"Happy birthday Rosie."

My best friend Aasa is anything but subtle. I definitely recall telling her yesterday that I was going sans birthday celebration today. But yet, as I walk up to my locker and open it up, she screams out behind me, startling me and making me drop all my books and my back pack but luckily for her, saving my choc chip double shot frappe!

I would literally murder her if she made me drop my precious.

"Sorry!"

"I'm pretty sure I told you that I am not planning on aging this year? Remember?"

"Oh that's right, you are a birthday downer. How could I forget?"

I pick up all my dropped items and cram them back into my locker. The bell sounds over head and we start down the hallway with all the other students, heading for our first class of the day. It's biology and lucky for me, I am acing it.

Aasa in the other hand... is not.

"Ah.... no. Do we have to? Can we ditch and go shopping and sit out in the sun somewhere for your non-birthday birthday?"

"Ah no, you know we can't. We need to do our quiz today?"

"Yes well, I can already tell you I'm going to flunk it so can we please just skip it?"

I throw my empty drink in the trash and I'm about to answer her with my usual book worm college wannabe response when something catches my attention.

Or rather, someone.

Aasa notices me staring behind her and turns to join me in openly and embarrassingly staring at the guy standing out side our classroom door.

He is speaking with Ms Sampson our teacher but as we approach, his gaze lifts over her head and locks onto mine.

His eyes. I don't think I have ever seen anyone with eyes that are such a deep shade of green.

Aasa turns around and steps in front of me, breaking my stare at whoever that is and giving me a face full of smart ass grin.

"Ah, hello? Drool much?"

"Oh shut up. I was just appreciating his looks. It's been ages since we had a new student here worth ogling."

"True true. But sheesh you two were eyeballing hard!"

"I said shut up!"

I head towards the class room and notice she has a bit more of a pep in her step.

"Suddenly keen for the quiz?"

"Oh you know, bio is so important to my future in fashion design. It's essential really."

We laugh together and link arms, squeezing in through the door together. It's only the second week back but everyone has pretty much assigned themselves regular seats.

I look over to the back corner where Aasa and I have been sitting and find the green eyed boy is now taking up residence in our spot.

Aasa elbows me hard in the ribs and I flinch as a reflex and almost knock Jessica Abrams over as she slinks passed us, she drops her purse and gives me daggers as she picks it up.

"Watch it Rosie, this definitely cost more than you can afford."

She looks me up and down and then turns her head back to the corner seat, her sights are set on something or someone else because usually she wouldn't let me off without another dig at my clothing or appearance, neither of which I pay much attention and she never lets me forget it.

She slides in to the seat next to the new guy and Aasa and I are left searching for two seats as ours are now both taken.

We find ourselves rushed my Ms Sampson into separated seats. Aasa gives me a little whimper and sticks her bottom lip out. This clearly did not go as she had hoped.

We sit the quiz and slowly get through the next 50 mins in class. Each time I let my eyes wonder during the quiz quiet time I find myself looking in new guys direction. And both times I have done it he has caught me, because he is looking at me too.

Am I imagining this?

The disgruntled look on Jessica's face says it all. She had noticed it too. Nope, not imagining it.

I spend the rest of the class head down in my book post quiz and avoiding any further staring.
Finally the bell goes and I gather my books and phone into my bag and stand waiting for Aasa who looks as though she is asleep at her desk.

"Excuse me?"

A deep smooth voice questions from beside me and his accent throws me off.

"Yes?"

" I'm sorry, it seems as though I was in your intended seat today and I just wanted to apologise. I'm new and didn't realise there were assigned seats."

"Oh, they are not really, we just sat there the last few times. It's ok really."

"Ok thanks, um? Sorry, your name?"

"Rosie."

"Rosie. I'm Osyris"

"Osyris. That's different isn't it? That must be hard for the Starbucks staff to write on your coffee."

"Haha yes. That's why I generally go by Sy."

"Ok sure. Nice to meet you, Sy."

He nods and I make my way over to Aasa who is lifting her eyebrows up and down repeatedly and attempting to make a pucker with her lips but has ended up looking like she is spasming.

"What was he saying?! He is just a little bit vogue perfect isn't he? My god where is he from? What is his name?"

"I don't know! You were right there Aasa, we spoke for like a minute."

