“Take this,” said my mom, handing me one of the flaxseed bars as I stared the bagels on the counter.
My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously, a flaxseed bar? This bird food isn’t going to fill me up,” I pouted. “Can’t I just have a bagel instead?”
She brushed a few strands of her jet-black hair behind her ears. “Sidney’s mom brought them over for the daycare kids and I don’t have enough. I’m sorry, honey. You know they’re loaded with carbs anyway,” she said, leaning over and kissing my cheek. She’s always trying to control my carb and fiber intake, which almost always leaves me hungry and unapproachable. It’s one of the reasons I keep a stash of candy bars under my bed. Fortunately, my sister doesn’t say anything about them. She’d rather let me eat than deal with my grumpiness from lack of sugar.
“Daycare kids,” I mumbled, scowling at the granola bar. “They eat better than I do.”
My mom runs a daycare in our home. Eight smelly little punks who’ve invaded our home and now there’s never any peace. Since my dad died earlier last year, though, it’s the only way my mom’s been able to afford the house payments. She blames it on lack of college, and that’s why she insists we both earn a degree.
“You eat very well, my dear,” she answered with a wry smile. “Now, you’d better get moving before you miss your bus.”
“Fine,” I said, walking towards the door. “But if I can’t concentrate this morning, it’s probably because I’m trying not to poop.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “What?”
“Yeah, mom… flaxseed… fiber… what are you trying to do to? Give me diarrhea?”
“Kendra, detoxifying your body is good for you!” she called as I shut the door behind me and stepped outside.
“Here it comes,” said Kala, who was applying more lipstick to her already glossy ones.
The bus was just turning down our lane and we both rushed over to get to the bus stop across the street.
Our neighbor, John Frances, smiled at me as I stopped next to the curb. “What’s wrong, out of breath?” He’s our age and a total jerk. I despise him with a passion.
“Shut up, tool,” snapped my sister, giving him a dirty look.
One thing I could say about my Kala was that she never thought twice about defending me.
I stabbed him viciously with my eyes and followed Kala onto the bus while everyone stared in shock at my sister. Kala never rode the bus. At least not last year, but that was because she’d been dating this superhot senior, Jamie Grant, who’d driven her to and from school every single day. Unfortunately, for Kala, he’d left for college two months ago and neither of us had our licenses yet, so it was the bus for the both of us.
“Sit here, Kala!” yelled Brandi, my sister’s best friend.
Brandi was obviously still grounded from using her Mustang after sneaking out in the middle of the night last week. Apparently, she’d snuck to a concert that she’d been forbidden to go to, and her parents had busted her when she’d tried to get back into her window early the next morning. I didn’t feel sorry for her, however. Brandi was blond with the perfect body and all the guys at school wanted to get into her pants, which I think most of them already had. Kala said she was a complete nympho and didn’t hide that fact. In fact, she flaunted it with her short skirts and low-cut tops. The fact that my sister was friends with someone like that was a little unsettling, but I also knew that Kala held her virginity very sacred. More than once she’d told me she was saving it for Jamie, when he was finished with college and came back to put a ring on her finger. Only then would she let him go all the way with her.
Personally, I thought Jamie, who looked and dressed like a glamorized Ken-doll, was gay, and had been ecstatic to have someone like her for his girlfriend. She’d told me that he’d never pressured her to do anything as far as sex, and they’d barely kissed. Most of their time together was spent shopping or going to movies, and I’m not talking drive-ins. She’d mentioned it once to him and he’d stared at her in horror, complaining that the humidity would make his hair droop.
Yeah, if he was straight then I was definitely winning the next “America’s Top Model” competition.
Kala went to the back of the bus and flopped down next to Brandi while I sat towards the front, as far away as I could from the others. I wasn’t about to give anyone a chance to start teasing me during the first day of school. Last year had been bad enough. Apparently, being the pudgy sister of one of the most popular girls in school was hysterical to many.
I stared out the window and sighed, wishing that I would have stuck with the diet my mom had tried to put me on during the summer. But just like all the others, I’d cheated and then had finally given up. It was a horrible feeling, but what was even worse was looking at my sister, and knowing that if I’d lost weight, I’d be more like her – beautiful, confident, and able to wear “skinny jeans.” Coincidently, most of my jeans already looked like “skinny jeans” on my thighs, but were supposed to be “relaxed fit.”
That’s why I hated to shop for clothes. Nothing fit like it was supposed to.
The bus made one last stop before it dropped us off at North Central High School, and we all stared at the person who stepped onboard. He was tall with longish, dark hair and a slender build. A fairly average looking guy, really, dressed in all black and wearing dark sunglasses.
“Vampire,” somebody snickered from the back of the bus.
The “vampire” smirked and then stopped when he arrived at my seat. “Can I sit here?”
“Uh, sure,” I said, staring up at him in surprise. When he sat down, I noticed right away that he smelled like vanilla, which was kind of odd, especially for a guy. I didn’t mind, however, as it kind of reminded me of vanilla-bean ice cream or my mother’s homemade sugar cookies.
