Treasured Secrets (The Coveted Saga #1)

by C.M. Owens

  Chapter 3

  School and ... Boys

  You only get one chance to make a first impression.

  The alarm buzzed in my ear with such deafening and terrifying annoyance. I actually fell out of bed from the startling panic it had created. I felt foolish as I climbed to my feet and turned it off.

  I never had to use an alarm before. It was a horrible little invention. Who wants to be scared awake?

  My wild dream had left me restless for the rest of the night. No more bedtime stories from Iris on a school night.

  I got ready, wearing the ensemble that Aster and Ash had laid out for me. Then I went and applied my makeup, just as I had been instructed to do. I wondered idly if Iris was going to drive me or let me drive one of their vehicles.

  As I made it down the stairs, everyone was waiting for me.

  "Do you guys ever go home?" I asked to my siblings.

  They all chuckled as they came to stand behind Iris and George. "We had to see this," Jay said, a big smile on his face.

  "See what? Me on my first day of school? That's so... embarrassing."

  They all chuckled and shook their heads.

  "We have a surprise for you," Iris said, sounding giddy.

  "A surprise? Grandma, you've done enough. More than enough. I think you've spent more money on me than most people make in a year."

  "That's what happens when I have a lifetime to make up for."

  I huffed slightly, considering I hated feeling on display. I studied the crescent moon in the center of the eye that was etched into the fennel on the banner of the staircase. It seemed like a good focus point while they all gawked at me.

  "Come on, girl," George said excitedly, startling me.

  "Oh," I murmured, not realizing the surprise they spoke of was elsewhere.

  I warily followed them outside, uncertain about what was going on, until I saw a BMW SUV with a bright red bow tied on top of it. A gasp followed my realization, and I whipped around while shaking my head.

  "I can't. It's too much."

  "You can and you will," George said with a wide grin. He looked like a child at Christmas right then.

  "This had to have cost a fortune. Don't give me a car. Give me a bus pass or something."

  They both chuckled, seeming wildly amused by my adamant refusal of such a lavish gift. George continued on as though this wasn't an absurd gift.

  "You've spent too long in the jungle, it seems. This is what grandparents are supposed to do - spoil their grandchildren. You should feel like a princess. Now, let's eat some breakfast before you head off."

  My jaw remained unhinged. The two of them were the craziest pair in the world to be giving me something this expensive. I barely had my driver's license. I'd only ever driven on old narrow dirt roads in the rust bucket jeep we had in Haluali.

  Jay clapped my back too forcefully, which threw me forth, and Chris - Aster's husband - caught me at the last second before I flew off the porch.

  "Easy, Jay!" Aster scolded.

  I coughed on a new breath, surprised by what the hell had just happened.

  "Shi... I mean, shoot. Sorry, Aria. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

  "It's fine," I mumbled, ignoring the burning handprint on my back. "Ease off the steroids though."

  Everyone chuckled uneasily, and a slight awkwardness settled in the air as we made our way back inside.

  "You okay?" Jay asked sincerely, regret in his eyes. "I didn't mean to do that so hard. I was just going to slap you on the back... a congratulatory thing."

  "I'm fine. Stop treating me like I'm so fragile."

  Of course, I felt pretty fragile right then. It wasn't exactly common to have someone knock the wind out of me.

  Normalcy resumed when Ash and Jay began bickering. That's one thing I didn't miss when they moved out. They left almost the exact same time to come back to the states, even though Jay was a year older. Ash was eager, not resistant like me.

  Iris finally brought the annoying argument to a halt by separating them as though they were children. I laughed while walking over to Jay. I studied the newlyweds, both sets. Aster and Chris were lost in a silent conversation as they stared into one another's eyes. Gear and Olivia were resting in each other's embrace while swaying lightly to an unheard melody. It seemed so natural.

  "So, when you getting married, hot shot?" I asked Jay, nudging him playfully and instantly regretting it when my elbow tried to crack against his steeled ribs.

  "Ha! You're funny. I'm in no hurry, there, jungle girl. I like my sweet little bachelor life." He put his head down, bashfully grinning. His dimples showed with so much definition when he smiled.

