Marked

Chapter One: Present Day

Stella pushed my arm. "Have you ever asked him?" She pointed to Tanner, probably the most popular guy in the school. "Who knows? You might just be made for him..."

I rolled my eyes. "I won't ask him because A) that's weird and B) he'll think I like him. Which I don't. Even if we Matched, I wouldn't instantly fall for him." I ran my fingers over the lines that made up my tattoo on my wrist, just where my watch would lie. "Besides, most people have moons or suns, I have a bear. A bear! It's so stupid."

Stella rolled her eyes. "We all know that you like the bear. Look at mine," She held out her wrist. "A circle. A plain circle. Who has a PLAIN CIRCLE?!" She sighed. "I'll never find my Match."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Travis stand up and walk over to our table. He looked nervous, with his hand over his wrist.

"What do you want Travis?" Stella asked, a litter ruder than needed.

"Uh..." Travis held his wrist to Stella and moved his hand. On his left wrist was a circle. A plain circle.

I looked at Stella, grabbing her by the wrist. "Will you look at that?" I teased. "Look who Stella is made for? Travis Burkendy." I smiled at Travis. "I'm sure you two will be very happy together."

Stella bit the inside of her lip, surprised at the Match. "Well... I guess we Match Trav,"

I tried not to laugh. Travis was okay, but diffidently no Stella McFarland. Stella had long blonde, straight hair and blue eyes. She was tall and skinny and in ways, I was jealous. I was shorter than her and had long, curly, brown hair, a chestnut color. My eyes were frosty white and scared off a lot of people. Two unlikely friends.

Travis was tall and awkward, like he wasn't caught up in his height. He wasn't the best dressed and his glasses were huge. And not the hipster huge, like, straight from the 80's huge. His nose was flat and his lips came out a little too far.

Match, I thought. Who Matched those two?

Travis sensed the weirdness in the Match and sat back down in the back of the history room. I looked to Stella and mouthed, Wow. "You two love-sick kids be careful. You don't want to move too fast." I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Stella punched my side.

"Hey! Tanner! Scarlett here wants to ask you a question!" Stella pointed to me in exaggeration.

Tanner laughed but walked to our table. I sat up as he walked closer. Yeah I don't like him, but my mom always taught us to be nice in front of men. Anyone, really. "Hello Tanner."

Tanner smiled. "What did you want to ask me, Scarlett?"

I shrugged. "I wanted to ask you nothing. Stella wants me to ask you a question. Really, I don't have any desire to ask the question. Sorry to bother you."

"What is the question?"

"Well, I can't tell you because then I'm asking the question and I don't want to ask it." I looked to Stella. "Stella, can you please tell the nice man the question?"

Stella rolled her eyes. "Scarlett wants to know what your tattoo is. Could you please hold out your wrist and show us?"

Tanner smirked. "That's all you had to say." He took off his leather jacket and showed me his wrist. A moon. "What's yours?"

I held out my wrist. "A bear. You can go now,"

Stella waited until Tanner was out of ear shot to speak again. "It's a shame. Man, he's cute,"

I rolled my eyes. When was class going to start?

Another minute passed and the bell rang. Everyone settled in their seats as Mr. Copper took his place in front of the class. "This semester we will be learning all about the tattoos we all have." Copper held out his wrist to the class. "See? We all have one."