Oh my gosh. What is wrong with me? What is happening? My legs suddenly felt like two giant Jell-O globs sticking out from the rest of my body.
She laughed. “Well, then, take off your jacket.”
Right before I started to strip down, trying to calm my irregular breathing, the bell sounded over the speakers with a shrill ring. I jumped instantly and noticed the teachers directing each grade to the doors in a single file line.
I stood up, keeping my eyes directed towards my friends (and not at all towards the boy with brown, surfer-boy hair) and pushed my arms through my backpack straps.
My heart was still pounding in my chest although, not as hard as before, so I was finally able to catch my breath, and thankfully, my body felt like it was resuming to its normal body temperature. 98.7 on the dot.
I glanced over at Casey, who was joking around with Billy, one of the boys in our grade who we had gone to elementary school with. Instead of laughing at their rambunctious behavior, though, my eyes wandered over to the group in front of me.
Just as Casey had a fit of loud, uncontrollable laughter, causing me to cover my ear with my lone hand, my eyes zeroed in on Surfer Boy.
My heart halted in my chest.
He was looking right at me.
I felt heat burn my cheeks like I’d just stepped up to a blazing bonfire, and my stomach flip-flopped. I was frozen staring into a pair of sky-blue eyes. I was locked onto him so deeply that I didn’t even realize I was being a total weirdo, openly gawking at him.
I gasped, realizing that we were still staring at each other for what was far longer than normal, so I hurriedly snapped my head to Casey and Billy. They were still joking around with one another, and by joking, I mean flirting.
Forcing out a few laughs with them and the other friends surrounding us, I tried really hard not to let what had just happened go to my head. Even though all I did was make eye contact with Surfer Boy, I couldn’t deny that I had felt a new range of emotions.
I felt alive. I felt a fire burning deep within. Like the butterflies flying around my stomach had wings made of flames.
Glancing up one more time, I noted that his back was turned towards me and he was walking out of the gym to go to class. A feeling of disappointment was rapidly approaching and I felt my shoulders slump, but then his head turned towards me, again.
We locked onto one another and he gave me a grin that lifted me up higher than I’d ever been before.
That was the first day I laid eyes on Dawson, and it definitely wasn’t the last.
Chapter One
PAST
Ivy
The hum of the air conditioner and papers rustling were the only two sounds in the classroom. Everyone was working diligently to gain the perfect score on their algebra test, all except Dawson. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, leaning his tall body slightly towards my desk to get a better look at my paper.
“Stop copying,” I hissed, still keeping my attention on my final equation.
He coughed and mumbled something only I could hear. “Come on, Ivy. Please.”
I rolled my eyes but his pleading made me pause for a second. I moved my arm a little lower, allowing him to cheat his way through the final page.
Dawson was smart. Overly smart, but he didn’t apply himself. He’d rather go to parties, flirt with girls, and hang out with his soccer buddies.
Me, on the other hand… I was bent on achieving only the best of grades. I pushed myself and I studied my ass off because I wanted to get into a good college. I wanted to make my parents proud and most of all, I wanted to be a good role model to my little sister. What kind of sister would I be if I goofed off in school and didn’t apply myself? A bad one, that’s what.
Finally, after realizing that Dawson had gotten up and turned in his test, all of which he had copied from me, I turned to do the same—but not before I checked over my answers three times, contentment settling in that I had, in fact, gotten every answer correct.
The second I put my test on Mrs. Goodwin’s desk, the bell let out a loud screech. I ran over and grabbed my books and purse and gave Dawson a side-eye. He only smirked at me, which made my lips turn upward of their own accord.
He slung his heavy arm around my shoulders as we walked out of the classroom, but as soon as we were out of the teacher’s earshot, I shrugged his arm off me.
“You need to stop cheating your way through high school, Dawson.”
He leaned against the metal lockers, crossing his arms, still sporting that stupid grin.