The bell rang, signaling the end of class. I gathered my books, and headed out the door before Erica and her cronies could catch up with me. I couldn't rush through the roaring crowd. There were people calling to their friends, excited to see them, but complaining about the first day of school here. There were couples embracing. There were people hurrying to their lockers, shoving through the happy crowd. I sighed, leaning against the wall. It took about two minutes for the hall to clear out, and I waited until there were only a few people left. And then I heard them coming. They were loud, and they teased each other as they came nearer to me. I hurried to my locker, but I couldn't get the lock open, and by the time I finally did, I could feel Erica standing behind me. I jerked open my locker, but not in time. Something slammed into my arm, and the books I was holding fell onto the slippery tile floor. I sucked in a deep breath to resist the urge to hit her. I curled my hands into fists in an effort to restrain them. They were screaming to punch her. She leaned forward, her breath in my ear. She whispered one word. It was a name. A name that I'd never been called before.
Never.
I gritted my teeth as they walked down the hall, giggling and making more noise.
"I'm sorry about her, she's a little rude sometimes." I heard a low attractive voice murmur. I looked away from the ceiling.
"I know, I live with her." I mumbled. I realized my nose burned, and my eyes stung as I tried not to cry. I looked towards the floor, but my books weren't there. The boy handed them to me, stacked in a neat pile.
"Thanks," I muttered, looking him full in the face. Wow. Just wow.
His eyes were chocolate brown, staring into mine with surprise. His lips were slightly parted, but full. He was the kind of guy with a sharp cheekbone, hanging high on his face. He was the kind of guy with thick biceps, but he didn't look too big, just fit. He was the kind of guy every girl wanted. He was the kind of guy I could never have. He was Erica's boyfriend.
My blood went cold for a moment, and I shivered at what she would do if she saw me talking to Caiden Foyers. I shoved my bag into my locker and grabbed my calculus books.
"So you're Ariella Calebs." He thought about this for a moment while I stared at him.
"You've heard of me?" I asked, suspicious. He frowned slightly.
"Erica, told me a few things." On any other day, it would have bothered me, but I just zoned out today, choosing to be calm and not hunt that lying bitch down.
"I suppose it doesn't surprise me." I muttered, glancing at him. His expression was confused.
"You had better get going, before she comes back and sees you talking to me." I warned, slamming my locker shut and turning to fully face him.
"Yeah," he took a few steps back, "talk to you later." for some odd reason, I felt that he wasn't just saying that as a farewell, but like he actually meant it. Maybe he wouldn't ignore me like he always had before. But I was getting my hopes up. Letting my imagination run into overdrive. It was ridiculous.
"Thank you for joining us this morning miss Calebs," Mr. Thorn said, when I stepped into the classroom two seconds late. I blushed as all eyes in the room turned to me and walked quickly to the only open seat in the back of the room. I popped my headphones in and pulled my hat down to cover my eyes.
Math had always been easy to me, but incredibly boring, so I thought during class I should write. I wouldn't write novels, I never could. I had always liked writing songs. But the strings to my only guitar had snapped last week. It wasn't like Jack would buy me any. It's not like I could dip into my college fund for money. I would have to wait, and hope my waitress job would offer me enough tips to get new ones. I turned the music as loud as it could go, and I was sure the teacher in the front of the room could hear it, but he didn't stop me. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned my head to see a cute brunette smiling at me. I pulled out a headphone to see what he wanted.
