Together just you & me.

Chapter 1 - The hitch.

The wind blows back my long red locks as I step out onto the porch in the frigid morning air. I zip my coat up to my chin, put the hood over my head, wrap my arms tighter around my chest and walk down the steps from my dad's apartment.

I walk purposefully down the street and cut across the park, through a long alleyway, through an overgrown field and the town centre which is only a few miles away from school. 

I've reached the town centre and I decide to quickly stop off at a stationary shop to buy a new pen for school. It doesn't matter how many I buy, I always end up losing them or giving them to someone to borrow but not getting it back.

I get my pen, walk down the town centre and arrive just as the gates to my school are closing. I quickly run up and apologise to the kind janitor, before slipping through the gates and rushing inside the warm school. 

I quickly go to my locker, unzip my coat and shove it in before running to the secretary's office to pick up my timetable, check what class I have and groan at the sight of the word "Chemistry" first lesson and run to class. As I'm just reaching class, I manage to bump into my Spanish teacher, Ms. Martinez, who, in fact, has just spilt her coffee down my shirt.

"Look where you're going!" she exclaims.

Too late for that.

"Sorry." I say.

"You better go to the office and get a new shirt. Vamos, you'll be late!" she says, before returning to the teacher's room to probably refill her coffee cup.

I groan and run back to the office.

"Oh Lizzy what have you gone and done now?" says a green-eyed, tall, brunette, who could be a model, but chooses to be a secretary and happens to be my dad's girlfriend.

"Bumped into... Ms. Martinez... coffee, need... new... shirt, now!" I say, out of breath.

She rolls her eyes and gets up to search through the lost property box.

She hands me a shirt and I stare down at it in disgust. It has a bright yellow cat that says 'Have a Purr-fect day!' on it.

"Sara, don't you have anything more... wearable?" I ask.

"This isn't Topshop, sweetheart. Now get changed and get to class, you're going to be late."

Oh for pete's sake.

I have no choice so I run to the bathroom and quickly get changed before running to class.

I arrive just as the bell rings, loudly echoing through the school hallways. I'm happy to spot an empty seat next to the window, my favourite spot.

"Late." Mrs. Grimm says, not even taking her eyes off the book she's reading. "Not a very good start for the year, is it Elizabeth?"

"Lizzy." I say wittingly.

No matter how many times I tell her, she still insists in calling me Elizabeth and I hate it. I hate her.

I notice even more wrinkles have formed on her forehead from where she frowns so much, as she is doing now, she has dark circles under the eyes and the roots of her hair are grey. She's probably only 40 but considering the amount of stress she must go through sending kids out of class to the Directer's office or staying after school for detention every day, she looks pretty good.

Ha ha juuust kidding.

Besides, she's had the whole 2 month holidays to recover. Unless she's going through a divorce. If that's the case I'm not surprised, who'd marry anyone as uptight and snobby as her?

"Take this," she says, ripping a paper from her absence book and scribbling down my name. "to the office."

"But the bell just rang!" I exclaim.

"I'm aware of that, Elizabeth."

I clench my teeth.

"But I just came from the office!" I whine when she doesn't get it.

"That's not my problem. You're supposed to arrive before the bell rings, not after. Now go." she orders.

I groan loudly, snatch the paper from Mrs. Grimm's hand and flounce out the door, harshly bumping into someone walking in.

Why do I keep bumping into people today?!

"Sorry." I say, about to step aside.

"Nice shirt." the person says smoothly, with just a touch of mockery.

I look up.

Time stops.

And I've suddenly forgotten how to breathe...

I see the smile first. There is unmistakable sweetness peeking through the teasing. My armour begins to crumble before I've made my way up to the eyes; what's left of it melts away at the sight of them.  Sparkling chocolate brown eyes with a touch of light green flecks, surrounded by eyelashes any girl would envy.

Looking at me.

Right at me.

Even more than his mouth, his eyes are smiling.

If there was nothing near me - a piece of furniture, even a non-hostile person - I might reach out and physically steady myself because I feel off-balance in his presence. In a good way.

And then it's all gone. The coffee stain, the horrible shirt, being late, Mrs. Grimm.

There's nothing but the boy before me.

He looks like he belongs in Hollywood or heaven, I'm not quite sure yet. I could stare at him all day.

"Thanks," I say, after who knows how long. I force myself to blink.

His face looks familiar somehow, but only in the way I want it to.

I smile up at him, I probably look like such a goofball.

He smiles back and pulls down his dark blue beanie, covering his sandy, brown hair.

"Oh just in time!" Mrs. Grimm says to the boy, standing up from her seat.

What the? But he's later than me!

"Elizabeth, why aren't you at the office? Go now!"

Jesus Christ, woman.

"Everyone welcome your new classmate..."

I walk out the class and slam the door. I rush down the corridor to the office for the third time in only 5 minutes.