I nodded, speechless.
"I'm Ethan and this is my older brother Brendan," he gestured towards his brother without looking away from me and then he brought his hand out for me to shake.
"I'm Tatiana," I said shyly, shaking his hand.
Brendan shook my hand as well, but his touch wasn't like Ethan's. When Ethan touched my hand I felt this electric shock go through me and spread all over my body.
"It was nice meeting you. Bye, Ethan," Brendan waved as he walked away.
There were a few moments of silence before Ethan spoke again, "You need me to walk you to class?"
"Please," I said, smiling with relief.
He chuckled as he studied my schedule. "What luck, you have English with me first period." Relief flooded through me and I smiled at him when he looked up. "Come on, let's get to class."
He started walking in the opposite direction and I hurried to catch up to him. I pretended not to notice, but it was obvious several people were staring at us. It made me nervous. It made me want to bolt and never come back. Their stares were judgemental, like I shouldn't be hanging out with Ethan.
"Don't worry about them. They're just interested in why I'm talking to you," he said giving me that genuine smile that took my breath away. We walked past lockers and finally we stopped at one. "This is your locker and mine is right across from yours," he said, still smiling, as he pointed at his. He put in the combination and opened my locker. He put my bag away after taking out my English book and closed the door, locking it. "Here," he said, handing me my book and a pen.
"Thanks," I said taking it. "So why are they interested?"
I was looking at him now and I could tell he was trying to avoid my gaze. He started walking again, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"I just hang with people that have everything, get everything. People hate it when a new student gets accepted by them, they envy it."
"New student, as in me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. He shrugged and I then realised what he meant, what everyone thought. "You're popular." It was a statement, not a question.
He shrugged again and said, "I guess."
He stopped at a door and gestured for me to go in. Only a few students were seated, but they stared the whole time as I made my way to an empty seat. What I didn't expect to find was Ethan walking towards me. I stared at him in shock as he set his bag on the floor then sat down, slouching in his seat.
Ethan looked at me smiling. I smiled back, feeling relieved that I wasn't alone. I was aware of people staring at us, but I didn't care especially in that moment. Goose bumps rose on every inch of my body as I turned away from him. His hand was just inches from mine. I felt like reaching out, to feel his warm, soft hand.
I shook my head. What was I doing? I shouldn't be concentrating on Ethan. I needed to lie low and make sure that the hunters didn't come after me or my family again. The ache in my chest came back as I thought about my father, but I quickly pushed it away not wanting to cry on the first day of school.
"Okay class, now here's a question for you. Why do you think Boo Radley saved those kids' lives?"
The teacher had already walked in without me realising. I was thankful she didn't call me up and introduce me to the whole class; not that they didn't know who I was. Since I had already read To Kill a Mockingbird more than twice, I knew everything about it. I knew that I wouldn't have trouble answering one of her questions if she asked, so I doodled in my English book bored out of my brain until I felt Ethan lean in towards me. I could feel his breath against my cheek and I suddenly felt warm inside my chest.
"Nice artwork," he whispered, making me shiver. I looked down and found that I had drawn the teacher and some of the students in front of me. I must've been in another world while I was drawing it.
"I know you're being nice and all but her nose isn't that straight, it's bent," he smiled cheekily.
I laughed softly hoping not to get anybody's attention but a few heads turned my way with interest. I covered my mouth and looked over at Ethan, not expecting his face to be so close to mine. I froze and caught my breath, mesmerised by his green eyes. I wanted to stare into them forever and get lost in them. His hand moved closer to mine and I quickly pulled away. I didn't look at him after that, I just stared straight ahead not wanting to embarrass myself any further.
Ethan
S
he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her brown, curly hair trailed down all the way to her waist. She had the body of a model, but with the way she walked she had no clue whatsoever. That was what I liked about her. She didn't walk around thinking she owned the place, not like Meredith or her BFFs.
I wanted to kiss her, touch her; just to feel her skin against mine. I could just imagine what her touch would feel like, soft and gentle. Her skin was tanned, most probably from going to the beach. Her skin looked as if it were so smooth I wouldn't want to let go of her. I was thankful that not one of my friends were in this class because they would've kept on hassling me to the point of exploding. I looked up at the clock and I was satisfied to find that the period was nearly over. I drummed my fingers against my desk and waited, wanting to talk to Tatiana without getting told off by Ms Henderson.
Ring! Ring!
The bell sounded. I quickly shoved my books in my bag and looked up to say something. But it was too late, she was already leaving the room. I got up from my seat and literally ran towards her.
"Tatiana!" she stopped and turned cautiously. "Wanna hang with me?" I asked casually.
Her face brightened, but then she frowned. "Why?"
"Well, I thought you wanted to make friends and I was hoping to be one of them …" I said, hoping she would say yes.
After a few moments, she sighed and nodded, smiling. Relieved, I smiled back. I motioned her to follow me and she fell into step beside me. We walked to our lockers. She grabbed her bag, but I didn't bother putting my stuff away. As we walked into the cafeteria, people chatted and shouted across to each other. I was happy to find that hardly anyone stared at us … except for my friends. They looked at me with confusion and interest. I saw Nate and Daniel raise their eyebrows. Both of them checked out her legs.