"You are so boring. I bet Jess was chewing his ear off all class!"

I drag her out of the door and down the hall towards her next class. I have a free but she has an elective and she chose fashion this semester, it's the only class we don't have together. My elective is dance and I do that after school today.

I send her in, still puckering and trying to be suggestive and head for the hall that leads out into courtyard.

I head over to my usual bench and tree and take out my head phones. I plug into my phone and start the track I'm going to be using for my routine tonight.

I close my eyes and visualise the movement in my mind, how my body moves, how it feels when i get lost in the music. I love it. It erases everything that I ever have troubling me. And lately, actually, this whole year so far, it hasn't been too much.

Which is nice. I guess the only thing of concern is college. Applications have to be in soon and I haven't broached the subject with my parents but I would like to go out of state. Maybe even international.

But with our family history I dont think they will agree to too far out of let alone anywhere else. It's always been this way, since we left. And I don't even know the whole story. Just that, as always, I can't go too far from home.

But it's been years since we have had any contact from my mothers family so I was hoping they would at least hear me out. For once.

My solace is interrupted when I feel someone tapping me on the shoulder. My eyes fly open and whoever it is stands in the shadow of the tree and the sun shining behind him blocks my view of his face.

"Sorry to interrupt, whatever it is your are doing but may I be presumptuous and ask to join you?"

Sy.

I remove my headphones and nod. Aasa will go nuts over this and I'll spend the remainder of the day dissecting minute details.

I better take notes.

"Sure. It's a free bench after all." I smile at him and slide over on the bench to make room.

"Thanks. You are the only person I have spoken to today, besides that chatty girl in class and she was a bit, forward, for my liking."

"That's putting it nicely! You got off lightly. The last new person she attached herself to was with her for a whole year before he escaped."

He raises shakes his delicious chiselled face at this news and whistles.

"Wow. Ok. Noted. Luckily for me, she isn't my type."

I nod and frown a little, I'm surprised. Usually, she is everyone's type. She is blonde and tall and slim, with the appropriate size in the appropriate places. She is the the high school cliche that everyone hates but secretly wants to be like.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? The accent isn't the usual from around here."

"Oh? It gave me away?" He smiles and his green eyes shine. My god he is breathtaking. I don't think I have ever seen anyone as beautiful as him. He is literally like a movie star.

Stop staring Rosie.

"I'm from Denmark originally but I live in London and now I'm here I guess, just for this year.

"Wow. How exciting. Why on earth would you be at school here of all places?"

He looks at me with a sly smile, very obviously thinking about his reply. He is captivating. His looks set him apart from anyone I have ever seen and there is something about him, that equally excites me and something else too... he terrifies me. The feeling I get when I look into his eyes, it's unlike anything I have ever experienced before. It makes me uneasy. Not even Jessica's bullshit each day makes me feel like this.

"I'm here for my family." He finally answers.

"Oh ok. There is literally 3000 people in this town and I'm sure I know of them all. Who are you here to see?"

"Checking if we are related?" He smirks at me. He is confident, I'll give him that. But that isn't it at all. I'm intrigued by him and I know that once we have finished speaking I will be researching just who he is visiting here.

"No, it's just um, a hobby of mine. Family histories. There is always something juicy to be found."

Yep. I'm such a nerd. Family history is so fascinating though! Like my own. Full of intrigue and secrets but that's literally the one family I'm banned from looking up and it drives me insane! So, instead I just secretly pry into everyone else's.

No harm there right?!

He looks pensively at me. He is either freaked out or embarrassed for me. Either is not great.

"Oh, distant relatives. Something like 8th cousins through marriage I think? My mother and I had to come here to deal with a distant inheritance and when we arrived we realised it would take longer than just the holidays so we decided to stay, make a season of it."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to say that you have landed smack bang in the most boring of towns. Jadetown is famous for nothing and has even less going on."

He smiles that dazzling smile again and I feel my heart pick up pace.

Jeez. I need to settle. Or get a hobby.

"Oh I wouldn't exactly say that." He winks and stands up, picking up his bag.

The bell sounds over head. I snap out of my frozen state and I watch him walk away,  literally turning heads from every girl that he passes by.

This year is going to be a little more interesting than I thought.

~~~~~~~~