A/N: Hey guys! Well this was just on my mind and so I decided to get it all out before I lost it all... so please read and rate! –Marie Jane
--Vera
The final bell of the school day shrilly rung, echoing down the empty halls of East Valley High. Without hesitation doors busted open and students flowed through them, chattering about their plans for the evening. Deciding to wait until the chaos in the halls died down, I stayed put at my desk and started stacking a pile of my books but a soft buzz distracted me from my work. I pulled out my phone and checked my inbox.
From James Lewis
Sorry baby, I have practice.
Ride will have to wait until 4"ish".
Love you.
"Ugh, this is just great..." James was my boyfriend of eight months, who also happened to be captain of the East Valley football team. Checking the time, I saw it was only 2:30.
What the hell am I supposed to do for two hours?!
Snatching the stuff up off my desk, I briskly started off towards my locker, muttering curses at the pointless game of football. Of course I had been through it all before with James, and apparently football was all about speed, agility, aim and intelligence. I nearly snorted at the last one, seeing as the star quarterback's GPA was 2.9, which barely passed the eligibility limit.
Intelligence my ass.
As I walked past the music room, I soon became entranced by the gentle piano notes that were drifting through the door. Curious, I gave a look through the glass.
"Who is that?" I asked myself, disappointingly only being able to see the top of the mystery player's head behind the piano. Determined, I basically jogged to my locker and hastily put the books onto the top shelf while checking my reflection in the mirror. Great, I muttered angrily, I look like a corpse. Wait, scratch that. More like the panda from hell. My eyeliner was now smudged around my eyes, causing them to look more metallic silver than the regular silver they were, which stood out against the green eyeshadow I decided to apply that morning. Running my hand through my stubborn brown hair, I closed the locker door and briskly walked back to the music room.
It was quiet.
"Hmm... where are you, music boy?" I muttered under my breath, straining my neck and pressing my face up to the glass to get a good scan of the room. Next thing I knew, a pair of glinting ice blue eyes met mine on the other side of the door.
"Gah!" I shrieked, immediately cursing my jumpy nerves. Surely if it was any louder the glass would have cracked. I mean its one thing to scream loud but screaming at two octaves from your normal voice made those embarrassing situations worse, especially since this situation including a drop dead gorgeous boy. Like seriously.
Drop.
Dead.
Gorgeous.
With one look at his face, people would probably assume he was Italian. I wouldn't blame them. His hair was jet black and short with a little flip at the front. His dark eyebrows really brought out his eyes which looked as though he was searching inside of you for emotions. He had high cheekbones and his nose was slightly tilted to the right. You could tell he was severely in shape by the way his shoulder muscle was visible through his striped flannel shirt and he had a diamond earring in his right ear.
Hello beautiful.
I must have been drooling or something because I earned a peculiar look from mystery man. Blushing, I waggled my fingers like an idiot and scuttled away in a hurry. Good thing I didn't try talking or else I might have choked on my tongue and boy would that put on a show. I go gaga around attractive people. It's like human nature for a girl. But a curse nonetheless.
After a while, people would think that a regular girl who attended the same high school for three years of her life would know their way around, but I was so flabbergasted by his face that I ended up going in a circle.
And we all know that circles end up.
Right where they started.
Shit.
A way to describe the collision from my point of view is easy. Seeing as my legs are on the longer side and I take power strides, just imagine being swacked in the face with a fifty pound club at a high velocity. Oh, and don't forget that your boggled mind is telling your body to keep moving forward but your head stays put and throbs like it has a heartbeat of it's own, forcing you to fall flat on your back. Quite simple, eh?
"Jesus, is my nose still there?" I wondered aloud, gingerly touching it with my fingertips. Judging by its tenderness I came to the conclusion that it wasn't broken, it was just going to bruise.
"My deepest apologies, is there anything I can do?" He asked me sincerely.
Well of course there were things I wanted him to do. Ask me out, buy me pretty things, etc. But I just had to know two things.
"Yes, as a matter of fact there are two things. One, what's your name? Two, what were you just playing on the piano?"
"Well my name is Hayden Danvers and that was just an old piece I created." he replied. I raised an eyebrow, and then regretted it seeing as the expression caused my nose to move.
