Dark Hearts

by P. L. Midnight

  “Thanks for the kind welcome. I hope you’ll give that other new student a chance, too. He might be a nice guy even if he is a little over confident.”

  “I’m sure I will. You know you shouldn’t listen to other peoples’ conversations.”

  “I’ve learned a lot by accidently overhearing conversations. Anyway, you should whisper if you don’t want anyone to hear you.”

  “I didn’t know anyone was listening.”

  I was sure he had listened to other private conversations, I thought as he continued, “To be honest Emma, I didn’t mean to intrude on your confidential discussion. I just walked up and happened to hear you. Truth be told, I’m glad I did. I probably saved that other poor guy from gossip being spread about him being egotistical.”

  I knew by his smart-ass look that he’d listened on purpose. For some reason he enjoyed having me at a disadvantage.

  “I wasn’t spreading gossip. I was having a private conversation with one of my friends. It’s my opinion and the last I heard, it’s a free country. I still think he’s conceited,” I said, looking directly at Alex as I made that last statement.

  He grinned at me as if he knew I was talking about him. I usually wasn’t intentionally rude, but Alex seemed to grate on me with his over-the-top good looks and cocky attitude. Anyway, I didn’t believe he wasn’t eavesdropping for a minute. I really didn’t want to continue to debate his manners or anything with him. Therefore, I tried again to be cordial, “I bet you miss L.A.”

  “I don’t miss L.A. It can be crazy at times. It takes a couple hours to get across the city sometimes. You never get to really know anyone either, or make many friends, because the school is so enormous. It’s hard to become close friends with anyone. I’ve already met a few guys here and they seem cool. I’m hoping to have many friends while I’m here. I’ve made my first new friend, Emma Stephens. I look forward to getting to know a few people a lot better than I did in L.A.” I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not, but he looked rather intense as he looked into my eyes during his last statement.

  Was this a dig, because I’d said he wouldn’t want to talk to any of us? I think he was enjoying making me uncomfortable with his excessive teasing. Well, one thing was certain, he wouldn’t be getting to know me better. I intended to avoid him like the black plague and broccoli. Yeah, I can’t stand broccoli, so sue me.

  I didn’t have to make any further comments, because the bell rang. I was never so glad to hear a bell ring as I was at that moment. The welcomed interruption released me from the thrall of Alex’s fire eyes and his obviously tormenting comments.

  Alex was too handsome for my good, as well as the rest of the female school population. I’d humiliated myself in front of him by my comments and my all-to-knowing blush. Oh heck, I’d even forgotten how to talk during part of our conversation. I wondered if my mind would always become so befuddled when I looked into his fire eyes. Then again, after that conversation, I doubted I’d be talking to him anymore. Yes, it would be best for me to avoid him altogether.

  I’d be glad when the teacher assigned seats and moved us around, then I wouldn’t have to talk to Alex much. I’d be more comfortable to put some distance between us. It would be nice not to have to look at that shiny blonde hair that just touched his collar. I was tempted to run my fingers through the silken strands just to see if it was as soft as it looked. I’m not sure where that thought came from, but I’d just blown any chance to be his friend, regardless of his earlier comments. I was sure he had no desire to know me at all, even though he’d enjoyed teasing me.

  He probably wouldn’t feel the need to speak to me again either, after proving me wrong about him. I was sure that Alex had acted friendly on purpose, because of what I’d said to Sara, probably just to make me feel bad for what I’d said. I did feel a bit guilty, but hoped that would be the end of it.

  “You’ve probably all taken seats near your friends today.” Here it came, the part I was anticipating. I’d be moving soon. I hoped it would be across the room, as far from Alex and his intense fire eyes as possible. The teacher’s next words dashed any chance of that. “I’ve decided that this year I’m going to give you all a break. You may all remain in the seats you’ve chosen. Just don’t expect me to be this nice the rest of the year.”

