1
NATALYA
SIX YEARS AGO…
Jeanie flicks her hair over her shoulder and leans toward me. “Have you heard about the new boy?”
I raise a brow. “No, what about him?”
She giggles. “He’s hot.”
My nose wrinkles as I wonder if he really is. The last boy Jeanie told me was hot was so ugly I couldn’t understand how she thought he was attractive. “I’ll see it when I believe it.” I pick at my food, hardly feeling hungry.
“To be fair, he actually is hot,” Anita adds, nodding.
Kerry sits down next to me. “Who is hot?”
“The new kid from Mexico,” Jeanie says.
Kerry shrugs. “Haven’t seen him, but everyone is talking about him.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Apparently, he’s hot and acting like he owns the place, even though he doesn’t speak English well.”
Anita nods over to the entrance of the cafeteria. “There he is.”
I turn my head to get a look at the boy that everyone is supposedly talking about, and it feels like my entire world stands still. On this occasion, Jeanie is right. He’s the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen, even from this distance. I can tell he has thick dark brown hair that is styled perfectly and alluring tanned skin.
“Who is he?” I ask.
“His name is Elias Morales, and he just moved here from Mexico.” Jeanie shrugs. “His English may not be the best, but it doesn’t matter when he looks like that.” She continues gawping at him, and when he’s got his lunch, she calls him over. “Hey, Elias, come and sit with us.” Jeanie bats her eyelashes at him as he approaches. “How is your first day going?”
He shrugs. “Okay.”
It’s clear from that response he’s a boy of few words as he takes a seat opposite me and then looks up, his ice-blue eyes landing on mine instantly. It feels like I can’t breathe at the intensity in them and his jaw clenches. “Who your friend?” he asks, eyes narrowing.
I see what Jeanie means about him not having the best English. His accent is heavy and his speech is broken, but now he’s this close, it’s impossible to deny how gorgeous he is. His eyes are aquamarine blue and so piercing it feels like he’s looking right into my soul.
Jeanie sets a hand on my arm. “This is Natalya. Natalya, this is Elias.”
I smile at him and hold my hand out over the table. “Nice to meet you.”
He glares at my hand with an odd hatred that sends shivers down my spine. I don’t even know the kid and he’s acting like an asshole.
Anita clears her throat.
“Oh, and this is Anita.” She signals to Anita, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of me. “And Kerry.”
His jaw clenches. “Why you friend with her?” he asks, clearly talking about me.
The question makes my stomach churn as I stare at the boy who has taken an instant disliking to me. He doesn’t look at Jeanie, instead his eyes remain fixed to my face.
“What do you mean?” she asks, drawing my attention to her. She shakes her head, brow furrowed as she glances between Elias and me. “Natalya is cool.”
His nose wrinkles as he shakes his head and moves to get up. “I won’t eat with her.”
I feel my mouth fall open as I stare at this boy, wondering what his problem is. “What the hell?” I ask.