Prologue

 She trailed her fingers along the tips of tall grass as she walked through the meadow. A few stray strands of the grass had grown taller than the rest and were caressing her arms as she passed. The grass tickled her bare legs as she walked and she kept a small smile playing at her lips. Her cheeks were high and a soft, warm rosy color. Her hazel eyes were cast down ward, and she eventually shut them as if to be part of the earth with out seeing it. The earth was soft and cool beneath her bare feet as she felt it shape to her toes, and a soft sweet wind wrapped around her. It played with the skirt of her dress and lifted her hair just a little. The sun shined brightly warming her back, and lighting up her hair. It made her dress appear to glow. Her dress fit her body just grand. It was tight around her curves and then flowed towards her knees where it ended.

Her beautiful hair was blond, and the blond was magnified by the sun. It had a slight wave to it that was cute and natural. It flowed behind her as she moved. It radiated in the sun. She started to dance gently, as if the wing were winding music around her. She span and spun, stopping briefly for me to see her face, she was, as I just realized…me! I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice she was me before.

Her, I mean my, eyes stared at me. Then they sharply looked behind me and back again. I just stared at her, err me. She, no I, looked frustrated. She, I, looked back and forth between me and something behind me. Finally I understood what she, I, wanted. She wanted me to look behind me. At something or someone there. Slowly I turned around to what she, I, seemed to want me to see. When I looked though, I thought maybe I shouldn’t have, for my own health.

I though I was going to drop to my knees. My breathing came heavy and m heart started racing, faster, and faster. Everything started to fade away. The grass no longer tickled me, the wind didn’t brush against my skin softly, I couldn’t feel the cool earth beneath me. The only thing I saw, was him. The only thing I felt was the pull towards him. A pull that I could only resist because I was frozen to the ground, paralyzed. Standing before me had to be the most handsome man I have ever seen in my entire life.

He was wearing black tennis shoes that were mostly covered by a pair of dark loose jeans. They weren’t the kind of jeans that are baggy loose but not those awful tight skinny jeans. They seemed to have breathing room. A cut that fit him perfectly. He was wearing a brown belt that was covered, for the most part, by a short sleeved, un-tucked, button up, black shirt. The shirt was just tight enough to show the outline of his muscles. His shirt had the top few buttons undone showing the top of his chest which looked perfectly carved. His arms were lined with muscle but not overly bulked. His hands rested on his crossed arms. They looked powerful, but gentle. Unable to look at his face yet, I skip to his hair and continue to drink in all his details. His hair was dark and tussled. It had that adorable flip at the end of it that all girls love. It was messy, but stylish. Finally, slowly, I let my gaze fall to his face. This almost stopped my breathing all together. His jaw was defined and powerful, and his nose was strong. He had strong lips that looked like they could overpower someone. They had a smile that was playing across them. He had high cheek bones, and shimmering eyes. They were a deep blue, so deep I thought I would get lost in them, my mind did for a moment. As I stared into his eyes I realized he was talking to me. Well not me me, but her me.

She smiled as he spoke and wrapped her arms around him, and his around her. He gently laughed and it felt like velvet noise. I couldn’t tell or hear what they were talking about but I wish I could. They became silent and faced more towards me, but still holding onto each other.

That’s when I realized I had mental problems because, I talked, to myself. She, I, told myself, “Someday, things will change. Somehow, he will find you. He will protect us.” Okay this girl was definitely not me because no way would I ever say something like that.

Then for the first time he actually spoke to me. His voice was sweet and rich like chocolate. “Remember,” he said. And it was to his voice, and that one word, that I woke up. Because at that moment my stupid alarm went off.
 
 

**************

Chapter One

BEEP~BEEP~BEEP!

I kicked my alarm clock to shut it off, but it didn’t work. It just fell and went under my bed.

BEEP~BEEP BEEP!

Damn it. I was going to have to get up to shut it off. I tried squishing my pillow over my ears and going back to sleep. It was working, kinda, until my mom came into my room. She 4picked up my alarm clock, shut it off and walked over to my bed.

“Laci, wake up,” she says. I just grunt at her.

“Laci Nichole get up now.” she is using that stupid mom voice.

“Later,” I say sleepily.

“You’re going to be late for school”

“Ya so? Who cares? Its just school”

“Exactly, its school. And your going to go, on time. Your going to get up, now.”

