Fatal Attractions

Chapter Four

     I felt my face get hot as I struggled to form a response. For some reason, my mouth wasn't working. I opened my mouth for a moment and then quickly shut it.

     "Hi," I choked out, my eyes fixed on his face. He looked a lot different up close. His eyes were more intense and his pale skin seemed to glow under the fluorescent lights of the gym. I suddenly became self conscious in front of him. His lips parted slightly as he looked at me.

     "You're Lena, right? The new girl?" he asked, and I felt a lump form in my throat. So he did know my name. But how? No one else seemed to know it. And I've never spoken a word to him in my life. Maybe he knew Lindsey? No, he couldn't. Lindsey was always introducing me to her friends. I'm sure she would have introduced him to me by now.

     He cleared his throat, gaining my attention back. My cheeks flushed when I realized I hadn't answered his question.

     "Um, yeah. I'm Lena," I said, slowly shutting my sketch pad. His eyes flickered down and a look of amusement flashed across his face.

     "Don't look so scared. I won't bite," he said, chuckling so quietly I barely heard it. My heart immediately began to race at the sound.

     "I'm sorry I've never approached you before. I guess I was too scared," he said as I slowly stood up so he wouldn't have to continue looking down at me. It didn't help, though. He was at least a whole foot taller than me.

     "You were scared to approach me?" I asked, almost taken back. "Why?"

     "Well," he said, his eyebrows furrowing. "I guess because you're so different."

     It took me a second to register what he said, and I had to do a quick glance around to make sure he was actually speaking to me. I pointed my finger at my chest and raised my eyebrows.

     "You think I'm different?" I asked, and he smiled. I suddenly felt my heart flutter as I caught sight of his smile. And what a beautiful sight it was. His teeth were pretty much perfect and looked like they were made of porcelain.

     He nodded his head and stood against the wall next to me. "I know you've noticed me around you all the time. I'm sorry if that's weird, or I scared you or something," he said, and I looked at him, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

     "Who are you?" I asked, staring at him hard.

     "Oh, I'm so sorry. I never introduced myself." He stuck out his hand to me. "I'm Alexander. But everyone calls me Alex." I shook his hand and couldn't help but wince in pain. Talk about a firm handshake. He noticed my expression and quickly released my hand.

     "I'm sorry," he said, sheepishly. I shook my head, gently shaking my hand.

     "It's alright. I'm Helena. But everyone calls me Lena. Well... I mean, everyone used to call me Lena. I don't have too many friends anymore," I said, looking at the wall behind him. It was awkward trying to make eye contact with him and talk about something so personal. After all, I had just learned his name a few moments ago. I didn't even like talking about the move to Lindsey, and she introduced herself to me the first day I came here.

     "Well, Lena. It's nice to finally meet you," he said, smirking at me. I quickly looked away, my face feeling hot. How come I never noticed his smile before? He's been following me for weeks. Has he never smiled while watching me? No, couldn't be. He seemed like such a happy person. Maybe I just didn't notice until now.

     "Nice to meet you, too," I mumbled, looking at him. It was weird. I only noticed him following me a few weeks ago, but I didn't feel threatened at all. I felt calm, almost safe. I'm usually a nervous wreck around strangers, especially if they've been following me around for a month. But for some reason, he made me feel comfortable.