Awoken - chapter one

Chapter three

'Is this the photography class?' he asked.

OK, breathing may be a good idea at this point I thought. I soon realised the silence between us was being drowned out by the sound of my uncontrollable thumping heart that threatened to explode from my chest.

'Eh, urm, huh,...sorry yes, yes, it is' I answered. Great one Grace, could you be any sadder at this moment? Kill me, kill me now!

'Ah!' Mr Geddes exclaimed in a welcoming tone as he exited the darkroom. 'Our new student has arrived. Would everyone please take your seats? Come in, Beau, come in.'

As his eyes caught mine for the second time I glanced away swiftly. I then realised that I hadn't taken a steady breath since he had entered.

'We weren't expecting you for another couple of days Beau.'

He smiled at Mr Geddes. My heart continued to batter incessantly against my ribs. I had never seen someone who could encapsulate the phrase tall, dark and handsome better than him. He ran his hand through his shiny, brown hair leaving it settled at the base of his neck, as everyone looked on in awe and hung on his every step.

'Everyone, this is Beau Milner. He is joining our class and I hope everyone will make him feel welcome. Is there a seat for him?' We all looked around in an excited flurry; every girl who already had a desk mate hung their heads, as disappointment swamped them. It quickly became clear that the only seats available were next to me and next to Amelia. I shot a glance at Amelia who was quickly laying some more cherry-red lip gloss on her rosebud lips in anticipation. God she plays dirty!

In walked Michael Patterson with large black headphones hung over his ears. He apologised loudly and unconvincingly for his lateness and then strolled over to take his usual seat next to Amelia, gazing at her adoringly with his puppy-dog eyes. Amelia instantly huffed and sulked. I, on the other hand, was the cat that got the cream. I blushed and bit my lip as I surveyed his Adonis form, my thoughts for a moment blazing and explicit.

'There, the seat next to Grace' said Mr Geddes. I could not take my eyes off of him as he approached my table. The heat radiated from my face and my mouth was bone-dry. 'Now, are we all here?' Mr Geddes asked. His attention fixed on Michael who was still nodding along to whatever drum and bass tune that rung loudly from his headphones. Every girl in the room had fixed stares on Beau. Everyone but me. The close proximity made it impossible even though I longed to glance at him. The nervousness that bubbled up inside me made me tap my fingers on the wooden bench frantically.

Throughout the lesson Beau made no attempt whatsoever to have any kind of conversation with me. Even the slightest slip of eye contact seemed to be a definite no-no as far as he was concerned. I tugged at my starched shirt collar in response to every slight movement that he made, as my temperature fluctuated under the stress of his presence. The way he twiddled his pen between his fingers skilfully, drumming his palms on the seat of his stool to a silent beat, turning the pages of his textbook; every move he made led my thoughts deeper and deeper into parental advisory territory. His eyes were dazzling; they were the exuberant colour of the sea. With just one passing glance they made the blood course through my veins at an alarming speed. The hairs on my arms prickled in response. The fluorescent lights above us hit his chiselled jaw, reflecting off his flawless honey-toned skin. I made my way down his body, slowly drinking him all in. His muscular arms heaved beneath the cotton fabric of his top with every breath he took. Please talk to me, please, please, please! Hi, my name's Grace. What do you like to do in your spare time? My brain tortured me as words, any and all words, threatened to explode from my mouth!

As my eye line made its way back up his ripped torso I encountered a problem. His eyes, his beautiful eyes that I would happily drown in, were watching me, watching him. Hello awkward moment, oh how unwelcome you are. It was by far the most uncomfortable situation I had ever endured in a classroom; scrap that – the most mortifying experience ever! I spluttered a little as I attempted to speak. He responded by edging his seat a few inches away from me, a confused smile resting on his face. A sack full of willpower and sheer determination would be required from now on if I was going to survive an entire term with him as my desk buddy. Something about this guy was different, something I couldn't quite place. I thought about it for a while – no, a while is wrong - I thought about it until Mr. Geddes called time and the bell above the door rung. I shook myself out of my daze and watched as Beau collected up his books and slung his rucksack over his shoulder. The delicious combined scent of his aftershave and shower gel lingered in the air as he walked down the aisle beside me. I could feel myself running my hands through my hair and patting down my clothes. I felt like a woman possessed; I felt like an Amelia clone.

I glanced down at my shabbily put together ensemble of skinny denim jeans, black vest and unbuttoned tartan checked shirt. My stare wondered over towards Princess Amelia as she wound her blonde tendrils around her manicured fingers. Who was I kidding? Why would Beau be interested in a girl like me? Amelia was more of a strawberry and chocolate chip surprise ice cream with sparklers and sprinkles. You know, the fun exciting treats with bubble-gum at the bottom. The only ice cream that could describe me was vanilla, and not even the good kind; more like that half fat, organic crap.

'I think a change in your style is a necessity Grace' Amelia whispered over my shoulder, as we both watched Beau shake Mr Geddes hand and then leave the class. 'That boy is all kinds of fine but at the minute you just look so...' She looked me up and down and mulled over her next word choice, not in an attempt to spare my feelings, of course, but to ensure I understood completely, just how terrible I looked. 'Vanilla!' she exclaimed. I did question whether it was possible that Amelia had the gift to read my thoughts. I soon shrugged off that mind bending impossibility and put it down to her close relationship with the devil. Amelia had all kinds of evil living in her closet; the difference was she considered them friends!