My eyes glazed over when he walked into the commons before school. My best friend, Tashi, noticed that I was staring at him again, and giggled under her breath quickly. She knew, as well as everyone else knew, that when I space out, I have no idea what's going on around me. The only thing I sense, is myself, and my target. Almost always, my target was him. Luke. The boy who was short, but stronger and faster than he looked. He was a year and grade higher than me, but I didn't care. His hair was flat, medium for a guy, and a light chestnut-ish color. His voice and smile were wonderful. They filled me with warm butterflies in my stomach. The butterflies were a light and faded green color, with a couple spots or lines in the veins, and an outline colored a dark, dark blue. They fluttered around, lightly, and made me feel like being tickled on the inside. Whenever he talked or glanced in my direction, I felt the feeling that couldn't be matched with anything. His eyes ' they were like a cloudy sky in the summer. If you looked long enough into them, you could dream up almost anything. But I never got that chance. I was rarely privileged with any of that, because even though I liked him so much, the interest only went one-way. I never really found out why he didn't like me. Oh well. Everyone has their reasons. Sometimes, I still wish---

'Jacksyn! Hey, sleepy-head!' Do you not realize what is happening around you? Mother of Pearl, wake up!' Tashi shook me until I was pulled back into reality. 'Jacksyn, have you no idea what I just did?'

'Uh... I don't... think so...' I said slowly, still adjusting to the settings again. 'Ok, Tashi, spill. What'd you do?' I turned around 18o degrees and looked at my brown-haired, blue-eyes, smiling friend with glasses.

'Oh, boy. You're gonna just love this! I have just committed a miracle! Do you hear me? A miracle!' Tashi rambled. I waited patiently for about ten seconds before interrupting her.

'Are you gonna tell me, or just sit there and go on forever?' I said sarcastically.

'Jacksyn, if you want to find out what I did, look for yourself.' Tashi pointed directly behind me. I twisted around on the bench, and came face-to-face with the last person on Earth I would have expected. Him. He was straddling the bench, looking directly at me, no emotions at all on his face. I returned the look, trying to not blush. I failed. The rush of heat was sudden and powerful, and I felt sure that he was laughing inside his head. Then he smiled, surely at my reaction to him.

'Well, Jacksyn, do you know what I did, now?' Tashi inquired brightly from beside me.

'Uh...um.. no. I still have no idea.' I never averted my eyes from his. I couldn't. There was a sort of pull, reeling me in like a fisherman's line. He was the bait.

'Sheesh! You never were good at making connections of random stuff.' Tashi sighed, and then continued, 'If you really wanna know, then say something. Other than 'Uh' of course.

'Why.... are you... of all people.. sitting across from me?' I questioned Luke, waiting anxiously to see if he was going to answer me.

'I, of all people, am sitting across from you, because your friend, Tammy--

'Tashi.' She said, a little irritably.

'Your friend Tashi, has informed me about something, and asked a tiny favor as well.'

'Right. Aaand what would that be?' I was getting very confused. My friend and crush were acting very awkward, and I didn't know what to do about it. I had a tiny hunch as to what Tashi told Luke about, but I shooed it away quickly. She wouldn't do that. You both know that he'd never go out with you. You live in different worlds.

'Well... at first, she went straight to the point, saying that you've kinda got a thing for me.' My face was suddenly 2o degrees warmer, and I blushed a deep maroon. Luke smiled a little, and continued. 'I didn't believe her at first; I thought you had to be over last year. I thought this was some kind of dare. But then she pointed to you, and said the look on your face like you were half alive meant that you were spacing out. And, the direction you were looking 'at me-- was no coincidence.' Before now, I didn't think it possible, but my face flushed an even deeper shade of what was now purple. This time Luke laughed outright. 'And, once she explained the whole situation to me, she asked if I'd like to go out with you.' Oh my god, she did do it. I didn't think she would. I thought I knew she wouldn't. But she did. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.

'Jacksyn, do you want some water or something?' Tashi looked worried. Probably because I had never blushed this much at one time. I must look like I'm gonna cripple at any second.

'Um... I'm good, thanks..' I quickly glanced at Tashi, sitting at a table near to the one Luke and I were seated at.

'Jacksyn.' Luke said calmly. My attention and focus immediately reverted back to him. 'Do you want to know what I said when she asked me that?' Oh my god, here it comes. Brace yourself, Jacksyn. Don't show the pain. Don't show it. Please don't show it.

'I said yes.'

I fainted.












Chapter 2

When I woke again, I was still a little drowsy. The surroundings told me I was in the nurse's office. The light blue cot, the white walls with posters of diseases, the human skeleton, and washing your hands, and the desk with tons of papers scattered neatly over it told me this was definitely the nurse's office. I sat up quickly, and immediately regretted it. I got light-headed, I saw stars for a couple seconds, and then my vision started to become clouded by some weird blackness that was creeping around the edges. It seemed like it was slowly eating the scene around me. I was pushed gently back down by someone's hand on my chest. The blackness slowly went away after a little bit. I tried sitting up again, but this time I went much slower.

'Are you all right? Jacksyn, can you hear me?' Are you going to be ok?' Someone, it sounded like the nurse, Mrs Lindstrom. But something wasn't right about it. Her voice sounded like it was in a bubble, and it was far away. I could barely hear her.

