CHAPTER 1
It was the first day back to Olde Saint Louis High School from winter break, so there was still a thin layer of snow on the ground on that brisk Monday morning as I pulled into the school parking lot with the other students in their cars. My identical twin sister, Lauren, was riding shotgun in my trusty Toyota Camry. I parked and shut off the car in our usual spot in the corner of the lot, getting out to get our bags from the back seats.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gxwbfcZUO
"Gosh, I've really missed school." Lauren, my twin, sighed once she shut the door of her side, hefting the strap of her school bag over her shoulder. "Cassie and Jess said they've got a bunch of pictures from their winter trip they want to show me."738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFEVRNxMQp
"Oh really? I was sort of hoping they'd fallen into the Grand Canyon or something. Rylan would have totally celebrated." I joked.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYEIeOBkPd
Lauren rolled her eyes and ignored my crude comment, much like she always did. Tolerating each other was sort of an art form, since it came with the territory.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQlJXflecY
I wouldn't say she and I were exactly identical, but someone who hadn't grown up with us our whole lives wouldn't have been able to tell us apart. Whereas Lauren was skinny and an inch shorter than me, I was more athletically built than she was. Plus, our brown hair was styled a certain way, mine being more boring than hers because Lauren's was cut into layers in order to add volume. At least, that's what she told me. We were inseparable as we always were, and our steps in synch as we made our way towards the school.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5yQ6VADPr
We were almost to the front doors when I suddenly remembered something. "Crap, I forgot my book for English! You go ahead, I'll see you in class." Without a second thought I quickly raced back to my car; I really didn't want to be late for my first class-I've never been late once and I wasn't planning to start now.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82hEKeyKZn
I quickly found what I was looking for and locked the car back up, turning right around and started speed-walking back towards the school's front doors again. My thoughts were a rattled mess in my head, and I wasn't truly paying attention to my surroundings. So, safe to say my brain didn't completely register the revving of a vehicle until it was a little too late.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgw23KZYL73
I didn't get very far distance-wise before I was almost being run over by a black and silver motorcycle that seemed to appear out of nowhere. First, I heard the squealing of tires on pavement, then a blurry, dark and shiny shape came towards me, causing me to stop abruptly. I almost seriously lost it in my Levi jeans as the bike careened dangerously around me, narrowly missing me by a few precious inches, to park in the available parking spot—the very one I happened to be standing in at that point in time.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KIZzhr1Hr
The whole ordeal was over in a matter of five seconds, leaving me frozen in my tracks out of pure shock and terror as my heart thumped out a crazy rhythm so fast, it felt similar to having a heart attack. I could have been injured—or worse—by an unobservant driver. Who in the hell does he think he is?738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIM5Yseptev
My mouth was opened, ready to tell this irresponsible idiot off for endangering and almost ending my life, when the guy took off his black helmet, and I was rendered completely speechless. My mouth was left hanging open in a ridiculous position as I stared at the boy in the black motorcycle jacket.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9bjsmtDZP
Well, crud. I almost yelled at a hot guy! And my god, was he drool-worthy... Now, I normally wasn't ever overly-attracted to a guy before—even a celebrity, that was Lauren's forte. So for the first time ever, I was left gaping like a starstruck fangirl at this handsome guy I had never seen before, who had almost ran me over with his motorcycle only a few moments ago. What was wrong with me?738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiAyUDT5ld
I was so distracted that I didn't notice he had been talking to me until I saw his lips form into a smirk.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHmWIFCPHB
"You didn't hear me, did you?" This situation seemed to amuse him greatly, and I couldn't fathom as to why.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyXl4dRW9c
"What?" Coming back to life, I was able to focus my attention on the matter at hand, but my face flushed in embarrassment anyway at being caught staring; I never ever did that. Inwardly, I chided myself for acting like a complete fool while the guy on the bike continued to grin at me. There was nothing amusing about the situation.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZLCvpw7yz
"I was apologizing for almost running into you. I honestly didn't see you until the last minute, I swear. I feel terrible...I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Those dark eyes of his swept over me in examination. The amusement was wiped away as genuine concern graced his features.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9HAReueeK
However, something snapped within me as I remembered what I had been about to do earlier, before he had caught me off guard. "You idiot! What's wrong with you? You could have seriously hurt someone! Do you want something like that on your record? You shouldn't have been speeding through a freaking school parking lot. You need to watch where you're going next time. Nobody's invincible, buddy, so quit acting like you are." I told him, indignantly. I was unbelievably angry and shaken up over my sudden near-death experience, who could blame me? 738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNsg3oPmzk
