Chapter Ten (Skye's POV)
I trudged my way to school on Monday, tired and lacklustre.
The rest of the weekend had been uneventful; I had gone grocery shopping on Sunday and managed to get by unscathed this time. Jumping every time someone made a sudden gesture, or there was a loud noise, I was grateful when I arrived back home safely behind a double-locked door.
I had always taken for granted the sense of relative safety I felt now in crowds; no longer worrying about the dangers presented by other peoples until that man had pulled me into the alleyway and I had been reminded of how easy it was for people to hurt you.
Although nothing had actually happened, it was still sobering to think of what could have happened.
I had secretly hoped to run into Rose while in town, but luck was not with me.
Bad Skye; stop thinking about the beautiful stranger who knows karate and can take down assailants without breaking a sweat.
Aunt Lauren had worked late again, and because my social life was non-existent, I had spent the rest of Sunday afternoon spring-cleaning the whole house to take my mind off of Saturday's events.
When Monday had rolled around, I really wasn't feeling motivated to sit through classes all day - but I was too worried about Aunt Lauren finding out if I skipped school.
The now-familiar sight of Westwood High did nothing to improve my mood; students milled outside, catching up with friends after a weekend apart with some sitting on benches and copying each other's homework at the last minute.
Having moved around my whole life - with Aunt Lauren chasing promotions and company expansions as a financial adviser - high schools began to blur together in my head.
It's hard to make friends when I never know the right thing to say, and even if I do Aunt Lauren and I move on in a few months or a year anyway. It's easier just to make Aunt Lauren happy by focusing on my studies and not getting too attached to anyone.
There were no stereotypical cliques of nerds, Goths, and cheerleaders - this wasn't a movie.
But most like-minded people seemed to congregate; I pictured Molly Henderson and her friends in the library preparing study notes for their tutoring club, and Nathan Benson practising on the basketball courts with his team before class, and even Sara Whitman and Michael Woods sitting on the bleachers smoking and exchanging sarcastic remarks.
I didn't think of my classmates as wannabes or jocks or rebels; they were just people trying to survive the gruelling social and academic pressures of high school.
I walked around the cafeteria building to find Sara exactly where I thought she would be. I wouldn't go so far to say she was my friend, but we did have AP English together, and she had lent me her copy of To Kill A Mockingbird for the weekend.
Ben had been a bit too excited that I had let him use my paint set last week and went from painting me a picture of what was meant to be a cat, to 'decorating' my English novel like the picture books they used in his day-care. I had tried to wipe away the smears of yellow and blue paint, but they had ruined the thin pages and made the words illegible.
Trying not to wrinkle my nose at the acrid smell of smoke, I said a quiet thank you to the bubblegum pink-haired Sara before backtracking to my locker. I contemplated briefly where Michael was; he and Sara were customarily attached at the hip...
Maybe if I took up smoking - or at least weren't repulsed by the smell of second-hand smoke - I wouldn't have to sit alone in the cafeteria at lunch, I mused and chuckled bitterly at Aunt Lauren's expression if she caught me partaking in such a 'ghastly' habit.
Like the dutiful niece and student I was, I grabbed my books and made my way to Chemistry early so I could take my usual seat.
I wove through the semi-crowded hallway, trying not to bump into anyone and keeping my eyes on my feet rather than meeting the eyes of my peers.
"Hey", a familiar husky voice stopped me in my tracks as I rounded a corner near the administrative section.
Has my lack of sleep finally degenerated into full-blown hallucinations? I wondered as I snapped my head up and met swirling chocolate eyes and a dimpled grin.
My body had finally caught up with my eyes, and my heart began to quicken as my eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Rose?" I could feel my lips twitch as I tried to reign in my delighted smile.
"Skye..." How does her voice always sound so warm and confident? I asked the universe as I took in her casual black jeans, scuffed combat boots and white Henley. She had a worn leather jacket folded over one arm.
I dared to hope as I saw a caramel messenger bag slung over her shoulder.
"I was hoping I would run into you on my first day back", her tone was light and airy, but she was still smiling happily.
I blushed and tried to hide how much seeing her affected me.
"You must be very persuasive; it sounded the other day like you wouldn't be able to convince your parents to let you try mainstream schooling again", I commented as she fell into step beside me.
Her arm brushed mine, and I remembered the way she seemed to radiate heat. She shortened her stride to keep pace with me; I tried very hard not to grin in delight.
Her laugh was quick and easy, and her eyes seemed to glow under the cheap fluorescent lights of the hallway. "I can be very charming when I want to be", she said will a sly wink.
My blush deepened as I echoed her laugh, "I saw how 'charming' you could be in that alleyway - it comes as no surprise that you got your way with your parents as well".
Rose's smile faltered for a second, and she glanced down at me to gauge my tone; I smiled impishly back to let her know I was teasing.
She laughed again, and I felt a feather-light shiver run down my spine.
Why was this attractive and charismatic woman speaking to me again?
"What class are you heading to?" She asked as we side-stepped a couple embracing beside their locker.
"How do you know I'm not heading out to skip class?" I returned, miffed at her - accurate - assumption. I always thought beauty marks looked odd, but on Rose, it's kind of cute... I drew my eyes away from her angular chin and perfectly even skin, trying not to blush.
She bumped shoulders with me, that relaxed smile always present. "Is that why I can smell cigarette smoke on your clothes?"
I coughed awkwardly to cover up my surprise, If she can smell smoke from me just standing next to Sara for a minute, I hope Aunt Lauren doesn't think I'm a "delinquent".
Relax, Skye - you're generally in bed by the time Aunt Lauren gets home from work, and you do your own washing. Also, I added to myself, stop being such a goody-two-shoes.
I shook my head and again heard Rose's laugh, "Relax - I'm kidding".
I smiled ruefully, indicating to the classroom we had just stopped in front of, "I have Chemistry first period".
I craned my neck to see her stunning face fall in barely-concealed disappointment, "I have Biology".
I tried not to mirror her expression, She will probably find some friends by the end of the school day and forget I exist.
"Maybe we will see each other around, sometime..." I repeated her words from the other day, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.
She stepped closer to me and dropped her shoulders, so I didn't have to crane my neck as much to meet her gaze, "If we don't have any classes together this morning, I'll come to find you for lunch?" It started out as a confident statement and wound down into an unsure question.
My heart practically burst into pieces inside me.
"Sounds like a plan", I replied, hoping my voice didn't sound too pleased, stepping away towards the classroom that was slowly filling up.
I glanced over my shoulder, and this time saw that she was staring at me with those expressive eyes as I made my way to my seat.
Maybe... Just maybe she was as interested in me as I was in her...