Stars

Chapter Two

"Wait, you're telling me you enjoyed a conversation with a random dude last night?" Lisa confirmed.

"Ooo, Fairy likes to live dangerously." Ricky hummed as he styled good light brown hair into his perfect fluff.

I leaned against Ricky's truck with a sigh. "Is that so bad? I thought it was interesting."

"And you have no idea who he is?" Lisa asked.

I looked at her. "Why do you sound accusing?"

"I'm not... Well, I don't know, it just doesn't seem like the Farryn thing to do."

"I know. But it was interesting."

Ricky turned from his reflection in the side mirror and looked at me. "Did he at least sound hot?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course that's your question. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to that. But talking to him almost instantly calmed me down."

"That's good." Lisa looped her arm through mine and her other arm through Ricky's. "I don't want to be late for my first class." She pulled us along.

"You're so bossy in the mornings." Ricky complained. "Actually just bossy in general."

I laughed as the two began bickering neck and forth. Then my eyes landed on a red Corvette that was parked in one of the first stalls. That was the same car parked at the Fryer's old house.

My heart seemed to jump a little. Fence Boy went here? He didn't reveal who he was, and I didn't either, so it almost felt like I shouldn't learn who he was. But if he went here and just moved in, that meant he was new.

Yesterday it was announced that four new students were coming to our school. He had to be one of those.

I shook myself out of these thoughts. Last night was just random. I didn't need to go snooping. I almost didn't want him knowing me either. Being anonymous was easy. If we were face to face last night I probably would have stuttered a few words and ran inside.

So I pushed Fence Boy out of my mind.

English was one of the few classes I didn't hate. The only part that I didn't like were the essays, but those weren't so bad anyway. So I was sorely disappointed to see Archer Jacobson sitting near the back. How did I not notice that he had this class?

I was definitely losing it. I didn't notice anything, apparently. I probably wouldn't notice the zombie apocalypse for a month if it happened.

Archer's dark eyes landed on me as I entered the room. I ignored him and took my seat that was thankfully on the opposite side of the room.

When the bell rang, Mr. Bland (yes, that's his real name) started right away.

"Today is going to be a reading day. Tomorrow I'll give out a worksheet that you will fill out. This month's genre is romance."

A kid at the back scoffed. "Romance? Isn't that for girls? Why do they even like it?"

Being the argumentive person I am, I had to speak up. "Have you ever considered the fact that women and girls like romance stories because men can never live up to simple standards of being decent human beings when it comes to romance?"

The kid glared at me while the girls in class piped up in agreement and the boys laughed.

"Quiet down." Mr. Bland's voice barely rose, but everyone went quiet. "Read a romance or you won't get a grade, Mr. Paul. And thank you for your... input, Miss Price. Now get reading."

As I pulled out my book, I could feel someone's stare and I glanced over my shoulder to see Archer's eyes on me, glinting with amusement and something that looked like challenge. He winked.