It's Always Been You

1

"Class say hello to Ethan Walker, your new classmate," Mr. Turner exclaimed to the half-asleep classroom full of hormonal teenagers.

I looked up from my notebook, curious as to why this guy chose to walk right into a ghost town. Literally, nobody lived here if they didn't have to. We're the town that nobody wants to talk about, let alone touch foot in. So, why did this Ethan guy want to come here?

My breath catches in my throat as my eyes land on his shocking blue eyes. How the heck can someone's eyes be that blue? His sandy-colored hair matching his eyes. Wonder if he's from up east? My eyes wander down his abs peeking through his light blue shirt. This guy has to be from sunny California. An image of my cousin pops into my head. His curly blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and tan skin taking over my thoughts. I've only seen my cousin twice but his looks were enough to make everybody in this town remember him. Even the girls were talking about him after the week visit last May. Their eyes glazed over and a little bit of drool coming out of the corners of their mouths as they daydreamed about him. Ugh, disgusting!

"Excuse me," someone cleared their throat beside me.

I jumped out of my drunken state and stared at Ethan beside me. Somehow he had snuck up on me while I was thinking and had been standing in front of me for who knows how long.

"Can I sit here?" He pointed to the desk beside him.

I cleared my throat, "Umm yeah."

He gives me a huge smile and his pearly white teeth glare down at me. "Thanks."

I watch as he slides into the seat, placing his notebook on top. I couldn't help but notice the sticker of a surfboard in the center. So, he is from sunny California. Well, great another guy for the girls here to fling themselves at.

"So, where are you from?" he turns towards me while the teachers not looking.

I pointed to the sign out front shyly. He seems to realize his dumb attempt at a conversation and chuckles.

"Oh, my bad, should have known that."

-------

The rest of the class goes by painfully slow with him sitting right next to me. I noticed that he likes to chew on his bottom lip and couldn't help but stare a couple of times while he did it. He always seemed to catch me looking and just gives me a sideways smile.

Once the bell rings, a group of girls attack him like a pack of piranhas. They shoot him their innocent-looking smiles and bat their eyes as the girls each take turns interrogating him. I grab my books, shoving them in my bag. I do not want to be closer to the girls than I have to. The girls here are hormonal and in need of desperate attention.

I hurry through the row of desks, glancing back at him before my head ducks into the hallway. My eyes catch him and he is staring right back at me. Something inside of me flutters as I bite my bottom lip. He gives me a small wave before the hungry girls in front of him start jerking his arm. I return the wave, but he's no longer looking.

"Well look who it is, Mr. Nerd," Jackson's voice taunts me. His jerk group of friends begin laughing. 

I roll my eyes at their stupidness. That wasn't even a little bit funny. "Wow, Jackson you seem to get stupider every day." 

He rips my backpack off my shoulder, slamming it on the ground. "What did you say to me?" His face directly in mine.

"I say you're stupid," I say very slowly to him. This seems to make him madder and he shoves me hard into the lockers. 

I wince at the sudden pain in my back at the metal stabbing into my skin. 

"I wouldn't be so cocky, nerd." He glares at me, the anger fueling the flame in his eyes. 

He puts a hand around my neck, squeezing hard. I struggle to breathe and my eyes feel like they're going to pop out of my head. My hands desperately try to shove him off me, but barely scraping his shirt. Sirens go off in my brain as my attempts begin to get weaker and my arms go limp at my sides. This is it, I'm going to die right here in front of everyone. 

A sudden rush of air invades my lungs and I slump over coughing like a maniac. My hands go up to my throat. My lungs are burning from the lack of oxygen and I feel like passing out. 

"Get off me!" Jackson's voice gets my attention. 

I struggle to hold my head up as I watch Ethan slam Jackson into the lockers on the other side. The veins in his neck look like they're about to pop as he punches Jackson over and over again the face. 

Mr. Wilson, our principal, yells loudly for them to stop as he shoves students out of his way. His hands go up to Ethan's shirt, gripping it tightly. Ethan is pulled back roughly and kept an arms distance away from Jackson, whos hunched over as he struggles to breathe. 

Ethan's eyes are the last thing I see before my body hits the floor.