Tear (Seaside 1)

I bit my lip and turned off the ignition.

I don’t know how long I sat there, five minutes maybe, and then someone was banging on my window.

“Nat! What the heck? Where have you been?”

My best friend, though I hated to claim her at times considering she had the tendency to be neurotic and slightly irritating, banged on the window again. “The meeting? Did you forget?”

Crap.

I pushed open the door and hopped out. “Sorry, Alesha. I totally spaced it.”

She folded her arms across her chest and scowled. “What’s up with you lately? We only have thirty days until the dance and Homecoming has to be the best! I mean it’s like one of our final hoorays!”

“I think you mean hoorah.”

“Whatever.” She blinked several times, trying to clear the clumps from her heavy mascara, and threw her bag over her shoulder. “All I’m saying is we need your help. Think you can float out of la la land and make it to the meeting after school?”

“Yes?” I said it as more of a question then flashed her a smile. “Yes, Alesha. I promise I’ll make it and I’ll do wonderful things with the decorations. Great theme by the way.”

“What is it?”

“Life’s a Beach?” I guessed.

“Lucky guess…” she muttered then stormed off.

I exhaled and again a prickling awareness washed over my skin. Seriously, I needed to get more sleep. The bell rang. I trudged to my first class not really paying attention to anyone around me which was just a bad choice period. I mean, I’m a teenager. We’re clumsy and all that.

Needless to say, I tripped. My messenger bag went flying out of my hands and my books spewed out of my bag like they were angry they were there in the first place.

“Crap.” I knelt down and reached for my Poli-Sci book just as another hand brushed mine.

Chills spread throughout my entire body. Alarmed, I pulled back and looked up, straight into the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen.

Period.

I’m sure my mouth dropped open, because that’s the typical girl response when she sees someone so breathtakingly handsome all she really wants to do is curse and then pinch herself to make sure she isn’t dreaming.

I felt my skin heat as he wordlessly passed me my book, and then held out his hand to help me up.

I took it, mainly because I was in such shock I didn’t know what else to do.

And just as I was about to speak, or exhale, or do anything that would prove to this very beautiful boy that I was in fact a human and not a robot, someone walked up beside him and scowled.

“Knocking girls on their knees already hmm, Alec?”

It was like looking at the sun and moon at the same time. Alec had messy black hair and green eyes. His chin was pronounced, his jaw had a five o’clock shadow on it. No way was this guy a teenager. The boy next to him stretched out his hand and grinned, revealing perfectly straight white teeth. His hair was blonde and curly, his skin the perfect tan, as if he just spent the last few weeks on vacation in Hawaii. His dimples were so deep you could tell he smiled a lot, whereas the other guy, Alec, hadn’t said a word. Nor had he smiled. Not once.

“Um...” I took the guy’s hand. “He didn’t knock me down, he was helping me. I tripped and…” Why the heck was I defending myself like some guilty prisoner?

“No worries.” The guy shrugged. “Demetri. And your name?”

“Natalee,” I said slowly. “But everyone just calls me Nat. Nice to meet you… both.”

Demetri shrugged. “Yeah, well, we’re new in town, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of us.”

There was something vaguely familiar about both of them, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Again, it’s probably all that late night television watching. No way do I actually know two guys this hot.

I stole a look at Alec. He seemed to be flexing every muscle in his body, almost like he wanted to punch me, or eat me, or maybe just kill me with his bare hands.

Great start to a day.

At least it wouldn’t be boring.

“Right, um, like I said, nice meeting you. I’ll just…” I didn’t finish the sentence, instead I just walked as fast as my legs could take me to my first class praying the whole time that my butt looked good in my jeans and that I had remembered to put on deodorant.

“Nat!” Evan jumped out of his seat and plowed toward me. “Where were you this morning? We waited, but then, you know I got hungry and… well, you weren’t there.”

I rolled my eyes. “Evan, when are you not hungry? And I totally forgot, sorry.”

He shrugged. “No apologies necessary. I just hate having to be the only sane one in that estrogen fest.”

I smirked. “Right. You just hate being surrounded by beautiful women.”

“It makes it hard for me to eat.”

“Why is that?” I took my seat and grinned.

“Well…” he leaned forward. “I can’t just maul my food with all those pretty girls watching, and I’m pretty sure eating anything in front of chicks who use laxatives as an appetizer is a quick way to get shot in the face.”

“Ah, this is true. Here.” I reached into my backpack and took out the banana I had snatched from the counter earlier. “My peace offering.”

“Thank God.”

“Boys. Give them food and they’re putty in your hands.”