by Ellis Marie
“I’m so sorry,” I rush out, dropping to my knees as I quickly try to gather up the papers, embarrassment spilling with every word out of my mouth. As I listen to the chuckles of the East Bay students watching me, it only feels worse. “I didn’t mean to.”
You’re such an idiot.
Someone squats down beside me and starts picking up the papers, their delicate hands stacking them expertly. “Oh, um, thank you.”
I look up and see a girl smiling at me, her hands not stopping in collecting the sheets. She has bright red hair and a very soft and gentle face that’s looking at me with sympathy, her green eyes sparkling. I notice that her clothes are patterned like a mosaic and her tattoos underneath seem to just continue the design, the intricate swirls stretching down to her wrists.
“Here you go,” she says, handing me the sheets of paper. I take them off her hesitantly. “My name’s Scarlette. Nice to meet you.”
I smile back gratefully, ready to thank her, but before I can reply, my attention is taken by the man to my left who is clearly waiting for something.
“Miss Williams, you agree, yes?” I look at the principal in panic and then at the crowd of people watching me.
They’re already all laughing at you.
“Yes, of course, sir,” I stumble out. “Whatever you need.”
He smiles in relief and pats my shoulder, his attention turning back to the audience. “Like I was saying, the head of our student union was meant to be doing this, but seeing as they are not here today, Miss Williams will now be your point of contact. As one of my best students and role models, she’ll be perfect for the job.”
My eyes widen and I look at him in shock.
I’m what?
“So please, if you have any questions about anything, just keep an eye out for Miss Williams, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to help.”
“I’ll definitely keep my eye out for her,” a voice calls from the stand. There’s a chorus of catcalls and wolf whistles following it. I can feel myself blushing, and Principal Knowles glances at me uncomfortably before speaking again while I concentrate on avoiding eye contact.
“Manners!” he shouts, quietening the room. “Miss Williams is going to hand out your new timetables while I,” he looks at someone specific in the crowd, “deal with you, sir.”
There’s a chorus of whines, and conversation begins as one of the guys from the crowd stands up and begins walking to the end of the hall, following the pointed finger of Principal Knowles. As he walks past Trent, I notice that he stops, his eyes going wide. I try to see what’s happening, but a red hair and a grinning face block my view before I can.
“I can help you with those!” Scarlette grins, motioning to the papers in my hands. I shake away the thoughts of Trent, my mind taking a second to catch up. At my slightly confused expression, she smiles gently. “I figure you probably won’t know everybody’s names, so maybe, we can do it together? It would give me a chance to become your friend too.”
We spend the next twenty minutes by handing out the schedules; this is done by Scarlette taking the sheets off me and running across the gym, throwing them to the correct recipient. Most of the time, they’re totally unaware that a ball of paper is flying at them. Sure, the principal probably wanted them handed out nicely, but it seems like he has given up, accepting the human slingshot that is Scarlette.
If I’m honest, she’s actually a little scary; her aim is astonishingly good, and the paper seems to fly at an almost unnatural force.
As I get to the last timetable, my stomach aches from laughing so much at her antics. As she takes the last sheet off me, I can’t help but feel sad that I couldn’t spend more time with her frequently. Matt will never allow me to.
Almost as soon as the principal is finished thanking everyone, the bell rings and people start to stand, chattering immediately.
I turn and face Scarlette as she scans over her own sheet. “Thank you for helping.” I wring my hands together. “I really appreciate it.”
“Of course!” she exclaims looking up with her face beaming. “I loved every minute of it.” She seems to almost think about something for a moment before deciding to say nothing. “Well, I better get going,” she states, pointing behind her. “I have a feeling I’ll see you later.”
Without another word, she turns and walks away with a cheeky smile on her face. I stand dumbfounded for a second, trying to wrap my head around the bright and confident girl.
“Scarlette can be pretty forward,” a husky voice announces behind me. I laugh lightly, turning to talk to the stranger. My stomach twists when I realise that it’s not a stranger at all.
“Trent,” I greet firmly, trying not to show the effect that his presence has on me. “Can I help you with something?”
One side of his mouth turns up. I feel my knees buckle slightly, my mind becoming fuzzy as I try to focus on anything other than his pink lips and the perfect white teeth sticking out from them.
“Actually, yes.” He takes a step towards me. His eyes trail down my body before meeting mine, the fire in them prominent. He grins and I feel everything around me stop.
Why does he affect me like this? I can’t even begin to describe how he makes me feel, it’s as if I know him, but obviously, I don’t. Or do I?
As I focus my mind again, I realise his lips have stopped moving and his eyes are now scrutinising me, waiting for something. I hadn’t listened to a word he said.
“Sorry, what?” I ask. If it’s possible for him to look smugger, then I would be surprised. It’s even more annoying when I realise that it definitely only makes him more attractive, which, of course, I’ll never admit.
Trent chuckles and moves even closer to me, blocking out the bright ceiling lights above us as he stares down, not giving anything away at all.
“Were you not listening?” he asks. I roll my eyes, quickly trying to cover up my faux pas.
