by Nikki Landis
There were only two topics being discussed around me. One was prom. A small, but important topic to everybody. The main topic was, of course, Kellen. Everybody was asking questions about him. Slightly annoyed, I decided to go get in line for some food. I was famished. It seemed like half the girls in this school were in love with him already. I sighed to myself.
At that exact moment I noticed the lunch room quieted down to a dull roar and wondered why everyone had stopped talking so fast. I slowly glanced around and pretended not to be obvious. Kellen was standing about twenty feet from me and chatting with a large group at a table. I barely noticed who he was talking to until I heard Emily’s voice. Then I realized that he was standing at our table.
He looked up and over at me and smiled that huge grin of his. My stomach hit the floor and my heart started beating fast. My palms were suddenly sweaty. I tried to rub them on my jeans but it didn’t help much. He arched an eyebrow at me and strolled leisurely toward the lunch line. Nervously I glanced down and started looking for food to put on my tray.
“Hi Rhiannon,” he greeted me.
“Hi Kellen,” I answered back. I still didn’t look up at him. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak. My heart was still beating entirely too fast.
I looked around at the salad ingredients and put some on a plate, and added a slice of cheese pizza and put it on the tray too. I slowly walked in the line totally aware of his body next to mine every step I took. His hand brushed against mine for a brief second as I reached to grab a soda from the bin. The heat from his skin scorched mine and it felt like I had been shocked, like a volt of electricity danced on my skin, causing my fingers to tingle. We both jumped and pulled our hands back.
I looked up at him nervously in confusion. He smiled instantly but it wasn’t the same big grin as before. This smile looked slightly tense but still friendly. Did he feel it too? A sort of electric current in the air that was so strong you could almost see it?
My mind was racing. I wasn’t paying any attention to the crowded lunch room around me. It faded easily into the background like white noise. Every person in the room disappeared. It was only Kellen…and me. My thoughts were running through all of the times I had seen him today and everything that had happened. Had it really only been this morning since I met him?
I could feel his eyes on me again. I pretended I didn’t notice. I’m sure he suspected that I knew. That invisible electric current was still buzzing between us. It floated in the air. Zipped and zinged around us. If I was this aware of him, wasn’t he just as aware of me? Maybe. As certain as I was, I would probably never find out.
We reached the register and I paid for my food.
“Rhiannon? Wait up a sec,” he called.
I watched as he paid the cashier. He had to have one of everything on that tray. Could one person really eat that much food? He walked next to me as we made our way slowly back to the table.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Sure, but I think you might regret it later,” I answered him. I nodded toward the overcrowded table. He followed my gaze and glanced at it for a moment. A slow wide grin spread across his face.
“I’m sure I won’t. You think they’re still curious?” He asked.
“Definitely, this should be interesting,” I replied.
We sat down at the table which had suddenly cleared a space for us to sit. I knew everyone was dying to ask him questions. Nobody said anything so I decided to speak up first.
“Guys, this is Kellen. I met him this morning in English,” I announced. Instantly I wanted to kick myself. What a retarded way to introduce him. At least I didn’t get tongue tied.
“Hey,” he announced, nodding to the group.
A chorus of hi and what’s up was echoed around the table. It seemed to break the silence. Mariah was staring at me with eyes as big as saucers. I frowned at her slightly, hoping she wasn’t going to open her mouth and actually speak. It only seemed to amuse her.
“So, Kellen, why did you decide to move here?” She asked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I’m Mariah by the way.”
“Well Mariah, my dad’s company offered him a promotion to relocate. We came from Portersville. My mom hates the city so she was excited to move here,” he explained.
“Weren’t you bummed to leave your friends and school behind? I mean, it’s almost graduation,” Brittany asked. She has such a way with words, I thought sarcastically. Like she hadn’t practically stalked the guy already.
“Well, yeah, kind of. I’m really close to my family so it’s cool. I’ll miss my friends back home. It’s no big deal. I can hang anywhere,” he answered.
