cooking. The kitchen was all white, even the appliances. It was always meticulously clean and smelled like the wildflowers and herbs hanging all around. There was a big window above the sink that looked out into the backyard and sliding glass doors that were almost always open, letting in the fresh air. You could look right out and see the garden there. It was a modest house, made of red bricks and white washed wood. It was everything to me in one simple word. Home.
I glanced at the clock. It was almost seven. Time to go.
“Gran, I have to finish getting ready. Emily and Mariah will be here soon.”
“Ok, dear.”
She kissed me on the cheek and started humming as I walked away. I ran upstairs to brush my teeth, pausing to catch my reflection again. I ran my fingers through my hair and let the soft curls hang down to my waist. A little hairspray, some lip gloss, and I was ready to go.
Beep, beep. Just in time. I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs, nearly colliding with my grandmother. I placed a quick kiss on her cheek and ran for the door.
“Bye Gran!”
“Have a good day, honey!”
“Ditto!”
I smiled as I ran for Mariah’s car. The sleek silver metallic paint glistened in the morning sun. Her car was really nice. Mariah’s parents had given her the Chevy Volt on her sixteenth birthday. It was a hybrid, all electric. I didn’t know much about cars but I knew enough that this car was hot. She got a lot of envious looks in the parking lot at school.
Mariah’s parents had a lot of money. They gave her anything she wanted. Really. Anything. I could hardly imagine that kind of life. She was a little smug and stuck up at times but we were good friends, besties, and I liked her a lot. I was much closer to Emily though. She was more quiet and reserved by nature. She had an excellent sense of humor. I was relaxed and myself with her. We hung out when she wasn’t with her boyfriend Jarrod.
All of the windows were rolled down and the stereo was blaring some rock song that I didn’t recognize. Mariah always had the stereo loud, like there was only one volume her car could handle. It sometimes gave me a headache. I never said a word. It was her car. She could do whatever she wanted. And Mariah always did what she wanted. The thought made me smile.
Looking at Emily, I rolled my eyes. She grinned knowingly. Emily was seated in the backseat so I grabbed shotgun.
“Hey,” I said as I jumped in, my smile bright.
“Hi!” They both squealed at the same time. I giggled.
“What’s up? You guys look excited.”
“Guess what?” Emily asked excitedly.
“I have no idea,” I told her.
“Come on, Rhia. Guess,” Mariah said impatiently, smiling smugly.
I looked at her for a second. “Did you pass your biology exam?” I asked.
Mariah made a face. “No, well, yeah, but that’s not it.”
I could tell I was irritating her slightly. “You met a movie star last night who you fell in love with and now you’re running away to Las Vegas to get married?” I guessed again.
Emily burst out laughing. Mariah grunted. I thought it was funny. Mariah raised an eyebrow at me. I know she sometimes thought I was a little weird.
“Hmmm…someone asked you to prom?” I wondered.
“No, but thanks for reminding me about that. I may have to take drastic action soon. Keep guessing,” Mariah ordered.
Before I could say anything, Emily jumped in. “Let’s just tell her…the new guy is supposed to be at school today.”
“Really?” I asked. Finally something to be interested in.
“I heard from Brittany that he is really cute,” Mariah answered, a sly smile playing on the corners of her lips.
“How does she know that?” I wondered aloud.
“He came into Applebee’s restaurant last night with his family while she was working. You know she’s a hostess there, right? She said he was tall, very tan, and very cute. She said that she nearly tripped over her feet when he smiled at her,” Mariah explained.
Emily and Mariah both giggled. That was interesting.
“I wonder if we’ll get a chance to see him today,” I responded. They both exchanged a glance.
“I heard he’s in your first period English class,” Mariah informed me, watching my reaction.
“What? Wait, how do you know that?” I asked, completely dumbfounded.
“Brittany got to school early this morning and waited in the office for him to show up. She made up some bogus excuse about one of her classes so she could wait around. He came in early to get his schedule and find where his classes are. Brittany let him talk to Mrs. Garner first, of course. She knows the whole schedule. After he left, she told Mrs. Garner she changed her mind and left but called me right away,” Mariah explained quickly, without pausing for a breath. I briefly wondered if her head would explode from lack of oxygen, but she did this often enough she probably had some kind of high tolerance.
Wow, that girl is crafty, I thought. Brittany, I mean. Was her stalker certificate in the mail? I almost said the words aloud but I managed to hold myself in check.
“Is everybody that excited to see him?” I wondered.
They both just gawked at me. “Rhia, everybody in town seems to be interested in him but you. It’s the first exciting thing to happen in this dumb little place in years,” Mariah sighed dramatically.
Our city was pretty small, about ten thousand residents. The whole high school only had about five hundred kids, in total. I remembered what Mariah just said about it being exciting to have a new student. Ah, then I got it. Now I knew why they were so hyper when I got in the car. They were excited that I had the first class with him this morning.
“Oh,” I said, “I guess I’ll be able to tell you something at lunch then.”
