Chapter One

Once again I was stuck at home on a Friday night with no other option than to watch re-runs of the popular 90’s show, “Friends.” My best friend of all time Jenna had cancelled our plans for the fourth time in a row because something had come up. Something had come up alright, but it wasn’t what I ever expected to come up in between Jenna and me. It had always been just us two--Jamie and Jenna. No one ever saw us apart during and after school hours no matter where we were. I never dreamed of sharing my life with another best friend, then again I also never dreamed that my parents would be divorced, but look at them living their separate lives now.

Adam enrolled as a new student in the town's local high school a couple of weeks ago as a Senior just like Jenna and I. He caught the attention of many girls from the moment he walked into his first class which so happened to be my Calculus class. He possessed all the features that every girl fantasized about in the ideal guy. His golden-brown skin complemented the dark shaggy hair that covered up parts of his ears. His lean, muscular build and bright hazel eyes were the eye catchers that triggered the gasps and murmurs from almost every girl when he waltzed through the door. Of course I saw what every other girl in class saw, but I refused to give him my full attention like everyone else. I just thought to myself, “Why bother?” I didn’t see a point in obsessing over a boy and having unrealistic hopes that he’d notice me one day.

By lunch time pretty much everyone was talking about the new boy, including Jenna. She had him in her art class and by some “force of nature,” as she called the event; the teacher chose the empty seat next to her for Adam to sit in. She babbled on about how gorgeous he was and described him in intense detail. Not that I was jealous, but the image of them sitting next to each other worried me a bit. Part of the reason I wasn’t entranced by this new kid was that he didn’t exactly give me a good vibe. Aside from the fact that he carried himself in an extremely cocky way, something about him made me feel uneasy for some reason. I decided to shake it off and try to divert Jenna’s attention to another topic not involving Adam. I pretty much failed, but soon thereafter the bell for the next passing period rang, so I was able to escape Jenna’s next round of Adam fan girling for at least an hour.

I walked into my Chemistry class and there was Adam sitting in my seat. Instead of confronting him for my seat, I decided to just sit in an empty seat that no one ever sat at. The bad part was that the seat faced Adam at an angle that gave him a clear view of me at all times and vice versa. As class came into session and our professor dragged on about our stoichiometry notes, I saw through my peripheral vision that Adam had his eyes set in my general area. I glanced in his direction and saw the most intense look on his face as he ran his gaze over me. We locked eyes for a good ten seconds, then I involuntarily shivered and cowered away from his stare. I don’t know if he looked at me at all the rest of class because I avoided even coming close to look in his direction anymore.

After a few days of the Adam sensation, I noticed that Jenna had been awfully distanced from me and that she suddenly became busy fairly often during the times that we planned to hang out. I finally decided to confront her right after she cancelled on me for the second time in a week. I wasn't exactly buying her story about her mom pulling a muscle during yoga. Instead of letting her know before I went to her house, I decided to just show up there. That was the day I found out about my best friend and the new boy Adam. He was the one that answered the door and stared me down with that same look on his face from that first day in Chemistry class. I didn't remember that day in full detail, but I was better off that way. I absolutely did not like picturing Adam's eyes practically burning through me; it felt as if he was plotting against me or something of the sort. If his intentions were to simply intimidate me, he achieved his goal. But if his objective was just that, why did I feel so unsafe in his presence?