Kellen was smart. He knew just what to say and even more importantly, what to leave out. He should run for public office, I thought dryly.
Over the next twenty minutes he answered their questions and it seemed to satisfy all of their curiosity. Everyone relaxed and started joking around like usual. The topic of conversation eventually changed back to the prom. The theme was still being decided by the leadership committee.
I noticed Mariah straighten up and look at me. Uh oh. I hope she wasn’t going to say something embarrassing about my lack of a date. Last year we went as a big group and rented a limo. I had a lot of fun. But I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to go again without a date. Junior prom was one thing. Senior prom was something completely different.
“Guess what Rhia? Chad asked me to prom today.” She looked at me carefully, awaiting my reaction. I’m sure I wasn’t going to disappoint.
“Chad? You have to be joking!” I was entirely surprised.
Chad was one of those football jocks. Actually, he was the quarterback for our high school team. Mariah liked to hang out with their crowd sometimes but they were a little wild for me. She looked smug. I knew what she was waiting for me to ask.
“Well, are you going with him?” I asked.
She beamed a huge smile. “Yes, I am.”
“Wow,” I said. It was all I could manage. That guy was big, cute, and really popular.
“I know, totally,” she agreed.
We both looked at each other and giggled.
“I told her he would probably ask her but she didn’t believe me.” Emily chimed in.
“Well, I guess we are going to have to go dress shopping soon, right?” Mariah asked.
“Definitely, I want something different this year. We might have to drive over to Mason,” Emily replied.
Emily and Jarrod had decided to go a long time ago. I was the only one without a date now. Perfect.
“So, Rhia, are you coming with us?” Mariah asked. She wasn’t near as slick as she thought she was. I pictured a noose around her pretty little neck. Oh, she was too much sometimes. My eyes narrowed slightly. I kicked her under the table lightly with my boot.
“You know I don’t have a date,” I reminded her.
“You don’t have a date yet,” she retorted. Her voice rose slightly as she glanced in Kellen’s direction.
“And how should I fix that?”
“Oh…ask someone silly,” she replied, entirely too obvious. She was lucky we were in a crowded cafeteria right now.
“I’ll have to remember that,” I told her, heavy on the sarcasm.
Kellen had been having a conversation with Brian when we started talking about dates. I noticed he stopped and listened in on that last part. I wanted to think positively but he wasn’t going to take me. It didn’t matter anyway. He would probably end up asking some cheerleader.
The bell rang and we all got up to go to class. I said bye to Emily. I would see her in study hall. Mariah was in chemistry with me so we walked together and talked about dress styles on the way. She was in rare form. I humored her, not wanting to argue about it. I could hear Kellen joking with Jarrod behind me. That’s right, he was in our class too.
Kellen took an empty seat a couple of tables away from me with Jarrod. I noticed he looked in my direction during class. More than a
few times. Maybe I just noticed because I was looking that way often too. Today Chemistry was just lecture and no lab. I was happy about that. I needed the time to collect my thoughts. A lot had happened today.
After Chemistry the four of us walked together to the library. Study hall was such a joke. Nobody I knew did any actual studying. We all just hung out and tried to keep the conversation low. The librarian, Ms. Snow, was always rushing around trying to quiet the rowdy groups. It was ridiculous and funny to watch her shoving her glasses onto her nose and pointing her finger at people.
Emily was waiting for us in front of the massive wooden doors, her usual friendly smile on her lips. Jarrod ran up and gave her a big hug, practically tackling her in the process. She laughed at his playfulness. I had to wonder what it was like, having a boyfriend. It never used to bother me but the last few months I had found myself lonely. What would it be like to feel that connection to someone else, to a boy?
We entered and walked to a long table in the very back. This was our favorite spot. Everyone plopped down in one of the big armchairs gathered around the table. Mariah sat down on my left and I noticed Kellen sit down on my right. We all started talking at once about different things, laughing and teasing each other. Kellen joined in easily. It was like he had always been here.
