Nicole's POV
--

I stare ahead at the board, not trusting myself if I looked at him. The teacher only nods and goes back to what she was previously saying.

Next thing I know, the kid sits in the desk next to mine. Everyone is still staring at him, and he glances around.

"What? Is there something on my face?" He turns to me. "Is there something on my face?" His emerald eyes flicker with amusement. He is enjoying this. Snickers fill the room as the center of attention is directed back to the teacher. Why did he sit next to me? I'm at the back of the classroom and there are so many other seats yet to be filled.

"So. What are we doing?" The boy, Dallas, leans towards me, still watching the teacher.

"Um... " It takes me a second to respond as I think about how close he is. "Taking notes about the lesson." I say, my voice coming out as a whisper. I have no idea how he hears me, but he nods and begins writing.

Several glances shoot our way, making me sink in my seat. This is who Chloe and Ruby were talking about. I'm certain of it.

"I'm Dallas. Who are you?" He suddenly asks me, resting his intense emerald eyes on me. They pin me down, making me unable to move and it takes me a few minutes to recover. A blush creeps into my cheeks as I realize I was staring.

"I'm Nicole." I say, quickly tearing my gaze from his. He grins and nods, showing off his adorable dimples. Adorable? What?

"Pleasure to meet ya, Nicole." He says, bobbing his head. I like the way my name tastes on his lips. Hearing him say it sends shivers of excitement down my spine. Where is this coming from?

--

At Lunch, I sit at one of the empty tables, bringing my lunch up onto the table. I have a sandwich, salami, a bag of Fritos, and a Capri Sun. Good lunch.

Everyone avoids my table, going off to sit with their friends. Ha. I don't have any. Besides Mrs. Desiree.

That's when the Hero and Sidekick sidle over, sneers plastered onto their perfect faces. Chloe and Ruby. The devil and the demon spawn.

They sit at my table, each on one side of me. I stare down at my sandwich, it suddenly becoming interesting.

"I heard you met him." Chloe growls."

"And he sat next to you," snarls Ruby. Their eyes glint with malevolence.

"Don't look at me. You should ask him." I grumble.

"She speaks!" Chloe says shrilly. "You better watch it, girl. Things don't end up well when I don't get what I want. " She grins at me and her and Ruby stand up. With a flick of their heads, they walk away.

A few minutes later, another unexpected visitor sits at my table. I look up to see emerald green eyes staring down at me. A grin is on Dallas's face as he starts talking about our English assignment. I stare at him.

"Why are you sitting here?" I blurt, immediately feeling rude. I blush and look down at my food. "Sorry. No one ever sits with me."

"Well, I'm here to change that, Nic!" He leans towards me, his eyes suddenly growing wide. "Can I call you that?"

I smile sheepishly, fiddling with the straw of my Capri sun. I'm suddenly very aware of my sloppy appearance. My hair is a mess and my make-up isn't the smoothest.

"Sure." He breaks into a full smile, his teeth perfectly straight and he literally lights up the room. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, something that startles me deeply. That's when I notice we are the center of attention, AGAIN. My eyes fall back to my sandwich as hundreds of eyes stare with disapproving looks. The whispers fire up again.

"What's he doing sitting with her?"

"He could do so much better."

"Have you heard his accent?"

Dallas just chews his own sandwich, acting like nothing has happened.

"So, Nic. To answer your question, you seem like you're in need of a friend." I meet his searching gaze. His eyes are like green flames, dancing and swirling so I can't tell what he's thinking. His next words surprise me even more than his unpredictable eyes. "Why shouldn't I sit with you?" Well, because I'm me. And no one likes me. I don't know why. But that's the truth and I've come to accept it.

He runs a hand through his dirty blond hair, making it stick up in waves. Yet somehow, it doesn't look messy.

As if just noticing everyone else's staring, he glances around, a frown on his face and I yearn for a way to make him smile again.

"You might want to rethink sitting with me. I attract a lot of bad attention. It'll be horrible on your reputation." That only makes him roll his eyes and grin, relief rushing through me.

"Oh no. My reputation. What will I ever do without it?" He asks flatly, giving me a humorless face before chuckling and taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I'm serious."

"I am, too."

"You're hopeless."

"You're hopeful."

"That doesn't even make sense." I state, rolling my own eyes. I'm actually participating in a conversation. One of the longest ones I've ever had. I hardly ever talk to people. There never was a need to. And these feelings; these, these, these EMOTIONS. I'm not used to them. They keep building up and I know, I KNOW, that one day I'm gonna burst. Whatever these feelings are, they need to be extinguished. And soon. I don't want to explode.

"I know." He wiggles his head sassily and takes another bite of his sandwich. "I excel at that." He grins again. Does he insist on squeezing my heart every second? I push the feeling within my chest away. I'll just ignore them. They'll go away by themselves.

"Not gonna argue with that." I grumble and sip my Capri sun.

When we both finish eating, I stand, grabbing my light blue backpack and slipping it over my shoulder. He stands, too, hefting his black backpack. I turn and start to walk to the exit, my sneakers feeling flimsy. My hair sways in a ponytail to the middle of my back.

"So. Where we going?" He asks, nudging my shoulder. Small tingles prickle on my skin, but I push the thought away.

"We?" I raise my eyebrows at him and slow down as we reach the exit to look at him.

"You heard me. Where are we going? Or do you not want my company?" He teases, his emerald green eyes twinkling. He knows I'm lonely. Who wouldn't be with no friends? This is weird, he's talking to me and he actually wants to be around me.

"Well. I'M going to the library to see Mrs. Desiree. " I reply smoothly and reach for the doors. Before I can register what's happening, he jerks forward, pushing the silver bar with a loud clank, and holds it open for me. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He watches me blankly, no emotion showing. Hesitantly, I walk through and he joins me as we stride through the school hallways until we reach the library. Again, he pushes the door open for me.

--

Later on, when the bell rings for last period, we both walk to the door. I found a really good book and am clutching it excitedly as we walked to our next class. Before we enter, he turns to me.

"Wanna hang out today?" My eyebrows shoot up again for the thousandth time today.

"W-What?" I ask startled. My hands clench my book tighter, my knuckles starting to turn white. He only grins.

"Do you, Nic, want to hang out today?" He pronounces the words very slowly and carefully, making me roll my eyes.

"You want to hang out with me? "

"Yeah. We can chew the fat." A grin slips onto my face at his adorable accent and Australian slang.

"Chew the fat?" I ask, tilting my head. I don't care if I'm late to class again. He winces.

"Sorry. I'm not used to American speech. I mean we can 'engage in conversation.'" He does his best imitation of an American accent, making me giggle. Oh my gosh. I just giggled. I never giggle.

"Why would you want to hang out with me? "

"Because you're a fun person. True blue! I mean, er- honest!" He grins.

"Alright. My house or yours?"

"Yours." He replies before I can even finish. "We can yabber later. Come on." With that, he opens the door for the both of us and heads in.