Part 2

Roxanne balanced her math book on top of her bag as she leaned against her locker, biting her lip in concentration. She was trying to remember her homework schedule, which class required a book brought home. She was late, and her brain was running on overdrive.

The bell had finally rung, four minutes before, ending 8th period English and Mr. Williams reign over her. But unlike the days before, she hadn’t rushed out the door as if her life depended on it. She had walked slower then usual. Slow enough to watch Nicholas as he exited the room. After her horrible first impression, Roxanne had apologized, and apologized, and apologized. Each time gazing into his eyes, and each time trying to keep her mouth from doing anything stupider. She tried to explain about Jack, but Nicholas just waved her worries away. His smile promised her that no hard feelings were felt, and before she could apologize for the fifth time, the bell had rung. So she had just watched him go, gather up his bag, duck under the door, and walk out into the stream of kids heading towards buses and cars.

That’s why she was late. Slamming her locker shut, Roxanne prayed there wasn’t something she was forgetting. She stuffed her Algebra book into her bag and zipped it, taking the stairs as quickly as possible. She ran through the lobby and out to where the buses were still waiting. Thank God, she hadn’t missed them.

Slowing her pace, the girl continued to hike down the sidewalk towards her assigned ticket home. She resented the fact that she was still riding the bus, but there was no way to avoid it. She could drive legally now, but both her parents worked, and there was never a car that could be spared. So every day she had to swallow her pride, climb inside the yellow doors, and slide down into a dark green seat in dire need of repairing. It was humiliating, to say the least.

“Hey, you dropped this!”

Behind her, footsteps pounded on the cement. Twirling around, Roxanne came face to face with the out of breath Nicholas. He was doubled over, one hand on his knees, the other holding out a stack of papers. His blond hair was hanging over his eyes and nose, causing his face to look even tanner.

“Oh, thanks! God, I’m so stupid sometimes. I didn’t even see it fall out of my bag…”

Roxanne took the papers from his hand, feeling a tingle run down her arm as she touched his fingers. She smiled a little sheepishly and stuffed the loose-leaf in her bag, not really looking at what it was.

“It didn’t. It fell out of your locker.”

Straightening up, Nicholas brushed his hair from his face. He leaned back on his heels and looked at her, squinting a little. “Roxanne, right? From 8th period?”

“Uh…yes! Yup, that’s me.”

He remembered!

It looked as if he was about to say something else, when the loud whoosh of breaks being unhitched sounded around them. The two teens looked up and watched as the line of Twinkie lookalikes rolled down the street, turning off towards the main road.

“Oh…”

“That…that was your ride, wasn’t it?”

Nicholas smiled a little and pointed towards the buses. She looked at him and laughed a little. He joined her and rubbed the back of his neck, watching the yellow trucks disappear down the road. They looked at each other again and smiled. Roxanne knew HE knew that she had missed the bus for his sake. She could see it in his lopsided grin, and in his slightly raised eyebrows.

“Come on, I’ll give you a lift. It’s my fault you missed it.” Nicholas nodded his head towards the parking lot. He lifted a pair of keys from his shirt pocket and tossed them in the air, catching them and winking at her at the same time. As he turned towards the lot, Roxanne let out a little delighted sigh – just quiet enough so he couldn’t hear. Everything the boy did made her heart jump, every hand gesture, every quiver in his smile, every word that escaped his perfect lips. And he knew who she was! Plus, he had rushed down twenty plus stairs just to give her some stupid paper that had fallen from her locker. And now he was giving her a ride home - !

Raising her eyes to the sky, Roxanne quietly whispered to the Heavens above.

“God, I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep it up, okay?”

His car was silver. A sleek and silver mustang. It stood sparkling in the bright afternoon sun, standing out from the usual half-hearted student vehicles. Just like the boy himself. Each had a shine to them, something that separated them from the average. So it was only right that they should have each other. The dazzling boy and his gleaming car.

“So, you must be pretty good in English, huh?”

Roxanne tore her gaze from the shining vehicle and squinted over at Nicholas, seeing only a tall silhouette behind the bright afternoon sun. What had he said? Something about English…

“You know, since you’re in a class with juniors and seniors.”