'uh... Yeah. I'm ok. I'm good.' I said. A bottle of water came into my view. I looked up to see the person holding it, and it wasn't the nurse as I had expected, it was Luke. Tashi was sitting beside him on the other cot in the room. I took the bottle Luke was holding. Our fingers touched for a split second, and I knew he probably didn't feel them, but in my fingertips, there was a spark of electricity. I opened the bottle, drank a little, and looked around the room again. There was Mrs Lindstrom, sitting in her swirly desk chair. She looked happy enough. She looked at me, and smiled.

'Do you want some alone time with your friends, honey?' She asked sweetly. Her voice still sounded like she was a long distance away from me.

'Yeah. Please.' I watched her go in silence, and Tashi and Luke followed suit. The second she was gone, however, Luke spoke up.

'Geez. I guess you weren't just blushing because of what I was saying.'

'Jacksyn, you really had us scared there. You fell over sideways into me like you always do when you're tired, but when I pushed you back up, you fell the other way and hit your head on the table hard. That's how I knew you weren't faking.

'So, we called the nurse over right then. She couldn't come out, cause she was dealing with someone else at that moment, so I carried you inside.' I blushed red again. 'Whoa, maybe you should lay down. Just to be safe.' Luke said. Wow, he actually looks concerned. And Tashi, too. Well, of course Tashi's concerned. We've known each other since preschool. But... Luke. Wow. Without knowing it, I smiled.

'What are you so happy about?' Luke joked. Crap! I didn't mean to actually smile! I thought frantically. Now, I could hear their voices normally again.

'Uh... no-nothing.' I said quickly, stumbling over my tongue. Tashi laughed under her breath, and she and Luke exchanged a glance.

'So, Jacksyn. Uh... do you still... want to go out with me?' Luke said the words very slowly. Maybe he was worried that I was going to faint again. I smiled again, this time on purpose.

'Yes. Yes I am. But I've got just one question. The first time I asked you, last year, why did you say not? Just for curiosity's sake.' I interrogated.

'Well... last year was pretty hectic for me. You, actually weren't anywhere near the first girl to ask me out. I have no idea why, but for some reason, I was one step down from a god last year.

'I know how you feel, Luke.' Tashi said.

'So.. that's it? You were overwhelmed by all these girls asking you out, so you just said no to everyone one after another?' I clarified.

'Well... yeah.' Luke looked at me like he was afraid I would get mad at him for such a dumb reason.

'Ok. Works for me.' I smiled, and Luke looked instantly relieved.

'Hey, since you guys are going out now, why doesn't Luke scoot on over to your bed, and your guys' hands go like, this?' Tashi held her interlocked hands in front of her face. I looked at him, and he looked at me. He moved to my bed. I held out my hand to him, and he took it. But, it was cut a little short, because at that moment, Mrs Lindstrom walked back in.

'Oh, so you're feeling better, Jacksyn?' She smiled warmly.

'Yeah. I feel great now. Thanks.' I replied.

'Good, good. You can go on back to your class now, you guys. You don't get to skip school the whole day.' She laughed, and held the door for us to go out. We walked out single file.

'There's a new movie coming to theatres soon, and if you want to come with me and bring Tashi with you, that'd be really great.' Luke looked at me and smiled. I smiled back. Tashi smiled.

'Well, don't you three look happy.' Said the school secretary, Viv as we passed her desk in the office.

'Vivian, that's because we are.' I said back, waving bye to her as we walked down the commons, my hand in Luke's again. I guess that even though we're from different worlds, we can make it work. Lucky me. Luke brought me out of my happy thoughts, back into happy reality dragging my gently over to a table bench and tapping my shoulder. 'Yeah?' I asked, even bouncier than my usual self. He answered, but not by talking. Instead, he slid his hand around my waist, used it to pull me closer to him, and pressed his lips against mine, both of our mouths instantly forming around each other's peacefully. We stayed that way, kissing softly and pure, for a little while, until Tashi, who we had forgotten existed, whispered to us in a hurried and strained tone.

'Guys! It's great that you're kissing, but there's a Mrs Ficele coming fast!'

'Crap, she'd expel us if she saw us doing this.' I suddenly stood up, grasping Luke's warm hand gently and placing it back at his side, and took my place in the act that we put on where I was still bouncing back from my fainting spell before school had started. I suddenly realized that half of the school day was already gone, and that helped me in having to pretend to still feel a little bit sick, and still be a little uncoordinated and dizzy.

When we had gotten halfway down the hall and a few yards away from Luke's classroom door, Tashi looked behind her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear for one goodbye hug, and peck on my cheek.

'Boy, you never fail to make my day brighter.' Luke stated lightly when I blushed at his show of affection.

'It's not my fault, I can't help it if I'm feeling a little warm.' I laughed, fanning my face lightly with the hand not clutching my water bottle. Everyone laughed a little, and then Lucas and I said goodbye until after school.

Tashi and I were just walking through the door of our class when Mrs Griswalde, our science teacher said, 'There is evidence of another world much like ours. The discovery has just been made a month or so ago, and astronomers are researching the water potential and contents, as well as what could have created this new world that has come up out of nowhere.' I chuckled a little in my head. Wow. This goes right along with what I was thinking about. I'm going to rather like science today.