  Ash snorted. "Yeah, he thinks he's a real stud," she said sardonically while rolling her eyes and drinking a sip of coffee. Then with even more sarcasm, she continued, "Not trying to say that his ego may be a little overly inflated or anything."

  Jay scoffed, casually brushing off her insult. "Yeah, well, I do have Bradbury genes, and Weislen, too - makes it hard for the ladies to keep their hands to themselves. I guess the men don't care too much though, because they sure haven't been beating down your door."

  Jay started laughing so hard that his body was shaking from it. Then he ducked quickly as a biscuit when zooming over his head. It missed him and splattered against the wall.

  "Ashiara, clean that up right now," Iris admonished, chiming in to end the playfully heated argument between Ash and Jay.

  Then Iris turned her attention to Jay. "Jaymondian, you shouldn't be so cavalier about your love life. And you shouldn't tease your sister. She's waiting on the ideal guy for her. Soul mates are important, you know." Her eyebrows were raised to complement her scolding tone.

  "Yeah, well, I don't know if anyone could deal with her melodramatic attitude, so she may be waiting a while." Jay couldn't resist getting the last word in as he laughed at Ash who was still picking up pieces of the biscuit off the floor. It seemed like I was smelling smoke, but there was no fire.‌

  In a worried tone, I raised my concern to the rest of the group. "Does anyone else smell smoke?"

  Everyone seemed to glance toward Ash for some odd reason. She shook her head, lightly cursing under her breath, and then suddenly I couldn't smell it anymore. Ash finally acknowledged my suspended question since no one else seemed to want to.

  "The only thing I smell is a good for nothing, rotten brother." Then she stood up, still holding the particles of busted biscuit, and incredibly quickly shoved the crumbs in Jay's face, rubbing them all over him. It seemed like she moved as fast as lightning.

  Everything got graveyard quiet until I spoke. "Wow, Ash. You're a lot faster than I remember. Guess a lot more has changed than I realized."

  Everyone seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure what was up with that. I noticed something odd, too. Ash had a tattoo of the crescent moon inside the eye, just like all the markings around the house. It was in the center of her inner wrist. Jay's tank top revealed he too had the same tattoo. It was on his back shoulder blade.

  I chuckled lightly at the peculiar find - a mocker's fantasy gem. "What's up with that?"

  Jay tilted his head as he responded with a quizzical tone. "What's up with what?"

  I laughed again. "Did you two really get matching tattoos?"

  Ash touched her wrist in an awkward fashion. Then Jay grabbed his exposed shoulder as if he was uncertain about what to say. Everyone was somewhat reluctant to speak, it seemed. An unexplainable shift occurred, bringing a thick tension to taint the air.

  I noticed Aster was pulling her shirt together a little tighter, and Gear was tugging at the bottom of his shirt as well. It was all very baffling.

  Finally, a smile spread across Jay's face as he spoke with an overly teasing tone. "What can I say? Ash was always following me around. She had to do whatever I did." Ash glared at him as his teasing persisted. "Personally, I think it
's kind of cute that she wants to be like her big brother. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery."

  The stove that Jay was leaned against sparked and a flame erupted onto his pants. I gasped and shrieked in one breath, but I seemed to be the only one to react, other than Jay who violently slapped his leg to put out the blaze.

  Ash even let out a comical remark. "Liar, liar, pants on… Well, you get the idea, big brother."

  Jay scowled at her as the last bit of the fire seemed to extinguish itself. He started to walk toward her as his face turned an angry crimson. A few pops rang out, bringing the his stalk to a halt. I shrieked when glass shattered all around. Light bulbs? Light bulbs were bursting simultaneously in every room around us.

  Yet again, it seemed like I was the only one who was concerned with the crazy occurrence. Iris merely rolled her eyes at the entire thing. George huffed in aggravation. No one at all even seemed the least bit surprised.

  Jay's shoulders dropped slightly as he spoke with a scolded child sort of tone. "I'll get the broom."

  Then Ash smirked as she replied with a more chipper and somewhat unjustifiably victorious tone. "I'll clean up the remnants of Jay's pants that are all over the floor now." I swear she seemed to enjoy the fact his pants caught on fire.

  Jay walked on by, cursing as his charred pants kept dropping little pieces behind him. How did his leg not get burned?