"Created?"
"I've been playing since I was around seven years old," he paused while I nodded in understanding, "Now what is your name and why were you running away from me?"
"I was not running away from you... I was just, just-" I attempted to defend myself but Hayden raised one unbelieving eyebrow. "I was merely trying to catch up to my friend... and besides, that was none of your business anyways." I tossed my hair behind my shoulder for the dramatic effect.
"Uh-huh. So what is your name?"
"Vera." I said dryly.
"Vera who?"
"Cohen. Vera Cohen." Hayden nodded slowly, and then looked at his watch.
"And may I ask why you, Vera Cohen, are still at school?"
"Football." I answered in disgust. "I should be at home resting, or writing, or practicing my cello, but no. Gay football. It's fucked up, I swear." Hayden put his hands up in mock innocence.
"Jeez, sorry I asked." He teased. I smirked and tried to push him back. I failed. Instead, all my fingers cracked at the same time. I fought back a gasp of pain. Does he have steel plates underneath his shirt or what?
"How long are you staying?" He asked me, interrupting me inspecting my fingers. He took one step closer to my face. Goodness, he smelled like heaven. Well at least I knew one thing wasn't damaged in the collision.
Sense of smell? Check.
"Eh, practice doesn't end until 4"ish", so I guess I'm here until then." Again, he nodded slowly. Only this time he opened the music door and set his hand in the small of my back. His touch sent shivers all through my body.
"I need you to listen to something for me then." And with that he led me into the room and allowed me to take a seat at the school's baby grand piano. The music room was on the smaller side, with two racks of cellos and basses along with two pianos. One whole wall was just mirrors and Mrs. Maverick, the head of the music department, positioned the pianos so that if you looked to that wall you could easily see the other piano and its player.
As Hayden took a seat next to me I glanced in the mirror and realized that even when just sitting, he was still so much taller than me. Seeing as I was a mere 5'7, he must have been around 6'3.
Stilts maybe?
A soft note interrupted my thoughts, and as Hayden's fingers started to film together harmonies and melodies strangely all I could think about was sad memories. As the sound grew stronger and stronger, thoughts I've worked so long to forget started drifting into my mind and I just couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle reminiscing.
"Stop." My voice was only a whisper. "Stop. Please, just stop!" I demanded, my voice finally coming back forming a yell. Hayden stopped abruptly.
"I'm sorry you don't like it. It's awful. I just thought I would try throwing together a D minor piece." He said disappointingly. I laid my hand on his shoulder.
"No, it's beautiful. It just reminded me of some things I try to forget." I assured him. He nodded and in a moment, a grin slowly spread on his face. He sat up straight, set his fingers on the keys and then started to play the opening notes of One Republic's Apologize. I felt myself blush as he sang me the first verse and the chorus in his deep, smooth voice.
After Hayden cut off, he turned to me and apologized.
"Will you forgive me?" He pleaded, sticking out his lower lip and furrowing his eyebrows.
"Duh!" I replied immediately, but then I gave him a quizzical look. "Why is it that I feel so comfortable around you, even though we just met today?" Hayden shrugged.
"I tend to have that affect on people." He said with pride. Once he started laughing, I started laughing until he just suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" I asked, the smile still glued on my face.
"Nothing, it's just that you should laugh more often." He answered, the smile slowly fading off my lips. I sighed.
"Sadly enough, with James I never really have time for fun." I blurted. As soon as I spoke the words I covered my mouth with my hands. What am I saying? I've been with him for eight months... I have had fun before... haven't I? Hayden made a gesture with his hand, as if signaling me to go on.
"Well you see James lives near me, so he takes me to and from school everyday. But with his football and basketball, I always have to wait after school for him or else he gets super mad."
"Well where do you live?"
"13486 Maplewood Drive... why?" Hayden grinned.
This can't be good.
"Me and my friends just moved to 13485 Maplewood Drive." My jaw dropped. He hit me playfully on the back. "Hey, so since you're my new neighbor, I could drive you to and from school each day! Doesn't that sound pleasant?" I nodded, a fake smile plastered to my face.
I don't need to start my day by seeing him and end my day seeing him! I need to stay away, or else I'm definitely in danger of falling for the guy... and that never ends well. Never.