“Of course, I was listening. I just wanted you to say it again,” I lie, hoping that he doesn’t see how my lips shake around the words.
He moves forward. “And why would you want me to do that?” His voice is like a breeze on my skin with goose bumps rising as he watches me, waiting for an answer.
For some reason, my tongue is heavy in my mouth. As much as I try, I can’t even begin to make thoughts come from it, the words trapped in my mushy brain.
Think, Elle! Think!
“B-because . . .” I begin, attempting to try and swallow the dryness away. “I-I . . . I, um—” My attempt at words stops as his hand moves slowly, softly touching my arm that’s hanging beside my still body. His finger traces my skin like a feather, making my body shiver in response.
“Are you lying to me?” he whispers, his eyes gluing themselves to my own. I feel my feet inch forward slightly as if he has called to me.
What am I doing?
I feel like I have no control over myself as he notices my movement, his hungry eyes growing in ferocity. I feel my own heartbeat drumming through me, the blood flowing through my veins. The sound is like the current of a river rushes through my ears.
He moves his head down, letting me get a better look at him, and it’s as if the ability to breathe is snatched from my lungs. I’m in awe of how dreamlike he seems, even the air around him seems to begin to glow and my own pulse is like a drumbeat.
This feels like it isn’t real.
The person in front of me had to have been plucked from my own mind. Even as I look at his face and see tiny imperfections, it only seems to make him more perfect. The scar above his right eyebrow only makes me want to ask what happened, and the blemishes on his jaw just draw my attention to how chiselled and defined it actually is. His tanned skin looks as though it has been stretched over a stone structure of a god.
My skin ignites as his finger pulls me forward, barely wrapping around my own, but it’s as if he’s encircled my whole body with it, pulling me towards him slowly. I don’t know who Trent is, but it’s as if my body does
, like every fibre inside me is urging me to get closer to him, to touch him, to feel him.
The sensation is so overwhelming that it takes everything in me to give in, to stay where I am—at his mercy and trying to focus. My burning lungs protest at my vacant mind, but I can’t pull myself away from his gaze.
Those golden eyes are so mesmerizing, so captivating. Like the genie’s lamp in Aladdin; I’m forbidden to have it, but I can’t focus on anything else.
I don’t want anything else.
God, I’m lightheaded.
“Are you alright?” His deep, masculine voice is the tipping point; it pushes me over the edge. I have no control over my body as it begins to melt, my vision blurring, an overwhelming rush swamping my senses.
My body seems to beg me to listen to it, to do exactly what it wants.
Let go.
And so, I watch as I fall away from Trent. His face turns into a mask of concern as his arms move to catch me.
I don’t know if he’s successful or not because I pass out before I hit the floor.
CHAPTER THREE
I’ve only ever passed out one other time in my life.
It occurred when I was visiting Kristie around Halloween time, and her brother and his friends decided to play a few pranks on us. The only issue was that we didn’t realise they were pranks due to the fact we were still children. Once we had fled the strange man with a knife and hid in the cupboard in the kitchen, I was already freaking out. Finding Kristie’s brother sprawled on the floor with what looked like blood pouring out of his body was too much; I couldn’t take it anymore and everything went black. It was safe to say that by the time I woke up, it was no longer Kristie and I freaking out, but instead, the group of boys who looked as though they were going to cry as they discussed what their parents were going to do to them. Although we managed to wrangle not only ice cream but a chick flick movie marathon out of it too, it still wasn’t a pleasant experience and I’d rather have never experienced it again.
So when I open my eyes and realise that I’m staring at the roof of the gymnasium, it takes me a while to understand what exactly has happened. As the nurse starts hanging over me, fussing over my face, and basically shoving water down my throat, it all comes flooding back, and I want the ground to swallow me whole.
According to Trent, all the students had left before I fainted. It seems that I had been too busy staring at him to even notice everyone leaving, but it was a blessing in disguise, so here I am, sitting on a wooden bench, drinking a glass of water, and eating some crackers. I finally managed to assure the nurse that I’m totally fine and I just fainted because of the heat.
I mean, that was totally the reason. it’s not like it’s because of Trent or anything.
Of course not. No way. That’s just crazy.
“You sure you’re okay?” a voice asks. I look at the person sitting beside me.
Maybe.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I lightly chuckle, trying not to look into his eyes or make a big deal of anything. “I just didn’t eat breakfast and the heat was crazy in here with so many people.”
Trent stays silent for a moment as if he’s digesting my comment, mulling over my words, but then, he smiles. “It was really warm. I’m glad you’re alright.”
I’m surprised that he lets it go and doesn’t bug me for the truth. We both know that I’m lying, but I’m grateful that he doesn’t drag out my embarrassment any further.
“If you’re that warm, then you should take off your jacket,” he comments jokingly. I instinctively grab on to the denim that’s wrapped around my body, giving me a bit of modesty in the outfit that has been picked out for me.
“I’m alright now,” I counter. He smiles at my reply before shrugging, briefly glancing down to the piece of clothing.
Why do I suddenly feel so naked and vulnerable?
