Ki$$ & $ell

Ki$$ & $ell: Chapter Six

Chapter Six

By the time Friday rolled around, so much was happening that I felt like I seriously needed a vacation from all the drama that had become my life. Nearly overnight, I’d gone from barely being a blip on anyone’s radar to being the most talked about girl at Ronald Henry High. Which might sound pretty sweet in theory, but so far it was more trouble than it was worth.

            Little had I known at the time, but the confrontation with Kristi and her clones wasn’t an isolated incident. Ever since the e-mail had gone viral, the hallways had been buzzing with gossip—about me. I could hear the girls giggling and feel their stares as I walked by. And the guys—the guys just sort of gawked, like I was some sort of freak show. Not exactly the sort of attention a gal dreams about.

            Figures that it would take me announcing my presence on the Internet for someone to notice I exist.

            Despite the way it all made me feel though, I put a big, fat, fake smile on my face and walked down the hallway like none of it bothered me.

            “You’re the man, Arielle!” a voice boomed off to my side.

            I watched in confusion as Aaron Breckinridge walked up and gave me a high five. I didn’t even think Aaron knew my name.

            “Seriously, dude, you rule,” he added, before walking off in the opposite direction.

            Stunned, I stared at the back of his letter jacket as he moved further away from me.

            “Uh, thanks?” I said, unsure of how to respond. As I grappled with what had just happened, my gaze swept across the hall until I made contact with a pair of the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.

            Eyes that were attached to Cade Jones—a junior, and one of the populars. He was one of those guys who belonged on a TV screen rather than walking the halls of a high school. His dark hair was cut just below the chin and it was always slightly mussed, like he’d just woken up, but in that perfect kind of way.

            Wowza.

            He smiled at me, a sort of sideways grin, and then leaned back against the wall. I glanced behind me to see whom he was staring at. But there was no one there. Yep, he was definitely looking at me.

I smiled back shyly, feeling my cheeks turning what I could only imagine was the same shade of red as my hair. Embarrassed about being caught mid-stare, I began to walk as fast as I could to class, leaving Cade staring after me.

            I sat down at my desk right as the bell rang, thankful to be back in an environment where I felt comfortable. Trusty desk, typical slightly crazy teacher, school work—that was all familiar to me. What had just happened in the hallway, on the other hand, was not.

            “Okay, class. Today, I’d like to start with a little writing exercise to get those creative juices flowing,” Mrs. Glass said a little too happily. “I’d like you to create a fictional character and, write a letter to yourself in that character’s voice.”

            A few groans exploded around the room, but everyone was already opening up their notebooks and starting to scribble on their papers. I took one last glance around the room and then settled in to do the assignment.

Dear Arielle,

I cannot believe all the attention you’ve been getting these past few days! I mean, man, you were invisible before, but now you’re everything but! It’s crazy, because either you’re getting glares from the girls, or getting high fives from guys you hardly know. You put one little ad on the Internet, and suddenly you’re like those celebs on the cover of the tabloid magazines like Brangelina or Bennifer. If you’d have known all this was going to happen, do you think you still would have gone through with it?