  I voiced my frustration for the complete indifference everyone was showing for the crazy things that had just occurred.

  "Would someone please tell me why Jay's pants caught on fire and then every bulb down here bursts, and yet I'm the only one who even batted an eye?"

  Everyone just stared around the room in the same awkward fashion as before. Everyone kept looking at each other, waiting on someone else to answer. Gear was the one who broke the uncomfortable silence by answering my question with a deceitful sort of tone, followed with a distraction, his usual fashion.

  "Aria, these things happen all the time around here. You'll get used to it. The electricity in this house is old, and the stove has been needing to be replaced for a while. You should probably get going. School starts in less than thirty minutes."

  My mind went blank very abruptly when I saw the high school just a few hundred yards away. My stomach grew tense with knots. I had no idea what to do or where to go. I only had one thought come to my mind - Oh, this is going to suck.

  I pulled into the parking lot in my shiny, expensive BMW, and everyone gawked in the most conspicuous way. Not in a good way either.

  "No, not awkward at all," I grumbled to myself.

  George said he wanted me to feel like a princess. You need a lot of confidence to feel like a princess, and confidence was something I certainly lacked, especially at that moment.

  I parked beside a group of girls who snarled at me with distaste. One girl acted disgusted with just the sight of me.

  "Well, I guess I won't be their b.f.f.," I said sarcastically to myself while rolling my eyes.

  Then my passenger door flew open and an unfamiliar voice rang out as a girl jumped in.

  "It's going to be hard to be anybody's b.f.f. if you're sitting around talking to yourself."

  She was perky to say the least. Now I worried about who else might have heard me. Apparently my car wasn't very soundproof if she was able to hear that remark from outside.

  Her bright blue eyes were gleaming with pure excitement. She had blonde, super straight hair that stopped at her chin. She was dressed similar to the way I was, but she looked more comfortable and much cuter than I did.

  "So… My name is Taryn, and you're Arisianna, right?"

  She smiled at me, waiting eagerly for me to speak. I stuttered slightly, unsure of how she knew my name. "Ye...yeah." I shook my head, still confused, but then I continued. "Actually, I prefer Aria. How do you know my name?"

  She was so bubbly, like a little kid. "Your grandma told me. I tried to talk to you last night, but you were so swarmed with people that I never got a chance."

  Just as I was about to reply to her, another person jumped in the backseat. It was a guy - an incredibly jaw-dropping cute guy.

  "Sweet ride, Arisianna," he said, sounding too charming for such a mundane greeting.

  He had blondish brown hair in a shaggy cut that swept across his brow. He had brown eyes, and a tattoo was on his forearm of a star wrapped in barbwire. His biceps were bulging with definition. His shirt clung tightly to his sculpted abdomen. He smiled with teeth so white it was nearly blinding. Confidence exuded from him as he casually made himself comfortable in my backseat.

  I was completely dumbfounded by these two. They acted like it was perfectly normal to just jump in my car and start talking to me like they knew me. I had no idea who they were though.

  "Yeah… Thanks?" I was incredibly confused. "I prefer Aria, actually."

  He had to have heard the bewilderment in my voice, but he chose to ignore it, despite my attempts to make it obvious.

  He grabbed my iPod and changed the song as he read through some more. "Sweet tunes, too." He acted as if he had known me my whole life.

  "Who are-" Before I finish my question, he answered it. He was drumming on his knees with his hands to the beat of the song he had changed it to.

  "McKee. We would have met last night, but all the adults hogged you. Your grandma said we should show you the ropes, since you're new in town and don't know anyone in school. It's cool though. Most everyone is familiar with the Weislen/ Nelson/ Bradbury family."

  Bradbury was my grandma's maiden name. She still introduced herself with it. Iris Bradbury Nelson. She claimed that it was a special name and deserved to be heard.

  "Mmm... okay. So, I guess we should get in there," I said, wondering if they were planning on hanging out in my car all day.

  "Sure. We can walk you to your first class," Taryn chimed in with her bubbly little voice.

  "Yeah, what's your schedule look like?" McKee asked, still sounding casually charming.

  I found myself wondering if he and Taryn were a couple.