The keys clicked into the lock and Nicholas opened his door. He ducked under the roof and threw his bag in the back. After sliding inside, he reached over the passenger side and unlatched Roxanne’s door.

“Oh…oh, well…it’s just…English is really the only thing I’m good at. All my other classes are with sophomores. I’m not advanced in anything else…” She stooped inside and was instantly hit with the tingle of cologne. But unlike Mr. William’s choice of scent, this one was fresh, and clean. Her teacher’s always had a musky tinge to it, causing her nose to itch the minute it came into contact with it. But Nicholas’s car smelled great. Instead or irritating her senses, it soothed them. Mr. William’s was dark and heavy; Nicholas’s was calm and comforting.

After slamming her door and pushing her bag down below her feet, Roxanne took a quick look around. Inside the silver automobile was almost as nice as the outside. The leather was perfectly black, clean, and looked as though it had been bought yesterday. It was warm from the mid-spring sun, and felt nice against her back. Reaching over to grab the buckle, Roxanne noticed something that made her smile. Under the radio, and in all the seat pockets, CD’s popped their multicolored heads up. He obviously liked music with this silver slice of Heaven.

“English is a good thing to get a hold of. Back in my old school, my English teacher was terrific. He taught me how to finally understand what the hell I was writing.” Starting up the ignition, Nicholas buckled his own belt and then turned to Roxanne. “How’s Mr. Williams? He a good guy?”

Roxanne took a second with that one. What was she supposed to say? That Mr. Williams was a sleaze? That he treated her like some kind of personal possession? The girl looked into Nicholas’s questioning blue eyes and smiled weakly. Then she busied herself with tightening the strap on her seatbelt. There was no way she could lie to that face, so she wouldn’t look at it. Running her hand up and down the slight leather strap, Roxanne tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible. “Yeah, he’s a real nice guy. Young too.”

“I noticed. I bet you girls get detention a lot, right?”

Roxanne raised her head and looked at Nicholas. What did he mean by that? Did he know…? He couldn’t have guessed in such a short time... She looked at him sideways and felt her hand slide up to her necklace again, a nervous habit.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, to stay after and see him. Detention…after class…extra time with the cute teacher?”

Nicholas obviously hadn’t heard the slight edge in her voice. His demeanor was still playful as he twisted his head backward and grabbed the seat with one hand, steadying himself as he backed out. Once the car was straight and headed towards the school exit, he turned to Roxanne again, grinning. “It’s a joke. Get it?”

“Oh…of course! But, I’m not really into that…Mr. Williams…he’s just not really…my type.”

Roxanne returned the smile and let her hand drop from her neck. She had been worried over nothing. He obviously hadn’t guessed anything. How could he? It was only his first day in 8th period English.

“You don’t mind a little music, do you?”

The boy flicked the radio switch on then leaned back in his black seat, tapping the steering wheel with one hand. Roxanne watched as his mouth moved slightly to the words coming from the speakers, always that hint of a smile touching his lips. Sweeping a blond piece of hair from his eyes, Nicholas turned to Roxanne for a second time. He had to raise his voice a little to be heard over the bass and drums drifting around the silver car.

“I listen to it for the guitar, mostly. I play.”

Roxanne tried to hide her laughter. She lifted her hand to her mouth and pretended to scratch the side of her nose. It was Elvis. He was listening to ELVIS. Genuine, 1950’s rock legend Elvis Prestly. Not that she had anything against the King; it was just so unexpected. And adorable.

“I live down Hutchinson road. Just keep going straight then hang a left.”

“I listen to a little bit of everything. I like jazz too.” Nicholas looked at the smiling girl and then scratched the back of his head, looking just the tiniest bit self-conscious. “I’m not as lame as I seem, honest. It’s just for the guitar. I play.”

“I know. You already told me that.”

“I did? God…maybe I really am that lame.”

