Half and half

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Dylan!” mom yelled from downstairs. I groaned and rolled over in bed. After a few minutes of extra sleep, “Dylan, don’t you make me come up there! You’re going to be late for school!” I scowled into my pillow. I turned my head while rubbing my eyes blearily and peered at my digital clock. I froze. 7:36. “Shit!” I yelled.

I should introduce myself. My name is Dylan Hunt. I am 16 years old. I have always had messed-up black hair and stormy grey eyes nobody can ever meet at school. My derisive smile is one that automatically pegs me as troublemaker in new schools. Today was the first day of school. Urgh.

I glanced at my designer wardrobe and chose a pair of dark Armani jeans and a button-down polo shirt. I left the top three buttons undone. I didn’t even bother combing my hair. No brush could ever tame it. I ran down the stairs as quickly as I could and pecked my mom on the cheek before making a beeline for the door. “Dylan, you have to eat something. You know that.” I rolled my eyes but didn’t stop walking. I slipped out the door and looked around me. The cold morning breeze didn’t affect me. I grinned when I spotted my birthday present. An enormous black new Hummer was parked smugly outside our 6-car garage. I bounded across the lawn and leapt into the driver’s seat. I paused for a second and closed my eyes, taking stock of my surroundings. A cat walked on silent legs across the street. Children played on nearby houses. The sweet scent of leather made me come back to the present. Sweet, I thought. I loved this thing. I ran my hand fondly over the steering wheel. Then I gunned the accelerator. The Hummer leapt forward as if trying to escape. I whooped when it careened off the driveway onto the street. I tore past houses so fast, I couldn’t discern past the blur of colors. I kept the speed until I reached my friend Ethan’s house. I slammed my foot onto the brake and the tires screeched on the asphalt. A blond head peered out the door. “Yo, Hunt!” Ethan yelled, running to meet my new toy. I felt a rush of pride for my beautiful car. Ethan laughed at the look on my face and I scoffed. Ethan yanked the passenger door open and leap in. We bumped fists while I tried to get a peek of Ethan’s sister through the kitchen glass. Ethan and I had been friends since I moved there two years ago from L.A. His sister and I had dated for about three weeks until I decided it was too weird between Ethan and me. We cranked up the music until the whole car vibrated and I floored the accelerator, speeding towards school.

