She Restrained A Renegade

Four

4-Zoe

I was jumpy and I hated it. The school was buzzing because Justin "Ace" Wallace was apparently in the building. He'd stopped by the music room, to talk to Mr. Green. Mr. Green had been the music teacher back when we were in school as well. There had been a lot of whispers during my classes, all morning, and my students were giving me odd looks. So I knew they'd heard the rumor that Justin had been asking about me. Shit, my classroom door opened again and I stiffened, but it was just a student who was having trouble with their homework. I gratefully explained through the problem, feeling calmer. Math made sense. Numbers made sense. They either added up or they didn't, unlike people.

Then it was lunch time, I contemplated leaving campus. I usually either ate in the teacher's lounge or just at my desk, but I felt like I needed to get some fresh air. So I bent to get my purse out of the bottom drawer of my desk and gasped when I straightened. I hadn't heard the door open, so finding anyone standing in front of my desk would have startled me, but this wasn't just anyone. This was Justin freaking Wallace and he was giving me the sexiest, half-grin I'd ever seen. Ok, so maybe even before that night, when we made out, I might have been harboring a secret crush. Those stupid feelings were rushing to my face right now and, I'm sure, making it flush red.

"Hi Zoe." His smooth tone flowed over me and I knew if I didn't get my head on straight, I'd be in danger of melting at his feet.

"Justin." I said, as coolly as possible.

He frowned, but recovered quickly, "How have you been?"

"Good, you?"

Justin snorted, "Seriously? So are you really going to pretend you don't know how I've been?"

I rolled my eyes, "I know you're famous, obviously, but I'm not pretending. Seeing you in the paper or the tabloid doesn't tell me how you've been, so I really don't know. I know your bedroom apparently has a revolving door and that you've become a star, but other than that, I know nothing about you."

"Huh...ok, well, what do you want to know?"

I shrugged, "Does it matter? What are you doing here, Justin? I heard you were back. I even heard you've been asking around town about me, which makes zero sense."

Justin shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I just...that is to say...I don't know."

I frowned, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't know. After we finished the last show of the tour last week, I just felt the need to..."

"Felt the need to come home?" I prodded.

He shook his head, "I felt the need to see you."

"Me?" I asked, my eyes feeling like they were going to pop right out of my head. I knew how shocked I must look.

His eyes ran the length of me before he said, "Yes."

I stiffened, "So, what you've ran out of hussies, so you thought you'd come back to Seneca and run through the women here? You thought since we made out the last time we saw each other, we could just pick up where we left off? I'll tell you where we left off, you kissed me goodbye, but I didn't know it was going to be actual goodbye. You left. I knew better than to think I might actually mean something to you, but I was a stupid kid and I couldn't really control my emotions. So yes, kissing you for hours the way that we did, put ideas in my head. Those ideas died a quick death when I found out you left town and didn't bother giving me a real goodbye or an explanation. I knew then that it had meant more to me than it had you, so don't bother trying to convince me otherwise. If you're hard up while you're in town, I'm sure Christy would be willing. She's married, but that hasn't stopped her before."

Justin looked uncomfortable and I felt stupid. God this boy had a way of making me do and say stupid things. Of course he was uncomfortable. I'd just laid bare my feelings to him, even though this was only the second time we've spoken in our entire life. Which just makes it seem that much more ridiculous for him to say he come back because of me. It made zero sense.

Justin sighed, "I'm sorry, Zoe. I know that leaving, without a word, probably didn't look very good. I don't want you to think that what we...experienced, didn't mean anything to me, because it did. It meant a lot. Your words that night, were a huge wake up call. Actually that's why I left town. You gave me the courage to get out and follow my passion. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be who I've become."

Again my eyes widened. How was I supposed to respond? Whatever the right thing to say was, it definitely wasn't what I blurted next. "I'm not easy."

Justin chuckled, "Good to know."

I frowned, "I, um, didn't mean to say it like that. I just don't want you to think you can swoop in, smile at me, and I'll drop my panties like all those girls I see you with in the magazines. That won't be happening with me, Bucko."

He smirked, "Bucko?" When I simply glared at him, he held up his hands in surrender, before saying, "Look, Zoe, I didn't come here to try to seduce you into bed with me...although, now that you mention it, it's not a bad idea. I came here to try to get away from that life. The life you see in the magazines isn't all it's cracked up to be. I needed a break. I came home to get that break and yes, you were part of the reason I came. Zoe you helped shape my life, whether you believe it or not. So yes, even though this is only the second time we've spoken in our whole life, you...mean a lot to me."

He seemed so sincere and he'd technically never lied to me before, so I didn't have a reason to doubt him. It just all seemed surreal. Yes, I knew him before he became famous, but it was still crazy to think a celebrity like him would be standing in my classroom, saying the things that he was saying. I thought about what Zelda had said, that all guys weren't dogs. My ex did a number on me and maybe it was time that I stopped letting him continue to dictate my life.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I found myself saying, "Would you like to go to lunch with me?"