  "I have Calculus first, Spanish second, Economics third, and physical education last." I thought it was funny they gave me Spanish as a foreign language class, considering I was fluent.

  "Yeah, no sweat. I got Calculus first, too, and my sister has Spanish second, so that's covered. Third, I have English, which is right beside the Economics class, and last I have phys. ed. as well, so it looks like we should be good." His tone was chipper as he grabbed my bag to carry it for me.

  We all headed toward the school. I was trying not to fall face-first on my first day, but Taryn had the perfect sexy-swing walk down to an art. McKee had a confident and suave strut. Nice to know Taryn was his sister.

  He was very... um... too cute, and different from the guys I was used to back home. He still wasn't anywhere nearly as hypnotically beautiful as the guy I made myself look like a fool in front of.

  Taryn waved as she walked in the opposite direction from us. As we walked down the hallway, I saw girls glaring at me with envious, cruel stares. I guessed McKee was a coveted guy around there.

  A tall guy walked right up to us as we stopped at my locker, which I never would have found by myself. The school was frigging huge.

  The unknown guy was equally as sculpted as McKee, just not as handsome in the face. He was still somewhat attractive.

  His voice was evenly toned and stern as he spoke very seriously. "Is this the Weislen girl?" he asked, sounding haughty and imperious.

  He wasn't even speaking to me or looking at me. It was incredibly rude and obnoxious.

  McKee smiled and responded in his still upbeat voice. "Yep. She's cute, huh?"

  Holy crap.

  I blushed fiercely. The guy seemed unimpressed by McKee's comment about my appearance... and me. "Just remember what Iris said." Then he stormed off.

  "Who was that?" I could hear t
he frustration in my voice. I didn't appreciate the rudeness first thing in the morning.

  "Oh, that's Everett. He's cool, just a little intense. But you definitely want him on your side when you're in a bind." Then he raised his eyebrows up and down as he spoke. "So, you ready to start your first day, Aria?" The more confidence he leaked, the more girly I found myself acting.

  "I guess I have no choice. I've come too far to turn back now." I half smiled as we headed to class.

  It was so crowded. McKee pointed to the seat beside him. The teacher went on to explain the work we were about to do after he stumbled and stammered over my name. My mother thought it necessary to give all five of her children every multi-syllable, mouthful name she could find. I'm glad my dad found a way to shorten our exhausting travesties.

  I finished the assignment within twenty minutes.

  I realized everyone was still working, including McKee, so I pulled out a book to read while I waited. The teacher stared at me impassively, though I could tell he was measuring my actions.

  "Ms. Weislen, are you confused by the assignment?" he asked, showing his suspicion.

  Crap. All eyes on me.

  "No, Mr. Leeson. I’m… finished." My voice was shaky as I stuttered nervously. It was incredibly uncomfortable and extremely nerve-racking to be called out in the middle of class.

  His look seemed to become even more suspicious now. Several students turned to look at me, staring at me as though I was a beast with two heads. One girl even rolled her eyes at me and snorted derisively.

  I squirmed awkwardly in my seat when I became an unwilling spectacle. Finally, Mr. Leeson spoke with uncertainty in his voice.

  "Well, then you need to turn in your work." He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for me to bring my work up to him.

  I walked slowly, hoping not to trip and make this even more awkward and embarrassing than it already was. I handed him my work and went back to my seat with a bit more haste.

  I continued to read my book. A few minutes later, a shadow leaned over me, disrupting my light. I looked up and Mr. Leeson handed me back my paper, graded. I hadn't gotten a single question wrong.

  "Impressive, Ms. Weislen."

  He smiled at me admirably. I let out a sigh of relief. I looked over at McKee, who looked up just as I did and flashed me a smile.

  The bell sounded, finally, letting us know it was time to go. Mr. Leeson had assigned us homework, but I had already finished it and turned it in on my way out the door.

  He smiled at me, shaking his head and snickering slightly. However, this time he seemed pleased. I just smiled back.

  McKee came up and draped his arm around my shoulders, giving me a couple of butterflies. "I guess I know who my calculus tutor will be." Then he laughed. "Spanish is next though, and I had it last year. It's pretty tough."

  I laughed a bit at his comment before I responded. "I'm actually fluent in Spanish. So I should be okay, I guess."