“Rhia, his schedule has every class with you except for math,” Emily told me.
I froze. All of my classes with this guy? I was suddenly a little nervous. I wasn’t really good at meeting new people. I got anxious and tongue tied. Great, I thought. Yay me.
“You’re kidding!” I exclaimed, a little too excited.
Mariah saw right through my ruse. “Nope, that is so cool. I want details at lunch. Promise me you’ll talk to him,” she demanded.
“Um, I’ll try?” I meant it as a statement but it sounded more like a question.
Emily looked at me apologetically. Mariah narrowed her eyes.
“What’s his name?” I asked, making an effort to repair the damage already evident on Mariah’s face. That seemed to brighten up her mood.
“Kellen Sloane,” she told me dreamily. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Just then we pulled into the small parking lot at school. As usual it was crowded with teens and buses. Mariah drove to the front and parked in the only open space left. Nobody ever parked in her spot, no matter how late she was. We climbed out as the bell rang and there wasn’t time for any more conversation. I was fine with that. Grabbing my backpack, I quickly slung it over my shoulder.
“See ya at lunch,” I called as I walked off, happy not to have to say another word.
Chapter Two
The room was crowded as I entere
d my first period English class. People were standing and talking all over the room, lounging on desks and scattered in groups. Chaos was the norm so early in the morning. My English teacher, Mrs. Yoder, was busy shuffling through papers as usual. She often started class late. I walked toward the back of the room where my seat was located. It was noisy in here this morning. Louder than usual.
There was a group of kids gathered around the desk next to me, talking and laughing. I didn’t pay much attention to the conversations going on around me as I sat down. My thoughts were still centered on my nightmare this morning. I hated awakening early before my alarm, all day long I was going to be tired and grumpy.
Another boring Monday stretched out in front of me. I prepared myself mentally for a long day until the sound of laughter made me look up. I glanced at the seat next to me and froze. It was him, Kellen. The new guy we were talking about in the car a few minutes ago. Our eyes met. He smiled a wide grin and I smiled tentatively back. Our gaze held. Finally, after a few more seconds I looked away and blushed. Mrs. Yoder called the class to order then and began her lecture on renaissance poets. I pulled out my notebook and a pen and started taking notes.
I suddenly felt like someone was watching me so I looked up. Sure enough. He was looking at me, again. Or maybe he hadn’t stopped looking. I wasn’t sure. I blushed bright crimson again at the thought. Turning back to my notes, I tried to concentrate on what Mrs. Yoder was saying. Her words started to jumble together in my head. I could feel him staring at me again. It was starting to make me feel a little self-conscious. This lecture was taking forever.
I didn’t have to be impatient long. A few minutes later Mrs. Yoder finished her lecture and ended class five minutes early. I heard one of the guys, Brian, ask him what class he had next.
“Economics with Mr. Stratford,” Kellen responded.
“Hey Rhia, don’t you have econ with Stratford now?” Brian asked.
It took me a minute to realize he was speaking to me. “Yeah, I do,” I replied slowly.
“Mind showing me the way?” Kellen asked.
“Um, sure.” I couldn’t seem to form an intelligent response.
I picked up my books and shoved them in my backpack and stood up. He was already standing. I looked up, past the wide muscular chest and broad shoulders in front of me, and into his eyes. They looked amused. I’m sure mine looked startled or confused. I hardly had time to realize that I actually had to look up.
He was tall, probably six foot four, at least. He was very tan, just as Brittany had told Mariah. His light brown hair was tousled into a neat disarray. The tips were dyed varying shades of gold and blonde like the sun had bleached them that way. His eyes were a piercing and beautiful green, different somehow than other boys my age. I noticed his teeth were perfect and straight and very white.
His grin got bigger. I realized with embarrassment that I was staring. I blushed again, for the third time this morning.
“Ready?” He asked. I nodded, not trusting my voice.
We walked out the door and he followed my lead as we headed toward economics.
“So, your name is Rhia?” He asked.
“Yes, Rhiannon actually, and you’re Kellen.” I didn’t ask. Of course he was.
“Pretty name.” He chuckled lightly. “Has everybody been expecting me today?” He sounded amused again.
“Yes, you’re the most exciting thing to happen in this town in a long time.” I told him, only slightly sarcastic.
He seemed to think that was funny. He chuckled again, a throaty and deep sound that made me smile. It was rather masculine, almost too mature for his age. I looked at him questioningly.
“I didn’t know I was going to cause such a commotion,” he explained.
Somehow, I doubted that. I’m sure he caused a commotion wherever he went. It wasn’t everyday a supermodel walked into town. I couldn’t help the thought. He smiled at me again like he knew what I was thinking. We walked the rest of the way to class in silence. He paused at the front of the room to show Mr. Stratford his schedule and I walked over to my seat. I sat down just as the next bell rang, watching the front of the room with interest.