“Why?” I moan.

“Because I’m your mom and I said so.”

Ugh. I am so tired of hearing that. I started to drag m head up, then slowly pushed myself onto my elbows. I rolled my eyes and get up. “Get. Out.” I growl.

“Be polite,” she scolded.

As she walked out I said, “Whatever,” to my now closed door. I walked over to my closet and opened the door. “What to wear today,” I said to myself. I pulled out a pair of hip hugger jeans and a graphic tank. Its gray with blue, green, and white designs. Then I grabbed my slit T. One of those t-shirts with those open slits that go across the front. Its black letting my tank stand out against it. My jeans had rips in the thighs and are a washed out color.

I wore my hair down and straight letting the blonde stand out brightly against the black lf my shirt. My out fit was making my hazel eyes lean towards green. I put my black eye liner on the bottom and the mascara on top and bottom showing the green even more.

I stared at the mirror in my bathroom, “Lets go take some names,” I told my reflection. I shut the light of and left closing the door behind me.

In my room I was stuffing my books in my bag when there was a soft pounding on my door.

“What?” I threw the word at my door.

“Waycee huwy up.” Its my brother. He is three and has an impressive vocabulary, but he has trouble with ‘Rs’ and And ‘Ls’.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” hollered.

I left my room with my bag and walked down the hallway to my kitchen. I tossed my bag on the table then went for the cereal.

I grab the box of Frosted Flakes and a bowl and set them on the counter. I get in the fridge and grab the milk, and then get a spoon from the drawer. IJ sit on a bar stool as my dad comes into the kitchen. His long hair is pulled back. Its black and gray, I’m not sure what there’s more of but, don’t tell hem that. Its strange that he is still home. Usually he would be long gone to work.

“Sleep late?” I asked a little confused.

“What? No…?” He is still tired.

“Why are you home still?” I ask.

“Hmm? Oh, ya. No work today,” he replies.

“Lucky,” I mumble.

“What was that?” he said.

“Oh nothing,” I say.

I pick up my bowl and put it in the sink. I leave the milk and cereal on the counter for dad. I snatch my bag and head for the door. Crap, I pause, I forgot my purse in my room. But, I still don’t want to walk back and have to talk to my parents.

“Later,” I call as I walk out and slam the door behind me. I drop my bag in the driveway, and jog around to the side of the house. I grab the screwdriver I keep hidden in a bush and pop out my window screen. I set the screen down, propped against the side of the house and drop the screwdriver. I lift my window open and lift my leg in to hoist myself up, and crawl through. I grab my purse from one of the chairs in my room, and am heading back to the window when I hear a voice outside my room.

“I’m just going to see if there is any laundry Laci needs done. I’ll be fast.” Its my mom. I freeze, she can’t see me. I slowly back towards my window being quiet as ever.

“No, come look at this first. Hurry up!” my dad calls.

“I just want to see if she needs any laundry done,” she says.

“It can wait five minutes Ava, just come here,” he said.

“Fine, I’m coming, I’m coming.” she says. I can barely hear her mumble, “goodness gracious.”

That was really close. I lean out my window and drop my purse to the ground. I lean back inside and sit on the window seal, with my feet dangling towards the ground and jump out. I shut my window and replace the screen. As I straighten up and dust off my hands from hiding the screwdriver in the dirt under the bush, I hear someone speak.

“Busted.”

I flinch. I turn around to face, “Jayden!” I scream, and then cover my mouth. “What are you doing?!” I whisper.

He laughs as grab my purse and throw my bag on my back. I walk over to where he is standing on the side walk by the end of my driveway and we start walking.

“That is soooo not funny!” I hiss at him. “I totally thought I got caught. Do you know how dead I would be? Not to mention not being able to sneak in or out anymore when its really important.”

“Well….,” he says drawing the word out with a smile. “If you wouldn’t sneak around, you wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught.” He laughs, “why were you sneaking in your room anyway? You could have just walked through the front door.”

“I had to get my purse. I was not going to go inside and talk to them. Besides, you would do the same thing if you weren’t such a goody two shoes. Maybe if we get you a ‘bad’ girlfriend, you’ll live a little more.” Now its my turn to laugh.

His face gets red as he tries to defend himself. “I am not a goody two shoes. Plus I don’t need a girlfriend.” He says triumphantly as if he had won something.

