Chapter 1
The Unexpected Visitor
“Hey, Chris!” I heard a familiar voice call behind me.
I turned around to see my best friends heading towards me. “Hey guys,” I said.
My friend Annie Williams was wearing her usual apparel; cargo pants, a tee-shirt, and converse. While Landon, who was standing next to her, was wearing his t-shirt, jeans, and converse. Then I saw Gab comming up behind them, wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sandles.
They were so different from me. I usually wore a collar shirt with jeans and flip-flops, while my dark brown hair was twisted up into a clip or ponytail.
“You didn’t wait for us after class. Landon and Gab had to tell me that you had to drive home to do something.” Annie complained.
“You need to tell her next time,” said Landon Banmore, “She was being stubborn again.”
“Yeah. We’re not doing your dirty work for you anymore,” Gab complained.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I’m kinda in a rush right now, I need to get home. Wait a minute where’s Derron?” I asked.
“He had a meeting to go to.” Gab said. She and Derron were seniors this year, while Annie, Landon, and I were sophomores.
“Hey, Gabriella Anster!”
“Oh, great.” Gab turned around with a look of horror on her face. Her some-what stalker was walking straight for us.
“Hey, Monte! The fishing club is on a trip today. Why don’t you join them?” I yelled down the hallway.
Monte stopped mid-stride and stared at me. I was so tired of him and so was Gab. It was time to get rid of him. “You heard me. Go get your fishing pole and go catch your dinner.”
Monte walked right past us, his face in a state of hurt, without a word.
“Thanks, Chris. I owe you one, big-time,” Gab said with a sigh of relief.
“No problem. I was getting tired of him too.”
“Well, um Chris look who’s coming this way,” Landon said with a look of amusement.
I turned thinking it was someone wanting the answers to our trigonometry homework when I saw him. Everrett Crosby, the most amazing junior to ever walk these halls, was coming this way. Everrett was 5’11 with gorgeous chocolate brown hair and the most amazing smile. But what had me hooked were his amazing green eyes. When, if ever, he turned his eyes my way, I would melt.
“Chris, Are you okay?” Annie asked me. I vaguely remember what happened while I was under Everrett’s spell, but one moment I was staring at him, the next I was being pulled into a pair of strong arms from behind me. I stiffened and I heard laughing. I looked to see Derron O’Hare holding me in his arms.
“Derron!” I yelled up into his face.
“Oh, alright. I’ll put you down.”
“Thank you very much,” Sometimes Derron got on my last nerve, but I could never stay mad at him for long.
“You did that just because I was staring again, didn’t you?”
“Well, kinda. But I haven’t seen you since homeroom. I thought I’d give you a hug.” Derron had a way of looking at me with his big brown eyes and frowning that I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. His hair, which looped down over his face sometimes was almost the exact same color as his mocha eyes. It was cute.
“Oh stop it,” Landon said. Landon's brown hair covered his face most of the time, so I couldn’t see his crystal blue eyes. He now turned them on me. “Chris, why do you drool over that guy?”
“I don’t drool!” I said, defending myself. “I just- stare a little too long.”
“You drool.” I heard Gab say behind me.
I turned to Gab, thankful that she was shorter than me. I looked down into her almost black eyes, and just stared at her. She pulled at a strand of her hair and stared back.
“Okay, so I drool, but it’s your job to stop me before I embarrass myself.”
“I did stop you,” Derron said trying to justify his bear hug from earlier.
“Okay, I’ll let that one slide, but don’t do it again!”
“Aww, you think Everrett will think we’re going out, don’t you?”
“No! I mean no, but don’t squeeze me next time.”
I turned to see Annie, Landon, and Gab smiling at me. “What?” More laughing. “What?”
“You, um, have a visitor behind you.” Annie barely got it out before another burst of laughter.
I slowly turned my head. Oh. My. Gosh. Everrett Crosby was standing next to Derron. And he was smiling at me.
