The Whisper Seekers

You Can Call Me Queen Bee

I'm sitting on a bench in the locker room, changing into my gym uniform, when a T.A. rounds the corner to hand me a yellow note from the main office. I glance down to check who summoned me and then pop my head up.

"Well, ladies, looks like I won't be running today after all," I brag. "For once, I have a valid excuse to miss it. See y'all later." I don't miss the annoyed eye roll Harper gives Lily as I swing my locker door shut and trot out of the locker room.

Not bothering to change out of my gym uniform, I head straight to the office and flash a quick wave to the secretary, who barely looks up before directing me to the principal's office. She doesn't catch the flicker of confusion that crosses my face. I knock on Mr. Anderson's door and peek inside.

He stands when he sees me and gestures toward the brown leather chair across from his desk. The guy sitting there turns around, and the moment our eyes meet, his a piercing ocean blue, I catch a flash of something. Confusion? Awe? Whatever it is, it sends a weird ripple through me, and suddenly I'm hyper-aware of how ridiculous I must look in my gym shorts, knee-high white socks, and a sideways ponytail that felt cute twenty minutes ago. I'm self-conscious, which is an emotion I haven't felt in years. 

"Ellie, this is Liam Greysor," Mr. Anderson says. "He just transferred here from Houston, and as part of your Class President duties, you'll be showing him around and getting him to his classes."

He gives Liam a tight smile and waves us off. Liam stands, slings his backpack over his shoulder, and, I swear, I catch a smirk as he follows me into the hallway. I take the freshly printed schedule from the secretary's desk and glance over it as we walk. I try not to stare at anything other than the paper, but I'm having a hard time focusing on his schedule. 

Liam is breathtaking in the kind of way that makes you forget basic things like how to walk or speak. He's got that rare combination of clean-cut and just enough edge to be interesting. Dark blue jeans that actually fit right, a black V-neck tee that looks tailored to him, and tousled hair that's more sculpted than messy. Everything about him is deliberate. Effortless, but not really.

His almond-shaped eyes flick toward me, unreadable but amused. I sneak another glance and realize he's really pretty and dresses well...with my luck, he's probably gay. 

"I'm totally straight," he blurts out.

I freeze, my mouth actually falling open. Did I say that out loud?

Apparently not, because he quickly adds, "Sorry. It's just...your face. You were checking me out and looked kind of confused, so I figured..." He trails off, realizing he's already dug himself a hole.

I blink, still stunned. "Wow. That was...blunt. But, I wasn't checking you out." I lie and give him a look like he was nuts for thinking I was. 

"Sure, okay, but if you were to check me out, I'm very much straight and very much single." He bounces his eyebrows up and down, and a wicked smile sprawls out across his face. That smile is dangerous. It's the kind that causes rumors, rivalries, and outright chaos in a school like ours. 

I frown, unimpressed. So he's cocky and good-looking. My least favorite combination.

"Well, lucky for both of us, I'm taken and extremely busy," I snap, squashing whatever weird flutter I felt. "So let's get this tour over with, shall we?"

Without waiting for a response, I pivot and lead him down the main hallway toward the center of the school. We stop at the common area, our school's version of a hub, and I gesture around like a flight attendant, all polished and professional.

"This is the common area. It connects all the main wings of the school- science, arts, math, athletics, blah blah. Come lunchtime, it doubles as our cafeteria."