  I didn't feel as confident about that as I should have. I didn't want to sound overly confident, and then find out I didn't know as much as I thought I did.

  "Wow. I'm thoroughly impressed right now. Why are you fluent in Spanish?"

  His arm was still draped around my shoulders, and the stares from the other girls were even more hateful than they had been earlier.

  I tried to ignore the death glares I was getting as I replied to him. "I lived in South America my whole life." I could feel myself blushing from his appraisal.

  "Did you have to get a green card or something to come here?" He nodded at Everett walking by. He was staring intensely at McKee and me.

  I could hear the distraction in my voice. "No, my mom…" I trailed off for a moment and then finally I broke away from thinking of Everett's peculiar behavior, cautiously watching him pass us completely before continuing. "My mom came back home every time to have us, so that we would be U.S. citizens. So I have a birth certificate, a social security number, a driver's license, now... the whole nine yards."

  His lips turned down in a quizzical manner. "But no accent?"

  I shrugged, understanding his curiosity. It was a valid point.

  "Well, my mom and dad grew up in the states. They were the ones who taught me to speak, so I guess I just adopted their dialect instead of the locals. Not to mention, there were a lot of other Americans in the village I lived in."

  "Not much of a South American tan either," he said, motioning to my golden skin.

  It was true. I didn't have the deep, rich tan the natives did, but I wasn't pasty either. It almost felt as though he was questioning my honesty. I didn't like that.

  "No one in my family tans very well. This is about as dark as we get."

  He nodded in acceptance of my answer and then spoke casually as he leaned up against the lockers. "So where in South America did you grow up?"

  I started to feel interrogated.

  "It's kind of hard to explain." I didn't know why, but I didn't really feel comfortable explaining. Thankfully, I didn't have to try to explain. His arm slid off my shoulders as Taryn ran up to us excitedly.

  "My turn. Spanish is this way." She grabbed my hand, dragging me away from McKee. I waved at him. He smiled before disappearing into a classroom.

  Spanish was even easier than calculus had been. As soon as the bell rang, Taryn jumped up and ran to my side.

  "I'll just walk you to economics since it's on the way."

  I was somewhat disappointed about that proposal, given that McKee said it was right beside his class. I assumed he would walk me there.

  I wasn't used to being around guys I was attracted to. In Haluali, there were only a few my age and they were more like brothers. There really were quite a few American kids like me there - children of the fellow scientists from my mom and dad's team.

  I never had any romantic feelings towards any of them. So this was different from anything I'd felt before. I really wasn't sure how to be attracted to someone, so I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling. It wasn't the heart-stopping, drooling disaster I had encountered with the mystery guy.

  I was lost in thought as we stopped by the lockers. I felt two hands grab my waist and whirl me around. It was McKee. My stomach did a slight somersault as I stared into his amazing eyes. They glistened with excitement as he spoke with such a cool tone.

  "Are you ready for lunch?"

  I had forgotten all about lunch, and apparently, so had Taryn. I'd been so nervous all day that I hadn't even felt hungry until he mentioned the promise of food. I was hoping my stomach wouldn't growl while I spoke.

  "Yeah, I'm famished."

  I looked around to see where Taryn went. Then I saw her come swishing back up. Her perkiness was still intact as she replied with a bit of silliness in her tone.

  "Yeah, I just remembered it's lunch time. Come on, let's grab some grub."

  We headed to the cafeteria. McKee led us through the line. He kept finding ways to touch me. I wasn't complaining though.

  I grabbed an orange and some fruit salad - comfort food that reminded me of home. I paid for my food and headed toward the table where McKee and Everett were sitting. But I suddenly felt an uncontrollable compulsion to turn around.

  Chill bumps flooded me without mercy, and my heart tried to explode. It was him. The guy I had spent hours trying to get out of my head.

  Even from across the room, his eyes looked mesmerizing. His skin was smooth and toned. His lips were perfectly shaped and his body was brilliantly sculpted. He wasn't muscled up with bulk like McKee, but he had lean muscle.

  His lean body glided across the floor so eloquently. His hair looked so soft and styled very sexy with some messy touches.

