One Question

This book is under editing at the moment. 

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"Will you marry me?"

I guess I should back up a bit...

A year to be precise.

I was a freshmen at college and let's just say I wasn't the most popular, seventeen-year-old girl in the school.

***One year earlier***

I reached into my locker after twisting in the code. There really was no point in doing it (banging the door twice and shimmying the lock did just a good of a job) but somehow I didn't exactly trust my classmates with my coursework.  

It was so frustrating having to stick at the same school for most of my educational life. The high school and college were attached, leaving me thinking that sometimes I was going nowhere. It was bad enough staying in Wilmington, but staying at the same school? I sighed.  

I would have loved to have gone to a separate college, meet new people and sit around on the lush, green grass of an all American campus. But I suppose sitting around in part high school, part college with the less mature, more curious freshman is okay, too. At least I still see my friends everyday.  

As I walked down the hall, I kept my head down, keeping my books tightly clutched to my chest. It was weird, being in the same place but being older too. It still felt like I was a fifteen year old, blushing at the slightest eye contact with any person of the opposite sex. But now? I guess this year all I wanted to do was take a break from dating. By which I mean take a break from the irresponsible clowns of my year.  

My mind wandered to my situation here in this school. This little crook of the Earth. I was late to this semester- Everyone had gotten used to their schedules, learnt the ropes on their chosen courses, but I had yet to experience college life. With Christmas in a month or so, I'm hoping I can maybe buy a little friendship with my new classmates. 

It's not like I'm loaded with money. I mean, sure, my mom is wealthy, but she does after all work full time in a stressful job. We're not snobs. And whoever said that money can't buy happiness is a bit of an optimist, don't you think? 

I was about to turn the corner, my head still in the clouds, when I bumped into something warm and hard, knocking the air out of me in one huge gush. My books fell to the marble floor, along with me in a thud. I looked up to see who had caused this mishap, besides my inability to keep my head up. 

My breath caught in my throat. Wow. I mean... Wow. Did I say the guys in this school are clowns...? For a second, I thought he would maybe try and help me collect my books back up, and that maybe our hands would brush gently across each other.

Cliché right?

Wrong.

"Watch where you're going, Dumbass." Muttering to himself as he got to his feet, he kicked my books away from me and shoved my shoulder, finally moving on down the hall in the opposite direction I had come.  

I stared in shock. Had he just called me Dumbass? In front of all my new classmates? My face turned crimson as I stifled an embarrassed laugh as to not seem too shaken. Noting my now crumpled books which had been scattered across the floor, I gathered them, scooping them up swiftly. I quickly moved on, looking up now and then to make sure I didn't make the same, humiliating mistake. My cheeks were still flaming as I passed the eye witnesses to my tumble. 

As I turned the next corner, the giggling caused by my fall died down and became a noise in the distance. Yet my heart was still crashing and stumbling in my chest; a complete wreck.  

Leaning against the cold, peach colored wall caused a lock of my short, brunette hair to fall over my face. I stopped to catch my breath and cool down, coming to an eventual conclusion. I never wanted to see that ridiculously hot guy again... not even to catch a small glimse of his abdomen. Besides, he was way out of my league, not to mention he was undeniably rude to me and well, popular to say the least. He doesn't like me. Period.  

I'd seen him before, of course. He was just the guy in the background, making out with girl after girl by his locker, the guy who always seemed to have his right arm occupied around a girl's shoulder. Never the guy I saw close up, his flawless face inches from mine, his hot breath across my cheek. And certainly not the guy who called me a Dumbass. I don't even know his name.  

The bell rang and I realised I was late for my first class of the day... of the year even. Suppressing the annoyed groan longing to be let out, I exhaled deeply, blowing the hair away from my face.