*Beauty*
Bodies filtered through the hallway, carrying a low buzz of sound. I balanced on my toes, peering over the heads of students. In my mind, I pictured him. The four week holiday had felt like forever.
"Hiya Beauty." Gemma leaned against a locker, blocking my view. Her glossed lips stretched into her trademark smirk. She quirked an eyebrow. "When were you going to say hi to your BFF?"
When I couldn't look around her successfully, I sighed and met her gaze.
"Hi."
Gemma snickered.
Gemma was gorgeous. Her lithe form was literally five foot eight inches of tanned slender limbs, accentuated by perfect curves. Framing a golden bronze face was loosely curled scarlet hair, startling against her emerald green eyes. Gemma Henderson, also known as deputy-head cheerleader numero duo, plus one of the hottest girls in school. And she knew it too.
Gemma flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Where were you last Friday?" she tilted her head. "You missed my party."
I glanced around her again. When was he going to get here?
"Studying," I muttered.
More like trying to study. Unlike others I refuse to name, I could not read a study guide to save my life. It took me hours to memorize one page.
Gemma groaned. "Why are you always studying?"
My heart slowed as my eyes caught on a mop of black hair, elevated above the other students. It was almost as if the clouds, like the students, parted to reveal him.
And there stood my reason for studying so hard.
William Johnson walked down the hall with absolute grace. His lanky frame practically glided. My eyes locked on his face: gloriously high cheekbones, flawless skin, andâthe best partâbeneath black framed glasses, the greenest eyes I had ever seen.
My heart stopped and started up again in double time.
He'd grown since I'd last seen him. His body, previously gaunt and lean, was now thicker, more sinewy. Gracing his chin was the tiniest hint of stubble, different from his usual clean-cut appearance. But his eyes, those perfect eyes, they were the same. His emerald gaze still masked the depth of his emotions, except for that one glint, that glint that hinted at a secret. A secret I wanted to know.
Oh my, was he always this hot?
"Hello? Hello? Earth to Ellie?" Gemma waved a hand in front of my face. "Dude, why are you so out of it lately?"
"I'm not," I mumbled, stretching to watch Will.
He turned left, slipping through a door.
Gemma groaned. "You're coming to my party this Friday right?"
"Yeah," I muttered. "I gotta go Gemma." I headed towards the door Will had gone through.
The door to my AP Calculus class.
I stopped just in front of it. If I was braver, I'd stride into the classroom, perch down on the edge of Will's desk and ask him to go out with me on Saturday. That was the kind of thing Gemma was brave enough to do.
I took a deep breath, imagining it, visualizing it. And, for a second, I believed I could actually do it. But then, through the glass embedded in the doorway, I watched Will stand and stride towards the teacher's desk. I watched his lips move fluidly, his long fingers gesturing towards a page in the study booklet.
He was so out of my league.
"Hey! Excuse me."
I flinched. I turned my head, my eyes falling on Catherine Wilson. Also known as super smart friend of William Johnson.
Catherine quirked her eyebrows at me. "Well?" she inclined her chin towards the door.
"Oh, sorry," I said, stumbling back.
She rolled her eyes before pushing through the door.
I watched as she strode over to Will. She brushed dainty fingers on his shoulder before jumping into the conversation.
Catherine was pretty in the natural way. She was slender, with long mahogany hair. It swayed when she moved, brushing against her slim thighs. She had a face made for portraits with sleek angles. Her eyes, an auburn brown, were especially large, bordered by thick dark lashes. They stood out against her light brown skin. Worst of all, she was smart. Like Harvard-candidate smart.
The shrill ring of a bell jarred me out of my thoughts.
Putting my head down, I pushed into the room, plopping down on a nondescript seat in the middle. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as the pair sat down in the second row. Will stretched out his long legs and pulled out a notebook from his bag. Catherine shuffled her desk closer to him, talking with an animated expression.
I sighed, my eyes returning to the back of Will's head.
A couple minutes later, the seat beside me squeaked.
"Hey."
I glanced over at Katie. The cheerleader was pulling out a notebook from her bag. Her bleached blond ponytail swayed as she raised her head.
I cocked my head, blinking at her. I didn't know Katie took AP classes.
"Hiya," I mumbled.
I pulled out my notebook, settling in for the lecture. After about five minutes of listening to undecipherable calculations and sums, I was done. How the heck was I supposed to understand any of this?
Class went by quickly. I glanced up as the classroom emptied. I couldn't remember a thing from the lesson. I sighed, packing away my stuff. Maybe taking AP classes was a bad idea, even if it did get me closer to Will.
What was the point anyway? He'd never be interested in me. I was the dumb blonde cheerleaderâhe was a certified genius.
"Ellie?"
My whole body froze. I recognized that voice. I'd heard it from afar so many times: the voice that toed the balance between husky and soft. The voice that somehow made my heart race with the barest word.
I sat up, my eyes meeting Will's.
"H-hi Will?" Stupid, that wasn't supposed to be a question.
Abruptly, he got on one knee in front of my desk. His face broke into that smile. The one that was forever imprinted into my mind. The one that stopped my heartbeat. He reached over, grasping my hand.
"I'm sorry, you were just so beautiful I couldn't resist speaking with you." He brought my hand to his lips, sending a sensation of feathery lightness through my skin. "Please, you must go out with me this Friday. My queen, I implore you, go watch the theatre with me this end-of-week."
I grasped my chest. "Oh, Will," I breathed.
