Ashes, Ashes (READ THIS ONE)

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow. You'll be all right.

The Fray, 'Heaven Forbid'

The first thing I notice about this new boy is that he's tall. Like freakishly tall. I used to think I was tall, about 5'6, but he proves me wrong. He's got to be at least five or six inches taller than me. His dark hair is straight and short, barely curling over his ears. His blue eyes are as light as mine, but there's something different about them that I can't pinpoint.

Alright, let me just say it. He's beautiful. Amazingly beautiful.

But I really don't need to be thinking about someone's cuteness so soon after Nathan.

He climbs aboard and I avert my eyes, pretending to be very interested in the seat in front of me. But I can feel his eyes on me. I try to shrink myself into the space between the back of the seat and the window, but it's too late. I'm seen.

He glances around and I sneak a dangerous look up at him. He smiles, his teeth perfectly, annoyingly, white and straight. Someone should really tell me where there's a flaw at in this boy. Maybe his character is horrible. Maybe he spends his time punching puppies. He needs a flaw, because right now, I see none.

"So it looks like you seem to occupy the only mostly empty seat in this wonderful bus," he says. With a British accent.

So, so screwed.

"Can I sit with you?" he asks.

"Yeah, sure." I shift my backpack to the floor so he has even more room than I'm giving him.

"Whoa, relax. I don't bite."

I just stare at him. "My name is Maxx. Full name is Maxxwell James Dean."

I nod my head. "This is the part where you tell me your name."

"Abbi."

He stares at me like he's waiting for me to tell me his life story. Less than five minutes with this guy and I already want to throw myself out of a moving vehicle. "Abbigail Martin." I say. I look out about the chair in front of us. "No middle name?"

I shake my head. "You have to be at least a level four friend to learn my middle name."

"Really," he says. "So is today your first day?"

Sounds like he hasn't heard of me, or any of my friends. "Nope."

"Why haven't I seen you around before, then?"

"I had to take a break." I really hope we're close to the school. "A break, huh? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I had a funeral to go to,"

"Who's funeral was it?" So he's very full of questions.

"If you have to be a level four friend to learn my middle name, do you really think you'll learn who's funeral I went to by just asking?"

"I kind of figured. But you can't hate a guy for trying."

Try me. I decided then to stop talking to him for today. And, finally, we're at the school. He climbs out and I follow shortly behind. We separate at the doors, so I get to be by myself finally.

It's not that surprising that as soon as I walk in the door, my feet guide myself right to my locker. My hands quickly and easily unlock my locker. The combination is 6-8-98, which is -was- Nathan's birthday. His lock was 2-28-99, which is my birthday. I grab a few of my textbooks, algebra and biology are my first classes.