He removed his sunglasses. “Hi, I’m Tyler.”
“I’m Kendra,” I said turning my face towards him.
“Nice to meet you.”
My breath caught in my throat as our eyes locked. His were the most amazing shade of green I’d ever seen. They were so deep and hypnotic, I couldn’t look away. In fact, I found it physically impossible to do anything but to try and stay afloat in those deep emerald pools. Just when I thought I was losing my mind, he turned his head and broke the spell.
“So, what grade are you in?” he asked, staring towards the front of the bus.
“Eleventh. I mean twelfth,” I answered in a breathless whisper, still confused at what had just happened.
“Me, too,” he said, smiling faintly.
I cleared my throat. “You’re new to Bayport?”
“Yeah, my mother and I just moved here.”
“Oh.”
Okay, so I was no expert at conversations, especially with boys. Most guys avoided me like the plague anyway, unless they were trying to get closer to my “superstar” of a sister.
We didn’t say anything to each other for the rest of the bus ride. When it finally rolled into the parking lot at school and the door opened, he stood up and moved back, allowing me to get out. He then followed me off of the bus and stayed next to me as we entered the school. When we got to the office, he stopped abruptly, and for some reason, so did I.
“Well,” he said, replacing his sunglasses. “Maybe I’ll see you in class?”
“Uh, sure,” I said, still surprised that a cute guy like him was actually being nice to me.
“Good,” he said, giving me a lazy smile that made my stomach flutter.
Chapter Two
My first class was “Homeroom” and I quickly sat down towards the back of the room.
“Hey, Kendra,” said Amy, who I was semi-friends with. She sat down next to me and took off her eyeglasses, then proceeded to clean them with a small cloth.
“So, how was your summer?” I asked, relieved that I had at least one friend in Homeroom.
She plopped her glasses back on and smiled. “It was great! I went to band camp for a couple of weeks and le
arned some new songs.”
Amy plays the clarinet, and that’s all she talks about. I went over to her house one day last year after school, and she played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for me over and over. Now I can’t even sit through the “The Wizard of Oz” without wanting to throw the remote control at the television.
“Brenda!” squealed Amy, waving her hand in the air.
I also smiled at Brenda, who squeezed into the desk in front of me. Like me, she indulged in a little too much ice cream and pizza.
“Hi, guys,” smiled Brenda, flashing a set of shiny new braces.
“Oh, wow,” said Amy. “When did you get those?”
Brenda blushed. “During the summer. I have to wear them for a couple of years.”
I nodded, smiling sheepishly. “I had my braces taken off last month. It was the highlight of the summer.”
“Oh, I forgot that you even wore braces,” said Amy, pushing her dark hair behind her ears.
“That’s because nobody notices Kendra,” snickered Mark Davis, who was sitting a couple desks away, “unless she’s standing next to her hot sister with the perfect teeth.”
It was true, for some reason Kala hadn’t needed braces but my teeth had overlapped in the front so bad, I had to have them.
Some of the other kids laughed as he continued to mock me. I wanted to curl up into a ball and roll away. Instead, I looked down at my hands and wished that I could vaporize into thin air. I seriously hated Mark and all of his jock friends who picked on me whenever they were bored and wanted to look cool.
“Check out the new weirdo,” said Mark with an ugly smirk. He turned his body back towards the front of the class and folded his arms across his chest. “He looks like something out of a cheap horror movie.”
I looked up and my eyes locked with Tyler’s – rather, his dark sunglasses. He was standing at the front of the class and scanning the room for a place to sit. There was a desk next to mine that was vacant, and for some reason, I really wanted him in it.
“What? It’s too bright in here?” snorted Mark. “Nice shades, Dracula.”
Of course, his friends only fueled his stupidity by laughing.
I glared at Mark, who was still chuckling at his own lame jokes, and wished I had the guts to tell him off; although, something in Tyler’s expression told me that he didn’t need any help from me.
Ignoring everyone else, Tyler removed his glasses and began walking towards me. Just when I thought he was going to sit at the desk next to mine, he took the seat behind me instead.
“Hey,” he said as I turned around.
“Hey,” I answered back, trying not to blush.
Some of the other girls in the classroom started checking him out, and soon were staring with glazed expressions, as if he was some kind of celebrity. I couldn’t blame them, however. Not only was he cute, but his eyes were beautiful, magnetic, and more than a little… unnerving.
When the bell rang, the teacher, Mr. Henry, passed out the school’s handbook and we spent a half hour going over each boring rule. No fighting, no swearing, no running, no guns, no tank tops, no pets, no gum, and last, but not least, no fun. My head was spinning by the time class was over and I was almost afraid to breathe, in case that was also against school policy.
“Bring a book to read tomorrow morning if you don’t have homework,” called Mr. Henry as we all shuffled out of the classroom.
I stepped into the hallway and started walking towards first period, which was my math class. I passed my sister along the way and she smiled at me.
“Is that your sister?”
I turned to find Tyler walking next to me again and felt more butterflies tickling my stomach. “Uh, yes.”
