FALL (DIMENSION Series #1)

CHAPTER 3

The first rays of the sun caught me in bed, as it did most mornings. Bluffside, like much of Colorado, was relentlessly sunny. Even now, at the end of September, the official beginning of Fall. Not that I minded the sun. I loved its warmth in my room.

      "I know, I know," I said to Estella as I sat up and stretched out my arms overhead. "You need to go pee."

      We had the same conversation every morning. I stumbled over to my bedroom door, opened it, and watched her sprint down the stairs.

     I indulged in a long shower and rushed through the rest of my morning tasks. Brushing out my hair, I noticed lighter streaks among the dark brown—remnants of recent summer days. Once my hair was tangle-free, I tied it back into a ponytail. I reached for a pair of faded jeans and my navy blue sweater. Navy blue was my favorite color. It was the same color as my eyes—such a dark blue that they were almost black. Only people who looked closely could make out that they were blue, and not many people looked closely.

     I clasped my mother's antique silver charm bracelet around my wrist. It wasn't just in music that I liked old things. Also with jewelry, I preferred vintage over new.

     My dad had already left for work. My mother and Jason were in the kitchen, finishing breakfast at our kitchen table. Earlier my mother had tried to convince me to have an omelet, but I'd passed. It was too early in the day for eggs.

     "See you later," I said to them, grabbing an apple and a granola bar before exiting the kitchen.

     The trees were orange and red, their leaves shimmering in the morning light. It was the perfect fall day. I was tempted to skip school, to stay home. To find a sliver of sun and to sit there for a while. With the bright fall leaves keeping me company.

     I was one of the few people who walked to school. The cool crowd had rides and the rest relied on buses or bicycles. Despite having a car—a very old Toyota Corolla—white and clearly from the nineties, I preferred walking to school.

      Today I enjoyed the sun on my face and arms, but my happy mood started fading as the brick school building came into view. It was only the beginning of my junior year, but I was ready for all of it to be over. Thankfully today was Friday.

      The school parking lot was almost full. Ours was a typical small-town school with around 800 students. Less than half the people had cars, and right now, just one held my attention.

      Derek Nash, I thought and sighed. By sheer willpower I'd banned him from my thoughts during my walk. But now, his car—a battered black Volkswagen GTI—brought him crashing into my brain.

     Focus, I admonished myself as I merged with the maelstrom entering the school building. But I couldn't suppress the tinge of excitement I felt, knowing that he actually was at school today. I hoped he'd still be around for calculus later in the day. His desk was next to mine. But he ditched so frequently that I often didn't get to see him at all.

     "Hey Ellie," Julia said, touching my elbow.

     "Hey Julia," I replied. "What's up?"

     I half listened as she told me. Julia talked in a hushed, yet rushed, manner as we made our way to our lockers. The kind of tone reserved for talk of boys. And most of her talk these days was about boys.

     I usually ate lunch with Julia Gresham and Mary Rose Santos. In addition to being boy crazy, Julia was a little ditzy. Mary Rose, on the other hand, was level-headed and organized.

      "Have you noticed Clay's nose?" Julia asked in another urgent whisper.

      I shook my head. The only boy I had eyes for was Derek Nash. But of course Julia had no idea. I didn't confide in her.

      "Clay's nose is aquiline," she whispered. "It's perfect." And she touched her own pretty nose for extra effect.

      I nodded and smiled.

     Recently Julia had gone from boy band obsessions to real boy obsessions. But she didn't afford the objects of her affection any real loyalty. There was a rotating roster of boys. Clay was this week's chosen one. Julia's crushes were entertaining—they were like mini soap operas.

      I liked hanging out with Julia and Mary Rose, but regretted that my best friend, Nisha Gill, didn't go to this school. Nisha and I could talk for hours, about everything under the sun. She had many stories about India, the place she'd been born. She knew about the monsoons and Indian food and reincarnation.

      "Clay," Julia said breathlessly, touching my arm to alert me to his presence, and snapping me out of my reverie. I closed my locker and I caught sight of Clay's back as he disappeared down the hallway.

     I envied the speed with which Julia flitted from one boy to the next. Like a butterfly going from flower to flower. I couldn't do it. Derek was the first boy I'd really adored. That adoration had morphed into love. And I had gone smack into the middle of it. And there I was.

      I was about to tune out Julia and to surrender, instead, to a quick daydream about Derek, when he appeared in front of me in real life. He was leaning against the wall outside the science lab.

     He was looking at me. I could feel my heart speed up in my chest. I didn't know how long he'd been standing there or how long he'd been looking at me. I hadn't noticed him at first, because a cluster of jocks had blocked my view. In addition to being physically large, they were loud and backslapping.

     The jocks were laughing about something. I walked past them and remained focused on Derek. He looked perfect in black jeans and a black t-shirt. I was so startled to see him that I blinked a few times. I was accustomed to his beauty and perfection. I wasn't, however, prepared for what happened next.

      "Hey Ellie. How's it going?" the beautiful black-jeaned boy asked me.

     This was his first time he'd spoken to me since the time we'd casually said hey to each other. Weeks ago, when school had first started.

     But even more startling was the fact that he'd used my name. Although we had calculus together, we hadn't really acknowledged each other since our initial encounter. And often he didn't even show up to calculus. I didn't think he even knew my name. My legs felt weak, as if the power fueling them had been cut off. I wanted to lean against the wall but forced myself to keep standing.

     Random thoughts besieged me. Derek mostly wore plain black t-shirts. Sometimes plain white ones. The simplicity of his clothing choices made sense. He shouldn't be overly adorned, since his body was perfect. Like a Roman statue with ideal proportions.

     I questioned my choice of a navy sweater. Why hadn't I worn my white blouse instead? The right clothes mattered on this day that would soon have historic value to me. A day I would revisit in my mind. The day when Derek first said my name.

     Julia turned to look at me, incredulity spread across her face, and snapped me out of my whirring thoughts. Derek Nash was so clearly out of our league that Julia was equally shocked by his sudden and unexpected greeting.

     What in the world was going on?

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