I arrived at school in a show of speed, sight and sound. My foot never lifted of the accelerator while Ethan and I whooped. The music showed off the awesomeness of my new sound system. And a massive black Hummer attracted a few eyes. As I screeched to a halt in front of a semicircle of students my age, Ethan leapt out of the car. I followed his lead and in about four seconds, both of us cracked up laughing. The teens crowded around my baby, and praised the color, size, sound, everything. “OMG” Ethan wheezed, “that ROCKED!” we fist-bumped each other and I walked toward the school with him by my side and the whole school parading behind us. I tossed my keys to Dalton, the best diver in our group, “you can park it” I yelled at him, trying to be heard above all the noise. He caught the key and his eyes widened, “thanks man!” he ran toward the car and carefully took it once around the parking lot, a few kids followed him, yelling. I shook my head and laughed again, entering the cool marble halls of the school for rich kids. All the famous dads that didn’t know what to do with their sons or daughters brought them here. I glanced around, answering a few waves and greetings. For a moment I was pissed, why couldn’t anyone ever meet my eyes? Ethan shifted beside me, “dude don’t take it personal. You’re eyes are normally what attract girls like moths to light. You should be grateful you have... different eyes. Not like me.” He pointed to his regular blue eyes. Ethan sometimes could read my mind like an open book. I shrugged and slipped into a bathroom. I looked in the mirror. A tall, muscled kid with stormy gray eyes and messed-up hair stared back. My alabaster skin had always had a startling effect against my shock of black hair. I peered closer and stared directly into my eyes. I felt like I was peering into two pools of dark grey light. My intense eyes always made me look angry, and that pissed me. I straightened and tensed, seconds before someone entered the bathroom. My eyes flashed, like a lightning bolt in a sky full of black clouds, and without knowing why, I was furious. My head snapped to a side as a tall, pale boy walked into the bathroom. He was handsome, I guess. The way he walked reminded me of a lion stalking prey. Without knowing why, I shivered. The boy stopped in his tracks and his head snapped up faster than the eye could follow. His eyes made me stare in surprise. They were exactly the same as mine, only they weren’t. His eyes were completely black, like literally pitch black. But they made him look angry too. They were as if he was holding back a rage so profound it made me scared. That, and the fact that he was the only person in this school that could look at me, really look at me, without backing up or flinching. Another boy, Brad, interrupted our staring contest by barging noisily into the bathroom. “Hey Hunt... whoa.” He stopped in his tracks as he spotted the stranger. I was sure I had never seen him at school. He looked into the stranger’s eyes and gasped. “Come on” I muttered, dragging him out of the bathroom. I knew what it felt like to be stared at while some instinct told the person to get away from you. Brad allowed himself to be led easily. “Whoa, that dude had your eyes!” Brad exclaimed. As if you know what color my eyes are, I wanted to snap back. Instead I said, “Yeah, well, whatever. Who was he?” Brad glanced back as if the new kid were there. “I don’t know man; I’ve never seen him before in my life. He gave me the creeps though.” He shivered, “those eyes…” I frowned but didn’t reply. My eyes were famous in this school. They made even the toughest teachers flinch and sometimes, if I stared hard enough, something happened and they would do stuff for me. Like for example, I always drank a coffee in the morning because if I didn’t, I would be cranky all day. One day I forgot to pick one up and I really needed one for ancient history. There I was, glaring at the teacher, when she got up and left the classroom. The class was baffled. Three minutes later, she came back with a double espresso-the way I like it- and gave it to me. Just like that. Brad shook me back to the present by laughing. I shook the hair out of my eyes and actually listened to him. “… I don’t know dude, but you know what’s funny?” he laughed, “the moment I saw him, my first thought was ‘get away! Dangerous!’ I mean,” he laughed, blushing, and trailed off. I frowned. The same thought had sprung into my mind. Then I grinned, “Maybe he’s a narc.” Brad burst out laughing and after a moment I joined in. heads turned in the halls to look at us with startled expressions. “What’s so funny?” a voice asked like, right behind us. We started with guilty expressions. Ethan shouldered his way between us. “So?” I hesitated. I realized I was somewhat reluctant to share the joke for whatever reason. I just couldn’t bring up the creepy guy. Apparently, neither could Brian. “Er, you know just messing around.” I said trying to make my tone light. Because of a strange reason I didn’t want to find out, the stranger brought a strange feel of foreboding. Ethan shifted. “Whatever. Your first class is Astronomy.” He informed me. I didn’t ask why Ethan knew my schedule. He always did. I veered left, sticking my hands in my pockets. I didn’t know why, but meeting that guy made me jumpy. Jeez, I’m over reacting. I tried to get those bottomless eyes out of my head and plastered a fake smile on my face as I entered the classroom. I blinked in surprise. A crowd was gathered in the back, whispering. All except one. A girl, new, sat on a lonely desk. Her head was bowed, her black hair hiding her face. She was slim and wore black jeans with an impressive contrast to her billowy white shirt. Her sleeves were gripped tightly in between her fingers, as if she were afraid we would see her wrists. Her legs were tucked under the chair as if she was saying, please don’t look at me. I stood there staring at her while an unexplainable feeling started brewing in the pit of my stomach. Triumph. Then I felt his presence. I spun around. The boy stood there, a strange light flickering in his eyes. His eyes were fixed on me. I felt a shock of electricity when our eyes met. Raging storm and moonless night.

I turned, and when my gaze fell upon the girl, her head snapped up, like a puppet pulled on a string. A breath got caught in my throat. She was beautiful, yes, her pearly skin, flawless, her wide blue eyes, her full red lips. But that wasn’t what made me turn and slip out of the room before the professor slammed the door. It was the terror contained in her gaze as she stared, unwavering, at the dark boy standing behind me.