Chapter Two
1122 Words
Lizzie turned away from him, feeling her face warm as she did.
“Told you,” she heard Elle hiss at her right before the bell rang but ignored her.
Lizzie stared ahead at the teacher, who had introduced himself as Mr. Longwood, but she could feel the new boy staring at her from his desk.
“I’m going to take roll call,” Mr. Longwood said, holding up his clipboard. “When I call your name, acknowledge it, so I know you’re here.”
He read through the names on the list, which were listed in alphabetical order, and the students responded in various ways. Some nodded their heads, some called out a response, and others raised their hands to let him know they were present. Mr. Longwood made a mark next to each name as the person responded.
“Elle Borders?” he called out.
“Here!” Elle called out, raising her hand high above her head.
A couple of girls sitting in the front of the room giggled at her enthusiasm. Elle sat back, frowning at them. Lizzie glared at them until they stopped laughing and turned back around to face the front of the classroom.
When Mr. Longwood called out, “Deon Jeffers?” the boy sitting next to Lizzie raised his hand and called out, “I’m right here, sitting next to this beautiful lady.”
The class tittered while Lizzie’s face flamed. She slouched down into her seat, covering her face with her hands. She knew she must be blushing in technicolor. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and focused her gaze on the teacher again. Waving away Elle’s finger poking into her side, she waited with her hands clasped together on the desk in front of her until she heard her name being called.
“Elsabeth Warden?” Mr. Longwood called out, looking around at the students.
“Here,” Lizzie croaked out, then cleared her throat.
“Here,” she repeated, her voice stronger.
She raised her hand, then lowered it as Mr. Longwood marked off her name.
After roll call, they had a few minutes until the bell rang for first period to talk.
“Excuse me? Elsabeth?” she heard a voice whisper to her from her left, and a shiver ran up her spine.
Closing her eyes and gathering her strength, she took a deep breath, then turned to look at Deon.
“Call me Lizzie,” she told him, a smile curving across her lips.
He stared into her eyes as he smiled back. He had the nicest smile.
Then nodding, he said, “Lizzie, it is.”
Holding up his schedule, he asked, “What class do you have for first period?”
She glanced down at her schedule, even though she’d already memorized it, and told him, “It looks like I have English first period.”
He looked at his schedule, then grinned at her and asked, “Mrs. Lehman?”
At Lizzie’s nod, his grin widened, and he said, “It’s my lucky day. I have her, too. Care to walk to her class together?”
She ignored Elle tugging on her sleeve and nodded.
“Sure,” she told him, tilting her head to the side. “If we get lost, then at least we’ll be together.”
“There’s no one else I’d rather get lost with,” he said in a soft voice, leaning closer to her.
She stared into his eyes, then jumped as the bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom. Everyone gathered their things together and filed out of the room, except for those students who had Mr. Longwood for first period.
Lizzie grabbed her backpack and put it on while Elle slung her purse across her body. Seeing Deon waiting for her by the door, Lizzie hurried up to him.
He smiled at her as she reached him, then asked, “Shall we?”
Lizzie smiled at him as he swept his arm toward the hall, and they left the room, falling into step with one another. Elle hurried after her friend, then cleared her throat when she caught up to her.
“Elle! I’m sorry! I thought you had history first period, or I would have waited for you,” Lizzie said, turning to look at her friend.
“I do, but I wanted to make sure we were still going to meet up in the cafeteria for lunch,” Elle said, then glanced at Deon.
Looking back at Lizzie, she raised one eyebrow and leaned her head toward him.
“Oh!” Lizzie exclaimed, flustered. “Elle, this is Deon. Deon, this is my best friend, Elle.”
Deon nodded at her and waved, saying, “Hey, Elle.”
“Hey, Deon,” she said, waving back. “Nice to meet you.”
Turning back to Lizzie, she asked, “Lunch? Cafeteria? Fourth period?”
Lizzie nodded and glanced at Deon.
“Of course,” she told her friend as she looked back at her. “I’ll see you there.”
“Told you,” Elle whispered to Lizzie, grinning at her as she hurried past her to go to her first class.
Lizzie watched her friend walk down the hallway and shook her head.
Turning back to Deon, she asked, “Shall we continue onward?”
They fell into step as they started off once more.
As Lizzie and Deon walked to their first class, she asked him, “Are you new in town? I don’t remember seeing you around.”
“So, you admit you would have noticed me?” he asked, grinning at her.
She flushed and glanced away, trying not to smile.
Then, looking back at him, she grinned at him and said, “I probably would have. You’re kind of hard to miss.”
“Glad to hear,” he told her in a low voice, his eyes dancing.
They reached the classroom and hurried inside to find a seat before the bell rang.
“Too bad we didn’t get lost,” Deon said as they entered the room. “I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you.”
She ducked her head so he wouldn’t see her blushing yet again but couldn’t contain her smile. She couldn’t look at him and pretended to scan the room, looking for open desks.
“Maybe we can get together after school or something?” he asked, putting his hand on her arm.
- Writer
