~Alexis
Staring at him seemed to burn my eyes with an unknown light that came from his soul as I walked by him. Maybe it’s just me being paranoid but it always seemed that I ran into him in the hallways, on my way home, in the store, so forth, so on. But still, he never notices me sitting quietly in a corner, waiting for him to notice my presence.

His shaggy brown hair covered his eyes as he walked to his own seat, which was two rows from mine. I couldn’t help but realize he was a lot quieter today. With his eyes of green, that seemed luminescent and perfect. So green, with specks of gold and haysille, as if they were painted by an artist and added in for good measure. He watched every person enter the room slowly, clinging to each person for a second or-if they were lucky-two seconds. His long legs and lean body lounged in the desk that always seemed too big for me to handle.

Each time I looked at him I shivered with new realization of how he always seemed to become more beautiful with each glance. I looked away from him to stare down at my hands that were clenching and unclenching tightly, a little ball of white paper trapped in my grasp. I wrapped my fingers around it again, sudden anger bursting through my chest, I pushed the dreaded feeling from me, calming myself once more. I looked up at him again to see him glancing slowly at me, I looked away so quickly that my head spun rapidly and I saw several things in doubles. I laid my head down on my arms, only to stare at the crumbled piece of paper in my hand. I choked on the tears that tried to get their hand on freedom, I took a deep breath and held it in my weary lungs, hoping something would take it all away. All of it.

~Jole
My heart raced as I turned into the classroom, I hesitated in the doorway. It was like this everyday, I came in with determination to deny what was happening to me, and every day I lost to myself.

What’s it like to love someone you don’t know? I could tell you the ins and outs of it. All year I’ve walked into the classroom to see her glance at me with blue eyes of water that seemed to move with emotion and hope, but every time she focused on me for a period of time they turned into ice, cold and hard. Her dark, dark black hair reached her hips, waving like a blanket of silk down her back. Skin the color of ivory stretched easily across her bones, I just wanted to reach out and stroke her skin, just for a moment. She was small, like a little kid, she could barely be ninety pounds, she was maybe five feet tall-maybe. Every time I saw her fall I wanted to scoop her up and into my arms where she could stay forever. She was always wearing tight jeans with billowy shirts or jackets, showing her curves. She was kind of like a new, more modern version of a hippie. She put her own spin on everything though. Proving she was herself and that was all she would ever be.

Her name, the keeper of my heart-though she didn’t know it, is Alexis. I had watched her all year, running around with her friends, she was a bundle of pure happiness, I had seen her sneak home-I followed her actually, not that she knew that. No one knew that her and her family weren’t in the best of places and didn’t have much. Yet despite where she was stuck, she remained who she was, remaining happy and abundant of energy.

Maybe that’s why I enjoy her so much, and wish I was with her. Although my family was wealthy and had everything, my parents were not in the best of terms with each other. Here I am, sulking about life when I have a nice home, a car, friends, anything a 17-year-old boy could need, minus parents who got along. Then there she is, with a house that is falling apart, a part time job, and she is happier than I was when I got a mustang for my sweet sixteen.

Perhaps it’s a mask she wears, and I only see the cover, not the girl underneath it. I wish I could get to know her, I wish she would give me a chance.

Who knows, maybe she will.

Well, today, I’m going to find out. Today, I’m going to talk to her.

~Alexis
Am I going crazy? I swear I just saw Jole pass me a note, and I just handed it back to him, didn’t even read it! What is wrong with me? No wait, don’t answer that.

He looked at me, hurt legible in his face. I smiled at him easily, I pointed at the clock and mouthed ‘after class’. Goodness I am crazy. There is no possible way I can talk to him, I’ll freeze! I’ll loose myself to my ramblings and clumsy habits. Goodness, I’m doomed, terribly and horribly doomed.

Class seemed to travel fast, no matter how slow I tried to make it. He kept looking at me and smiling like he had won a prize and couldn’t wait to receive it. Not that I’m any sort of prize-gosh! This will end in such a disaster! What have I gotten myself into?

A fix. That’s what I have gotten myself stuck in.

~Jole
I handed her the note slyly, like I was a ninja-wait, now I’m getting carried away with my not so sly moves. Considering I almost fell out of my seat trying to get the piece of paper to her. She picked it up with her fingers that were made to play the piano, slim and graceful. She barely glanced at it before she just handed it back to me.

All the air in my lungs left. She smiled at me, and my fear and heart seemed to melt away and into her grasp. Gosh, I barely know the girl and I’m already wrapped around her little pinky finger.

She motioned to the clock which read ten ‘til school let out. Then mouthed ‘after class’ to me as if it was no big deal to talk to me. My heart and adrenaline shot up everywhere. School could not end fast enough, it was so slow today! Is something wrong with the bell? I resisted the urge to raise my hand and ask the teacher that question, it took all I had not to. Two rows over, Alexis rubbed her arms and picked at the fringe of her sleeve. Which all just made me want to lean over and take her hand in mine.

The bell rang, high and obnoxious.

I was up to my feet and gathering my things so quickly. I ran to her desk and she stared up at me before leaning down to gather her own things. A large amount of hair fell over her shoulder revealing a bruise on her neck, I was caught by surprise and felt my mouth drop. I quickly pulled it back and composed myself by the time she was standing up, she looked nervous. Her blue eyes quivering with worry.

“Hi,” I begin, “I’m Jole, you’re Alexis,” I smile at the surprise on her face that I knew her name, “I was wanting to ask you something…” I said nervously as I ran my fingers through my shaggy hair. She was blushing, a lot, like she had fallen on her face and was in front of the whole school.

“Ask away Jole,” she was smiling like I had lit her whole world. My heart fluttered in my chest.

“Would you, uhm,” I stammered, this was harder than I thought it would be, “like to go see, uh, do, uhm, go on a-uh, date? With me? Saturday?” Gosh this was so crashing and burning…

“I don’t know Jole,” she seem sad to say that, “I don’t know if I should start anything right now,” her voice held stories as she spoke.

“Why not?” it was out before I could stop it.

“Because, I don’t know how long I’ll be…here,” she said here through her teeth.

“Are you moving?” I asked, my heart dropping.

“Uhm…Yes, yes we are,” she said, she looked like she might start to cry.

“I don’t care, I want to, please?”

“I don’t know Jole…” she looked at her feet.

“Please?” I begged.

“Okay,” she said, beginning to smile.

“Eight?” I asked, excited.

“I’ll, uh meet you there,” she said quickly.

“No, I’ll pick you up at eight, I’ll find out where you live Alexis,” I didn’t want to say I already did, and before she could object I ran down the hallway. I couldn’t believe it I had a date with the queen of jems.
I had a date with Alexis Ever.