"Hey guys, this is Tatiana. She's from …?" I looked over at her and raised my eyebrows in question.
"I'm from Chicago."
I noticed Meredith glaring at Tatiana and I gave her a sharp look, making her look away with embarrassment. I smiled at Tatiana when she looked over at me and we sat down at the cafeteria table. Tatiana looked relieved when I chose a seat beside her. My heart jumped in my chest at her reaction, but then again she only knew me a little.
Nate and Daniel asked Tatiana questions about Chicago. I knew they weren't interested in Chicago, they were interested in her and that made me very jealous. I looked at her facial expressions the whole time trying to see if she was interested in them, but she gave away nothing. Occasionally, she would look at me from the corner of her eye, but I didn't mind her knowing that I was watching her.
"What's Chicago like?" I asked her, trying to catch her attention.
"It's cold most of the time, just like here, but there's nothing I miss about it except for my friends."
I saw her shiver and rub her arms trying to get warmer. I considered taking off my jumper and giving it to her, but I knew my friends would give me shit about it so I decided not to, at least not yet.
"Why'd you move here anyway?" Meredith sneered.
I glared at her. "Meredith …" I hissed warningly. She was really annoying the hell outta me lately.
Tatiana looked at me and then Meredith, her eyebrows narrowing slightly. My heart skipped a beat.
"Um … my mum just wanted a change." Tatiana's voice sounded different.
I saw in her eyes that she was thinking about something she didn't want to think about. I found that I wanted to comfort her, knowing she didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to reassure her that she didn't have to.
"Anyways, are we still
on for tonight?" I asked the boys, trying to change the subject.
Tatiana seemed relieved. She sighed and smiled faintly.
"Yeah, why you wanna back out?" Steven teased, giving Tatiana a pointed look.
"Nah, just making sure," I said, kicking him under the table.
Steven made it obvious that I had kicked him by yelping. Luckily, Nate caught on.
He laughed, "That hurt? He hardly even touched you!"
Steven went red as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"What's on tonight?" Tatiana asked, looking at me completely and ignoring what had just happened. Hey, I wasn't complaining.
"Basketball game at the park," I said, nodding in front of me. The basketball court was just outside the school. Her face brightened and I asked, interested, "You play?"
"Um … yeah, I used to play," her cheeks went red and she looked away from me, embarrassed.
Wow, this was my dream girl; gorgeous, nice, and she played basketball!
"That's cool," I said, smiling at her.
She looked up surprised and smiled. I heard the bell with a start, not realising that the time had gone so fast.
"Come on, I'll take you to class," I said, making an excuse to stay with her longer.
From the corner of my eye I saw Steven wiggle his eyebrows and I wished I could punch him. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, waiting for Tatiana to gather her things.
"So do you want to come tonight?" I asked hopefully as we walked out of the cafeteria. People were pushing and shoving in the hallway.
"I shouldn't …" she said uncertainly.
"Why not?" I asked confused.
"I don't think Meredith would like that," she said, looking at me.
"Meredith? Why would you care about what she thought?" I asked, astonished. Like I cared about her!
"Well … she's your girlfriend … wait, is she?" she asked, frowning when I erupted into laughter. I had to put a hand on her shoulder for balance. I couldn't believe she would actually think I would go out with her. No offence, but no way in hell. My chest ached and I tried to calm down, "She is not my girlfriend, thank god!"
"Why are you laughing?" she asked, smiling now.
"Because she's a bitch. She'll squash anyone that gets in her way."
"I thought by the way she was looking at us that she was your …"
"She's had a crush on me since middle school. We all hate her, but because she won't go away we just put up with her," I said smiling like an idiot.
"Ah, I thought she was this jealous girlfriend," she laughed, covering her mouth in embarrassment.
"Ha! She wishes. I don't go out with girls if I don't like them. That's not fair to them."
"Wow, spoken like a true gentleman," she teased and she gave me a cheeky smile.
Looking at her, I found it a little hard to breathe. "Don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my reputation," I laughed as she giggled.
Was it just me or was her laugh like the sound of birds singing? I swore I could listen to her laugh over and over again and not get annoyed.
"Come on, Chemistry is this way," I said, leading her away from the crowd.
"Are you in the same class?" she asked.
I sensed from her question that she hoped I was. I shook my head sadly. Her smile wavered a little, but she covered it quickly making me think that I imagined it. We stopped walking when we arrived in front of room twelve and I saw Ms Rose.
"Don't be fooled by her name, she's mean as hell; puts anyone on detention just to get some company. Good luck."
She smiled nervously.
"Don't worry, just keep quiet and you'll be fine."
"Okay."
As I walked into my Physics class, Meredith hurried to sit next to me. Instead of sitting down, I moved to where Daniel was sitting. Smiling, I sat down, punching his fist with mine as hello.
"Good morning class, my name is Mrs McMan."
I thought my day was going well.
