Chase your fate

Chapter 10

Devyn woke up to the annoying sound of the alarm clock at exactly 5:31 am.  She always set the alarm for an odd number so that it seemed like she had gotten more sleep.  She began to unravel herself from the blankets, after a few minutes of arguing with her pillow about whether or not she really wanted to be drug out of her warm cocoon.  Finally tossing the blankets to the side, she rose from the bed, making her way to the bathroom to start getting ready for school.

She looked in the mirror, like every other day, wishing that she could see a different image than the one that had been there the day before.  She started the process of throwing herself together by pulling on her black leggings and a white undershirt.  After that, she began trying to tame the long, thick wilderness of her raven black hair, moving the brush through to work out the frizz and tangles, then plaiting it into a three strand braid over her right shoulder, leaving just enough bangs and loose strands that she thought was cute enough.  After quickly applying her makeup, she put on her black cardigan, then took a final look into the mirror, as she wrapped her maroon scarf around her neck. 

She looked into the mirror, sighing, running her hands down her sides and over her hips to smooth out the cardigan.  She put on her glasses and made her way out to the kitchen where her Nana sat waiting with breakfast.  They ate together today, a rare treat, going over plans for the trip to the store, talking about the different chores needed doing after school, and supplies that Devyn needed for her art room.  She enjoyed the last of her green tea with jasmine and cream before gathering her things to catch the bus for school.

During the bus ride, she let her mind roam over the events of the last few weeks.  She giggled a little to herself, remembering the boy Chase almost knocking her over, seeing the color come to his face and his soft, almost high pitch voice stuttering his apology.  Then that jerk Alex, and holy crap... the fight.  She wanted so bad just to touch Chase's face afterwards, or, to hug him, or, well, something.  She had reached up to, but he had jerked away like she had leprosy, not that she could blame him.  Why would he want her hands touching him?  She thought, for a second, what he was really like.  She only ever saw him with those girls, and she laughed softly at the thought.  He's probably either a player... or he's gay.  That would be just her luck.  He was so ... strange...  All of the stories she had heard about him couldn't be true, could they?  He seemed so shy, almost soft, but oh my god, when he grabbed Alex, she had thought he was going to kill him. 

She let her mind drift a bit, thinking about him.  He was cute, in a rugged, country boy kinda way, with his broad shoulders short black hair and goatee.  A little on the short side for her taste, but oh my god, those eyes.  She had never noticed till he bumped into her that day, but his brown puppy eyes and those long lashes were enough to make any mother give in.  She giggled at the thought of his voice.  For a guy with such a tough reputation, his voice was almost high pitched, and soft and seemed like it would crack if he had to speak more than a few words.  She sighed a bit, hoping that she hadn't caused him too much trouble after the Alex thing.  She hadn't noticed anything other than the tension that could be cut with a knife during last period. 

Her thoughts were disrupted when the bus arrived at school.  She gathered her things and made her way through the hallway to her locker, watching all of the others greeting their friends, wishing that she had a few of her own.  She was so awkward, and had such a hard time making friends, and when she did, her smart ass mouth usually got her in trouble, so she had kept mostly to herself since she transferred here.  She really only had a few people that she sort of considered friends in a lose definition of the word, and forget about a boyfriend.  Seemed like the only guys that tried to show interest, didn't know how to make eye contact, and no matter how lonely she got sometimes, she was not gonna settle for some jack ass that only wanted to grope her breasts.

She stopped at her locker to gather up her things for the first few classes, twisting the combination on the lock and opening the door.  As the door swung open, a folded up piece of paper fell out at her feet.  She looked around, seeing nothing but the cattle-like herd of teenagers milling through the hallway.  "What's this?" she asked no one in particular as she knelt to pick it up.  On the outside, she saw her name written on it in an almost forced, neat handwriting.  'This is new' she thought to herself as she unfolded it to see what it was.  Her heart skipped with nervous excitement and sudden curiousity and her lips couldn't help but to curve up in a smile while her face began turning a slight shade of red when she read the words.  In the same careful handwriting, it said...

Devyn,

I'm not the guy that you're looking for

There's not much here to desire

But every time that my eyes see you

it sets my heart on fire.

I've been trying to find the words to say

but I really don't have a clue

How to get the nerve to speak

to someone as perfect as you

I want to say so many things

to tell you how I feel

And if I only had the chance,

I'd try, your heart, to steal.

so, please, be patient with me

as I try to find a way

To finally get the courage

to speak to you some day.

Her face went bright red as a smile grew on her lips.  No one had ever written poetry for her before.  She was a jumbled mix of emotion, ranging from being flattered, to laughing at the thought of being called 'perfect' and then to the thought of, what if this is some crazy stalker?  She hadn't noticed that she had been playing with her braid, and running her hand over her stomach as she was reading.  She quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching her.  Surely whoever had put this note in her locker would be looking to see her reaction?  She looked around a bit longer, trying to see any sign.  Not seeing any, she looked back to the note, thinking that someone must be playing some kind of cruel joke on her, but she couldn't help but think...  'Someone... thinks I'm perfect?  What... the actual... hell...  Who does this?  What is this? 3rd grade?  Why didn't he just put a note in her locker saying "do you love me, check yes or no?".'  Below the poem, was a small note, she read it to see what else this was....

Devyn...  I'm not a crazy stalker... And before you ask, of course I would tell you if I was, it's part of the crazy stalker rule book...  I just really think that you're someone I'd like to get to know better, and who knows what that could lead to... I'm just.. scared..

She folded up the note, putting it in her sketchbook, still a little flustered and not exactly sure what to do next.  "Great.. so.. this guy wants to get to know me, but I have no idea who he is, or even... I can't even tell him to get lost or to just talk...." she whispered.  Boys are so stupid... God.  With that, she made her way to her first class.

Chase had found the perfect spot to watch her open her locker.   He had slipped the note into the vent of her locker while the hallway was empty, then walked around the corner, barely visible and easy enough to duck back out of view if she looked up.  He smiled as her face began to turn red, watching her play with her hair.  He almost got caught when she looked up to scan the hallway, but disappeared behind the corner.  He felt like a mixture of a little kid, and a creep, but he didn't know any other way.  He was hoping for a sign.. something to build his courage to go further, but he couldn't read her.  She seemed a mixture of happy, and annoyed.  As she walked away, he went on to his first class, going over his plan in his mind.  That's when it hit him... he couldn't keep dropping notes.. he was eventually going to have to actually speak to her...  Oh god..