Halcyon Summer

And Then There Was ... Chase?

This chapter is dedicated to @upwiththefairies for making me my lovely new cover!

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Man, I need a car.

Here it has this nasty habit of getting very hot, very fast in the summer. This I found out the hard way at 8:30 in the morning as I struggled down the street. It sucks out loud to live within walking distance of your school, you know, cause everybody expects that you have no problems walking every day and therefore don't ever need a ride. My backpack seemed to weigh 10 more pounds with each step. After about a block I stopped, breathing heavily and resigned to my fate.

I was going to die out here on the scorching pavement. Dead before I even got to my new school. It must be some kind of record. As I was saying a final goodbye to my possesions and wishing I had written a will before I left the house, I heard a loud honking behind me.

"Hey there...you look a little tired..want a ride?" came a voice from behind.

Oh god. So not only was I going to die of exhaustion, I was going to be kidnapped, or worse!

I turned around, fully prepared to tell the creeper where to get off, but my words froze in my mouth as I got a view of who was talking. A fancy blue car sat idling before me, and in front of the wheel wearing a friendly smile, was a boy. A cute boy. I praised each and every one of my lucky stars and scrambled to my feet. I mean, if I was going to die anyway, what a way to go out!

"That's really nice of you thanks, but before I say yes, can you tell me who you are?"

"Oh yeah sorry, my name is Sam Baxter. I go to SC high school...just down there."

Excellent. Just where I was trying to go. And he was a student so obviously he wasn't going to attack me. Right? Good enough for me. I flashed a smile at him and grabbed my backpack, which suddenly seemed lighter now that I didn't have to carry it. I ran around to the passenger side and hopped in.

We drove in silence for awhile, so I took the opportunity to look him over. He was dressed nicely, with tousled blonde hair and blue eyes. At the moment, he was sporting a rather impish smile, probably at my predicament. Not bad.

As we were driving, he turned and grinned at me. "You know, that's not fair," he said, still smiling.

"What? What's not fair?" I asked, puzzled.

"I told you my name and who I was. Now you have to return the favor."

Oh. Right. That stuff. Great.

My parents thought it would be lovely to name me after a Shakespearean character, so I always have to go through the whole name thing when I meet new people.

"Um...my name is Rosaline-Rae, but you can call me Rosie, or even Rosie-Rae, if you're feeling adventurous. My parents are weird and thought it would be fun to name their poor kid after a jilted Shakespeare character, but 'with a twist.' I just moved here from Chicago and I go to the same highschool as you. However, I live within walking distance so nobody ever thinks that I might need a ride. Except you. So thanks a lot, that was really nice of you."

And I started in rambling. He smiled, and I trailed off with a bashful grin of my own.

"Well it's nice to meet you Rosie, Miss Shakespeare. With a name like that, I'm sure you'll have no trouble fitting in. Hey, we're here, do you need help finding your classes?" He grinned yet again, an engaging puppy grin. How could I say no?

"You know what, sure, that'd be great." I flashed my most brilliant thank you smile at him.

"All right then Rosaline, lets go."