Starbound

Chapter 1

Katia

I caught Seth Nightingale staring at me for like the umpteenth time, which wasn't that unusual really. We kind of had been playing this cat and mouse game since kindergarten. He would glare-I would grimace and glare back. And so the vicious cycle went.

What had me so worried was this undeniable pull I'd been feeling toward him lately. I thought I had gotten rid of my silly childhood crush years ago-apparently not.

Seth Nightingale?

I do not like Seth, I reminded myself-again-as if that was going to help curb this insatiable need to be near him. Ever since the start of our senior year, I noticed a shift inside me. It wasn't all centered around Seth, but he was the root of it. There were hundreds of boys to choose from, and I had dated my fair share of them, so why Seth? Why now?

What was it about this guy that made me want to throw all caution to the wind and leap into his arms, right in the middle of English nonetheless? There was something behind those smoldering green eyes that intrigued me. And no matter how many years had gone by, that intrigue only intensified.

Seth and I had a complex relationship, a love-hate relationship. We loved to hate each other, but it hadn't always been that way.

There had been a time when we had been friends-best friends.

Shocking, I know. I even had a hard time believing it.

Before all the eye glaring, name calling, and general loathing, we had been inseparable. Now, a span of the ocean stretched between us. Even our seating arrangements in class were affected-it was that bad. I sat in the first row; he sat in the last row. One year just for shits and giggles, I sat in the seat beside him. He had literally gotten up and told the teacher he couldn't be subjected to skank.

That burned my ass.

What he really meant was, he needed to be as far away from me as possible.

Asshole. And I didn't have a problem saying it to his face. Daily. Or showing him just how deep my burning hatred was rooted. The one-finger salute became my signature greeting as we passed in the halls.

I had spent the remainder of my freshman year searing him with hateful scowls.

Yet, somehow we co-existed at Vermillion High without bringing it to the ground, but we'd come pretty close. If I didn't know better, I'd actually think he liked pissing me off.

Warped.

So I was back to my original predicament.

Why was Seth looking at me with a spark of interest instead of his usually irritation? Okay, I admit over the years I'd done my fair share of gawking. It was not like Seth was a hardship on the eyes. Just the opposite, he was sinful eye-candy. And the asshat knew it.

How could I find him both drool-worthy and stab-worthy? That was just wrong on so many levels. But for some unholy reason he both fascinated me and infuriated me. Embarrassingly, I knew way more about dark and dreamy than I would ever admit.

That was how screwed up I really was.

Seth was an amazing artist, always doodling in class, sketching instead of taking notes. He had these breath-stopping green eyes and black, messy hair that most guys couldn't achieve if they tried. It was adorable. But that was were adorable stopped on Seth. He oozed smexy and had that whole tall, dark, and dangerous persona going on. To say he made my mouth water was an understatement. But the real problem was...Seth was off limits. And we couldn't have been more of polar opposites if we tried.