“You must be twins?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but we don’t look anything alike.”
He smiled. “That’s okay, being different is much more interesting.”
I stared at him, wondering if he was from another planet.
“I don’t know about that. Sometimes I’d rather be more like her,” I said. “She’s got it made and nobody gives her any crap.”
He smiled. “She probably doesn’t give anyone a chance to.”
My eyes narrowed. “Well, I certainly don’t let anyone give me crap, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“I never said you did. I was merely suggesting that confidence goes a long way.”
He had me there. Every time I saw myself next to my sister, my confidence went out the door.
“So, um, where are you going?” I asked, nearing my classroom.
“Math,” he answered. “We’re in the same class. I hope you don’t mind if I walk with you?”
How did he know what class I had next?
I blushed. “No, of course you can walk with me.”
“Kendra has an admirer,” snorted Mark behind us.
Tyler turned to him and smiled. “What’s wrong, jealous because you don’t have any admirers?”
Admirers?
My jaw dropped. Not only had he hinted that he was my admirer, but he’d also stood up to Mark, who was on the wrestling team and had muscles on his muscles.
Mark dropped his books on the ground, and then shoved Tyler, hard. “Why would I be jealous of a cow and her hoser boy-toy?”
Tyler removed his sunglasses and stared at him while several students gathered around anxiously to see what would happen next.
“Apologize for being an idiot,” said Tyler evenly.
There were snickers and giggles from the crowd. Everyone knew Mark would go gangbusters on the new kid. What came next, however, surprised us all. The expression on Mark’s face went from smug to friendly, almost to the point of being nerdy. “I’m sorry for being an idiot,” he answered pleasantly.
“You’ll never bother Kendra again,” said Tyler.
“I will never bother Kendra again,” answered Mark, still smiling at me like a guy who’d just met the girl of his dreams.
“Leave,” said Tyler.
The next thing I knew, Mark turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.
Chapter Three
Stunned silence surrounded us as we all watched Mark walk away without hesitation.
This definitely had to be a dream, I thought. No way would this happen in real life.
“Disburse,” mumbled Tyler. Then everyone suddenly came to life and scattered.
I watched in awe as Tyler put his sunglasses back on. “Uh, how did you do that?”
He smiled. “Let’s just say, when I talk, people listen.”
“Are you some kind of vampire or something?” I blurted out, the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up.
Tyler chuckled and shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t be walking around during the day, now would I?”
“I don’t know. That popular movie with the vampires and werewolves competing for the girl, all of those guys did just fine in the daylight.”
He smiled. “That’s fiction, Kendra. I can assure you that if I was a real vampire, I’d disintegrate as soon as my skin was exposed to the sun.”
He was so matter-of-fact that I was afraid to ask him any more questions. Either he was completely bonkers, or I was. Or, it really was just one big, fat, crazy-assed dream.
Sighing to myself, I muddled these things through my mind as we walked into our math class and sat across from each other.
“My name is Ms. Byrd,” said the teacher after calling the attendance. “I take this class very seriously, so there will be no talking when I’m talking, no passing notes around, and absolutely no cell phones allowed. If you have one, and I see it out of your pocket or purse, I will keep it until the end of the day.”
This really irritated some of the other students who normally couldn’t keep their hands off of their phones. It did nothing for me, however, as I didn’t have a cell phone; my mom wouldn’t even allow them in the house, which really sucked being a senior in high school.
“Also, no sunglasses,” r
emarked Ms. Byrd, staring directly at Tyler.
He slipped them off, and I held my breath. When his eyes were exposed, the teacher paused for a moment, clearly unprepared for such an intense unveiling.
I smiled. It was really starting to amuse me – everyone’s reaction to Tyler’s piercing green eyes. It also took any unwanted attention off of me.
“Um, well then,” she said, clearing her throat after regaining her composure. “Everyone, open your math books to page five.”
During class, I noticed the teacher staring at Tyler curiously when she didn’t think anyone was paying much attention. I also sensed, without a doubt, that he was very much aware of her interest.
When class was over, Tyler sprang out of his seat and took off without a second glance.
Sighing, I grabbed my stuff and followed the other students out the door, wondering if Tyler was actually going back to his home planet. The idea of him being an alien wasn’t too far off the grid, especially with that mind control thing of his.
“Hey,” said Tyler when I stepped out of the classroom.
I was surprised and slightly giddy to find him waiting for me in the hallway. His sunglasses were back and the warm vanilla scent engulfed me once again.
“Hey,” I answered, biting my lip to keep from smiling like a dope.
Just then, Ms. Byrd stepped out of the classroom and looked like she was about to approach us, which for some reason, didn’t seem to sit very well with him.
“Well,” he said with a hint of irritation. “See you in English class.”
“Uh, okay,” I said, as he took off, obviously trying to avoid Ms. Byrd.
I glanced at the teacher and wondered why she’d freaked him out so much. She gave me a polite smile and then stepped back into the classroom without saying a word.
And how did he know we shared an English class at the end of the day?
Enchanted Secrets Page 2