With shaking hands, I stare down at the papers in front of me, struggling to swallow without feeling as though I'm about to throw up. My eyes scan the words on the paper over and over again as I try to make sense of them. It is as if my brain thinks that perhaps if I read it enough times, it will suddenly change to something better. But of course, that can't possibly happen. Instead, a wave of dread washes over me as I sit in the hard chair, thinking of what this means for me. I need this to go well. But it hasn't and now I am lost.

Although I have been anticipating the sharp sound, the shrill of the bell still has me jumping in my seat, my eyes darting up from the paper in my hands. I stay seated while everyone else leaves before shakily standing to my feet. My footsteps sound too loud in the silent room as they carry me forward until finally, I stop in front of the large wooden desk.

Upon hearing my approach, the man I have become all too familiar with looks up at me from over the top of his glasses. A short, irritated sigh escapes his lips as he takes off his spectacles, letting them hang from the thin chain secured around his neck.

"Yes, Miss. Stevens?" He questions expectantly, analyzing me with his scrutinizing stare. I feel myself shrink under his gaze, but quickly force myself to be brave and stand up tall. With my hands still slightly shaking, I hand him my paper.

"A C, Mr. Hathaway?" I ask disbelievingly as he takes the paper from my grasp.

My English teacher fixes me with the same bored stare his face always holds, "I'm glad you can read, Miss. Stevens. Is there something I can actually help you with?"

"I thought my paper was worth more than just a C, Sir. Are you sure you don't want to read it over again?" My tone turns hopeful as I look down at him. In the back of my mind, I vaguely register the second bell ringing, but I choose to ignore it.

"I must say, it was a beautiful piece of writing," A small sigh of relief escapes me. Everything will be okay. "But," Oh no. "you didn't meet the brief."

My eyebrows immediately fly down to furrow in confusion. "What? Of course I did."

Mr. Hathaway sighs once again before taking my paper in his hands and lifting his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "You must write a short story that is both interesting and unique. Write something that will shock me." He places the paper back down on his desk and looks back up at me over the lens of his glasses. "You did not deliver."

"But, Mr. Hathaway-"

"No, Miss. Stevens."

"Sir-:

"A C is your final grade. This is not up for discussion. You are dismissed." He interrupts my protests once more, looking back down at the work he had been doing previously. Upon the realization that there is no way I will be changing my grade, I swipe my paper back off his desk and storm out of the classroom and into the empty hallway.

Didn't meet the brief? Are you kidding? My story is interesting! And unique! I have never read anything like it! And the ending definitely should have shocked him!

My face set into a frown, I push open the large main doors of the school and begin walking towards the school parking lot. I have never actually ditched school before, but I can't stand to spend another minute in that dreadful building. I still have a couple classes left today, but I can afford to skip them just this once.

My best friend is going to freak when she finds out. I never skip. Ever. She likes to call me a goody-two-shoes, but I really just care about my grades, that's all. I would happily skip school if it weren't for my crippling fear of failure.

My eyes slowly adjust to the bright sun rays shining down on me as I walk towards the school parking lot. Slowly my anger seeps out from my body and I am left with pure disappointment, completely directed towards myself. I should have worked harder on that assignment.

As I look out over the parking lot, my eyes suddenly catch a figure laying in the middle of the road. Walking closer, I notice the movement of his hand in front of him, drawing a lit cigarette to his lips before he pulls it away, a puff of smoke escaping him shortly after.

He doesn't notice me as I start walking closer and I find myself glad. I know exactly who this man is. Reece Carter is his name, the so-called 'bad boy' of Northwood High School.

The ankle boots I'm wearing click quietly against the solid concrete road as I walk closer to him, my mind racing. He is supposed to be in class. Then again, so am I. But I have a reason. Sort of. Pushing my blonde hair back from my face, I direct myself towards the middle of the road where he is laying. Everyone else is in class at the moment, so it is only him and I out here. Although the thought should scare me, considering his reputation, it doesn't deter me in the slightest.

My curious eyes sweep over him as I approach, taking in his appearance. His ripped black jeans hug his legs snuggly and the grey t-shirt he wears has risen up slightly thanks to the arm he has positioned behind his head. The white headphones I always see him wearing around school are stuck in his ears as usual, the cord trailing down to his pocket where I assume his phone must be. His signature black leather jacket is discarded beside him, leaving his tattoo-covered arms on full display.

When I get within a few meters of him, his piercing turquoise eyes suddenly snap to me, causing me to inhale sharply because of the intensity. How have I never noticed how gorgeous his eyes are? I guess I have never looked. He takes a slow drag of his cigarette with his eyes still on me before he lets the smoke out in rings above him. His eyes soon switch back to the sky, his head resting back on his arm.