Jarrod was very animated, as usual, telling some joke to Emily and Mariah. I slouched back in my chair and relaxed. Jarrod had a million jokes. I didn’t always get his punch lines. He was a skater, a punk/emo kind of guy. He liked to be the center of attention. It complemented Emily who was more quiet and reserved. They seemed to bring out the best in each other.
Kellen didn’t say much to me directly most of study hall. He did laugh and talk plenty with Jarrod. I noticed everything he said and did. I couldn’t help it. Only once at the end, he spoke to me.
“Rhiannon, are you cold?”
I had been shivering slightly. The air conditioning vent was right above my head. I hugged my arms around my chest.
“Uh, yes, a little,” I admitted. I was surprised that he noticed. It seemed he was distracted the whole period by Jarrod.
Kellen reached into his backpack and pulled out a gray sweatshirt. He handed it to me, insisting I put it on. I pulled it on over my head and stuck my arms through the sleeves. It was huge but I was instantly warmer.
“Thanks,” I told him, “that’s much better.”
“You’re welcome,” he smiled, “my pleasure.”
I looked into his eyes. He seemed very sincere. I couldn’t turn my gaze away from those green eyes that seemed to hold me there. Captive. Rooted to the spot. He didn’t look away either. We just sat there, staring. I heard Mariah clear her throat.
“Um, Rhia, you wanna go home sometime today? The bell just rang.”
It did? I didn’t hear anything. I finally looked away and grabbed my backpack. “I’m ready,” I told her.
Kellen walked with us into the parking lot.
“So, Kellen, what do you drive man?” Jarrod asked.
“That’s my black Hummer H2 over there,” he replied.
Jarrod looked over at the next row and his jaw dropped. Kellen just smiled. A Hummer. That figures. It was just as big and impressive as he was.
“Let’s go,” I told Emily.
She kissed Jarrod and he ran off to his car. Mariah unlocked the Volt and we threw our bags in the car.
“I’m out, see you tomorrow. You can keep the sweatshirt Rhiannon,” Kellen offered.
“Thanks, bye,” I told him.
He looked at me for a second and then jogged over to his hummer. I noticed a small group had formed around it. I sighed to myself thinking of the never ending curiosity of Pinehurst High School students. We climbed in the Volt and joined the long line of cars waiting to leave the lot. I felt Mariah and Emily staring at me.
“Ok, so he is really cute,” I said, in answer to their unspoken questions.
“Wow,” Emily replied.
“What happened today?” Mariah asked.
I filled them in on everything from the moment I saw him in English until he sat at our table at lunch. They both just stared at me.
“So, do you like him?” Mariah asked.
“I think so. It’s kind of confusing. There’s a lot to take in,” I told her.
“There’s a more important question here. Do you think he likes you?” Emily asked.
I thought about that. It seemed like he was interested in being my friend. I didn’t really know more than that. “He was friendly and smiled a lot. I don’t know,” I admitted.
“He was looking at you every time I looked at him,” Emily replied.
“Really?”
“Yes, Rhia. Didn’t you notice?” Mariah asked. She looked a little impatient.
“Well, yeah, I guess,” I confessed.
“I wonder if he’ll ask you to prom,” Emily said excitedly.
“I doubt it,” I answered, still convinced he would ask a cheerleader. We spent the rest of the ride home discussing his good looks and the prom. I had to admit to myself that it would be fun if he asked me. He was sweet and handsome…and charismatic. He would be awesome boyfriend material but I only just met him.
The house was empty when I let myself inside. There was a note from Gran on the whiteboard telling me that she was out shopping. She would be home at six for dinner with Gramps. I walked upstairs and put my backpack down. I didn’t have much homework tonight. The quiet house seemed a little stuffy. I decided to go out into the garden for a while. I quickly changed out of my school clothes and into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
I had forgotten that I had Kellen’s sweatshirt. Curious, I pressed it to my nose. It smelled amazing, an earthy smell mixed with leather and some kind of spice. I laid it on my bed. Then I ran into the bathroom and pulled my long hair up into a ponytail. I was humming to myself as I skipped outside into the backyard.