  He had on a light blue, button-up shirt, but it was undone so that it showed the black tee underneath. He had on fitted blue jeans that looked as if they had been made specifically for him.

 
He was biting into a pear as he sat down with some other guys. I supposed he felt me staring at him, because he turned around and his eyes became locked with mine. I wasn't sure how to react. I was frozen and staring like a fool... again.

  I'd secretly been begging for a chance of redemption, and here I was squandering it away. I definitely understood the whole deer in headlights thing now.

  He just confidently stared back with a small, cocky smirk. I forgot there was even anyone else in the cafeteria. Finally, a voice snapped me out of it.

  "Aria? Are you okay?" It was Taryn. "Did you see something?" Her tone almost sounded alarmed.

  I could feel myself still distracted by Mr. Marvelous as I replied, "Umm… yeah. I mean… Who's that guy?" My eyes pointed to the marvel I had just been staring at - or mindlessly gawking at, rather. He wasn't looking at me anymore, thankfully.

  She smiled and her bubbly tone returned. "That's Tallis Verdan. He started here last year. His brother graduated from here a few years ago, but Tallis just transferred here from New York. He was living with some relatives for a while because his parents travel a lot.

  "His brother was living with someone who lives around here. But now his parents have taken up a permanent residence in the area. His dad is an entrepreneur of some internet business, and they're loaded. I'm talking, filthy rich. He's a bit of a heartthrob, but he's not really dateable."

  I wasn't exactly thrilled with her last sentence. "Why isn't he dateable?" I asked, staring at him uncontrollably again.

  "Well, he's social and has friends and all, but he tells girls he's not into dating in high school. He says it's because he doesn't want to waste his high school years tangled up in a teenage love drama. Like he's so much better than the rest of us." She rolled her eyes while speaking in a melodramatic tone before gesturing toward the table where McKee was already sitting.

  I nodded my head, acknowledging what she said. I guessed it was sensible enough. We sat down beside McKee who put his arm around my chair, but no butterflies stirred this time.

  Then it felt like someone was staring at me.

  I turned to see it was Tallis who was staring. His eyes were intensely staring into mine, then he cracked a slight smile again and turned back around. I was mesmerized by him. He was so… perfect.

  The bell rang, bringing me back to reality and making me look away, when I turned around again, he was gone. How long did I stare? My food was still untouched.

  “Looking for something, Aria?" McKee's voice was light as he spoke with an odd look on his face.

  "She's looking for Tallis Verdan," Taryn answered for me. She did it with a dramatizing tone that very obviously implied I had a crush.

  McKee frowned slightly, not pleased with his sister's comment. "Economics time," he said dryly. He was a little cold all the way back to the lockers.

  I got to economics and saw Tallis walking into the class in front of me. I took a deep breath, and butterflies rushed through my stomach as I started through the door. McKee grabbed my hand, jerking me back.

  "You'll need this." He handed me my bag. "You left it in the cafeteria." Then he turned and walked away swiftly, disappearing into the class next door.

  I walked in to see the class was already full. Only one seat was left, and it was right behind Tallis. It was almost a heady rush just thinking about taking a seat so close to him.

  He never even looked up when I walked by. It was as if I was suddenly invisible to him, despite the staring competition we had just had in the cafeteria. I saw Everett across the room. He seemed just as unpleasant as he had earlier.

  The teacher started roll call, making his way down list. "Tallis Verdan?"

  Tallis raised a hand up in acknowledgement, but kept his eyes glued to whatever he was reading on his table.

  It was all I could do not to stare at the back of his head. Then the teacher got to my name, and struggled just as my other two teachers had.

  "And our newest member, Aree-see-ann-aah Weislen?" he said with uncertainty of his pronunciation.

  My voice was riddled with nervousness as I spoke. "I go by Aria, actually." I said, trying to hide my embarrassment while slinking down in my chair.

  "Aria. Much easier. I'll change that right now."

  As the teacher made his notation on his book, I avoided the scrutinizing stares of the other students. It had been the same in every class.

  I had noticed that Tallis lifted his head slightly when my name was called. He didn't turn around though.

  I finished my work and handed it in - first of course, despite how distracted I was. Tallis finished quickly as well. He was walking up as I was walking back. We met between the rows of tables, and we had to turn sideways, facing each other as we passed.