I stop a few feet in front of him, my own green eyes studying him carefully. The smell of smoke from his cigarette fills my lungs and I scrunch up my nose slightly. I hate when people smoke. A harsh sigh escapes his lips, traces of smoke escaping as he turns his head to look at me again. Scowling, he stubs out his now finished cigarette.

He takes one headphone out of his ear and turns his blue eyes on me expectantly, "Yes?"

I take in a deep breath before blurting, "Why are you lying in the middle of the road?" Wow, way to be subtle, Layla. I scold myself, regretting the frankness of my tone. But my curiosity is eating away at me and I can't help it. I stuff my hands inside the pockets of my jacket and tilt my head slightly as I await his answer.

"This is a school parking lot," He answers slowly, "no cars are gonna come in or out of here for another couple hours." Reece grabs his jacket once he is finished speaking, taking out a lighter and a box of cigarettes from the pocket. He picks a death stick out of the box before putting it to his lips, acting as if he has actually answered my question. Which he hasn't.

"That doesn't really explain why you chose to lay in the middle of the road." I pull my eyes away from his lips as I take a step closer. I watch him flick the lighter to bring up a flame before lighting the end of his cigarette. He puts the lighter back in his pocket.

His eyes finally meet mine once again and his sharp gaze examines me closely. "I felt like it." He minimally replies. We both fall silent for a moment before he speaks up again. "You're a curious one, aren't you?" It is more of a statement than a question. I can't exactly argue.

I shrug my shoulders before deciding to sit down on the ground in front of him. He blows the smoke from between his lips as I speak, "I guess I am."

In and out the smoke passes through him again and again for a silent moment. Then he suddenly stops, sitting up and sighing quietly. His stare on me is piercing. "You're so goddamn stubborn. Why are you here?"

I ignore the part about me being stubborn and answer his question, "Well, you see, when I saw someone lying in the middle of the road, my instinct was to check if this person was mentally stable." I pause, a teasing smile pulling up my lips, "So far, the results are undetermined."

I don't expect a laugh or even a small smile from Reece. Not at all. I have gone to school with him for years and I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have seen him laugh. So, when Reece's lips part and quirk up slightly, I am dumbfounded. Then I hear the faintest breath leave his lips and I swear it was a laugh. But all too quickly he turns his head to try and hide it.

He is too late though. I saw it. I have just made The Reece Carter laugh. I grin happily to myself, proud that I'm the one who just made him do that.

"I'm not insane," Reece suddenly murmurs, breaking me from my thoughts. It takes me a moment to realize that he is replying to what I have said. He turns his head back to look at me, his face now void of emotion as he continues, "just bored."

"So, you're telling me you decided to skip class and lay in the middle of the road... because you're bored?" I raise a skeptical eyebrow.

"Pretty much." He replies shortly, his gaze moving away from me for a moment as he takes another drag of his cigarette. A strand of his dark brown hair falls in front of his eye when his turquoise eyes return to me. "Do you know who I am?"

I nod once, "You're Reece Carter." I don't need to say any more for him to know that I know of his reputation. Everyone that knows his name is aware of all the fights he gets into.

"Exactly. So why are you talking to me, Blondie?" He doesn't look into my eyes as he speaks, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he grinds his teeth together.

I have never held a conversation with Reece before, but so far he isn't at all what I had expected. I had pictured someone harsher, more brutal, and colder than the man in front of me. That's the kind of person the rumors make him out to be. But this man is hardly anything of the sort. Quiet, maybe. But not mean.

"My curiosity gets the better of me sometimes." He switches his gaze to me again. "And don't call me Blondie." I add as an afterthought, remembering what he just called me.

His lips twitch up slightly and I swear he almost smiles. "Layla Stevens." He lets my name hang in the air for a moment as he takes a drag of his cigarette. "You sit two seats in front of me in Chem."

My eyes involuntarily widen in shock. I didn't expect him to know my name, let alone where I sit in one of the classes we share. "That's right." I breathe, our eyes locking.

For another heavy moment, the two of us simply sit and regard the other silently. All too soon, he suddenly stands up, muttering profanities under his breath. He begins walking away from me and I quickly stand as well.

"Hey!" I call out to him on impulse. He stops abruptly, his back tense. "Where are you going in such a hurry!?"

His head falls downwards for a second before he looks ahead of him again, his back still to me. "You should try to contain that curiosity of yours." He states simply, the sound of his voice barely reaching me as he starts walking away again.

Huffing, I fold my arms over my chest and watch as he stalks towards a black car. Before he disappears into the vehicle, he pulls his black leather jacket on over his shoulders, covering the art that litters his arms. Before I know it, he is driving out of the school gates, the roar of the engine lingering for a few seconds after he leaves.

Where does he need to go that is so important during school hours? I shake my head to rid my thoughts of him as I begin walking towards my own car. I hop into the driver's seat with a sigh, resting my head back against the seat.

I still can't believe I got a C.