“Whatever, goody good.” I laugh. He pushes me wit his shoulder, and I get behind him a step and put my hand on his back and shove.

“Hey,” he says laughing.

We continued on walking towards the corner, and were still laughing when the bus pulled up. We climbed up the steps and were walking towards the back when I heard an unmistakable annoying laugh. I turned around to scrutinize a short little brunette. She had a ton of makeup caked on her face. Her eyes were ringed in eye liner, reminding me of a raccoon. She was wearing gold sparkly earrings big enough to fit snuggly around her neck. You know what they say about girls who wear hoop earrings, ‘The bigger the hoop the bigger the…’ never mind. She has a pink mini skirt on and a white blouse. She giggled again when she realized I was looking at her. Olivia Michals. She has a huge crush on Jayden, and is always trying to impress the ‘populars’, who usually don’t even notice her.

“Going to sit with your boyfriend Laci?” She smirks. Ya that will impress no one. But, this might.

“What’s a matter Olivia? You jealous because I’m sitting with him instead of you? He’s only your boyfriend in your dreams you know, and this is reality.” The whole bus laughs. Oh ya, she could learn a thing or two from me. She blushes a dark red, and I turn and head to a set in the back.

Jayden is sitting across from me with his friend Tyson. They are talking about the game tonight. Football, it’s almost the only sport I enjoy watching. But, I made a mistake, I became a cheerleader. I guess it’s not really a mistake, people just talk to me more. Usually an insult or teasing comment which, I guess makes it a good thing, I have one more reason to tell people fuck off.

Besides, call me cocky but, I know with my legs, I easily pull the cheerleading skirts off better than anyone else on the squad.

Still, I’m not in the cheerleading “clique”. I swear, the rest of the squad could be poster girls for the stereo type cheerleaders. Skinny, beautiful, small, most of them blond, unintelligent (to be nice), stuck up, and always checking out the football team. Not to mention they hate me, for one because I am not like them, at all. For two because I’m the only person at out school who will talk back to them and make them look bad.

I had so much stuff running through my head that a I didn’t realize that the person I was sitting with was talking to me. It was a freshman with short brown curls. She was always smiling. Normally I wouldn’t know a freshman, but she had tried out for cheerleading. She didn’t make it, which earned her smirks from other girls. She was upset but smiled through it. She is pretty with her dark eyes and soft blushing cheeks. Sometimes I catch her checking out Jayden, I would have to see if I could do something about that. Ava Robinson, that’s her name.

I remembered she was talking to me and shoved my mental babble aside.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked trying to hide that I was ignoring her.

She didn’t seem to notice. “Aren’t you excited? it’s the first football game tonight! I can’t wait for the pep rally.”

“Uhmm… ya. Right, it’ll be fun.” Not really. It was the last day of the second week of school. The first football game was at home tonight. I was hardly excited. Pep rallies sucked, it didn’t matter what cheerleader you were. People just laughed at you and mocked you. Our school didn’t really support the cheerleaders, unless it was a guy trying to score one.

So I don’t have a clue why Ava is excited. “Hey Ava, why are you excited?”

She giggled nervously, “Oh, I’m just excited to watch the game,” she said and her eyes slipped across to Jayden.

“Oh, I see,” I said.

“You see what?” she asked. I gave her a knowing look and nodded my head to Jayden.

“Omigosh,” she squeaked, “You know? O gosh please, please don’t tell anyone.” she blushed a deep red. I was pretty sure everyone but him already knew but, I promised her anyway.

After that she stopped talking to me and turned to look out the window. I glanced out and saw everything as it flashed my like a movie in high-speed. I could see the cold brick walls of the school nearing and let out a sigh.

As the bus pulled to a stop everyone stood up and started crowding off the bus and into the school. As we walked through the doors we merged into the sea of students already in the hallways. I shoved through them and tossed all of my stuff in my locker. Then I headed back to the cafeteria where all the students were sitting and talking before class starts.

Usually you go to the cafeteria and sit with your “clique” of friends, but since I don’t really have either I opt for my own table and sit alone. Well, I’m not really alone anymore since some of the other students have decided they like my lead and started to follow. They sit by me ad talk to me, some even catch me between classes to say hi.

