Chapter 3 - High School

Lizzy and I headed for our first period, which of course we shared together. The class was already in session with young voices filling the room as the teacher prepared her work area for teaching. As if on cue, she looked up to see us enter the room while the class immediately silenced; curiosity filling the room as new faces stepped in.

To stand in front of a class and yet feel as if I were the only one there was the bare minimum of how I felt. To be new at a new school unknown to me and yet the most beautiful creature with the most beautiful eyes captured my attention. Pulling me from the shell I so wanted to hide in but calling me softly as if his soul was much gentler than mine. There he held me, undressed and bare in front of a classroom of unknown strangers. People who have walked the earth as I have at the same moment yet in a different world.

My mom warned me about the wolves but not the wolves in sheep's clothing with pools of warmth. My mother didn't warn me that wolves lured in the most opened areas of your life, preying on you as if you were the last meal to suffice. I was not prepared for this one; he was beautiful in every way and he knew it. I was right where he wanted me to be or was I the fool carelessly drooling over a guy in front of the whole class.

Mrs. Jones brushed herself off and cleared her throat. "Class, Welcome Elizabeth Romaine, and Angel Aloe."

The class greeted us with smiles and welcomes as we made our way to the middle of the class where two seats were available. Sometimes I hated sitting in the middle or front of the class, but hey newcomers can't complain.

"Wow! You're even more beautiful up close." I snapped out of my own thoughts and turned to meet the one who sent that compliment my way.

Who would've thought, those grey eyes.. I smiled, "You're not so bad yourself."

He smiled, we both smiled as we shared a nice silence that overcame us.

"Hey, love birds focus on the board." Lizzy winked and pointed to the front of the room where notes were appearing as fast as the teacher could write them.

"Your name?" I asked shyly as I turned around to see an empty seat.

Well damn, I shall see him again I thought to myself as I continued to take notes on the board.

By the end of the day, I was two blinks away from exhaustion and three damn steps from passing out. My mother smiled excitedly from the front seat of the car as we made our way over to her. She was so ready for the first day of high school four-one-one, but what was there to tell? I didn't even get his name.

"Angel has a grey-eyed boyfriend," Lizzy said excitedly while both of us piled in the car.

My mother screeched as we pulled away from the school. I covered my head as my cheeks started to turn red. I just knew she was not going to let this go. That whole night all my family could talk about was the grey-eyed boy whose name I did not know, dinner was no better.

Not only was I surrounded by delicious food but also conversations of new love, first love, and high school sweethearts. My mother always seemed to be over-excited when hearing news of "possible" love birds flying.

In my case, the birds seemed to be flying around the love word. You can't fall in love with someone you just met.

However, chemistry can develop from chemically intoxicating conversations of similarities. Maybe I could cook up a chemical equation after finding out his name. I smiled, then laughed at myself, I cracked myself up sometimes.

"Hello, Earth to Angel. We want you back from Heaven now." Lizzy cooed as my mother finished up her salad and looked up with a smile.

"She's dreaming of Mc.Dreamy."

My mother laughed and collected all of the dishes from the table and headed to the kitchen. Lizzy and I finished cleaning the dining area and headed for the living room to finish up some homework.

My mother joined us a few minutes later where we again enjoyed the silence hanging over our heads as if it was the sky holding the stars, keeping them in place.

In this case, our peace was the stars. I silently continued to manifest my own personal thoughts before being pulled away from them again. This time my mother held a serious yet gentle face.

"One thing you girls need to remember is wolves prey on young clean females like yourselves, as my grandma used to tell me. You know your worth, value, and individuality.. No man can take or add to that unless you allow them too."

She shifted a little bit as she pushed her glasses closer to her face once more.

"All I'm saying is never let an individual take anything away from you. You know you. Boys come and go but you are stuck with you." She kissed both of us on the top of the forehead and wished us goodnight. I wrapped her in a hug and finished up the rest of my homework. Lizzy and I both headed up to our rooms to prepare for bed. The night was long and the stars shine extra bright, my father was telling me he loved me in the only way he knew how..the stars.

