A year to remember

6. Sam

Our timetable was divided into block scheduling, meaning I had four classes on one day, and then another four the next day. English and History were on one day, Chemistry and Algebra fell on another. This meant I had a class with Jared every single day. A full ninety minutes where I could sit and watch him and just exist in his world.

He had a wonderful scent, I soon realised. I had never really been close enough to breathe him in properly, but today, in History, when he was sitting right beside me, I could smell him. He smelt dry, earthy, woody, leathery, sweet and citrusy all combined. Clean and fresh, just as I imagined he would. 

He looked absolutely delicious in a white t-shirt with an unbuttoned red checkered shirt over the top. It's sleeves were rolled up to just below the elbows. He wore a vintage Rolex with a leather band, and dark jeans and black converse. He looked absolutely divine, and I wondered, for the full ninety minute lesson, what his lips might taste like.

He seemed distracted today. I knew he had a 'welcome to senior year' party on Friday night; I'd heard all the popular people talking about what an amazing time they had. But he hadn't uttered one word about it. That was the difference between the cheerleaders and jocks and the fabulous four; they didn't need to keep talking about the latest and greatest social event to stay relevant.

He was tapping his foot under the table. That was new. He had never tapped his foot like that before. It was almost with a nervous energy. I wondered what troubled his beautiful mind. The moment class was over, he stood up and walked straight-out of the room, without talking to anyone. That was also new. He usually lingered as the cheerleaders walked over to speak to him. We didn't even make eye contact once, the entire lesson. But that was okay, because we had the whole year to build our relationship. At least I got to smell him.

On my way to English, I walked past the new principals office. "Well it's pretty fucked if you ask me," I heard a familiar voice behind the closed door. I slowed down, eager to hear more.

"I understand you're upset, but I'd urge you to consider your language before speaking to your Principal that way, Miss Vanderbilt."

With a huff, the principals door opened and Alyssa stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I followed her to English, wondering what she was so clearly upset about. First Jared and now Alyssa; something was troubling the elite. I took my seat beside her just as class was beginning. I was about to say hello, and introduce myself, or rather re-introduce myself, when Ms George started to speak. I have to say, I wasn't usually a fan of English, but today it was surprisingly almost as good as History. A few interesting things happened that gave me some insight into the lives of the rich and the famous; Alyssa Vanderbilt's in particular.

The first thing that happened was that we got a new student in our class. His name was Jake Crawford, an incredibly good looking boy with a very sexy accent. His body was lean and muscled, that was easy for everyone to see, even under the fabric of his long sleeved shirt. I never thought I would say this, but his looks rivalled Jared's. If I wasn't so devoted to my one true love, I would probably find this new boy deliciously distracting. He had dimples, which made me melt; his left seemed deeper than his right. He also had a split, slightly swollen lip and a slight bruise above his left eyebrow, which made me think he was a bad boy and no doubt very sexy. Then I noticed the tattoos on his long, tanned, sexy fingers and I knew he was definitely a bad boy. But in contrast to that, he had a quiet confidence and easy charm to his nature, but he seemed humble too; he didn't look overly comfortable standing in front of the class, all eyes on him, unlike some people I knew. But the most interesting part of all, was the way Alyssa Vanderbilt gasped when she looked up from her desk and saw him. The whole class was talking excitedly, the girls already gushing over him, but still, I heard her small gasp.

The second thing that happened, was that Jake seemed to notice Alyssa too. Not in the way most boys do, in an obvious sexually-desirable type of way, but like he actually knew her. And she looked at him like she knew him too. I saw the small smile he gave her before he took his seat. Interesting. Very interesting. I watched him carefully, out of the corner of my eye. He sat in an empty chair, one row over and in front of us, as directed by the teacher. He didn't turn around to look at her once. He was very cool, calm and collected. Alyssa, however, kept looking over at him throughout class and I wondered what she was thinking. Her piercing eyes kept darting to him, and whether she meant for them to or not, they betrayed her.

After class, I was slow to put away my books as Alyssa gathered hers quickly. I intentionally dropped pencil shavings on the ground, and bent down to pick them up slowly, one by one. I was rewarded for my efforts, as Alyssa approached Jake, and I overheard every word of their conversation.

"Hi," she said quietly, almost amiably. How extraordinarily unlike her.

"Hey," he replied and I noticed he gave her a gentle smile. He was even more beautiful when he smiled. "How are you?"

He said 'how are you', not 'nice to meet you.'  This implied they had already met. Interesting.

"I'm okay," she replied. I glanced toward her subtly and saw her brush her hair back from her face, then gently touch his left chest, her delicate, slim fingers close to his shoulder. The touch was gentle and intimate. "How's your shoulder?" She asked softly, watching him closely.

He watched her back, apparently at ease with her touch. He leaned back against the desk, casually and calmly. "It's not bad," he replied. 

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" She teased lightly.

I wonder what she did to his shoulder? Probably crazy rough sex by the sound of it.

"It wasn't your fault." He replied, and the way he dipped his head slightly to maintain eye contact conveyed he had said this to her before and he wanted her to understand that.

"I'm an excellent nurse, you know." She flirted, flashing him a stunning Alyssa Vanderbilt smile of perfection, and he chucked at that.

I choked on my own saliva and made a spluttering sound. I covered it with a cough, and finished picking up the rest of my pencil shavings, then collected my items and left the room. The chances of them being too intensely consumed within one another to notice me were pretty high, but I had already lingered for too long. Plus, I had to go find Paige and tell her the news.

My suspicions were confirmed; they knew one another, and intimately at that.