Forever Young

Chapter 3

DAKOTA'S POV

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"Hello Ashley." I practically purred.

He looked shocked to say the least. With a just a slight hint of fear... I had to resist the urge to laugh. What did he have to be scarred about anyway? I was the new girl from NYC, who lived here ages ago when her parents died in a car accident. And I was shipped off to live with my Uncle Jamie. Not that I'm complaining. Jamie was the coolest gaurdian ever. And New York was the best place I had ever been. Especially after living in the stuffy old town of Moscow. Let's just say I wasn't very pleased to be back.

But Jamie was going to Uganda on a Mission Trip for a whole year that i was banned from attending. I was conveniently old enough to live on my own. So Jamie paid for my apartment just outside of Moscow and provided me with monthly allowences for all the neccessities of living alone. And there i was... Face to face with the boy I fell in love with as a child... Well, as much love as I could understand at that time in my life. That faded though, during that lonely first year, as an orphaned alone and terrified little girl.

that little girl was dead. She had died a long time before and in her place there was a tough New Yorker. An independent woman who had forgotten all about him. Or so she told herself. Seeing him was a shock. 

He was tall, like 6'2 tall, with that tight white shirt that huged all the right places and that black cord around his neck... Wait what? I grabbed the cord without thinking, scrutinizing it to be sure of its origin. Sure enough...

"You still have this?" I choked out impulsively.

"Yeah, of course." Wow, his voice was deep... Only his breath fanning my face alerted me to our proximity. I realesed the chord and stepped back, looking at his stubbled face, black tousled hair and electric blue eyes. Ashley had aged the way of fine wine. 

I looked up at him through my lashes, suddenly feeling shy and a little flirty, "Why?"

He took a deep breath. "Well, I mean you gave it to me when we were kids... And I don't know. I guess I kinda wanted to hold on to a peice of you. It made me feel like somehow that kept you safe. It was stupid..."

I smiled, "Are you shitting me right now?"

Now he looked confused, opposed to the bashful look I had been recieving. "The hell? No... Why would i be shitting you?"

I just kept smiling. Gingerly, I touched the the tiny golden chain resting on my colourbone. I watched his eyes find the chain, squint in concentration, then widen in recognition.

"That necklace. I gave that to you. When we were 5... Wow, im appalled that you kept that."

"Why wouldnt I?"

"Thats a good question..." Just then the bell rang. "First period. You ready?"

I sucked in a breath, then threw my shoulders back and told myself to keep my head up. "Not at all, but to quote Avril Lavigne... What the Hell?" And I walked away to my first class without checking to see if Ash was coming.

Apparently not because he never showed. Instead I was seated next to this beautiful girl with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. She reminded me of myself immediately, except taller and more normal. She was dressed in cute black denim shorts and a blue tank. I loved her already and I hadn't even met her yet...

"Hi, I'm Dakota." I smiled at her.

She turned toward me and slowly smiled. One could physically see her eyes lighen as she came out of the dreamlike state she was in. "Oh sorry! I was zoned out! Hi, im Rachel." She beamed sweetly at me.

She was the first to smile at me that day. The majority of the school had simply stared and whispered. Everyone knew my story, but no one really knew me. Rachel and I continued to talk and get to know each other until the teacher walked in. She had a twin sister named Sienna who was in boarding school in London, and six brothers. We talked about stupid things, like colors and movies and clothes. And important things like music and books and family. I told her about New York and she told me how Moscow had been since I'd left. 

Finally the bell rang and we walked to our next two classes together. It was so nice to make a friend my first day. After a few more long class periods filled with rules, books, and new unfimiliar faces, it was finally time for lunch. 

There were six new people in a group at the table that Rachel lead me to. "Hey Rach!" They all said, at different times, thankfully, because that unison thing you always see in movies and stuff was unbelievably creepy.

"Hey guys! This is Dakota. Dakota meet everyone... Ok im not gonna introduce all you bitches." And with that she sat down, digging into her food. I knew she was starved from the dying whale noises her stomach was making during our second period class.

"'Sup, im Cole." Well, Cole was attractive. No seriously. He had that tan blonde, California surfer, lean muscled look. But from his arm slung around the tiny brunette, dressed in black jeans and a band tee next to him, and the way they were leaning into each other, he was obliously with the girl he introduced as Kylie.

A guy named Jonathon introduced himself in a short one word reply before turning his green eyes and hipster glasses back to the thick book in his hands.

"I'm Jo. Sorry about Jon over there, he just started reading the genius that is Leo Tolstoy and he simply can't bring himself to put the damned thing down. Welcome back to Moscow" she gave me a crooked smile and shook my hand accross the table. Her dark blue nails matched the almost black color that her hair was dyed. She was pale and brown eyed, like me, with a round face that was vaguely familiar. I smiled, nodded, and turned to the last person at the small round table. 

"Hi, I'm Daisy." the girl sitting next to Jo extended her hand, too, and I gladly shook it. She was tall and dressed all hobo chic, which I greatly admired. that was one look I'd never been able to pull off. 

"Buchannan?" I mumbled under breathe, thinking either 1) everyone was too busy to hear or 2) they simply didn't care. But people where different at this school, they actually listened. And I recieved a few appreciaticve glances from the new faces at the table. 

Daisy simply laughed, a sound as beautiful as bells, and said, "Buffay, actually, but I appreciate your taste in literature."

"And last but certainly not least!" He grinned. He was cute. His hair looked like it had been bleached blonde, and his face was covered in freckles. He had dimples and an obviously joyful personality. "I'm Nathan. Call me Nate, though." He winked at Rachel and she smiled turning away, and with a barely visible blush too. there was definate chemistry and I couldn't resist, I was going to have to bug her about that later.