A LOW HUM in my pants made me lift my head and fish out my cellphone, looking to see it was 4:30 already.

I wiped the chalk from my jeans, knowing they'd smear into the black fabric and not clash, and grabbed my backpack. A soft thud made my skin crawl. Keeping my head ducked low, I headed for the door and stumbled when I came in contact with hard muscles. A pair of kind greenish-grey eyes met mine and I immediately pulled my foot back, aimed at the stranger's groin.

"H-hold on now," the stranger clad head-to-toe in black said, the voice too deep and husky to be a girl's. The guy kept his head down he stepped back, allowing me room to exit the boiler room. I eased passed him, wondering what he was going do as I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye.

I whipped around only to realize he was sliding into the room and watched as he unhooked a key from the waistband of his jeans and reached behind something.

I realized from this angle I had a clear view of his back, his muscles moving beneath his black leather jacket with little studs all over it.

His smile fell away into a scowl as he pulled out something grey. It took me a few minutes to realize it was a rat cage. Inside was a shivering little kitten with bright green-grey eyes.

"How'd he get in here?" I asked the guy as he unlatched the cage, gently pulling the kitten out with big hands that could cover my boobs easily. "Must' ve crawled in to escape the cold and got stuck when it got hungry," the boy explained softly, his black hair falling into his eyes. "Here, give him to me..." I said, fishing out my untouched ham sandwich and tearing off some of the ham. I held it out to the kitten's mouth but he wouldn't eat.

I chewed on some and spat it out into my hand, as gross as it seems, the kitten ate it earnestly. I beamed, casting the strange boy a glance out of the corner of my eye to see him watching me with a soft, tender look. I caught his gaze and unzipped my jacket, watching his eyes look at me confusedly as I made a kissing noise, snapping my fingers.

The kitten wriggled out of the boy's arms and fumbled into my jacket. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you around a lot," I told the boy as he fed the cat

some more. He glanced up and calmly said, "Dash."

I glanced behind us, not surprised to find my brother standing in the doorway with an annoyed look. He hated it when I was late picking him up from practice.

I had a car, an old slightly rusty brown pickup my dad had gotten for thirty dollars from his friend, but, since Dash was always breaking curfew and getting wasted at parties he wasn't allowed to own one.

My brother's tan face flashed with surprise. "Ronnie Greenberg? Wow, you've really...changed," Dash said, brown eyes wide. Over the summer, he had filled out for football and all the girls in school were head-over-heels for him. Most people only know me is as " Dash's little depressed sister."

Except maybe Ronnie. At least he knew my name. Nobody else bothered to learn it.

"Eyres?" Ronnie asked, obviously surprised.

Over the two years I'd changed drastically, wearing dark clothes and listening to screamo music, submersing myself in books and writing a few books of my own.

I was probably two inches taller than I was two years ago but I was still pretty short, standing at 5'3 unlike Ronnie who towered well above me at around six feet.

"So did Eyres!" Dash pointed out, reaching for me but I sidestepped away and bumped into Ronnie's rock hard side, glaring daggers at Dash. Ever since that day two years ago, I've refused to be associated with my socially-high brother.

"Don't touch me," I growled, hearing my vocal cords go guttural and immediately reached into my pocket and popped some pills for when I get too wired up and strain my voice too much.

I swallow them dry and wipe off my mouth. Ronnie gave me a questioning look but I ignored it, focusing on the shaking kitten and my iPod shrieking "My Gift and My Curse". I put on my backpack and walked with Ronnie, leaving my brother behind of us, gaping.