  What was going on today? Would I have to look at Alex every morning? Mr. Bruns always assigned seats. He said it was to encourage us to make new acquaintances and cut down on the visiting with our friends during class. The man even went so far as to give us assignments with a person nearby to encourage interaction outside class time.

  Well, at least he wasn’t doing that silly assignment this year since most people were sitting near their friends. Mr. Bruns was the only homeroom teacher that handed out assignments. They were usually dumb. It would involve eating lunch with someone we didn’t know. Then we had to turn in a report regarding how much we learned about them during that lunch. We had to share what we learned about the person or some such nonsense. Some of us were comfortable with our friends and just didn’t feel the need to meet others who were likely not interested in becoming friends anyway.

  As if he’d heard my thoughts, the teacher finished, “I won’t be assigning you to work with people that you don’t know this year, either. Your permanent study partner will be the person in front of you.”

  My mouth gaped and my expression was one of incredulity. The way my day was going, of course Mr. Bruns noticed it. He looked at me from his position beside Alex’s desk as he spoke, causing my cheeks to turn beet red. “Is there a problem Miss Stephens?”

  Then, in keeping with my run of bad luck, the teacher walked past Alex and stood before me. This caused Alex to turn around to see what was going on. He smiled at me, causing a deeper crimson to stain my face. I really wanted the floor to swallow me up at that particular moment. Unfortunately, as my luck would have it, it didn’t.

  “No, Mr. Bruns that’s, um, nice of you.”

  “Good. I expect you to show our new student, Alex, the ropes around here. Maybe you can share some information about him with the rest of us. I think everyone in here should write a report about your study partner. If it’s a friend of yours, I want you to share something that you didn’t know about the person before coming to this class.”

  What the heck does “show Alex the ropes around here” mean, anyway? I guess it means that I’m supposed to give Alex a tour of the school. There was no understanding that weird teacher sometimes. I just nodded and smiled. At least Alex had turned back around. Writing a paper about him was going to be difficult since it was unlikely that there would be any further conversation between us except during the school tour. I would talk him out of that as soon as possible, if I could. There was no way I wanted to give him a tour of Graham. If he got lost here, after L.A., then he really wasn't too bright.

  It was actually better that I was sitting behind him, I thought. I could make the best of this. At least he wasn’t behind me. If he were, I’d always wonder if he was looking over my shoulder or listening in to any conversation I might be having.

  “There’s one more thing, Mr. Sandoval, would you change seats with Miss Stephens? You will remain study partners for the year. However, I can’t see her over you, and I like to be able to see all my students.”

  OMG- could this day get any worse? Mr. Bruns couldn’t have made my day any more unbearable if he’d tried. We traded places as the teacher requested. Upon the teacher’s request, a few other students moved, too. Alex had smiled warmly at me as he brushed against me in the narrow aisle. An electrical charge the size of Manhattan went through me at the brief contact with him. I took a deep breath and quickly sat down before I stumbled or worse. I’d never felt anything like that before and my red face certainly continued to reveal my feelings.

  The rest of my morning was more or less the same. At least I’d been able to slide out of the room without looking at Alex again. I seemed to be the only girl not looking at our dele
ctable new student. I kept my eyes averted from his enticing amber eyes.

  I was getting my fair share of looks today, too, a few more catcalls and a few sexual innuendos, which was no surprise since a few of the guys at my school had the manners of orangutans. I’d seen those primates do some funky stuff in front of people just like a few of the male students at Graham. It was so gross. I ignored them. It was different to be noticed. Now, if Raven noticed me at lunch it would make the day much better.

  My favorite part of the morning was that this year physical education class was right before lunch. There’s more time to shower and dress after class that way. I just hate showering in front of the other girls. This way, I could dawdle a little and have the showers mostly to myself. Tori had physical education the same period I did, which gave us more time to visit while we dawdled after class. I was anxious to hear about her morning. It had to have been better than mine.

