Tyler was handing me a beaker of hydrochloric acid when the classroom door opened. I was so focused on the burette I didn't look up, determined not to miss the measurement as the meniscus sank steadily towards the flask below.

"Wow, check it out! New kid," Tyler whispered next to me, as he added a few more of the blue copper sulfate crystals to the weighing tray. I furrowed my eyebrows, watching the liquid level in the burette slowly drip down to where I wanted it.

"Was it 12 or 13 mls?" I asked him, peering down into the flask below the burette. Nope, not a sign of pink.

"Umm...12.76," Tyler said, checking our calculations, "Why? It's not working?"

"I swear I'm jinxed," I said, leaning across him to riffle through the pages. If there was one thing that could overpower the shivers that should be racing through me as I brushed by Tyler, it was chemistry of the academic kind.

"Damn," I muttered, swirling the flask a few times. Dashes of pink appeared, then faded.

"Hold it up to some white paper, you'll be able to see the col-" Tyler began, passing me a piece of paper when Mr. Grant spoke up.

"Class, we have a new student today," he said. The already quiet class went dead silent as all our goggle-covered eyes turned to the front of the room. Pushing my lab goggles onto my head to see better, I exchanged a curious look with Tyler. Sure enough, the new kid we'd seen walking into school that morning was standing next to Mr. Grant. But unlike most new kids, he didn't seem to flinch at all the attention he was suddenly getting. He just looked at us calmly, eyes passing from face to face. I looked him over once again, only to be shocked by the bag dangling at his side. Just like Dakota's, it was covered in pins and graffiti. I couldn't read them from my spot at the back, but I was pretty sure Dakota would approve.

"Mr. Ethan Wheeler will be joining our class," he said, looking over his attendance sheet then up at Dakota's lab group near the front, "You three, next lab I want you to split up. Ethan will join you today, but next class I want it to be two per group,"

"Ten bucks says DK brings him to the Dark Side by lunch," Tyler whispered, "Did you see that bag?". We shared a stifled laugh but weren't quite quiet enough. As Ethan made his way to Dakota's bench, he looked up at us. I tried to smile, hoping it looked friendly and not condescending. Ethan just raised an eyebrow, not looking amused. My smile died as I turned back to the burette. Maybe I hadn't looked as friendly as I'd hoped.

"Looks like she already has," I muttered back, sliding my goggles back onto my face and swirling the flask again.

"You know, being nice people and all, we should probably warn him about DK's problem with illicit substances," Tyler muttered a little while later. I chuckled.

"You never know, he might be straight from the deep South and savvy in the arts of meth cooking," I mumbled, teasing Tyler, "How funny would it be if they turned out to be Breaking Bad - high school edition?"

"Dixie hater!" Tyler hissed jokingly. I chuckled some more as I swirled my new solution.

"So tell me about this surf competition on Friday," I said, filling the silence. The only surfing competition I'd ever been to was one of Tyler's, last summer, which was where my big fat crush on him had roared to life in earnest.

"It's the qualifying round," he said, jotting something down on the paper, "You're welcome to come if you want, I promise I won't wipe out and murder my ankle again,"

"Oh stop," I said, "You were great last time! You looked really good!"

"I spent half the day in the medic's tent," he said bitterly, but then his tone brightened as he looked at me, "But the company was definitely awesome,"

Blushing, I concentrated on measuring the distilled water. I was so sure he was going to kiss me that day, waiting in the medic's tent for the physiotherapist to bring back some ice. But Katie just had to burst in screaming something about how hot and amazing the last competitor was. Which makes sense, because Katie's about as sensitive as a doorknob when it comes to other people. It probably never even crossed her mind to ask how Tyler's sprained ankle was, seeing as he was the one who'd invited us in the first place.

The more depressing thing, though, would have to be that Tyler and I had never come that close to kissing again. It had been almost three months and I'd been sure to supply plenty of opportunities, but I was beginning to wonder whether he even liked me in "that way" at all.

********

"So, what's the new kid like?" Deanna asked me as we left History class later that day.

"Dunno, seems primed to be one of DK's minions," I said, glaring at a couple of wannabe freshmen. They snickered at me until Deanna fixed them with her cold eyes, effectively shutting them up. If Dea was good at anything, it was intimidation. I'm too blonde and friendly-looking to shut kids up with a glare, while Deanna's got the sultry sex-kitten thing going for her. Nobody crosses her, especially since she'll pretty much ruin their life if they do. That's why Dakota pisses her off so much, she hasn't even shown the slightest bit of emotional breakdown because of Deanna's social torture.

