East Chapel Academy

Marcus

"Did you hear?"

    Sam asked, rushing up to my locker. There wasn't much talking in my first period, not unless you want to risk getting detention.

    "Hear what?" asked Nick as he came up to us, a collection of fresh hickies rising from the collar of his shirt. He must have just come from a quickie with Crystal. Those two can't keep their hands off each other.

    "There's a new girl," Sam announced.

    That's it. I thought it was going to be something a little more exciting. "And..."

    "And," he repeated. "And? Are you kidding me? That's all you have to say?"

    Nick laughed next to me, straightening his tie. "Sam, you know Whitney still has Marcus by the balls. Why would you expect him to care about a new girl?"

    Sam's thick brows knit together in confusion. "Really, I thought that was over."   

"It is." I rolled my eyes at his reference to my now ex-girlfriend. "Whitney doesn't have me by anything anymore."

    "That's not what Crystal told me," Nick said, "Whitney seems to think you're still together."

    "Well we're not, and you can tell Crystal I said so."  I closed my locker a little harder than I should have. Sometimes I think dating Whitney was one of the worst decisions I've ever made, second only to breaking up with her. We broke up a month ago, and she still hasn't gotten the hint that we're not together.

    "Will do," Nick agreed.

    "Anyway—back to the new girl," Sam said bringing the conversation back around.

    "What about her?" I asked happy to change the subject.

    "Is she pretty?" Nick asked as he smoothed the wrinkles out of his shirt.

    "I don't know, I haven't seen her yet, but I know she's a transfer and that she's in our grade."

    A transfer?

    East Chapel Academy doesn't have many of those. You have to be from an influential family or a legacy to even be considered. She must be something special—a senator's daughter, maybe?

    "I bet she's foreign or maybe she's from a boarding school." Sam sighed dreamily, "Maybe she's a model."

    "Fresh from rehab," Nick joked.

    "I don't care, I'm still going to make her my prom date."
    I snorted. "Let's not prey on the naïve, Sam. You should at least see her before you start making plans to con her into going to prom with you."

    "That might be the only way he can get a date," said Nick.

    Sam punched him in the shoulder. "Hey, I have options."

    "Yeah, like who?"

    "Don't you worry about it." He popped the collar of his East Chapel Academy blazer. "Just know that I have a whole line up to choose from."

    "On that note," I laughed. "It's time for me to go to class."

    "I'll see you at practice," Nick said, patting me on the back. "Coach has been on my ass lately. Hopefully, today is better."

    "Doubt it. He's been in a mood for the last two weeks," Sam chimed in.

    Nick groaned. "I don't know if I can take any more drills, that last practice almost took me out."

    "Don't let Coach hear you say that, or we'll all be running up and down bleachers."  

    I dodged a group of freshmen that blocked the entrance of the science wing.

     As always, I was the first to arrive to chemistry. Normally I wouldn't rush, but I like having the few extra minutes to myself. I can read without Sam or Nick making fun of me. Pulling my battered copy of 1984 out of my backpack, I flipped to the dog-eared page.

    I had just gotten to my favorite part when the classroom door swung open. That's strange, no one should be here for a few more minutes.

    Looking up from the worn pages, I locked eyes with the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.