Mr. Stratford told him to take any open seated he wanted. There were several seats open around the room, including the one behind me. He grinned at me and walked down the aisle to that desk, sitting directly behind me. I could feel his eyes on my back. I straightened up and pulled out my homework. Mr. Stratford started talking then and I lost myself in the politics and economic issues of world war two history.
This period passed just as slowly as English. I was very aware of his eyes on me the entire class. I pictured an imaginary hole being chiseled and carved into my back. Maybe I was just self-conscious. It felt like he was staring at me almost constantly. I didn’t dare turn around to find out, knowing those green eyes would probably be amused at my ploy. All of my senses seemed to be hyper aware. Aware of him, I should say. Everything else around me didn’t feel that important at the moment. One thing was certain, I was grateful for the distraction today.
I remembered my earlier conversation with Emily and Mariah. Brittany was wrong. Kellen wasn’t just cute. He was gorgeous, like some Greek statue. Emily and Mariah were going to flip when they saw him. Mr. Stratford ended class and gave the homework assignment. We had to watch our choice of several different documentaries and write a two page summary by next Monday. I groaned, along with half the class.
“Rhiannon, what class do you have next?” Kellen asked.
His question caught me by surprise, along with the way he said my entire name. I nearly jumped. What class did I have next? Oh, I had trig.
“I have trigonometry with Mr. Gray,” I answered.
“Oh,” he said. Was it my imagination or did he sound a little disappointed?
“What do you have after that?” He asked.
I finally turned around to look at him and saw that he was smiling again. His eyes held mine. I had trouble thinking straight, like suddenly I had cobwebs for brains. I had to remind myself to breathe.
“I have biology with Mr. Koerner. Then lunch of course. After that I have chemistry with Mr. Stabler and study hall,” I told him. There, the entire schedule.
“Wow, we have the exact same schedule except for math. I have calculus with Mr. Ballard. Looks like I’ll see you in biology.” He sounded pleased.
“See you later,” I said and smiled at him. Awkward, I looked away to gather up my books.
I walked slowly to trig thinking about Kellen. I guess I did already have a few things I could tell Emily and Mariah. The thought made me giggle. All through math I was thinking about his smile and those piercing green eyes. I might have given a thought or two to those broad shoulders and strong muscles. Time passed quickly. After class I made my way to biology. Emily was waiting in the doorway with a huge smile on her face.
“How was your morning?” She asked.
I knew what she meant. “Interesting,” I answered.
She grinned at me but I could tell she was looking for information. I shrugged, teasing her. “We talked, that’s all.”
“Rhia, I’m dying here.”
I pretended not to notice as she punched me playfully on the arm. “I’ll have to tell you later,” I told her, giving in.
Just then Kellen walked up. Actually, he sort of sauntered. Maybe it was my imagination. He moved with such fluidity, power, and grace. He acted like he owned the place, but it wasn’t unflattering. It was distracting…sexy. The guy oozed confidence and strength. It was mesmerizing to watch.
I peeked at Emily. Her jaw was hanging open, surprise evident on her face. I giggled. She seemed to realize that and closed her mouth. Her eyes were wide and staring. I suppressed a laugh, realizing I must have looked like that myself earlier.
“Hey, Rhiannon. Who’s your friend?” He asked.
“Hi Kellen, this is Emily,” I answered.
“Hey, Emily. Nice to meet you,” he told her, flashing his grin. He
was very polite. A sign of good upbringing Gran would say. He had a really nice voice. It was slightly deep, very alluring.
“Hi, nice to um, meet you too,” she said. Her voice was a little shaky.
We walked into class and I nudged her arm slightly. She grinned at me and wiggled her eyebrows. All of the tables were full except ours. Emily, Jarrod, and I always worked together since the class had an uneven number of students. I realized now that Kellen would have to sit at our table. That thought made me smile. Kellen showed Mr. Koerner his schedule and was told to join our table just as I had thought. I sat down and looked up just as he was sitting. We smiled at each other.
Biology was both boring and interesting at the same time. It was completely uninteresting since Mr. Koerner spent the entire period reviewing for the upcoming exam. I had all the knowledge I needed already on animal kingdoms. Biology was also completely fascinating since Kellen was sitting next to me the whole time. Go figure. Just like my earlier two classes with him, I felt him looking at me. I would glance at him now and then, pretending indifference. When I looked up at him he always smiled that same big grin. It was hard to focus on everything else around me.
Class ended a little while later and we were free for lunch. I got up with Emily and Jarrod and we made our way toward the cafeteria. I noticed with humor that Kellen had been surrounded by kids from class, all dying of curiosity no doubt. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled as I left the room.
The cafeteria was packed like always, kids crowding the tables in an effort to get the best seating. We made our way to our usual table. Mariah was already waiting for us, bouncing up and down excitedly like a ping pong ball. I pretended not to notice.
“Rhia, what’s up?” She asked.
“He’s very nice and cute. I’m sure you’ll see him soon,” I informed her.
Her eyes narrowed at me. She wanted details. “Can we talk about this later?” I asked, gesturing to the full cafeteria around us.
She nodded reluctantly. “You better spill later.”