  The class itself was interesting, especially since three of our classmates in P.E. happened to be the “bitch” sisters. Brittany Blane, the blonde airhead who was lead cheerleader this year and Raven’s former girlfriend, was in our class. Joining her were Nicole Simon and Janelle Slife the other two “bitch” sisters. That trio had done their best to make the lives of many of the less popular students, including myself, a living hell for too long. They were all beautiful until they opened their rude mouths.

  Their expressions when Tori and I walked into the gym were priceless. To say they were surprised was an underestimation of the situation. They were outraged. I could see the resentment on their faces as we walked towards them. I didn’t know why in the world they should be jealous of us. They were dating some of the most popular guys in school. Brittany had been Raven Tafini’s girlfriend until she was dumb enough to be caught cheating on him. Everyone knew he was the hottest guy in school.

  I wondered if the sisters were afraid that some of the popular guys would actually look at someone besides them for a change. I doubted it, but it was interesting that they felt threatened by my new look and Tori’s new fashion statement. Well, at least I thought they did. They looked so mean and I could think of no other reason for their expressions.

  I didn’t have a chance to say anything to them, not that I would have anyway. However, just to be a bit catty, I smiled and waved at them. I knew it would piss them off that I’d had the nerve to try to associate with them. I grinned when it did. Their facial expressions mirrored their spiteful feelings towards me. There wasn’t time for anything else, because the boys came into the gymnasium.

  Oh goodie, I thought. We get to share the gym again this year with the guys. Actually, that was sarcasm. I hated sharing the gymnasium with the boys during P.E. All they did was gawk at us in our gym shorts and t-shirts. Well, a few of the girls did wear some tight shirts and shorts, barely long enough to pass the school dress code and cover their rear ends.

  The guys didn’t usually pay any attention to me, but it was still embarrassing. Sometimes they’d laugh and whisper to each other when I’d do something very uncoordinated. If one of them just happened to see my folly, they would cruelly snicker. I admit I wasn’t the greatest athlete either. Therefore, I just flat out didn’t appreciate having the boys see me fall on my butt or do some other uncoordinated stunt, which I always managed to.

  The usual whistles and snide remarks were forthcoming from a few of the more vocal boys, as Brittany and the sisters purposefully strutted across the floor in their tight t-shirts and short shorts. Well, those boys made noises until the teacher put a stop to it. I was getting more than my fair share of attention, also, it seemed. That is, if the looks on the faces of the “bitch” sisters were to be believed. I wasn’t paying that much attention to the guys, but the sisters looked pissed. I always tried to ignore them. It was less humiliating that way. I did glance over in their direction, as the girls got quiet around me. I, too, unintentionally became focused on the last boy to enter the gymnasium, and to call him a boy was ridiculous. It was Alex, and Alex was all man. Oh great, I thought. Now I’d get to parade around in front of him in my gym shorts. The way the day was going, I’d probably give a demonstration of my total lack of coordination before the class was over by, as I regularly did, falling on my butt. He was looking at me, too. I knew it even though I’d quickly turned around so he wouldn’t think I was ogling him like the rest of the female student body. Tori saw him and elbowed me.

  “Isn’t that the new guy we saw this morning? Damn, he’s even hotter with his clothes off.”

  “Really, Tori, he’s in gym shorts and his name is Alexander Sandoval. He goes by Alex.”

  “Alex, huh, how do you know? Should I be jealous?”

  “He sits near me in homeroom.”

  “Really, I am jealous. Did he talk to you? Yes, he must have, if you know his nickname.”

  “Yes, we spoke briefly. He’s my assigned study partner.”

  “That’s too cool. Alex and you, that’s interesting, but why do you have a study collaborator in homeroom? Oh, that’s right, it’s something Mr. Bruns comes up with every year just to torture his students. Wow, you’re lucky to be assigned to sit near Alex. The teacher will probably make up some crazy assignments to get you to work together, too. Maybe you could introduce me some time, now that you’re study partners. You’ll have to do dumb crap in that class, but you’ll get to work with that hot new guy. I’m really jealous, Em. I’m going to want a full report at lunch.”