"Oh, we'll change that," Deanna said, her voice dangerous as a lean redhead sauntered up to us.

"Courtney!" I squealed, throwing my arms around her.

"Maddie!" she squealed in return, air-kissing me.

"Hi Court," Deanna offered calmly. Courtney smiled as she linked arms with me. Courtney was tall with seemingly endless legs. She had gorgeous (and natural!) fiery red hair that fell in perfect loose ringlets onto her freckled shoulders. She was a ballet dancer and it showed by her lean frame and relative lack of boobs.

Courtney had been the first to befriend my newly made-over self in freshman year. Ever since then we'd been best friends, especially since she only lived a few doors down from me. She also happened to be the only one that knew about my monster-crush on Tyler.

"So I heard about icky monkey's drug issue," Courtney said, an evil glint in her eye. Thanks to Dakota's nickname being DK, Deanna had brilliantly started calling her an ape in the first week back from summer vacation, but the fact that moniker didn't phase the queen of the activists just pissed Deanna off even more.

"Yeah, Dea's plotting already," I eye-rolled. Deanna smirked, before snapping to attention as Ethan Wheeler appeared across the hallway, stowing some stuff in his locker.

"Well well well," Deanna said, her eyes narrowing mischievously, "Let's see what magic we can work. Follow me, girls." Courtney and I exchanged raised-eyebrow looks as we followed her.

"So Ethan, right?" Deanna began, approaching the new kid. Courtney rolled her eyes as we realized Deanna was using her sexy voice. Not that it wasn't sexy or anything - the A guys assured me it really, really was - but it just seemed like she was coming on a little strong.

"That's right," he said, closing his locker and evenly meeting Deanna's eyes. He barely flinched under her gaze and seemed more amused than intimidated. The way he crossed his arms and leaned against his locker oozed overconfidence.

"I'm Deanna," she said tossing her dark hair, "and these are Courtney and Madison. Look, we were just wondering whether you wanted to join us for lunch and-"

"Wow, that's so sweet of you," Ethan said, his voice positively dripping with sarcasm, "You know I've always wanted to have lunch with the class whores. I mean, an invite on the first day? Damn you must be easy,"

There was silence. Deanna's expression had morphed to one of unveiled rage and I could tell there was a fiery retort brewing. Courtney's jaw had swung open as she'd let out an angry gasp. I, on the other hand, was somehow not surprised by Ethan's reaction. I mean yeah, I was pissed as hell for that jerk calling me a whore, but for some reason I'd just known he wasn't going to take kindly to Deanna.

"I mean," he continued, cutting off whatever Deanna was about to say and fixing me with his steel-gray eyes, "If Madison had offered me lunch just the two of us I'd have gladly complied. In fact, if you can overlook this little altercation, Madison, I'd be honoured if you graced my lunch table with your presence,"

One of my eyebrows lifted quizzically as Deanna and Courtney whipped around to face me. I couldn't tell if Ethan was seriously expecting me to answer him, because for the first time his tone wasn't colored by sarcasm.

"She most certainly will not!" Deanna snarled, whirling back around to glare at Ethan. It was only when Ethan's eyes ventured away from my face to do an up-down that I snorted in disgust.

"Yeah, like I'd have lunch with some wannabe perv like you," I snapped. Deanna shot me a dirty look, shaking her head in disbelief at how long it took me to respond, before turning back to Ethan.

"You've just passed up a big chance, new kid," she said, her tone 100%-bitch, "And don't think your diss is gonna go over lightly,"

"Oh I'm positively quivering," he retorted, aloof and sarcastic. His eyes had left me the second I'd spoken and hadn't returned.

"You know, I'd half-hoped a guy like you would actually be decent," Courtney sneered, speaking up for the first time as we all turned to leave, "Turns out you're as much of a jerk as the rest."

At that, Ethan positively exploded with laughter. Shaking my head in utter disgust, I followed a fuming Deanna towards the cafeteria. It was only as we were about to turn the corner that Ethan shouted to us.

"Call me what you want, hot-head red, but my offer still stands for lunch Madison!" he called. Courtney's face contorted with rage and I placed a hand on her elbow to calm her. Throwing a dirty look back towards Ethan, I ushered Courtney into the cafeteria, muttering things to calm her down. The last thing I wanted was for her to blow up and cause even more of a scene, which was exactly what Ethan Wheeler had wanted.