He looked back at her and winked again, snapping his gum against his teeth. Mr. Williams liked to snap his gum. But Nicholas even did that differently. His was good-natured; his was out in the open and just plain fun. He didn’t go behind you and snap it right in your ear, and he never winked with that disgusting smirk that made you want to instantly disappear. Nicholas had a grin that was wide, inviting.

They drove in a comfortable serenity for a while, the driver tapping his steering wheel and mouthing the words, hamming it up for the sake of his passenger. He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, casting wonderful expressions her way. Roxanne just shook her head cheerfully and settled into the comfortable leather, letting Elvis serenade her and Nicholas drive her.

“My turn’s right up there, right at that stop sign.”

“What?”

“My turn –“

“Hang on a sec…” Nicholas turned down the music to a quiet jingle, and leaned to his right a little, so he was closer to the girl. He brushed some of his perfect locks from his face and then cupped his hand over his ear, exaggerating his listening abilities.

“My turn, Elvis, it’s right there.”

He laughed and leaned back, spinning the wheel and resting his tongue on the side of his mouth. She was quick, that girl.

When he had leaned in, Roxanne had noticed his hair for the first time. Really noticed it. Now she knew why she was drawn to the light mop atop his face. The top part was obviously gelled back, but the rest of it fell freely around his face. In a mushroom cut, but not exactly. Free. Just like him. Just asking for someone to run her hands through it –

“So…there was something I meant to ask you back in class…before our intriguing first meeting, you looked kind of…shaken up. I meant to ask if everything was alright then, but the bell rang. Were…were you upset about something?”

The music was off now, and they were driving in silence. Nicholas wasn’t exactly smiling anymore; more of a concerned look took hold of his features. His eyes slid over to her and he raised one eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched upward like it wanted to smile but wasn’t sure if it was the right time. The car slowed just a little.

Roxanne’s hand immediately went up to her small, beaded necklace. She ran her fingers over it while the other hand took hold of the bottom of her shirt. Twisting the sweater material around her finger, the nervous girl tried to play it down.

“Just a…rough day. You know those kind…where nothing goes right?”

“Oh. It’s just that,” Nicholas turned his eyes back to the road, focusing hard on the pavement for the first time in ten minutes. “It seemed like you were almost…sneaking into the room, or something. I just thought…”

“It’s right here. Four eleven.”

The car swerved and Roxanne hit the door unexpectedly, jamming her arm against the window lock. Nicholas looked at her quickly and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry. I didn’t see it.”

“No problem.” She smiled too, but deep down inside her stomach she pleaded that he would stop asking questions. If her grin looked as fake as it felt, it was going to shatter if hit with any more inquisitions. She couldn’t lie to those eyes for long.

The car traveled up the gravel drive and finally stopped. Nicholas pulled the emergency break and then leaned back, pushing all of his hair totally out of his face, so he could look at her better.

“Well,” he said, back to his good-natured grin, “the bus stops here.”

“Thanks, Elvis.” She grabbed her bag from under her feet and opened the passenger side door. It seemed like the subject had been dropped as soon as it had started. Any trace of concern was dropped from his features, so probably it hadn’t been as important as she had thought. Roxanne, you have to stop worrying so much. Her mind scolded her as she ducked through the door.

“Hey, where’s my tip?”

He yelled through his open window, smile back in full force. Roxanne shut the door and walked over to his side, letting the awkward memory totally slip from her mind. How can you dwell on the past when the future is looking so incredibly good, especially when he’s leaning out a window?

“Maybe you can drive me home tomorrow. There, that’s your tip.”

A surprised, but definitely not unhappy, expression came over Nicholas’s face as Roxanne backed up into her garage. She waved to him and then turned into her house. Running up the steps the girl opened the door as quickly as she could. Slamming it behind her, she leaned against the wood.

WHAT had she just said? Had those words actually come out of her mouth? The flustered girl covered her eyes with one hand and let her breath out slowly. You can drive me home tomorrow. Where had THAT come from?

If she hadn’t been inside, kicking herself for being so bold, the Roxanne could have seen Nicholas drive away in his sparkling car. She could have heard the music being turned way up; she could have watched him drive a little faster then normal down the street. And she could have seen the boy smile, secretly, to himself.

Part 3