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❝It was her chaos that made her beautiful.❞

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THE NEXT DAY flies by, floating on a series of uneventful happenings and weird glances exchanged between Hunter and me. It's finally the last period, AP Physics, and I'm barely making my way through the halls without toppling over. I didn't get much sleep last night; my brain was restless and filled with unwanted thoughts of unwanted people.

I walk into the class and make my way to my seat, then open my textbook, and rest my head in my hands, waiting for the rest of the class to fill in.

I'm snapped out of my trance when Heidi rushes in with her backpack half opened, her books almost tumbling from her arms, and a crazed look on her face. Her bag falls on the floor, and her books on the desk with a smack.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask, turning my head only a fraction to the right to look at her.

"Hot. . ." she says breathlessly, trying to tame her hair, "really hot. . . sub. . ."

"Good morning, lifeless children. I'm Brian Miller, it's Mr. Miller for you, guys, and I'm going to be your substitute teacher for the next few months until Mrs. Clarkson comes back."

I don't even know when he walked in, but he spends his little introduction with his back to us so he can write on the board.

"That's him," Heidi hisses, still breathless, as Mr. Miller turns around.

And I get why she's breathless.

He seems to be in his early twenties with sun-kissed skin, dark, hooded eyes, a light five o'clock stubble on his sharp jaw, and a tall and lean figure. For some reason, he looks really familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it. He gives us a half-smile which makes almost all the girls in the class giggle, and I don't blame them.

His eyes go over everyone in class, and my stomach lurches when they go over mine. I bite the insides of my cheeks; stupid, stupid, hormones.

"I obviously can't keep calling everyone you, he, and she, so I'm going to ask you guys to give me your names with a short fact about you." He claps his hands and nods his head at Heidi. "Let's start with you."

I bite my lips to keep from laughing out loud when Heidi nervously pinches my thigh under our desks. 

She clears her throat and sits up straighter. "I'm Heidi Forbes, and I was born in Germany."

"Nice," he nods. Then, he turns me and crosses his arms.

"My name is India Ferngdon, and I was named after the Indus constellation." He raises his eyebrows in surprise and gestures for me to continue. "The Indus constellation was created by Petrus Plancius. Plancius saw the stars arranged as a man with a bow and arrow. It symbolizes courage and strength because, in order for the arrow to be shot forward, it needs to be pulled back first. Just like life hitting you with the bad stuff, and having some courage to go through it,  before the good comes. "

His smile widens. "I definitely won't be forgetting that in a while."

I lick my lips, drawing the courage to speak the next words. "Do you mind me asking, sir, how old you are?"

He chuckles. "No, I don't, I'm twenty-four."

We hear a low whistle from the back, making the whole class laugh, including Mr. Miller himself.

I smirk as I push it. "Isn't that a bit too young for you to be a teacher?"

He doesn't seem to mind the question. "This is just a side job thing for my post-college break, and until Mrs. Clarkson comes back." His gaze lingers on me for four more seconds before turning to the guy in front of me. "What about you?"

"Travis, and I like playing lacrosse." He shrugs nonchalantly.

That's how it goes for the rest of the period, with me giving comments every now and then, until there are only fifteen minutes left. We spend it doing worksheets so Mr. Miller can see where we left off. 

When the bell rings, Heidi and I leave the class together, and after getting our books, we walk through the hallway to Phoebe's car; she told us earlier that she needs to tell us something about a party.

I spot our group surely standing next to Phoebe's Mercedes. She's standing in front of Hunter with his arms wrapped around her waist, and her mouth seems to be moving as if talking. He nods every once in a while without saying anything. Next to them, Jeromy and Ruby are arguing, and my lips lift up in a smile when he starts laughing hard, earning a frustrated scream from Ruby.

Once she sees us, Phoebe wiggles her fingers at us in greeting, and I tightly smile back. 

"How's the hot sub?" she asks as soon as we're in hearing range.

Before I can say anything, Heidi beats me to it excitedly with a grin. "He is hot with a capital H, and his voice sounds like the offspring of velvet and dark chocolate in vibrations. I couldn't listen to a single thing he said because I was too focused on his face. And India was practically flirting with him."

"I wasn't flirting, I was just having fun." I roll my eyes. I feel a shiver crawl down my spine, even though the air is hot and sticky, when I see Hunter staring at me from the corner of my eyes. My eyes shift to his gray ones for a second before turning back to Phoebe. I used to think they were the color of a post-storm gray sky. Now, I think they're the the color of the storm itself.  "Why did you want us to meet here?"

Phoebe steps out of Hunter's arms and smiles. "There's this party that only the elite will be going to from this town. It's a masquerade ball with gowns, masks, and everything. We have to go."

"When is it?" Jeromy asks.

"Tomorrow at 8. South High Quarters."

Heidi squeals as she slightly jumps on her heels. "We should definitely go."

"Is everyone on board?" Phoebe asks. The question is, in a way, a rhetorical question. She doesn't expect an answer; we're all going. Nevertheless, I shrug and everyone agrees. 

"Okay, the limo will start from the boys, and then they'll stop by my house. So, the girls will be getting ready at my house."

We settle on a few more agreements and decisions before finally deciding to go home. I leave the group, and head to my own car at the other side of the parking lot, unfortunately.

After about five minutes of walking in the heat, I finally reach my destination. That's when I spot the familiar brunette, though his eyes obscured by a pair of Ray Bans, leaning on a car next to mine with crossed arms.

"Ethan?"

He turns his head to me, and pushes his sunglasses into his hair, his face lighting up in recognition. "India. I didn't know you go to Kingston."

I smile knowingly as I walk closer to him. "Did you not? I'm getting a creepy stalker vibe from you."

He laughs. "Nah, you may be gorgeous and funny, but I wouldn't risk going to jail again for you."

I feel a light blush travel up my neck and to my cheeks upon hearing his words. "So, why are you really here?"

"I'm waiting for my brother. He's supposed to be out any second now."

"Your brother goes here?" 

He scrunches his nose up in a cute manner. "Not exactly. He teaches here."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Before I can ask him anything else, he nods his head behind me. "That's him."

I turn around and take a step backward in surprise.

"Mr. Miller?" My eyes widen as I turn back to Ethan. "He's your brother?"

"Yes, he is," Ethan says just as Mr. Miller says, "Yes, I am."

"She your girlfriend?" Mr. Miller asks with a smirk as he rounds their car.

I'm still in shock as Ethan laughs and rubs the back of his neck with a shake of his head. "No, uhh, Brian, I thought we'd agree not to embarrass me every time I-"

"Why? I'm not embarrassing you. She's pretty, smart, and-"

That's when I'm snapped back to my senses, when his words make me blush a deep scarlet red.

"Okayyy, that's enough, Brian. Thank you very much."

Mr. Miller -- Brian -- I don't know what to call him -- shrugs with a smile before stepping into the car.

"Sorry about that. Other than teaching, he has a full-time job of annoying me and embarrassing every girl he sees me with." He laughs.

I smile as I start backing away from him, walking to the other side of my car. "Tomorrow be there at 8 in the South High Quarters. Wear a nice suit and a mask."

His smile widens if only for a fraction, and he raises an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out?"

"I'll see you there!" I call out before stepping into my car and shutting the door.