My lip curled. I bit it. This girl had issues. “I don’t like jerks, really.”
“Mm-mm.” She shook her head. “He won’t be a jerk to you. You haven't done anything to annoy him yet.”
“Lucky me.”
“Yeah, and he totally goes for that lost lamb thing you’ve got going.” She motioned to me—all of me.
“Um, yeah, well, my biggest concern for senior year is not what some jerk-face cute guy thinks of me.”
“That’s because you haven’t seen him yet.”
I rolled my eyes. As if I’d ever be that pathetic.
“Yep.” She considered me again for a second. “He is just going to snatch you up.”
“Should I be worried?” I wasn't partial to being snatched.
“No way. They’d deny it, but any girl in the school would give their right arm to be snatched by David.”
Or maybe just you would.
“Okay.” She stopped again. I wanted to keep walking—right past the glass doors, out to the front parking lot and into the closet under the stairs back at Dad’s house. “Here’s Room One; you’re late, but people will only whisper about you for the first ten or so minutes.”
“Great.” I faked another smile.
“That’s the spirit.” She curled a fist in front of the door and said, “Take a deep breath.”
I tried, but the deep gasp of air just formed another lump in my throat, making me dizzy as I held it in.
“Okay, you can let it out.” She laughed. “You ready?”
My head moved; I think I nodded. Then, Emily rapped lightly on the door, sending my nerves into a frenzy. Don’t get me wrong, I could handle nerves, and butterflies in my stomach were just yesterday’s breakfast, but these felt more like bats. Big black, hairy bats.
The door clinked and popped open a little, revealing a shiny head with a light tuft of hair around the ears. “Emily? What can I do for you?”
“This is Ara. She’s new.” Emily presented me.
“Ah, yes. Of course.” He turned to look at my face; his eyes warm, his grey-brown moustache curving atop his grin. “Ara, is it, not Amara-Rose?”
I shook my head—maybe I should’ve nodded. Who knows?
“Well, Ara, I hope you’re a much quieter student than this lot.” He jerked his thumb to the noisy class; I tried to look past him to get a handle on the room, so as not to trip on anyone when I walked in, but he was in the way.
“I don’t think you need to worry about that, Mr Benson. She’s hardly said two words.”
The teacher looked back at me, straightening up a little, making my heart race as if I’d just run a block, which seemed like a viable option, just...in the other direction. “Are you nervous, Ara?”
I nodded slowly. “I’ve never been to a new school before.”
“Well, I tell you what…” He touched his chin, then turned and signalled into the class. “I think I have a solution.”
“Yes, Mr B.” A boy stepped up before I expected him to, and a short gasp escaped my lips, making my heart skip a beat that it would never recover. I wanted to grab Emily, who stifled a giggle beside me, and shake her for being right about a boy so cute you’d picture yourself in his arms without even knowing his name. I really hoped this wasn't Mr B’s idea of a ‘solution’ to my anxiety.
As the boy settled into his lean on the doorframe, his casually-dishevelled dark-brown hair fell into his eyes; he swept it back, and any hope of composure withered away with the hold of that smile; how his dark-pink lips sat closed and turned up sharply in the corners, his gaze fixing mine in place. He seemed completely unfazed by my totally obvious ogling. I even felt myself rise onto my toes; my inner fantasies wandering off to a world where I shoved Mr Benson aside and stepped up to charm the hell out of this boy with my sassy disposition. But the true, witless me stood, mouth gaping, begging my skin not to drop my bones all over the floor.
“Ara? This is David,” Mr Benson said, eyeing the proverbial drool on my lip.
Time came rushing back like a smack across the face; I snapped my gob shut and wiped my chin, glad there wasn’t actually drool there. I already knew that boy was David; my reaction completely mirrored the stupidity I despised in Emily two minutes ago.
David’s smile changed then, became wider, drawing me in to his world, almost inviting me to be his friend. But the dimples beside his lips made promises I knew they’d never keep. “Hello, Ara.” He nodded, almost like a bow.
Breathe, Amara-Rose, just breathe. I lifted my hand a little to wave. No words came out, though. Pathetic.
“Ara, David is my best student,” Mr Benson said, then looked at the boy. “David?”
“Yes, sir?” The boy stole his gaze away, his head turning before his eyes left mine, and shoved his hands into his pockets, his shoulders lifting as if he was some kind of shy guy. No freakin’ way.
“Ara’s a little worried about coming to a new class,” Mr Benson said. “Would you take her to the library and fill her in on last week’s lessons, please?”
A sudden wash of relief brought my body back to life. I wanted to hug Mr Benson for being so considerate.
“Of course.” David smiled at me again, the sound of his voice running through me, like milk for my soul—liquid with maturity, yet simultaneously weightless.
“Excellent.” Mr Benson went to walk away but stopped. “And keep your charms to yourself, young man.”
“I’ll do my best, sir,” he said, looking right at me with those smiling green eyes.
And my cheeks exploded with heat, sending it to my ears. I looked down at my feet, biting my spreading grin.
“Okay. Well, Ara, you take care, and I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” Mr Benson patted my shoulder.
“Thank you,” I said, looking him directly in the eye this time.
“You are more than welcome.” He turned to face the boy. “David, you can get your stuff.”
For a split second, as David and Mr Benson walked away, I braved a glance into the room of dread—seeing only a desk and a whiteboard. Looked normal enough. I’d imagined fiery pits and wailing souls. Guess I was wrong.
Emily squeaked, bouncing on her toes. I actually wanted to squeal, too. She was so right. He was so hot!
“Oh my God. You’re so lucky.” She waved two handfuls of spirit-fingers.
“Lucky? I have to spend forty minutes alone with that guy.” I pointed into the class.