The Dangers Of Falling

Chapter 1

"Oh, God!" Sea murmured under her breath as she tried to read in the bus. Her very annoying school bus that sounded like a million barking dogs, fighting over a single piece of meat.

She really wanted to get to school as quickly as possible. Not that it was the best place she'd ever been or that she was in a hurry...but hey, anything to get out of that rustling, crowded vehicle that sounded like it was going to break down any minute.

Sea sighed and looked out the window. You know how you visit a place so many times that you can tell how far it is just by looking around. Yeah. Sea was so used to the bus ride that she was almost certain she could draw a map from home to school, blindfolded.

Right now she could see a big meadow outside. An Indian farm-meadow that was a little dried up with winter just around the corner. She knew that the meadow was a landmark that meant all the pick-ups were done and the bus would - nonstop - take them to school which was still a while away.

So, she took a deep breath and took in the smell of dried leaves, with the fading smell of flowers and a hint of factory smoke coming from the distance, and went straight back to her book.

The book she was reading was about fallen angels. She wanted to know how humans pictured angels, so then she would know to act in the complete opposite way.

Sea tried to pull off the normal look - which she thought she got pretty up to the mark - with her thick, mid-length, wavy, chestnut hair (with some natural highlights of a lighter shade that she was born with) pulled up in a messy high ponytail as it almost always was.

She never wore any make-up and thought she looked pale but it just wasn't allowed at her school and she was actually okay with her almost rosy lips, light brown eyes, and a small nose. It wasn't all that bad.

And the book she was reading, she found it fascinating. Sea had always loved to read about romances. Though she never really expected her own. She wasn't sure she was supposed to... not that it was possible for that matter.

Just because she was from America and had an accent made her the center for mockery. Now she'd gotten used to everyone calling her 'American' or someone talking to her in a terrible accent. She couldn't choose though, what was worse.

No. Wait. Definitely the accent.

But at this point, she had mastered the art of ignorance. She had taken Ignorance is bliss to be her life motto. And she tried to focus on the good things in life like music and books.

She'd read a page or so when the bus came to a slow stop. Weird Sea thought, the bus rarely if ever stopped after the meadow. But then she wasn't the least bit interested to hear the 'surprising' news that the tire was punctured or the engine had stopped working or what-so-ever excuse. So without a single glance up, she kept reading.

"Excuse me," she heard a guy say. Really? Now? Dude, this was the best time you could find!? She was in the best part of the book and in no mood for any random guy - or girl - trying to pick on her when she was reading. But Ignorance is bliss, she reminded herself and didn't look up.

"Um, Miss?"

It wasn't until the second time that she realized that the guy had an accent. And not that West-Indian accent that most of the people there had. Oh no. This was a half British, half Australian and a lot like Dominic Sherwood accent.

She was surprised out of her mind! So, without a second thought, she looked up.

"I'm sorry to disturb you,"

And... Nope... no Sherwood here.

But, the guy, she had to admit, was pretty attractive. He was tall. Maybe a little taller than Sea's 5-foot 5-inch height. His skin a shade darker than Sea's. He had full pink lips and thick lashes, the kind any girl would kill for. His jaw was sharp and he had strong looking arms all built up but looked no older than 16. His eyes were a dark abyss and his dark brown hair - unlike others - wasn't neatly combed but rather messy, forming a halo around his head. And that smile... oh, it was the kindest and warmest she'd seen in the longest time but, something about it gave out a strong sense of mischief.

"Um... hey,"

His voice snapped her out. She realized she was staring.

"Hey," she said, keeping her cool, in her wuhsup yo, a'm 2 cul fa scul (what's up yo, I'm too cool for school) voice, (She's still working on the name) and looked back at the book.

As his smile widened into a smirk, he said: "Yeah, um... can I sit?". He paused and looked around, "It's the only empty seat." he added, now grinning.

Sea also quickly scanned the bus. He was right.

"Sure, whatever." Saying that she took her bag into her lap as he sat down, taking his bag into his.

It wasn't till he sat down Sea realized that he had freckles, barely visible, but they were there. They looked kind of cute, giving a touch of sensitivity to a tough looking guy.

With that, she remembered that she was in the climax of her book and went back to reading.

And it was like their seat had emerged in a bubble of super awkward silence while the rest of the kids on the bus were still busy in their rather loud chatter.

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A/N

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