***

"So, I know your name of course but you still have yet to know mine."

He smiled as he proudly hinted on the fact that he had the information that I wanted.

"Bentley",

He held his hand out waiting for me to respond with as much urgency as he did.

"Bentley?",

I repeated to myself out loud with deliverance towards the sender as if extra confirmation was needed.

No offense taken, of course, the sender was quite the guy.

"Yes, Bentley Gunter is my full government name, you can look me up. Personal Investigation? Knowing the equipment you need before diving in?"

He smiled as if he already knew there was some silent truth behind the personal investigation.

I should've kept my comments to myself but the response to his free-falling poetic conversation transparently flowed towards his own.

"Personal Investigation goes as far as the lie until the truth is revealed. No need to investigate if your words are true Gunter."

His eyes slightly grew with excitement, he was caught in my own constructive net of response in words. His urgency to continue a conversation so blatant yet intoxicating due to new substances coming slightly close to giving new experiences.

Silence transferred unknown energy causing both of us to become transfixed on each other. A tug on my shirt was enough to bring me back to reality. Lizzy guided me towards the door as Bentley silently packed his bags to himself. The energy changed? Broke? Was never there? All these thoughts replaying consecutively in my head as I tried to figure out what went wrong.

"You're overthinking it just a tad." Lizy smiled as she started eating her salad loaded with everything apart from my despair.

Of course, a girl like me had the potential to overthink everything but this was different. He was vulnerable during our conversation, through our words. I had him deeper than I thought early and that is why he acted the way he did.

However, who am I to say anything about having a guy stuck or in too deep. Drowning into my own thoughts or questions was out of the subject. Lizzy kept my inner self at the tip of my hippocampus with all the lastest four-one-one about the school, love, and how to get a "man".

I couldn't judge though, she was only reflecting the behavior she grew up around. I couldn't be mad at her over something like that. Eventually, we were parting ways and heading to our last periods.

By this time the inner me found a way to turn Lizzy down and the crowd of kids not understanding that this was a hallway and not some damn meet up concert spot.

"So, guess what?" Lizzy said with much more excitement causing my curiosity to flare.

"So, there is a bonfire coming up and its invite-only. You down girl?"

She waited excitedly for my response like she knew that I would agree.

"Uh. No. I don't think that is a good idea. We were not even invited." I tried to hide the nervousness in my voice.

New crowds, new greetings.. it made me nervous.

"Who said we weren't invited hermit crab? I could have made a friend or two in my other classes, you know."

She smiled and placed her hands on her hips.

"No. Maybe I will crash and watch tv."

I crossed my arms slightly and gave Lizzy a reassuring smile in hopes of getting away from her concerning looks.

"Okay, then girl, your call. Let me know if you change your mind." She walked off to her class and then I headed for mine. The back of the classroom was free today so I took advantage of having my own personal space.

"Angel.. you make the cutest faces when you are thinking to yourself."

I looked up to meet the eyes of Bentley, who was placing his bags down next to mine with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"You were not in this class before. I'm sure I would have noticed."

I placed a hand to my head while coming to terms with the fact that I said all of that out loud.

"Bentley, I'm sorry about that. My thoughts tend to lag behind while my words run free." He smiled, he was glowing.

"You are completely fine. Its good to know that you look for me in your classes."

He chuckled to himself as I slowly started turning red. This time he had me in his own web of just being downright charming.

"You win Bentley Gunter, you win my friend. You win." I reciprocated while still trying to get my color back together.

Just casual conversations with him sent me into overdrive and I didn't know how to stop it. Something so quickly arising and making a chemical equation of love.

"Well, Miss Aloe, if this is a game, my game of choice is chess." He smiled.

"You, my friend, have just left a player open for me to knock off the board." He watched me with an intense look.

"However, instead, I want to personally and slowly sweep you off your feet. Go to the bonfire with me?"

Bentley's last sentence took me into complete orbs of water. If someone had a bucket, I was sure to fill the drought of an empty lake.

"Yes." was all I could say.