It was such a pretty afternoon. Gorgeous in fact. It was warm and sunny, with a small light breeze blowing in the tall trees. I pulled on a pair of gloves and bent down to work in the garden removing weeds and spreading around some topsoil. I really loved to be out in the garden. Nature was definitely my thing.
I was tugging really hard on a stubborn root when I heard something behind me. A small snap in the branches. I looked up fast and then all around me but saw nothing. I could hear a tiny bit of rustling in the bushes and trees that lined the back of the yard. It made me uneasy. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t alone. I looked through the trees, trying to see if I saw anything or anybody. I caught a tiny quick movement out of the corner of my eye. A small animal, maybe?
“Hello? Is someone there?” I called.
Nothing answered me but silence. Maybe I was just imagining things. But suddenly it didn’t feel so tranquil and relaxing out here anymore. I looked around nervously. The woods weren’t far off and bordered our property. There were a lot of wild animals that roamed from the forest. I decided that I should go in. I left my tools and the gloves on the ground and went inside.
Quickly I locked the sliding glass doors behind me, feeling better when I heard the lock slide into place. Ok, maybe this was a little paranoid but I would rather be safe than sorry as the old adage went. I was hot and sweaty so I settled on a bubble bath. It eased the tension in my shoulders. I was leaning with my head back and my eyes closed, totally relaxed, when Gran came home.
“Rhia, we’re home,” I heard her call.
“I’m up here in the tub Gran,” I yelled back.
“Ok, dear. I’m finishing dinner.”
I soaked in the tub a little while longer, thinking about Kellen and everything else that happened today. He was good looking and friendly. He had manners and seemed like a nice guy. I had a feeling we were going to be friends easily. Maybe more. Emily and Mariah were going to be impossible when that happened.
I suddenly realized the water was getting cold. Toweling off, my thoughts went back to this afternoon in the garden. I
couldn’t help but wonder what was creeping around back there. From now on I would have to be more observant of my surroundings. I skipped down the stairs to dinner, happy and content, and ready to share my day.
“Gran, the new boy was at school today,” I told her, between bites of pot roast. Actually, boy wasn’t a good description at all. He was definitely a man.
“What was he like? Did you introduce yourself? It’s so hard to be new,” she said, her voice concerned. Gran was so funny.
I smiled at her. “Yes, he was very friendly. I have almost all of my classes with him.”
“Oh? What’s he like?” She asked.
I gave her a brief description. I left out the part where I thought he looked like a Greek god but told her about the staring.
Gramps took an interest in that. “Sounds like he is interested in you.”
“I don’t know. I just met him Gramps,” I told him truthfully.
“Boys do that you know…stare at a girl when they like her. Just ask Gran,” Gramps said, laughing.
“Oh yes, he was always making googly eyes at me.” She giggled.
My Gran actually giggled. I laughed out loud. “Googly eyes Gramps? Wow,” I replied, clutching my sides in laughter.
The conversation changed and we finished dinner. I cleaned up and loaded the dishwasher, still laughing. Later, in my room, I thought about the day. Two things were on my mind. The first was Kellen, of course. The second thing was that I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me this afternoon. Both thoughts kept me thinking late into the night. I finally fell asleep, exhausted.
I woke up the next morning grumpy. I had the same stupid nightmare as yesterday. I had screamed into my pillow again, truly terrified. I hope this wasn’t becoming some sort of routine. Gran was quiet at breakfast, sensing my mood. I didn’t say much. School was interesting but only because of Kellen. It was pretty much the same as yesterday. We talked a little bit, but mostly I could feel his eyes on me a lot.
I tried to work out in the garden again, but the same sense of being watched quickly changed my mind. It was a little frustrating. It seemed as if someone or something was lurking in the trees, avoiding detection. Trying not to let it ruin my mood, I just brushed it aside as paranoia.