Today however I was alone, or so I thought. I was sitting there picking at my muffin when one of the football jocks walked over to my table. He is trying to be cool and collected with a lean smile and relaxed stance, he even looks me right in the eye with a daring gaze. But I can pick up on the few things that show his nerves. His smile quivers at the ends, his hands clench at is sides.

I have to admit though, he is one of the cutest players on the team. I have caught myself checking him out a few times and the scolded myself for thinking such things. But being a girl I cant help but admire his shaggy blonde hair and how it had a slight curl at the end. His ocean green eyes, how they seem so deep you could get lost in them. How they lit up when he smiled. And his dimples when he gave a full smile. That’s just his face. O god today he was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, and you could see his muscles and….. No! I mentally slapped myself in the face. Stop looking! I scolded. Finally he said something and distracted me.

“How are you today Laci?”

“Just fine, what’s wrong Treyton? None of the other cheerleaders will lift their skirts for you? Well, I’m sure as hell not going to.” I replied and he blushed at my comment, but quickly rebounded.

“Nah, there’s only one cheerleader I’m interested in.”

“Well that’s great why don’t you go talk to her.”

“I am.” I am momentarily shocked. He caught me off guard, a rare feat. I glance over and see his friends laughing, and smile at them. “Oh Trey your so funny. But I’m not interested in you, or your little dare, so how about you just walk away and forget you ever talked to me. Okay? Okay.”

“Hey now that’s not fair. This is not a dare.”

“Ya? Then why are your friends all bustin up over there?” “Oh, uhh, well they think its funny that I am actually following through with this. Come on Laci, you know I have had a thing for you since sixth grade.”

Sixth grade, ya. We had been at recess, and he had walked up to me and kissed me. On the lips, right then and there in front of everyone. His friends had given him so much crap, and I wouldn’t even look at him.

“Please, I hardly call a kiss a thing.”

“Well what if I gave you another one?”

I looked longingly at his lips and looked away.

“You are soo not going to kiss me in front of everyone right here. Not to mention loose the chance of getting to play tonight.”

“Maybe I will just kiss you later then.”

“Ya right.”

“Oh I will Laci, you just wait.” he said and turned away before I could get in another word. I looked around and saw everyone looking at me. Some looks of admiration, mostly looks of hate. Yes I was well aware I just talked to like the hottest guy ever. I smiled at the room and got up as the bell rang.

I was walking through the hallway when I heard some whistles. I turned to look at a group at a group of more football players. They were all staring at me.

“Hey Laci you busy tonight,” said one, Archer that’s his name.

“Ya I have to cheer for a pathetic excuse of a team,” I taunted.

“What about after the game, you free,” he was looking at me fierce and tryin to make his voice sound husky.

“No, but my lamp is if you want to screw it, last I heard it don’t take much to make you happy.” I smiled and everyone laughed Archer looked pissed.

“Well I require a lot of attention and I don’t think you got what it takes,” said Blade.

“Haha that’s not what Luna said, she said she almost fell asleep.”

“As if, she had to stop she couldn’t handle it.”

“Haha whatever. Listen boys I gotta get to class. Try not to stare as I walk away, and I don’t want to know what your thinking about either. Later.”

I started walking down the hallway and heard one of them yell “too bad Laci, I would have loved having you over tonight.” Ya, that’s the torcher I go through every day. Harassment. I don’t mind when it comes from hotties like Treyton and Archer, but when it comes from guys like Blade, I wanna hurl and punch them in the face.

I was almost to my locker when someone grabbed my wrist, turned me around and pulled me back to them. It was Treyton.

“Hey hands off. This isn’t your property.” I told him. “Ya, well I wish it was.”

“Haha what you going to kiss me now?” He leaned in close and I thought he was going to, shit! But instead he whispered in my ear.

“I was serious earlier Laci. Your gonna get that kiss want it or not. Personally I would place my money on you wanting it.” He pushed his nose in my hair and I froze. He was way too close. “But I guess we will have to wait,” he finished and walked away.

I shook my self because I do want that kiss. I want it really bad. And the fact was I was afraid he was going to actually give it too me, and that scared the hell out of me.
 
 

Contact Larissa
(Unless you type the author's name
in the subject line of the message
we won't know where to send it.)

Book Case

Home Page

The Preservation Foundation, Inc., A Nonprofit Book Publisher