Word Count: 1,727
Rating: PG-13
Plugging your headphones into your iPod, you pushed the buds into your ears and turned up the volume. Travis Clark's voice muffled the sound of the abnormally clamorous library. It was getting increasingly difficult for you to focus on your Algebra homework. You wished it was still summer.
Sitting back in the comfy, purple chair, you easily convinced yourself to take a break. Who needs math anyway? Your eyes fell closed and you let the music carry you away from your small world of schoolwork. Suddenly, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Your eyes flickered open and you slowly turned to see who it was.
Your mouth fell open as you stared at the handsome boy standing in front of you. He looked fresh off the oily ads of your Teen Vogue magazine. You shut your mouth and yanked out a headphone.
"Can I help you?" you whispered.
On the inside, you felt like someone had removed the blood coursing through your veins and replaced it with magma. Your body felt so warm, as if you had a fever. However, on the outside, you knew you were polished and showed no signs of liking the stranger.
"Yes. I, uh, was wondering if you were still studying or. . .?" he asked. His voice was strong, confident, and clear. The young man reminded you of an actor in what would become one of your favourite films. Someone who was not made to be beautiful, yet became beautiful as time progressed.
"Oh, yes," you said, sitting straighter and fixing your books. "I'm sorry."
He chuckled, which made his eyes twinkle. "It's fine. I was just wondering." He slowly pivoted and walked away.
You watched him from your seat, and you felt something in your heart pang, like a miner digging closer to the fragile exterior of the pouring lava traveling through your veins. The breath your lungs so desperately required was withheld from you as you found it apparently hard to respire. What was it about this stranger? Why did you yearn for his camaraderie? Why did he have to leave so soon?
Dropping your iPod on the table, you left Travis and the boys, to search for the roaming prince. Shoes hit the soft carpet with a defiant thump and the once cacophonous was suddenly silent. You weaved through the aisles of bookshelves, trying to catch just one more glimpse of him. Somehow, you just knew he did not leave yet, for his sudden departure only diffused an air of unfinished business.
A small, red book flew out in front of your face and you jerked your body back away from the intruder. You moved too quickly, however, and fell down to join the small nuisance. Your palm smacked against the harsh carpet and you dropped a swear word under your breath. Getting up, you picked up the book and put it back on the shelf. Now how did that fal-
"And I thought you were studying." A voice rang from behind, and you froze. It sounded just like him.
You turned and standing before you was, of course, the handsome stranger. "Sorry, I had to get up to get a book."
He laughed and said, "Or fall down because of a book."
You rolled your eyes and stomped past him. He was shaking with laughter and your face was coloured by a soft pink. Boys.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I offended you," he said from behind. "Are you okay?"
Slumping into the chair, you nodded. "I'm fine. And you, stranger?"
"I'm, uh, fine too." The boy was suddenly quiet and your eyes ran over his body. He had a lean figure. And because of his muscle tank, you got to see his quite bulky arm muscles. However, it was as if his confidence was suddenly drained from him. There he stood, fiddling with the hemline of his tank top and staring into the carpet, as if he was trying to solve the answer to life's most unanswerable question.
