infatuated.

Chapter One

"Okay, when was Germany colonized?" I ask Tia, holding the flashcard so she can't see the answer.

She purses her lips. "1884."

"Correct," I reply. She looks at me hopefully as though I might reward her with a smile, but the nicety I try to convey falls flat. She sighs and gestures for me to pick up another card.

It was then that I noticed him. The smell of light cologne and ironed clothes wafted through the air as I turned to see a light-skinned Adonis, one with sandy blonde hair and a muscular body. He sits down at a table, and it's all I can do not to go over and talk to him. My heart feels weird for a second, like a flutter. I've never felt anything like it before.

"Alyssa!"

I swivel my head to see Tia raising an eyebrow at me, and I lower my head and take another card. I absentmindedly mumble the words on the card, but inside my head I'm studying the boy's features in my mind, imprinted on my thoughts.

On our way to class, Tia takes the opportunity to complain about the math quiz. "I mean, how does she expect us to get a good grade? It's Advanced Algebra for goodness sakes—" she turns to me. "Are you even listening to me?"

I snap out of my daze and look at her. "Sorry."

She sighs. "I don't know what has made you so distracted, but you can't forget the promise you made to me."

In the beginning of the year, Tia made me promise to help her win a contest, and I couldn't refuse because she helped provide an alibi when I was caught shoplifting for my mother.

Tia's dad can't afford college because her dad is still trying to work off the loans he owes for Tia's mom's funeral. So when Tia heard that the student with the best GPA at the end of first semester gets a full scholarship to University of Acelaide, she immediately jumped on it.

"I'm serious. You know how important this is to me." Tia looked at me with fierce determination and I nodded. "Don't worry, you're going to win it, I promise." I try to give her a reassuring smile, but that empty feeling doesn't leave my chest. Never has, never will.

Although, I can't help but remember how it felt in the morning, looking at the guy. It didn't feel so lonely at that moment.

We walk into class and sit down at our desks. Tia sits up straight and gets ready for class, and I see her hands are shaking slightly because of how nervous she is.

"Alright class," the teacher saunters in and sits down in her office chair. "We have a new student today, Mr. Brandon Roberts. He transferred here just today."

I shift my gaze from the teacher to the new student.

It's him.

As I look up at him, my heart feels that familiar feeling. Like it's whole. He glances back at me and smiles. My insides turn, but in a good way. Are these butterflies? I wonder. Maybe... maybe it's because of him.

He talks with the teacher and I can hear him slightly. "...might be behind... curriculum went slower... more work... extra credit..."

Then he makes his way towards the second row, two desks away from mine, which is in the third row. The teacher gives us the quiz, and I complete it easily. Tia is still struggling as I hand the teacher my quiz. I glance at Brandon once again and notice he's frowning at the paper. For some reason, it gives my heart the opposite feeling as before, trading it for an unpleasant, rotten heartache.

"And Brandon?" the teacher calls. "Don't be afraid to ask for help on the questions I gave you until you get caught up. You can ask Alyssa, she's one of our brightest students."

Brandon's eyes meet mine, and he gives me a relieved smile. My heart fills with warmth again, but it starts to beat faster when he walks towards me.

"Hey," his voice is smooth, like a steady stream. "I'm Brandon, but you probably already know that." He brings his chair to my desk and sits down, resting his arms on my desk.

My eyes widen and then look up at him again. He knits his brows in confusion and then stammers, "Um, sorry." He drops his arms from my desk.

No, that's not what I meant... I think to myself, but my mouth dries. He talks anyway, "So I'm new to this class, can you help me with these problems? The teacher said that I could take until tomorrow to finish them."

The corners of my mouth twitch, and then I reply, "S-sure, that's fine."

He smiles, bright and brilliant. My heart pounds with nervousness and excitement and I smile. I'm actually smiling, a real smile is on my face.

The thing is, I've never smiled before. Even when I came out of the womb, I didn't cry (at least, that's what I was told). The smiles I wore were copied from other people I've met, none of them my own. This was the first time in my life I've ever felt different than the cold husk of a body I believed I was.

This must've been fate. I think to myself. This must've been meant to be. For me to find the love of my life and become whole. Two halves of the same heart.

We agreed to meet later to complete the problems, as we couldn't right then while everyone was working. The bell rings five minutes later, and me and Tia walk out together.

I spend the next three periods thinking of Brandon. How would we hold hands? I wondered. Maybe lacing them like natural lovers. How would we kiss? Soft and sweet, like his lips? That chiseled face, like it was crafted to be cradled--

"Alyssa!"

I blink and look at Tia, noticing we were in front of the fourth period classroom.

Time flies so fast when you're in love.

"Do you want to study together?" Tia asks me, and I mumble something and go back to my lovely daydreams.

Oh Brandon, one day you and I will be together.