Ella

Everything in that moment seems to have frozen.

The only thing that's on my mind, is the lips that are kissing me. Dean Schloric, is kissing me, and I'm letting him. It's not rough, or forced, or wet, or messy. It's soft and slow, making the world feel alright, making me believe we'll get out of this, making me believe that Dean isn't the same person I met two years ago. Making me believe that we can work. Human and alien, we can work.

My body is humming with this feeling that seems to shatter through my veins, and I find myself holding onto Dean's arm, my fingers pressing into his flesh as I try to pull him closer to me. We're already so close, however, so all it does is just press us tighter against one another, but neither of us mind. I only ever thought about kissing Dean a few times in my life, but I never imagined it would make me feel the way it does now. I like it, I like it a lot.

However, my mind seems to tell me that I shouldn't like it despite my heart telling me it's okay. Needless to say, I listen to my mind, and push Dean away from me, a certain hurt forming into his eyes, and I find myself hurt from seeing him hurt. "What's the matter with you?" I try to snap, but my voice comes out deeper then normal and nothing--whatsoever--anything close to sounding angry.

"I've been wanting to shut you up since I first met you, Ella Henderson, and I didn't think anything else would really shut you up, so I kissed you," he admits, as if he can just go around kissing people to shut them up.

"You can't just go around kissing whomever you want," I point out, my breath still uneven from what occurred only moments ago. Only moments ago, yet already seeming so far away.

"Yes, I most certainly can," he replies, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, and it makes me want to smile that throughout all the things we're going through now, and the situation we're in, we can still find a sort of happiness. "I'm Dean Schloric, and you once told me I had the power to do whatever and accomplish whatever I set my mind to. I set my mind to kissing you, Ella Henderson, and I did just as I wanted." He smiles at me, a certain smile that I haven't seen from Dean in so long. A smile that reminds me of a little boy in a candy store. A smile that reminds me of how my father would smile at my mother. A smile that reminds me of happier days before this tragedy from space struck Earth. A smile that causes my heart to grow sad from seeing, for this smile reminds me of the first day I seen Dean.

Two Years Before

I'm officially a Sophomore today. I don't feel any older or wiser, but I hope that I'll do really well in school this year, and that Brad might finally notice me. I doubt it, though, he only notices the prettier girls, the cheerleaders, the ones that cheer him on during his games. If he did notice me, however, I really do think we'd get along.

Hunter, my best friend, is standing next to me while I collect my things from my locker. He adjusts his glasses, laughing at something stupid I said, before I shut my locker and turn around, only to be met with a new face I've never seen, walking down the hall, smiling and laughing with a few people around him.

He's a Norovian, I can tell by his pointed ears and yellow eyes. They've come from their planet North, confirming our wonders about extraterrestrial life. It's cool in a way, but I don't really like the idea of them being here. What are their motives? What do they want with our planet? Why'd they leave their own planet? It doesn't' make sense to me. Not to mention I've tried talking with one today, and they were straight up rude. My mother's been working with them in the factories, and she says they're rude as well, causing me to have a sort of distaste towards them.

However, this boy doesn't look the least bit rude. He looks so happy and alive, that I can't help but smile, even though I have no idea what he's laughing at. Maybe he's different, maybe he's not rude like the rest of them. Or perhaps, maybe they're not all rude, maybe they're like humans...some are bad, but most are good.

Present Day

I thought he was different, I thought he was happy and would be kind. I should have known he wouldn't be, for he was gorgeous, and gorgeous boys in school become popular and it gets to their heads. I really thought he was different, so different that I forgot about Brad in those moments. I forgot about everything but Dean, and I wanted to get to know him. He gave me so much faith that not all of them were bad, that there were good in them like there are in humans, but it flushed away when he talked to me. He embarrassed me, made fun of me, tore me down in every way imaginable, and my hopes were shattered.

He left my thoughts, and Brad came back into them. I was ashamed to have believed he was different, to have seen something in him. Most importantly, I was ashamed that I crushed on him a little bit. He was so gorgeous and happy, it seemed, that it was impossible to dislike him. That's at least what I thought before I knew him.

Now, he stands in front of me, with a happy smile on his face, telling me he got what he wanted. Isn't that how it's always been, Dean? I want to ask him. He wanted to tear me down for his own entertainment, and surprise, it worked.

His smile fades away, and I can tell he senses there's something wrong. There will always be something wrong with us, no matter what my heart tells me. My heart once told me he was good, my heart once liked him a little bit, but my heart was wrong. Why would it be right this time? Why would it not break me like it always has?

I care about Dean so much--I really do--and I want him to kiss me again. I want that so much, but I have to tell myself that's not what I need. Need and want are two separate things, and I can't get them confused. I'm sorry, my eyes tell him, and I look away. I can feel myself getting emotional, but I blink back the tears, noticing that Carol and Mark's eyes are on the both of us, their mouths slightly agape at what just happened.

I knew that I cared for Dean before this kiss, that he was a best friend of mine, but it scares me now to wonder how much I truly care for him after he kissed me. It's like he ignited a fire inside, a forest fire that won't be able to be put out. What have we done? I ask myself, just as Hunter stirs and his eyes open, letting us all take our minds off of what just happened a few moments ago, even though I don't think anything could possible take that off my mind, no matter what.