Fire and Ice

Chapter One

Azlin POV

It was raining, the beginning of a flood rumored to be the worst in decades. The streets were slick with water and spilled motor oil while the sides of the nearby mountains were streaked with runoff. By now I was soaked to the bone and racked with chills as I attempted to pick my way along the unforgiving terrain. Taking the path along the cliffs had seemed like a good idea at the time. However, as I crossed from one bluff to another, I found myself sloshing through a particularly large puddle my boots became sodden with mud.  Feeling the squelching mess soaking my socks I found myself cursing my mother for the umpteenth time. I had hoped that by taking the bike path running parallel to the main highway I could avoid the humiliation of being spotted by my mother. It was she after all who had refused to drive me to school, claiming that I was a big girl and could handle the walk on my own. Jazzy dose it every day, she had claimed referring to our neighbor whose mother was continuously bragging about her daughter’s independence.

The school was now in sight, its palm trees swaying franticly in the breeze, offering little protection to the mass of students participating in the mass exodus into their perspective classes. By the time I reach the front lawn, a lone security guard was rounding up the remaining stragglers. Slipping unseen by the preoccupied guard I fumbled around in my jeans for my class card. The beginning of a new semester meant new classes and while I was sad I would no longer share class with anyone of my friends, I was exited at the prospect of having a fresh start in my new classes-. Or at least I had been before I arrived late looking like a drowned rat.

Building A classroom 123 period one Biology. I had memorized the address the previously night, yet clinging to the directory restored a bit of my courage. Never the less, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of dread as I approached the closed door. Testing the lock, I rattled the handle before sinking to a crouch beneath the doorjamb. Just my luck locked out of my fist class, soaking wet that omen was about as bad as they come. The sound of a clearing throat brought me back to reality. Startled, I tipped my head back as was met with a pair of vibrant green eyes much like my own. Flustered and embarrassed to have been caught in such a compromising position, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and hopped to my feet giving my hood an extra tug down over my averted eyes. I gave a silent nod of thanks to whoever had opened the door for me and shuffled to my seat with downcast eyes. The room was full of upper classmen as was expected seeing as I had been one of the only freshman given the clear to advance to Biology thanks to an idiotic rule instated an enforced by the newest members of the school board.

“I assume you are Azlin, please take a seat in the second to last lab station, you will see me after class for your detention,” a stately bond woman sounded out from behind a large oak desk which took up the vast majority of the first row.

My chair let out a deafening screech as I attempted to situate myself on the tall stool. Heat flamed my cheeks as I pretended to examine my nails for chips. It was no sooner than I ran out of imperfections to inspect, that a pair of sneakers came in to view beside me. I felt the stranger’s hot gaze assessing my bedraggled appearance.

            I tentatively raised my head, and fixed my inquisitive gaze on his, examining him from beneath the fringe of my eyelashes. A charcoal beanie was pulled down his forehead nearly obscuring the dark slashes of his brows. Delicate eyelashes cast long shadows down the sharp planes of his face and I found my gaze involuntarily

dropping to a surprisingly succulent mouth- ‘Snap out of it Azlin!’ I mentally chastised myself. I had never been interested in men before and I’d be dammed if I started now. Composing myself I fought the begining of my telltale blush that was inevitably coloring my milky completion.

“Take a picture I will last longer,” I suggested wielding my sarcasm as a shield protecting me from the beautiful stranger.

            To my dismay those full lips quirked into a cocky grin as his hand dipped inside his back pocket and returned with a calseless iPhone. Startled by the flash’s blinding light, I nearly lost my balance on the cool metal stool. With a newfound rage fueled by the stranger’s utter lack of respect and poor regards of personal space, my usually cool disposition flew out the window as the boy slid into the empty lab station beside me.

“Thanks for the picture chica, it’s going to look great on my wall. My names Jonny by the way were going to be lab partners so you may want to settle whatever beef you have with me now,” the guys stated nonchalantly.

“Three things, one you will delete that photo from your phone immediately, two I have no idea what ‘beef’ means, I doubt your referring to a cow because that seems completely irrelevant and while I find you quite rude I doubt your insane, thirdly you may address me as Azlin Deeterson.” I ticked off the demands on my fingers, after having plastered on my frost queen mask. The face was usually reserved for the most harrowing of social encounters but was a necessity if I wished to conceal my interest in the rude stranger.

To my disbelief, Jonny bit his lip as he attempted to keep a strait face.

“Azlin was that supposed to intimidate me? Sorry niña but you come up to about here on me,” he said indicating to an area a good three inches beneath his collarbone. “ And besides it takes a bit more than a prissy gringa to scare me.” He finished rolling up his sleeves to reveal an artfuly decorated tattoo sleeve and a series of angry looking scars that marred his olive skin.