"I don't think James would be too happy about that." I reminded him. But then again, am I ever happy about what he does? No! Maybe this could be a 'you get what you give' lesson to him. My fake smile became real. "But I'll talk to him tonight after his practice. What time do you usually leave the school?"
"Well today I'm leaving at 4:00, but usually around like 3:15 because my cousin Christian classes at the community college until then every day. He comes here and drives all four of us home." He replied.
"Well then, I would say Christian is the busy type. Is he nineteen or something?" I asked. Hayden nodded and chuckled while he started to twist the diamond earring in his ear lobe at the mentioning of his cousin. Hopefully all the other guys were attractive like him.
Well this would definitely be better than waiting for James...
"Wait, what time is it?" I asked, hoping it was late enough that James would be close to being done so I could get the issue done and over with.
"Uh, let me check." I nodded and then pulled out a chair so that it was beside the piano. "It's three. So you have an hour basically." He answered. An hour wasn't bad... wasn't fun, but it wasn't bad. Deciding to un-bore myself, I pulled out a cello. I played since I was four and I was first chair in the orchestra, so I knew some pieces by heart. Wanting to lift the spirit, I decided to play the Brandenburg Concerto.
I suppose playing the cello was a way to release tension and frustration for me. Usually when I have an awful day, I go home and pull out my instrument and just let loose for an hour or so. My cousin said she thought I was on the verge of craziness one time, when I put away my cello with bloody fingertips from playing so harshly. I remember telling her I had a 'stressful' day. 'Stressful' being used to summarize the day I saw my best friend (ex-best friend now) making out with Michael Swift. I had a major crush on him since the first day I saw him during my freshman year. At the time, I was a sophomore and I was just about to ask him out... until I saw them under the staircase.
Once I was finished with Brandenburg, Hayden broke out and started playing different modern songs on the piano. I decided to join in and soon we became a duet, playing some Fall Out Boy, Switchfoot, Lifehouse, Panic! At the Disco etc. until my fingers felt as if they were going to fall off.
Hayden glanced over once he realized I had stopped and laughed at my pained face. I shot him a death glare and the laughing died down. Smirking, I stood up and placed my cello back on the rack.
"Now what time is it?" I asked anxiously, mentally preparing for a nice long shower once I got home. I had the most amazing showerhead in the world. It was set to a specific pressure, customized to create steam and it rotated automatically, messaging your back while you washed. I shivered just thinking about it.
"Well you're in luck. It's just now 3:55." I grinned and ran a hand through my hair.
"Okay then, that was fun and I will definitely see about the whole 'ride' thing!" Hayden gave me a crooked smile.
Goodness, he had dimples and everything! He must have caught me staring because he chuckled and shooed me out. I blushed and nodded my head in goodbye.
Come on, Vera! You can't think like that... James? Remember?
Usually when I wait for his practices to be over, we end up meeting it the lobby by the main staircase. It was 4:00 now and there was nobody, until Jesse McCarran, one of James' friends, walked by me.
"Hey Jesse." I said casually. Jesse was the quiet, shy, intelligent type. He was super nice, but oblivious to the fact he was very cute and he had a line of girls waiting to be noticed by him. Poor girls.
"Hey, Vera. What's up?" He asked politely.
"Nothing, just waiting for James to get back from practice." Jesse gave me a confused look.
"Wait, what practice? We didn't have football today, coach Kessler called it off." I raised an eyebrow. What? Wouldn't he have gotten me or something?
"Oh, um then I guess he was just... just catching up on homework. I bet he's upstairs right now... so I'll go check." Jesse looked like he was about to inform me of something, but stopped as he saw me choking back tears.
"Okay, bye Vera." And with that, he strode off.
As I made my way over to go up the stairs, something thudded against the janitor room's door. "Must've been a mop or something." I suggested out loud, not sure if I was trying to convince myself or not. Deciding that I wouldn't want a poor janitor to get his face smacked with a mop the next time the door was opened, I walked over to the closet and opened the door. It took a moment for my eyes to process what was happening in front of me. And as I did, a tight knot formed in my stomach.
To sum it up some slut, Natalie Jenkins by the looks of it (no one else has the same fake platinum blonde hair), was basically naked except a bra and skimpy little panties while my boyfriend was ferociously making-out with her (more like mauling off her face) without a shirt on.