  “There really isn’t much to tell. Yes, I know Bruns gives crazy assignments, but maybe he won’t this year. He didn’t assign seats this year. Alex just happened to sit in front of me.”

  “What, he sat by you on purpose? He must be interested, Em. You are so lucky,” Tori practically gushed.

  “Don’t get too excited. I don’t think it was on purpose. There weren’t too many seats left when he came into homeroom. It’s not as if he picked me as his study partner or anything. I’d be happy if Mr. Bruns didn’t make us work together too much, although he already gave us one weird assignment.” I stopped as the P.E. teacher cleared her throat.

  “He sat in front of you. Now that’s something,” Tori whispered, ignoring the pointed looks from the teacher. “Were there seats near the more popular girls? Working with Alex might not be too bad either, you know,” Tori said as she continued to give him the once over. I could see the wheels turning inside her brain. She nudged me and whispered, “He’s mighty fine to look at, girl. He’s got such a nice ass.”

  “Shh, Tori, Mrs. Pitts is already giving us the evil eye. I’m sure you’re looking at his butt again, too. Geez, don’t let him see you looking, Tori. I’ve already had an embarrassing incident with him today. I don’t want any more. As far as the seats, there were a few left in the classroom. I really didn’t pay much attention where they were though. I did notice that several of the girls were trying to flirt with him during class.”

  I didn’t get a chance to say anymore as the teacher singled me out for more mortification, making my day even more perfect. That was sarcasm again, by the way. “Emma and Tori, are you planning to join us, or would you care to share your comments? I wonder if they were about the new guy, you were both watching so intently. I need you to pay attention to me, not Alex.”

  No, she hadn’t just announced that loud enough to be heard in the next county. That wasn’t fair! I hadn’t even been looking, well, not directly anyway. I wasn’t even facing Alex. I’d snuck a few peeks at him before I turned around. I’d actually been hoping for a glance at Raven, who I thought was probably in the same class.

  One of the girls spoke and said for the benefit of the other girls now looking at Alex, “his name is Alex Sandoval.” Upon hearing his name, which again had been all but shouted, he looked towards us. He saw me and waved. I don’t think I could have turned any redder if I’d tried. I nodded at him and made my way to the bleachers with my head down and eyes on my feet. The rest of the class was now sitting there, waiting for us to join them. Ther
e were a few speculative murmurs about my relationship with Alex. Brittany looked as if she’d sucked a lemon when Alex waved at me. I have to admit that had been pretty cool.

  It seemed the boys must have been choosing units for basketball, because they weren’t making their usual amount of noise. That’s why I’d blushed in the first place. I knew that Alex had heard every comment being made by the teacher on our side of the gym. The stupid place echoed at times and of course, today, since it wasn’t very loud, every word seemed to echo around the entire room. Raven was standing next to Alex. He must have said something about me, because they both looked towards me. Raven smiled and nodded his head in greeting.

  I couldn’t believe it. Raven Tafini, the most popular jock at school, had never publicly acknowledged me much before today. I wasn’t sure if it was because Alex had said something to him or if it was due to my new appearance. Either way, I was elated at the brief attention. I knew I didn’t stand a chance with a guy like Raven. The “bitch sisters” were more his type, but it was nice being finally noticed by him.

  Tori got herself seated on the bleachers. I was right behind her. I gladly got off my feet and hid in the masses. My knees were trembling from all the unwanted attention. I wasn’t used to much attention from the boys or being singled out by the teacher and publicly embarrassed. Who was I kidding? I wasn’t used to any male attention. However, that’s not entirely true; there was my rumored boyfriend and good friend, Vincent Wolfe. Maybe it was Alex. There was something about him that unnerved me.

  Vince, my so-called boyfriend, was a good guy. He just didn’t treat me as a normal girlfriend. Perhaps, if I’d been some kind of scientific wonder, he’d have paid more attention to me. Oh, he was attentive as a good friend, but not much happened in the romantic department between us. Actually, nothing romantic ever happened between us, and that was the problem. Therefore, I regarded him as just a good friend, one of my besties.