  Our eyes locked again, and he faintly smiled at me. One hand held his paper and his free hand grazed my side as if he were politely supporting me as we passed. His hand felt like fire on my side for the brief moment it was there. I felt my whole body blushing. It was nothing like I'd ever experienced before.

  His soft blue shirt dangled loosely at his side, and my hand grazed its tip when I was almost by him. Even the touch of his shirt sent a thrilling sensation coursing through my body.

  As he was walking back to his seat, he was staring at me very deliberately. I met his gaze and felt helplessly captivated again. A very subtle smirk stayed on his face, and I could feel the rest of my body turning as red as my face.

  He was obviously accustomed to the attention I was paying him, and again, I couldn't stop staring. I felt so ridiculous. He sat back down in front of me and pulled out a book to read.

  About fifteen minutes later, the bell rang, and I just about leapt from my seat. Tallis had already stood up, and he leaned back to let me pass first. I was so flustered by that incredibly long class, being stuck behind him, that when I had to pass him again, I fell right on top of him, knocking him back into his seat with me almost straddling lap. I felt my face beam an even brighter shade of red than before.

  Panic rang out as I finally spoke. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm so embarrassed." I could feel my skin burning with humiliation.

  "It's fine." His voice was so breathtakingly wonderful to hear, like velvet massaging my senses. I just stared into his eyes that seemed to love holding me captive with their bewitching charm. He spoke a bit more comically as he continued. “But if you don't mind standing up, I need to get to gym now." He smiled teasingly at me.

  Now I was even more embarrassed, realizing I was still on his lap. I leapt to my feet so quickly that my still flustered self nearly fell backwards on the table behind me.

  Before my fall could finish, I felt arms around me, catching me, burning me. I felt his breath when its heat brushed the edge of my neck. I felt his strong abdomen pressed against my body in a way that gave me the most delightful chills I had ever experienced.

  There was an inexplicable desperate desire to stay close to him. I didn't even know him. I couldn't help it though. I didn't want our accidental embrace to end. I looked up to see him smiling down at me with such enchantment.

  His eyes were so hypnotic as they stared deeply into mine. Finally, he spoke after what seemed like hours, but it had only been a second or two.

  "Easy, Aria. You may need to sit down for a while. You're not doing so well on your feet."

  His arms were still embracing me gently. His body being so close to mine made me feel like I had an outrageous fever burning out of control. I could actually feel sweat forming on the back of my neck as his hands seemed to grip a little tighter around my waist. Our wonderful moment was unfortunately interrupted and soured by someone clearing their throat very obnoxiously.

  It was McKee who was standing beside Taryn.

  "Ready for gym class, Aria?" Taryn asked with one eyebrow raised in surprise and approval.

  Tallis released his grip, leaving me with a shocking pang of wi
thdrawal. "Guess I'll see you out there."

  Then he flashed me a full smile and walked out. I just continued staring, possibly drooling like a fool. I could feel myself trying to catch the breath he had just taken away from me, but it seemed impossible.

  It was all so surreal and tantalizing. I felt so disappointed the unbelievably fiery moment with him had just ended. I almost felt lightheaded from the insane rush I had gotten from the small amount of contact we'd just had.

  McKee looked very displeased, but he tried to play it off, speaking in a joking tone. "I leave you alone for one period and another guy has his arms around you. Can't take you anywhere.” He smiled at me, but it seemed somewhat forced.

  The annoying bell rang, saying it was time to go into the gym in my workout gear. We were going to be playing basketball, using only half of the court. I had played basketball a lot, but never in America.

  The guys were on the other half of the court, which was not exactly a confidence boost. I suddenly felt very gaudy and awkward.

  McKee walked out with his shirt off, exposing his muscled up six pack. A few girls gasped in obvious delight.

  I would have, too, before I became completely enthralled by Tallis. I hadn't thought much about McKee in that way since I straddled Tallis in economics. My thoughts about McKee were completely platonic now. All of my desire was focused solely on the dark-haired beauty with captivating eyes.

  I looked around, trying not to be obvious, but I didn't see Tallis anywhere. I was sure he said he had gym, too. I huffed, almost disappointed, as I shifted my eyes from side to side in an effort to find his face.

