Reclining right behind the disastrous disorder is a stick-thin, rather short lady with a beehive hairdo that climbs about seven inches into the air. It is a masterpiece, reminding me slightly of those wigs in the medieval times, and rather typical of an elderly woman like her.
Her voice is nothing short of hysterical.
"Hello children," she squeaks like a mouse, her words almost indistinguishable, "How may I help you?"
Caleb once again takes the lead, leaving me cowering in his shadow.
"I am new here," he informs her, flashing a smile at the minuscule, shriveled up plant that just happens to have a voice and a towering hairdo.
Her facial expressions unchanging, she reaches down to the floor to pick up some forlorn papers.
"Ah, the new student. I have your schedule in this stack... somewhere..." she comments as she places the pile in her lap.
A truly monstrous pack of papers… I wonder how she can possibly sort through all that junk.
However, in a record time of three seconds flat, she whips out a thin sheet of paper, distributing it to Caleb as we look at her in complete and total surprise. The lady glances at our faces, unblinkingly.
"You need some passes, correct?" she inquires quickly, shuffling through the papers like lightning.
After another blindingly fast search, she pulls out five or six passes and hands it to him.
"Thank you, Mrs...." Caleb searches the lady's clothing for a name tag,
"Miss Kate."
There is a slight, almost undetectable crease in her forehead as she turns to her computer, annoyance flickering in her features. We stand for a minute, and then Caleb pulls on my hand.
"Come on, let's go," he urges, dragging me out of the doorway.
When we finally escaped the messy room, I burst into laughter. Caleb tries to compose himself, but soon he is chuckling with me. "Her voice..." I nearly moan, drowning in a fit of giggles, "her hairdo..."
When the crap did I start to laugh with him? What is wrong with me?
"Now Berenice," he gently chastises,
"Let's not make fun of others..."
"Look at you," I tease, "striving to be the perfect gentleman."
I get swept into laughter, temporarily forgetting myself.
"Shut up."
In one swoop, he swings me into his arms, cradling me in his firm embrace. His arms surround me, squeezing me tightly.
"I'm your gentleman," he laughs, "and I won't let you go until you admit it."
Alarm, awareness, and pure electricity shoots through my body all at once as I realize how close he is to me. His grin is inches from mine, his breath dancing on my cheek.
If I tilt my head towards his even slightly, I could taste his warm, fresh lips.
Quickly I hold myself back before I give into temptation, resistance regaining. I remind myself once again that I hate him. I am not supposed to get along with this crazy, beautiful man. I stiffen, rebuilding the walls around my heart as quickly as they had fallen.
I also notice that we are in the middle of the school hallway.
He seems to suddenly notice my hesitation, and asks quietly.
"What's wrong, Berenice?"
I look away from him as I emit these next few words, each one harsh and bitter.
"Let me go," I demand him, my voice firm.
I am afraid to look into his eyes, lest they betray the truth to him.
He releases me, and I step away from him, my head still bowed.
"What happened?" he persists, "You were just fine a few seconds ago-"
"Let's just get you to class," I mutter, not wanting to listen to his dissection of our previous conversation, trying to seed out the offensive words he must have said.
Swiftly I snatch the paper out of his reedy hands, observing it closely. Caleb stares at me with a forlorn expression as I avoid his gaze.
"You," my eyes widen, "Idiot!"
I whirl on him, anger pulsating through my veins. I grip the paper tightly in my hands, until it nearly crumples in my fingertips.
"Why do you have the exact same schedule as me?" I ask furiously.
My face crinkles in annoyance at his stalker-like attitude.
"Well, I might have asked..." he trails off, whistling as he looks away.
Why can't he leave me alone?
I mean, he is my "mate", but seriously... I need some privacy, some time away from this madness. My blood starts to boil, but I quickly calm down.
"Okay then," I reply with a robotic voice, emotionless.
"Come right this way."
I turn, starting the trek through the maze of hallways and rooms towards our first class. As I pass him, I let the schedule drop from my grasp, allowing it to hit the ground with a thud.
Caleb stops to pick it up, a smile on his face.
There is the pounding of feet as he scrambles to meet me, but I just brush him off, ignoring his energetic words.
"Berenice," he says ecstatically, "Let's go on a date tonight. You want to?"
Ha. As if.
"What about never?" I scoff.
A muscled hand snatches my wrist, whirling me around to face him.
"Berenice," he firmly states.
"You will fall in love with me. No matter how hard you try to make me go away, I will not give up."
Each word he speaks is full of authority, of pure determination. His eyes grow dark as they narrow, the full implications of his words hitting me hard.
My life is changing... has changed... forever. I will never be alone again.
I stand back in shock as I survey him, taking in his beauty. He looks completely different now, more dangerously handsome than cutely naive. This was just like before, when he said the same thing on the way to school.
Right now, he looks like a wolf.
Suddenly, his intensity drops, and he once again beams a wonderful smile.
"So how about a date, Berenice?" he asks once more.
I look at him finally, taking in his masculine perfection, the social climbs I might make if I am by his side.
"No."
I shake my head, though the corner of my mouth tips up, the hint of a grin occurring.
"Please, Berenice?" he begs, his lips in a tempting pout.
I just look straight ahead, firm in my decision. He smiles even brighter, pestering me even more. Irritation and a strange, unfamiliar emotion shoot through me. Is it... excitement?
Life surely is going to be interesting with this blue-haired man around.