It's pretty amazing the difference of popularity between this and Silently Falling. SF took a while to get on the what's hot list, and this story is already 270! It's only a matter of time before we reach #1 ;)
Chapter Five
Slipping some of my bacon to my dogs, I throw the rest into my mouth, kiss both my parents on the cheek, and drive to school. Mr. Duncan gives me my daily coffee when I walk into his room, and I drink it while working on a new drawing.
"What are you working on this morning?" He asks as he walks over to me.
I show him my notebook and he smiles with a nod of approval. I drew Angel and Bruce this time, but it's an image from last night. After my parents settled down and their fight came to an end, I was finally able to focus on my homework. Bruce and Angel got cuddled up on my bed and Bruce, being the chivalrous dog that he is, grabbed my comforter in his teeth and draped it over him and Angel.
It was absolute goals.
Mr. Duncan slides the notebook back to me. "You have a natural talent, Reagan. Do something with it."
The way he looks at me shows that he's proud of me, and it means a lot to have that approval from him. After all, I see him as sort of family.
I smile at him and tuck some hair behind my ear as I shake my head. "Thank you, but a lot of other people have the same natural talent."
"Maybe, but focus on the fact you have it in the first place. Do you know how many people are in this class and don't have a clue what they're doing?" He asks with a chuckle.
I chuckle too and give him a thankful smile. "Maybe I will do something with it down the road."
He taps my desk once and walks back to the front of the room. "If you ever sell a piece for more than a thousand, I want half for being so motivating." He says, sending me a teasing smile over his shoulder.
Shaking my head at him, I snort and place my notebook back under my desk since the bell is a few short seconds from ringing. The rest of my class starts filling in within the five minutes they have, and I'm shocked to see Hayden in class yet again. On time.
I've always seen him as a slacker that doesn't take any of his classes seriously. But he's actually showing up, so maybe he's not as bad as I thought? I glance around the room as he walks through the door, wondering if maybe he's hooking up with someone in this class and is only coming every day to see her.
He doesn't look at any one girl in particular, though. He walks in with a confident smirk and surveys the class's female population, his eyes giving every girl the same amount of time before deciding who to sit with.
Can you guess who the oh so lucky girl is?
Me. For the fifth time this week.
I decide that instead of silently brooding and hating him from this close, I may as well ask him to move. What harm could it do?
"Look, Hayden, I don't mean to sound too forward or rude, but is there anywhere else-"
"We can meet up? Yeah, I know lots of places, Cupcake." He cuts me off, a cocky grin in place on his lips.
I give him an incredulous look and shake my head. "What? No. I was going to ask if you-"
"Could give you a good time. I know, and I'm saying yes." He cuts me off again, but at this point I think he knows exactly what he's doing.
One more time, Hayden.
One. More. Time.
"No." I say sternly, my annoyance clear on my face. "I want you to-"
"Make you scream my name, got it. How many times do we have to clarify this, Cupcake?" He asks, tilting his head with that stupid smirk.
That's it.
I wanted to be civil, but he just cut me off three times in a row. Not once. Not twice. Three freaking times. And he insinuated something that I would NEVER let or want to happen.
Here comes the wrath of Reagan Holt.
"Okay!" I snap, and his eyes widen for a fraction of a second before his smirk deepens. "First of all, fuck-"
"Alright class! Time to announce your final project grade of the quarter." Mr Duncan says, cutting me off before I got myself detention.
What the hell is it with people and cutting me off this morning?
While Mr. Duncan explains the project, I feel hot breath on my ear and the scent of cologne all of the sudden gets rather powerful. I won't say it's overbearing because my eyes don't water and I don't feel the need to sneeze, if anything it smells rather delicious. Like really it was just a very thorough shower that made this smell so amazing and so...fresh. Cologne is the wrong word, because I think it's actually just the scent of someone very clean and-
Oh god. I was just describing to myself the way Hayden smells.
"You know, you missed watching me and Jessica at my locker this morning." He breathes into my ear. "I was looking for you, actually. I cut her time short just to fit you in."
I bite my tongue to avoid snapping at him. I want to be able to really yell at him, and I can't do that with the entire class quiet and listening to Mr. Duncan. It would be more embarrassing for me than Hayden. Besides, waiting gives me more time to think of the perfect insults.
I don't respond and thankfully he backs off and allows me to just listen to Mr. Duncan list off the partner names for the project. It's a good thing too, because right as I tune back in, Mr. Duncan says my name and my partners name.
"Reagan, you will be working with..." He goes over his list as he looks for the name and smiles as he spots it. "Hayden!"
You have got to be kidding me.
---
I went right to Mr. Duncan at the end of class with a list of complaints. However, he waved me off with the explanation that Hayden is seriously slacking in his class and he figured that if he worked with me, he may start caring about art and improve.
That doesn't mean I have to like working with him though.
"Earth to Reagan," Chloe says, waving her hand in front of my face. "What's got you all zoned out?" She asks as she tilts her head. She carefully holds her camera in one hand, and she's lowering the other from waving it to snap me out of my daze.
"Oh my gosh what if she's been abducted by aliens and they just brought her back to earth and washed away her memory so now she doesn't even know where she is or what's happening or-"
"I just zoned out, Logan." I say, giving him a worried look. "You know aliens aren't real, right?"
He blinks at me. "Yeah they are."
This boy.
"Anyways..." Chloe trails off, "What's up?"
I cross my arms and scowl. "I have to work with Hayden on my art project."
Her jaw drops. "You're joking!"
"I wish I was."
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa." Logan jumps in. "Whoa." He adds one more time. "What?"
I frown at him, "I have to work with Hayden on a project." I repeat, not liking how that sounds in my mouth.
He places a sympathetic hand on my shoulder and shakes his head. "I am so sorry, Reagan." He says seriously.
Logan doesn't like Hayden any more than me. He was almost friends with him and Cole when he first got here, but then he learned that Hayden and Cole go from girl to girl and he walked away. Since he's so serious about his girlfriend Vicky, he didn't really want to be around guys that didn't seem to value relationships.
"I really appreciate it, Logan." I say, mocking him with my serious facial expression.
"You're mocking me."
"I am."
"I hate you."
"I don't think you do."
"Okay, you're right I don't." He sighs, dropping his hand from my shoulder with a beaten smile.
I laugh at him and open my locker, and a love letter drifts to the ground. It lands between my feet, the imperfectly perfect red heart smiling up at me. I grin and quickly bend down to pick it up, barely containing myself as I open it up. However, I'm careful not to destroy the white envelope it came in as I take the precious letter out.
Dear beautiful,
Your smile is absolutely breathtaking.
Hundreds and hundreds of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that small burst of shock I get when I see that smile. Whenever it lights your face...my chest quakes and I swear my lungs shrink, but yet I feel refreshed all in the same breath. Everything about it is gorgeous; the dimples on your cheeks, the crinkle by your eye, the way your nose curves up... Beautiful.
I wanted to make sure you know that your smiles don't go unnoticed. Your beauty doesn't go unnoticed. As much as I wish that smile was always directed towards me, I will continue to admire you from afar. The times you do smile for me...I fear my heart stops working. But I know you wouldn't ever be with someone like me. I am not right for you, because a girl like you deserves only the best. Please do the world a favor and keep that beautiful smile on your face.
Love,
Anonymous