The biker boy's expression switched to serious at my tone, but I noticed a slightest twitch of his lips, as if he was fighting to hold back a smile. Hopefully he realized the seriousness of the situation. "Okay, look. I admit, I was being reckless and I sincerely apologize."738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX1e2y3B9Y
Crossing my arms, I examined his face trying to find any slight indication that he was mocking me, but I didn't find a thing. Despite the slight brashness to his tone, his face otherwise was a calm, stoic mask, as if he'd had many years to practice it. Even though he looked one hundred percent serious, that necessarily didn't mean anything; I still didn't trust this stranger. He must be new because I'd never seen him before in my life, but it felt like I knew him somehow. Was I going crazy? It would explain my initial star-struck reaction to him. That's never happened to me about a boy before. Never!738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39htODCQf7
Maybe I was being a little too harsh and coming across like some naïve, spoiled rich girl, but I was just put in danger for crying out loud! "You'd better be. Watch where you're going next time, alright?" Then I kept walking because I didn't want to keep yelling at him, that's how angry I was. Yelling at him more was a lost cause, that much I knew. I didn't want to be late either.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw3rjmfpUR
I walked straight to my locker once I entered the school building, which was down the senior hallway located in the large main hallway of the school. I only had a minute left before first period started, so I hurriedly grabbed all the things I'd need for my first class, still fuming over my closely fatal encounter with the hot stranger on a motorcycle. I didn't want to think about him at all, because doing so would only make me more angry and I really didn't want that right now.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6cqa2ZUS8
I raced toward my classroom, trying to weave through the packed halls of Olde Saint Louis High. Being a senior, I was extremely glad to be halfway done with my Senior Year; no more petty mean girls, immature spitball fights, or crappy high school lunches for me, because in a few long months time, my friends and I were going to be somewhat-mature young adults, and we couldn't wait.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DainCeV52
I barely made it to Literature in time before the bell rang. I was very thankful that I was so athletic—I have soccer and cross-country to thank for that.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlucfiEAqV5
I shared my English class with my twin, so I sat in the desk next to her, plopping myself unceremoniously in my seat with a huff.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5C4weIYWP
"It took you that long to find a stupid book?" My identical twin gave me an incredulous look, but when she took in my flustered appearance, her expression turned alarmed. "What's got your panties all in a wad, girl? Is Steph up to her bitchy ways again?"738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHDDwXsNlZ
Instead of going through that whole ordeal again, I decided against telling her—at least not yet. "No. It's nothing I really want to get into right now. Ask me later when I'm more calm, kay?"738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2kF7talOg
Lauren looked like she wanted to keep grilling me until I spilled everything, but thankfully she let the subject drop, which was just as well because the teacher started started the lesson, passing out the syllabus to discuss our last semester of high school.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpqGwbrYyt
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My classes were extremely slow as usual. With it being second semester, the teachers lectured us in every class. No matter how hard I tried to listen to them as attentively as I could, I found it harder to focus on what was discussed, losing interest pretty quickly; I've heard it all a million times before, and since I was a straight-A student, I figure I could get by with slaking off this once.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTmzYPUOv1
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It wasn't after my third hour when I started hearing of the rumors that had been flying around the school all morning. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but I probably could guess just who it was about. When I came across one of my friends in the halls, I stopped her and asked about it. If there was anybody who would know what was going on in school, it was Cassandra Davison.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6IOYD9Hvm
"Hey Cassie, what's everyone whispering about lately?" I asked curiously, wanting to find out what was going on. "Everyone's been whispering all morning and I have no clue what it's about."738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQSAKTxdun
Cassie's gorgeous green eyes grow wide with excitement. "You haven't heard? We have a new boy in our grade, and I hear he's super cute, has really hot-looking tattoos, and all the girls are already crushing on him even if they haven't even seen him yet!" She gushed dramatically. She had always been a major girly-girl, so it was safe to say her and Lauren got along real well.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgo9x5ECyK0
So my hunch had been right, he was new. "Really?" I should have known... I knew I wasn't ever going to stop hearing about it until graduation.738Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7fZnZybqZ
"Yeah, I know, right? I haven't seen him yet, but they can't be too far off in their accuracy." Cassie's lips were stretched so wide in a goofy grin, it was very possible it could become a permanent fixture on her face. Glancing abruptly down at her expensive wrist watch, she chirps a goodbye. "Well, I've gotta go. I'll see you at lunch, girly!" Cass patted me affectionately on the shoulder before she walked away to her next class, and I eventually did the same, shaking off all thoughts of the new kid. I needed to focus and hurry if I wanted to avoid the risk of receiving a tardy slip on my first day back. The world had to be against me.
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