lost saints | twilight universe (ON HOLD INDEFINITELY)

2. IGNORANCE IS BLISS.

ZONED OUT - FAMILY REUNION

"I DON'T KNOW YOUR INTENTIONS / I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE / WORTH ANY OF MY ATTENTION"

***

SOLEIL HAD BARELY ENTERED HER AP CHEMISTRY CLASS, eyes cast downward and headed automatically to her old, solitary seat in the back row, when a heavy arm slid across her shoulders. Sol jumped a bit, but she didn't have to guess who the arm belonged to; the specific combo of Axe body spray, hair gel, and pre-workout shake indicated only one person.

"Donovan," Sol sighed, trying her best not to sound rude. AP Chem was the only class that had been kept the same on her schedule, as their teacher only taught first period, but an irrational part of her had hoped that Donovan had transferred out or something.

"Soleil," Donovan schmoozed, raising a pair of bleach-blonde eyebrows charmingly. Had Soleil been any other girl at Sitka, the resident It-Boy's attention today alone would have merited half a mental breakdown. And that was nothing against those girls; Donovan was quintessentially handsome, relatively studious, and kind.e But Soleil's assertion that she wasn't looking for a relationship wasn't just a gentle letdown. And, Sol had to admit, the cliche of the shy new girl eventually being swept off her feet by the jock? Not necessarily a movie she wanted to relive. She would have never been noticed, anyways, if she hadn't been new and like an exotic flavor (literally) that everyone tried until it became normal and boring.

"Have you given my offer any thought?" Donovan continued, acting like he was incredibly benevolent for 'giving her time to think'. That was another thing about Donovan; he was the poster child for Nice Guy Syndrome.

Soleil hesitated, the deadweight of his oh-so-casual arm feeling an oddly forced perfunctory, and cast her eyes to the floor once more. "Well..."

She floundered for a way to tell Donovan a firm no without starting a new chain of gossip that would lead to the Second Coming, but she was saved from answering. Donovan's arm had tightened on her shoulder reflexively.

"Wow," he said, and Soleil looked up, confused.

Wow was right.

Towering above them, standing next to the seat beside Soleil's, was a massive human being who neither of them had ever seen before. He hardly looked like a junior, more like someone in the NFL, with bulging russet muscles and cropped glossy black hair. He must have been at least a foot taller than Soleil's five foot seven, and he shot the pair of gaping teens a slightly teasing white smile.

Soleil was the first one to snap out of it, sliding out from under Donovan's grasp and into her seat, tossing her backpack onto the desk. Donovan followed a moment later, turning and sulking to himself. If all of the new kids looked like that, he thought, then he had no chance with Soleil ever.

The boy --man?-- stuck out a massive paw towards her. "Jacob Black," he introduced cheerfully.

It didn't go unnoticed by Jacob the way she hesitated for a split second.

"Soleil Jimenez," she said, pumping his hand twice, noticing but not commenting on the heat radiating from his palm. Maybe his nerves manifested in a fever-- even though this Jacob Black didn't look nervous at all. He looked excited, even.

Jacob watched the girl next to him, Soleil, analyze him as she shook his hand. He didn't miss the numerous glares directed his way, all stemming from his conversation with this girl. As she turned away from him abruptly, grabbing a notebook and a massive pencil bag from her backpack, Jacob realized that she had no idea how beautiful she was.