Perfect Strangers

By: Anuket

A/N: Okay, just an idea I had while reading ‘The Jock and The Bookworm’ by Smiley Gurl 1019 over in General fiction. I have a vague sketchy plan but ideas, comments, suggestions are always welcomed. Hope you enjoy reading.

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" No please… please, leave me alone!" The girl screamed as she jerked awake in her bed. Her breathing was harsh and ragged and her eyes were wide with fear. Slowly easing herself back into a lying position on her pillows, she brought her hand up to her eyes.

" Sweetie?" Her mom’s voice called from behind the locked door.

" I’m fine mom." She called, voice still shaky with fear.

" Are you sure? I could-"

" I’m sure. Sorry I woke you." ‘Go away, just please go away.’

" Okay honey. If you need me just come down to our room." The girl listened as her mother’s footsteps walked away, getting fainter by the minute.

‘I need some sleep. I need help.’ The girl’s thoughts stayed resolutely away from her nightmare until she dropped into exhaustion an hour before dawn.

*****

" So can anyone tell me the exact date that the Civil War started?" A dozen hands reached towards the ceiling but Mr. Kincade still managed to pick on the one student who was not having a good day, me. " Ah Ms. Adrian. You look bright and cheery this morning." Who was this man kidding? I wore black on a daily basis, what color I had was usually faded and worn not to mention I was dead tired and I looked it too. " Perhaps you know the answer."

" She’ll know the answer when hell freezes over." I glared at the maker of the comment, who happened to sit two rows over and three seats behind me.

" Well it looks like hell just froze over. April 12, 1861 when the Feds fired on Ft Sumter which is located in Charleston, South Carolina."

" It would appear someone did their homework." Before I had a chance to smirk he added, " For once." The entire class hid their chuckles badly and I just glared, slinking lower in my seat.

*****

" I hate Mr. K’s class." I moaned to my friend, slamming my back into the locker next to hers.

" So do I but I don’t put dents into metal over it." She pointed out. I glared at her because I wasn’t in the mood for her jokes.

" It’s not funny. He deliberately picks on me."

" He picks on everyone who isn’t a jock, cheerleader, or prep. Which basically screws over about three or four percent of the student body." Sighing, I turned and rested my shoulder against the cool metal so I could watch my friend attempt to clean her already full to disgusting landfill that she called a locker.

" How can you do that?" I asked in pure wonder. I ask the same question every year and I still can’t get over it.

" Do what?" She asked absently, pulling out an old, old, old, brown bag lunch and taking a cautious whiff of its contents.

" It’s only the fifth week of school and your locker is already back to its usual disgusting self." I said cheerfully. She dragged the garbage can closer and dumped the brown bag into it.

" What can I say. It’s a gift." She shrugged and plunged her arm into the questionable depths, looking for her science book. Pulling it out, she disentangled it from inside of her sweater. " Okay we can go." A voice sounded behind me and I turned to find its owner a little too close for comfort.

" Can either of you two help me find a Mr. Yager’s classroom?" Riana spoke up first, batting her eyes at the cute guy.

" We’re going there now. Just follow us. By the way, my name’s Riana and this is my friend-" I cut her off before she could tell this stranger my name.

" Who really doesn’t want to be late to class so why don’t we just walk and talk shall we?" I grabbed Riana’s elbow and steered her away from the gorgeous, in my eyes anyway, hunk who started walking after us. " Don’t tell him my name just yet." I hissed at her. My mom had been a big Tolkien fan and had named me Arwen, after one of the elves. When I had mentioned to Riana, the very first day I met her, that I hated my name she had renamed me.

" Oh but it’s just so cute." She fake squealed. She knew for a fact that I couldn’t stand the whole-extended version of my name, Mercy or G-baby for short.

" What is?" The guy, who had managed to catch up to us and was walking next to me, asked interested.

" Noth-" I was cut off as Riana clapped her hand over my mouth.

" She hates her real name so I renamed her Heart of Mercy, Soul of Grace. Mercy or G-baby for short." I licked the palm of her hand and she, disgusted, pulled it away from my lips and wiped it on my sleeve.

" I told you not to tell him."

" Mercy or G-baby? You don’t really look like either." The guy, I still hadn’t found out his name, commented, looking at me speculatively and happily.

" Really? And what, pray tell, do I look like to you?" I asked just a little sarcastically. I was all for giving people a shot but I wasn’t a fan of people who thought they knew you within four seconds of meeting you.

" River." Once the word left his mouth it almost seemed to fit, perfectly. Riana and I both stopped dead in our tracks but it took the genius hunk to realize it and turn back to us.

" Perfect." We said at the same time.

" Why didn’t I think of that?" Riana questioned quietly as the three of us started walking again.

" What’s your name?" I could see the door to our classroom a little bit ahead and I asked the question that had been bugging me since meeting him.

" It’s Kona."

" What is that?" Riana asked, looking up from the floor.

" My parents and them living in Hawaii for ten years before I was born." I half shrugged and thought about the name. It seemed to fit him as well as River fit me.

" Our class is right here. Mr. Yager’s pretty cool, you’ll like him."

*****

" Isn’t Kona cute?" Riana gushed later that night. In my mind’s eye I saw the tall, dark haired, tanned boy who had the whole ‘Rebel without a cause’ thing going on.

" Very." I muttered under my breath, hoping Riana wouldn’t hear me.

" What?!" She gasped, shocked that I had shown an interest in guys after all this time.

What I vowed never to let her known was that I was showing more than an interest in Kona. He was cute, smart, funny, and he apparently liked Riana and I. For some reason, I just couldn’t get him out of my head, no matter how hard I tried. Riana continued babbling on the walk home about plans to get me and Kona together. I just tuned her out and tried to remember my nightmare from that morning. I knew Kona was important, somehow, I just wasn’t sure how.