******

"Effing bastard!" Deanna half-screamed, thumping into the chair next to Brad. Courtney flounced into place next to Olivier, her boyfriend, not wasting an instant to start going off about the new kid also. Taking my seat between Brad and Tierra, I was the only one that didn't begin an all-out bitchfest.

"It's never good to keep it all inside," Brad said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling my chair right next to his, "You know if you vent I'll listen,"

"Thanks, but no Brad," I chuckled, pushing him away as he cried, "What? come on! It was an innocent offer Maddie baby!"

"Seriously, what the hell happened?" Katie demanded, her forkful of dressing-free salad halfway to her mouth.

"Deanna invited the new kid to lunch and he refused," I said simply, fishing through my bag for my wallet.

"But seriously, what really happened?" Katie asked, leaning towards me, the lettuce waggling mid-air on her fork.

"He went full-asshole when Deanna asked, started calling us names and stuff," I muttered, pushing my chair out to go to the lunch line. Even I can only handle so much drama. Leaving Deanna to fume at Craig, her boyfriend sitting across from her, and Courtney to start whining on Olivier's shoulder, I made my way across the cafeteria to the lunch line.

It felt weird getting lunch alone. Normally I always had Courtney, Tyler, Brad, or at least another junior A with me, but this time I was totally by my lonesome self. That is, until I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"You know I wasn't talking about you back there, right?" My head jerked to the side to see Ethan standing behind me. I thanked the skies that there was a wall blocking my lunch table from view.

"What, trying to make amends? Scared you've pissed off us 'easy whores'? Move on dickhead," I said, pulling a salad from the stager.

"Chill out there tiger," he said, reaching across me to grab a fruit salad, "No need for the namecalling,"

"That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?" I snorted, "Why don't you run along and make friends with Dakota Schneider? At least she can sympathize with your opinion of us,"

"Us. Again with the us. I wasn't talking about you before," he said, "Just the other two you were with. How can someone who likes chemistry so much hang around with airheads like them?"

I glared at him, unable to decide if I should keep yelling at him or walk away. Most of that indecision, however, was based on the fact this guy I barely knew had hit the nail on the head.

"Quit dissing my friends, okay?" I snapped lamely as I quickly turned away. I wasn't about to let him see how his comment had hit home.

"Loyal to the death, huh Madison? I suppose it makes dealing with them a little easier," he said, brushing my hand as he reached for a Coke. Thoroughly pissed off now, I lifted my tray of the track and faced him.

"Why are you talking to me? Like seriously, why the hell are you talking to me?" I demanded, mustering as much of a Deanna ice-glare as I could. Only then did I realize he was tall, almost as tall as Brett. He had pretty nice hair too. It was golden brown and gelled up in a way I'd only expect to see on an A-lister. I blinked away the momentary distraction that he had all the physical makings of an A-lister and yet was so obviously not trying to be one.

"I was trying to be nice," he said, lifting an eyebrow and looking thoroughly amused which just pissed me off more, "You seemed like a rather interesting person until I found out what kind of girl you really are. Oh well, my mistake,"

With a shrug he turned around and walked away. My jaw dropped in a mixture of rage and resentment. I wasn't going to let a snarky jerk like him have the final word.

"I hope you realize who you've crossed," I snapped, coming up level with him as I headed to the cash, "You'd seriously better watch whose toes you step on or you'll be stuck sitting with them," I nodded towards a table of immature freshmen who were drooling over a Maxim magazine and blowing snot bubbles.

"Or I could be sitting with a lovely girl like yourself," he replied coolly, "If only she could manage to sacrifice her oh-so-precious reputation for one little lunch hour."

"Dream on," I eye-rolled, pulling the money from my wallet and thrusting it towards the cashier.

"I will, Madison, don't you worry your gorgeous little head," he said as I told the cashier to keep the change and stormed off towards the table.

That was the first time anyone had managed to get so thoroughly under my skin while remaining completely unscathed by all the venomous words I'd spit. Deanna might've been pissed off by her altercation with him, but mine had left me more than a little unsettled and intrigued by this high school enigma and his endless supply of cocky comebacks. There seemed to be so much more to this Ethan Wheeler guy than I could gather from his outward appearance - a scary notion for someone like me.