I silently sip the glass of water in my hand, trying to fight the urge to look at him, but it’s futile when it’s all I seem to manage to do.
He sits still, scanning the gymnasium lazily as he doesn’t have a care in the world while also managing to draw my attention to the fact that we’re alone. The nurse has gone and the principal left when I woke up. It turns out the thing Trent said to me before I fainted was that he had never received his timetable, so the principal was away getting his receptionists to print a new one. Apart from the coach rummaging in the office next to us—who was almost impossible to hear—we were the only two.
“Why did you stay?” I ask, not knowing exactly why the question spills from my lips. “You didn’t need to.”
He shrugs while leaning back and running a hand through his dark hair, barely giving it any thought. “Didn’t have my timetable. It’s not like I would have known where to go,” he answers. For some reason, I feel disappointed, like I thought he was going to say a different answer.
What had I hoped he would say? That he stayed for me?
“Plus it seems kind of an assh*le move to just walk away after a girl faints because of you.”
“You agreed that it was hot!” I yell with a squeal, hitting his arm before I can stop it. I freeze when I realise what I’ve done, instinct curling my body in preparation for the explosion, but it’s a different kind than I anticipated.
He erupts in laughter, folding his arms into himself as if to protect his body from me hitting him again, but I know I can’t hurt him; he’s built like part of a mountain. His laughter echoes around the gym hall and bounces between walls, filling all my senses. Like sunshine.
I pretend to glare at him while crossing my arms over my chest, determined to have my face stay in its cold stare. When he glances at me, he just starts laughing again, his eyes sparkling as he tries to stop. I have to admit that I’m not the most relaxed when it comes to laughing at myself, usually because I would get in trouble for whatever it is that made people laugh in the first place.
After a few seconds, I feel my own lips start to twitch. When it seems to only make him laugh more, I can’t help but join in. It surprises me that I can laugh with him; I expected him to ridicule me for what happened or give me into trouble for hitting him, but he doesn’t. Maybe I’m just used to it happening so often that I have forgotten people had other reactions—normal reactions.
I suppose if there is any time for me to laugh at myself, it would be now. I mean, who actually faints because of a boy?
Well, not because of him; it’s because of the heat.
He lets out a gush of wind, the sound a howl of laughter as he regains his composure. My heart seems to skip a beat at his smiling face.
Definitely the heat.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” He winks at me, clearing his throat as he moves in closer, pretending to look around to check our surroundings. “Our secret.”
I curl my lips up as I lightly shake my head. Our shoulders bump as he gives me a gentle smile, his eyes roaming over my face. For once, I’m grateful not to be alone.
“Thank you, Trent.”
With his lips parted, something flickers across his face as his expression shifts with the change. It’s as if his whole body is reacting—his smile slipping off as he watches me, his mouth moving the tiniest fraction as though whispering something. He seems to debate on whether to say it or not before taking a deep breath.
“Look, I—”
“You kids need to be getting out of here. It’s almost time for fourth period.”
Disappointment fills me as Trent is cut off by the coach emerging from the storage room, wiping his dust-covered hands on the thigh of his trousers.
“And . . . um.” He checks the post-it note in his hand. “Trent, the office called. They’ve got your timetable for you to pick up.”
“Thanks, coach,” Trent replies with a sigh, standing up slowly with his back stretching as he does. “I suppose I should let you get to class.”
I don’t know what comes over me as I stand up beside him, but something pushes my shoulders to shrug and my mout
h to open. “I could walk you to the office if you want. It can be hard to find.”
For some reason, I just don’t want to be away from him yet.
Bad, Elle.
His response is a moment of silence and then a wry smile as he shakes his head, making my smile falter. “Somehow, I don’t think your boyfriend would be too happy about that,” he answers softly. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
How am I being so stupid? How did I just forget about Matt? How could I even possibly do that? He’s my boyfriend!
It must have been from passing out; my head did still feel a bit dizzy.
“Y-yeah,” I stutter, collecting my bag and putting it over my shoulder. “You’re right, the school isn’t that big. You’ll be fine. Just head to the front of the school and you should find it.”
Smooth, Elle.
Trent looks at me with something in his eyes that I can’t exactly pinpoint, and the more I look at him, the more I just want him to tell me what is going on in his head.
You have a boyfriend.
I clear my throat and tuck my hair behind my ear. “Should we head off then?” I ask, and it seems to put him in back in action as he bends and picks up his bag too.
“After you.” He motions, pointing to the door. I nod before turning and walking through it with Trent not too far behind.
It’s quiet in the corridor, which only makes the silence between us far more obvious, in turn, making everything a little awkward. For once, I wish that Kristie is here to interrupt the moment. She could talk to anybody about anything. Although it got annoying sometimes when you just wanted peace and quiet, it’s also super handy and relaxing knowing that there is never a tense moment around her. Unlike right now.
I keep feeling like he’s going to say something to me, like someone reaching for you but continuously pulling back. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see emotions fly across his face quicker than I can look. He seems like he’s talking to himself again, having an argument internally.