Tatiana
E
than was … amazing. There was something about him that I liked. Thoughts of spending time with him made my heart beat faster and faster. I smiled down at my desk as if I'd been caught doing something I shouldn't have. Ms Rose was mean and I did not want to get on her bad side. I looked down at my paper, not knowing what to do.
Chemistry is so boring and complicated, I thought.
I felt like closing my eyes and falling asleep, but instead I groaned. I felt like scrunching up my piece of paper and aiming it at Ms Rose.
"Ms Cruz?"
I snapped my head up at the sound of my name. She was looking at me now. I tried to keep my eyes on her. Her stare made me want to look down and shrink in my seat.
"Come up and answer the first question on the board."
I breathed out a shaky sigh. Her clothing was old fashioned, a long, black skirt, a red blouse, and old shoes that were made in like the 1900s.
"Ms Cruz?" she asked again, raising her eyebrows.
I felt everyone staring at me now. It made me want to be invisible, just until she got off my back.
"I-I don't know," I said, avoiding eye contact.
"Just because you're new to this class does not mean you can just sit there and not do anything," she said firmly, making me want to escape. Ethan wasn't exaggerating. "Get on with your work."
I shrank in my seat and tried my best to get it done. I felt someone staring at me, but chose to ignore it until I heard someone call out my name in a whisper.
"Tatiana!"
I turned my head slightly and saw Nate sitting beside me. I frowned. How did I not know he was sitting there? Weird.
"Pass me your paper," he whispered, eyeing the teacher with caution.
When I didn't react, he sighed and quickly swapped our papers, making a little shuffling sound. Ms Rose looked up from her desk, narrowing her eyebrows, but I looked back at my sheet.
Nate had answered all of the questions and he was giving me his paper. I looked over at Nate and he smiled at me.
"Thank you," I whispered and I quickly copied down the answers before rubbing out his hand writing.
After class, I nearly ran out of the room, thankful for the bell.
Nate caught up to me, "Hey, don't worry about her, she's always a bitch to everyone."
I laughed, "I know, Ethan warned me before I walked into her class."
"What's up with you and him anyways?" he asked interested.
"We're just friends, why?" I asked, wanting to know more about him.
"It's just … he never talks to just any girl, especially if they don't hang with us," he said, looking at me with wonder. I raised my eyebrows at his last words. "No! I mean that's him. He's shy, keeps to himself. That's why we're all surprised."
"Oh."
"Yeah, anyways see you tomorrow," he said waving and walking back from where we came.
I hadn't realised that while we were talking we had made it to my locker. I opened my locker with the combination I read from my schedule. I had Maths next and I had no idea where I was going.
"Hey," I heard someone call out.
I turned and was relieved to see Ethan. I smiled, "Hey."
"What do you have now?"
"Math with Mr Satori," I sighed again.
"I'm with you too. Come on, let's go," he said excitedly.
Relief flooded through me again. I became more optimistic, maybe this wasn't so bad. The hallways were empty as we walked to Maths. Ethan was a step in front of me. He walked easily, like nothing could stop him; I admired that.
"Hey you never answered my question before. You wanna come tonight to the game?"
I hadn't realised that we had stopped walking and were now facing each other. I was caught off guard and took his invitation in slowly. He wanted to hang out with me, with his friends? He was searching my eyes now and I felt like he could see right through me; through every lie.
He took my silence as a no, "It's okay, you don't have to. I und
erstand if you don't feel comfortable …"
"No, that's not what I meant. It's just my mum isn't coping very well and my brother needs me. We just moved in this morning," I said, trying to get him to understand.
"Oh, okay." He shifted awkwardly, then avoided my eye contact when he asked, "Listen, if you need to talk about anything, and I know I've only just met you, but, I'm here for you."
"Thanks for earlier," I said remembering what he did for me.
"Earlier?" he asked confused.
"Meredith was hassling me with that question and you changed the subject."
"Oh yeah, don't worry about it. Do you mind me asking though?"
I knew what he meant, but something inside me told me that he wouldn't tell anyone, especially Meredith.
"My dad, he died a few days ago," I said trying to control my voice, but failing as my voice cracked and my throat tightened, tears threatening to fall.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by Ethan's arms. My tears fell as I shook, leaning into his embrace. My heart ripped open again and I felt the pain; it was more excruciating than before. I wanted to scream and cry my eyes out.
But not here, I thought.
I had no idea how I ended up in the office, but I heard Ethan talking to the lady I spoke to earlier. "Excuse me, Ms Maddie? Tatiana isn't feeling well. Do you think I could take her home?"
I sobbed slightly which must've convinced Ms Maddie. Ethan signed a note and we were outside in the parking lot. I felt the cold breeze hit me and I shivered. Ethan pulled away for a second and shrugged out of his leather jacket, putting it around my shoulders. I tightened it around me and Ethan put his arm around my shoulders trying to comfort me. We walked towards a black Audi and he opened the door for me. When he started the engine, I was soothed by the warm air.
I managed a shaky breath. "Nice car," I said, trying to change the subject as I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand.
"My dad thinks he can buy me expansive stuff to make up for not being home all the time," he smirked.
"Is he right?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"No, but I still take it anyway," he smiled at me.
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