  Suddenly, I felt heat from behind me. I felt chills run up my back as I felt someone's breath close to me. I turned around, nearly bumping into Tallis, who was shirtless as well. My mouth rocked open in an unhinged disaster.

  Close your mouth, girl.

  "Looking for someone, Aria?" His tone was knowing and haughty, but not offensive.

  I felt like a dissolving fool. He smiled in a cocky manner to let me know he obviously knew I was looking for him. Then he walked on, staring directly into my eyes again as he passed.

  I watched him - of course. His sleek abs were defined, but not bulky. Every line of muscles were mouthwatering. He had a tattoo on the side of his arm, almost at the top of his shoulder. It seemed to be tribal. What was with all these high school boys having tattoos?

  I couldn't stop staring at him and thinking about how incredible his touch felt. But, I finally forced myself to at least look more like I was watching idly instead of shamelessly gaping.

  Tallis shot the ball from the three-point line and knocked it in time after time. Another guy shot the ball and it bounced off the rim. Then a different guy rebounded it and threw it hard to a guy near the half-court line. He threw it too hard though, and the guy missed it.

  You're supposed to run, duck, or scream when something is heading toward your face with ferocious speed, but I froze as the basketball barreled toward me.

  I closed my eyes and braced for impact while holding my breath. I heard the ball hit something, but not my face. When I opened my eyes, Tallis was lowering the ball.

  He stopped it. Whew.

  It was almost painful to release my held breath and take in a new one.

  "That's the second time I've saved you today. Any idea as to how you're going to start paying me back for all my heroics?" he teased, and then let out a playful laugh.

  He flashed a menacing grin and jogged backwards for a moment, still staring at me. When he finally turned around and sprinted to the huddle where the other guys had congregated, I let out the next held breath. I didn't even realize I was holding it that time.

  I had been stifling an embarrassed grin the entire time, biting my lip. I could see McKee swapping his disapproving glare between me and Tallis. I wasn't sure what McKee's problem was.

  He'd known me for one day and thought he had rights to me? I remember wishing Taryn wasn't McKee's girlfriend, and now I was wishing she had been.

  I still liked McKee as a friend, but there was something majestic about the way Tallis made me feel.

  I noticed things were getting intense on the boys side of the court. Everyone else had started noticing, too, including the other girls. We stopped playing - even though I never touched the ball - and started watching.

  McKee and Tallis seemed to have forgotten they were playing on teams. I'm not sure how, but it had become a game of one-on-one.

  Tallis just grinned, taunting McKee, who looked incredibly frustrated. Tallis dribbled the ball between McKee's legs and scored on a lay-up.

  McKee wasn't smiling like Tallis was. He was more intense, focused, like he was trying to prove something. He started dribbling past Tallis who took the ball away and sunk the ball from the three-point line effortlessly.

  Tallis never quit smiling the whole time. Score after score, Tallis was embarrassing McKee even more than he had already been embarrassed.

  Now I was irritated and slightly humiliated by McKee acting so possessive. I knew that was why Tallis was doing this to him. I could see some of the girls looking at me, like they were sizing me up, trying to figure out what was so special about me.

  Stop looking. Nothing special.

  Finally, the sound of a piercing whistle blew and the coach broke up the heated game. My shoulders rose as I lowered my head uncomfortably, still aware of all the judgmental eyes staring at me. It was so awful.

  What a first day.

  Tallis never looked at me again during gym class. McKee did though. Every time I looked at Tallis, McKee looked at me and smiled, doing his best to distract me.

  One day in high school and already I was in some stupid, teen-age, soap opera, love triangle, drama fest. I liked the guy who didn't like me and didn't like the guy who did like me.

  Great! I'm a normal American teenager.

  I huffed in aggravation as I grabbed my gym bag. I didn't even change. I just ran out in my shorts and tee-shirt. I felt better in them than the clothes Ash and Aster made me wear anyway.

  I let my hair down as I threw my stuff in my car. I was just ready for the day to be over, and I was certainly ready to be out of the spotlight. I didn't enjoy being the object of whispered conversations and scrutinizing eyes. Everyone would be talking about me even more after that.