In the Open

"Then get away from him."

The bell rings, signaling the end of history class. I make sure to grab all of my stuff, trying to act as if I don't want to turn around and jump Nick right then and there.

Wow, one kiss and already I've turned into a monster...

"Why are you going so slow? You need to go and make out with Nick again!" Alyssa screeches at me as she yanks on my arm, tugging me to the door.  A blush covers my cheeks and I silently glare at the back of her head, hoping she'll feel my embarrassment.

"We did not make out!" I hiss at her as we walk out of the room. I turn around and see that Nick is nowhere in sight, making me frown slightly as Alyssa and I continue walking through the busy halls.

Maybe he was just in a rush.

She looks at me with a smirk on her face. "Someone's in denial!" She sings, purposefully making my embarrassment worse. She can be such a pain sometimes.

"We did not make out! It was just a kiss Alyssa," I tell her as she starts walking to the left and I to the right.

"Sureeee it was!" She says to me over her shoulder as she disappears around the corner. I roll my eyes and walk into my Literature class with a smile. I take my seat and get out my notebook, writing my name and the date in the top right corner.

A few minutes after the bell rings, Mrs. Josie starts taking attendance when there's a knock on the door.

She walks over and opens it, seeing the principal standing next to none other than Nick Simmons. Why am I not surprised?

Nick looks around the room, and I see girls subtly pulling down their shirts and fixing their hair. I roll my eyes at them and scoff as I turn back to my notebook and wait for the assignment. I try to ignore the urge to stare at Nick, but I'm sure he has his eyes on a couple of the blondes up front.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Mrs. Josie asks with a smile.

"This kid just got kicked out of his class. Mr. Gene asked if he could transfer into this one," Principal Lee says in an annoyed tone, jabbing his thumb in Nick's direction, "Would that be okay with you?"

He got kicked out of his class? I wonder what he did, although I bet it has something to do with PDA or discipline issues. Two things that Mr. Gene has a no tolerance policy for.

"Of course I don't mind. He can join this class, as long as he doesn't give me any problems."

Nick saunters in the room, his gaze finding mine instantly. He walks over to me, never breaking our eye contact, and sits in the seat next to mine.

I contain my smile and look away from him, although I can still feel his eyes on me.

"Hey, Princess," he says to me, a smirk evident in his tone.

"I'm pretty sure I have told you several times to stop calling me that Simmons." I look up at him to see a small smile on his face, mirroring my own. I have to pinch myself to keep the grin off of my face.

His eyes drop to my lips and I watch as desire sparks in them. He leans closer to me and my breath hitches.

"I do what I want Princess. You should know that by now," he quietly says to me, and smirks as he leans back in his chair. I blink at him a few times, suddenly forgetting how to breathe. Luckily Mrs. Josie comes back in the room and starts talking, cutting off the conversation.

"Okay guys. Nick Simmons is now in this class, and I hope all of you will welcome him with open arms. We're a family in this classroom," she says, giving Nick a welcoming smile. This is why I love this teacher. I love literature no matter what, but having a teacher that actually cares and thinks of her students as family means a lot.