Then he inched up and my eyes shut, preparing for his lips to meet mine andâ
"Miss Kent!"
I lurched up. "I'm awake!"
The room burst into giggles.
Oh my gosh, I did not fall asleep in class. Especially his class. My face heated as I took in the room. Everyone was staring at meâamused.
My eyes locked with Will's. He saw me. He saw me sleeping in class. The boy who values education above everything else saw my drooling swooning face pressed against a dirty school desk.
My life was so over.
"Miss Kent," Mr Meyer snapped, glaring at me, "if you're done taking a nap in my class, could you please answer the question on the board?" He gestured behind him.
I glanced at the equation on the whiteboard. Oh crud. Was it meant to look like unintelligible scribbles?
"Um, er, the x is, er..." My eyes went back to Will and I froze.
He was watching. He was watching my epic fail.
Well, this was wonderful.
I glanced down at my notebook. The image blurred in front of me.
"Miss Kent?" Mr Meyer hissed.
Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud.
"59.57."
My eyes snapped up.
Will gestured to the equation on the board. "The answer is 59.57."
Mr Meyer frowned at Will. After a minute, he finally spoke. "Correct Mr Johnson. Next time, can you raise your hand please?"
Will muttered an apology as Mr Meyer turned back to the board, explaining the equation.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to slow down the thumping of my heart. What was wrong with me lately? Falling asleep in Will's class? Embarrasing myself in front of the entire room? I was never like this. Seriously.
I glanced up, my eyes catching Will's. He shot me an unreadable expression before turning back to the board.
Catherine snorted, rolling her eyes. "Cheerleaders," she muttered.
I slumped in my seat, waiting till the bell rang. He probably hated me now. The thought hurt so much it was hard to breathe.
"Miss Kent, see me at my desk," Mr Meyer ordered as people began to filter out of the room.
I bit my lip as I packed my stuff together. Here came the moment of truth, where he declared I was too dumb for his class and told me in no uncertain terms to get the heck out.
I couldn't believe I'd messed up so badly.
"Mr Johnson, can you also come to my desk please?"
My notebook slipped from my grip. No way. He couldn't embarrass me in front of Will. That was just too cruel.
"Miss Kent," Mr Meyer snapped, "I don't have all day."
Hurriedly, I bent to retrieve my notebook. I straightened, walking towards them.
Catherine hesitated at the door.
Mr Meyer didn't glance up. "Miss Wilson, this is a private conversation."
"Yeah," she muttered. She cast a derisive look at me before stalking out.
I focused on Will. I loved the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck, the chiselled form of his jaw, the deft appearance of his fingers. I could imagine them touching me now...
"Miss Kent?" Mr Meyer watched me with raised brows. "Do I have your attention?"
"Yes!" I nodded rapidly, peeling my eyes off Will's perfect back.
"Good." Mr Meyer glanced down at a folder on his desk. "Your folder suggests while you are intelligent to an extent"âexcuse me?â"you are not adept at mathematical subjects." He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, before looking up. "Why did you pick this class?"
My heart sunk. This was worse than I'd imagined. I glanced at Will. He was now watching me, waiting for my answer. I felt my cheeks burn.
To be closer to Will. "T-to get better credits." That was another reason. Sort of. Maybe.
Mr Meyer raised a sceptical brow. "Is that so?"
"Are you going to kick me out?" I blurted.
Mr Meyer chuckled, and my cheeks burned brighter. Couldn't he get it over with? Have mercy man!
"I have no intention of kicking you out of this class. But, I do want you to realize that mathematics is an art"âsay what?â"which requires time, which your extracurricular activities may inhibit." His eyes flickered to the file.
"As a cheerleader?" I asked.
"Head-cheerleader," he corrected.
I flinched, glancing at Will. His gaze was on Mr Meyer, his head cocked.
"The school does give too much attention to that. Anyway," he clapped his hands together, "the point of this is I believe you need some extra help, and who best to provide it than my best student, William Johnson. Ellie Kent, meet your new tutor."
No way. This was not happening.
"Of course, you will be compensated Mr Johnson. You'll receive extra credit for your contribution to her developmentas a mathematicianâ"
A crash jarred me out of my thoughts.
I glanced down to see my books splayed across the ground. Papers scattered across the floor, a few wedged beneath Mr Meyer's desk.
"S-sorry," I stuttered, plopping on the ground as I tried to gather the sheets. "I'm so clumsy."
This was by far the worst day of my life.
I reached for a sheet wedged beneath the desk. It didn't give instantly and I groaned. This was so mortifying.
"Let me help." In a second, his hand, long and deft, was there, easily slipping the sheet out. His skin just barely brushed mine as he placed the paper atop my pile.
It was nothing like my dream. The touch wasn't feather light softness. No, it was a freaking electric shock that zapped into my entire system and left me feeling dizzy beyond belief.
His scent pummelled me, hitting me with the smell of fresh citrus mixed with something deeper.
"T-t-thanks," I stammered.
I quickly gathered my books and stood abruptly. My eyes touched on him for a moment as he dusted off his knees, languidly lengthening to his full height.
Goodness, he was hot.
"We can schedule a time later," I rushed out. And, before either could protest or I could get once again trapped in his haze-inducing gaze, I raced out of the room.
I finally paused at the end of the hallway, leaning against the adjoining wall and gasping for breath.
Well. That was a wonderful first conversation.
***
This chapter is dedicated to Zaro94 for all of her extremely encouraging votes and comments :D
Have an absolutely amazing existence and God bless xxx
Yemi Everest ;)