"What the hell is going on here?!" I asked, the rage boiling up inside of me. This couldn't be happening. My boyfriend couldn't be basically fucking some girl in a janitor's closet. The body movement stopped and Natalie let out a shrill squeak, trying to cover her exposed self. While James was turning around, I grabbed a bucket from the shelf near the door.
"Listen I can explain," He started, wiping the corners of his mouth. I gripped the bucket and swung full force, the blow sending him onto the ground in fetal position gasping for air.
"I can't believe I trusted you!" I said, my voice a harsh whisper. "And you. You skanky little whore!" James got up and lunged for me. Outraged, I slammed the door with all my strength and smirked as James' ear piercing shriek could be heard. Storming out into the parking lot, I noticed that Hayden and three other guys were piling into their shiny SUV. But my attention was diverted to the sorry excuse of a boy who was calling after me.
"Baby! Baby, come back!" he pleaded. I slowed to a stop, turn slightly to glare at him over my shoulder, and waited until he was within range. Smiling sweetly, I turned to fully face him, luring him into a false sense of security before abruptly ramming my knee between his legs. While he was clutching what was left of his utterly pitiful manhood, I took the opportunity to express my fury.
"Eight months," I said with deadly calm, my voice rising to a full on yell as I continued, "and the best you can do is a cheap whore with a skirt two sizes too small for her ass and with hair just as fried as her brain?! Well you know what? I hope she's a good lay because you most definitely won't be getting anything from me, you cheating son of a bitch."
He looked up at me, his face red with either pain or fury, but I didn't care which. All he could do to reply was stutter a string of curses as he stood up, bringing his fist back as though to hit me. For a split second, I thought I was done for. But help came in the form of four drop dead gorgeous men.
I watched as a burly blonde grabbed hold of James's wrist, his expression nothing but furious. "You fucking lay a finger on her and we'll all kick your ass, faggot!"
James's face was torn between surprise, anger, and terror as the guys closed in on him, their sleeves being pushed up threateningly. I silently thanked God for sending me four gorgeous angels to protect me from my feral ex-boyfriend.
James wrenched his wrist out of the blonde's grasp, stepping back away from the much brawnier guys who could easily rip him limb by limb. Hayden and who I assumed to be Christian, (he looked most similar), stood on either side of me; Christian stood in front of me, his broad figure serving as a shield while Hayden stood beside me with his hand on the small of my back, once again. I couldn't help but feel butterflies erupting in my stomach as I fought a smile, which would most likely provoke James's unstable temper resulting in the prompt kicking of his sorry, cheating ass. As I thought about it, maybe smiling to provoke him would be beneficial to my mood.
"Go back to your slut of a new girlfriend, douchebag," Christian spat. "There's nothing left for you here."
The other handsome stranger, the one with the football letterman jacket, stepped forward with a wicked grin. "If you come anywhere near her after this," he threatened with a horribly wide smile, "let's just say practices are going to get a helluva lot more interesting, got it, faggot?"
James stared at the jock with wide, pee-in-your-pants scared eyes. "Got it."
"Then run along, asshole, go fetch your pet slut from wherever the hell you fucked her last," Hayden commanded, his voice sending tingles down my spine. He was so beautiful when he was pissed.
James looked like he was thinking about defending Natalie, but thought better of it when Burly Man cracked his knuckles and Jock Man cracked his neck. With a quick nod, James took one more hesitant step back before scurrying away with his weasel's tail between his badly shaking legs. I felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me before I turned to Hayden and the others, about to profusely thanking them for a) telling him off for good and b) saving my ass since I nearly got it beat by James when I let my temper get the best of me.
Now that I was fully facing them, I was lost for words. My mouth would open, then close. No sounds coming out but the occasional squeak. Hayden saved me once again by breaking the silence.
"Vera, meet Christian, Blaine, and Emmet." In order, he had pointed his cousin, the Burly Man and lastly Jock Man. "Guys, this is Vera." I gave a weak smile and waved, still in shock from standing before such attractive faces. Emmet stepped forward, gesturing towards the group of boys.
"But to everyone else, we're known as the Cupids."