• Part One

    "Savannah! How many times do I have to tell you to not pass notes?" Mrs. Quillan bellowed when she noticed that Savannah Holmes was passing a thin, pink post-it note over to her friend Jasmine at the back of the large classroom.

    Savannah jumped in her seat. She didn't notice her old, wrinkly science teacher had seen her. I thought she was blind as a bat, after having her prescription renewal on her glasses denied, Savannah giggled at her little joke.

    "I won't take this any longer!" the pale little woman shuffled to the back of the room. "Give me that!" Mrs. Quillan took the note and scurried to the front of the class once again.

    "No!" Savannah cried out. Her face flushed; she remembered what she had wrote on that note. It was embarrassing.

    "I will read this to the class, Savannah. Maybe you will learn your lesson," the ruthless old lady began reading the note, "All right, 'Jazz! Oh my God, I think I like that one guy in Foreign Cultures, Derrick. He's so gorgeous, and everyone loves him. Now I know why! He's the best. He's funny, cool, and sweet! I may not be popular now, but I will be if he asks me to the Spring Dance!' Learn your lesson now?"

    Savannah squirmed around in her seat. Her face had become even more red. Suddenly, the whole class burst into endless laughter. Even Jasmine giggled at her. She felt tears burn in the edges of her eyes. She got up out of her seat and dashed out the door and into the hallway.

    "Savannah!" Mrs. Quillan called out the door, "Get back in here now!"

    Savannah ran and ran down the seemingly infinite hall. She looked back to see if her terrible teacher had still been at her door. She wasn't. She didn't look in front of her quick enough to see that she knocked down someone.

    "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. Here let me..." Savannah got up off of the boy she crashed into. He was new, that much she could tell. His emerald eyes widened in surprise, looking at her in a strange way.

    "It's alright." the boy tossed his blond hair out of his face. He reached his hand out so she could grasp it to help him up.

    She grabbed his soft hand and pulled him off the ground. When he was standing, he was still holding her hand. Savannah's eyes were still wet, and he noticed.

    "Are you okay?" he asked her politely. He was so close to her, he was basically leaning against her.

    Savannah felt her heart start to rapidly beat, "I am now." She gently wiped her eyes.

    "Um, well, yeah, I have to go to Mrs. Quillan's science and chemistry class now..." the boy laughed. "See you a-"

    "I'm in that class!" Savannah interrupted him abruptly. "Mrs. Quillan is such an evil lady, though. She won't get off my back!"

    Savannah continued to rant about Mrs. Quillan to the new boy and his eyes crinkled in the sides as she made hilarious remarks. "...I mean seriously! Get a new wardrobe! We aren't in the 19th century, lady..."

    The new boy's eyes went from sparkling to widened in fear. Savannah continued making fun of her teacher. She then noticed his eyes.

    "What's wrong?" Savannah tilted her head slightly at his fearful grimace.

    "Behind....you...." the new boy pointed. Savannah turned her head to see Mrs. Quillan burning holes in her brain with her eyes.

    "SAVANNAH HOLMES TO THE OFFICE NOW! AS WITH YOU, GERARD!" Mrs. Quillan was never so mad...

    Part Two

    "I am disappointed in you both," the principal of Westpoint High rubbed his temples. "Savannah, you have always been such a good student, and Gerard, you're new here!"

    "I-" Gerard tried to speak to him.

    "I don't want to hear it, young man." the principal was definitely not happy with them.

    "Principal Borem, it's my fault..." Savannah choked out. She had a lump in her throat the size of a baseball.

    "I don't give a flying fladoodle who's fault it was!" Principal Borem roared, "DETENTION FOR BOTH OF YOU. AFTER SCHOOL. TODAY!"

    ***

    Detention was lonely for Gerard and Savannah. They were the only two students there. Everyone else who had been horrid that day just skipped. Gerard was upset, and he grimaced the whole period. Savannah felt as if she was going to burst into tears, she couldn't believe she had gotten Gerard into so much trouble. The teacher walked out of the room to go get some coffee.

    "I hate you," Gerard hissed.

    "I'm sorry...I really didn't want you in trouble! I tried to....." the lump in her throat made her tears pour down, "I tried to get you out of all this...." Savannah sobbed and placed her head on her desk. She didn't want Gerard to see her crying.

    "No, Savannah...I'm....I'm sorry. I didn't want you to cry," Gerard picked up her head softly, and held her chin so he could look her in the eyes, "Please, don't cry."

    Savannah stopped immediately. She looked into his delicate emeralds and smiled, "Okay, thank you. No one has ever told me they were sorry before..."

    "Why would that be?" Gerard questioned her sincerely.

    "Everyone hates me." Savannah looked down. Simple as that, she thought.

    "I don't," Gerard smiled at her.

    ***

    "I'm home!" Savannah called as she entered her house. She threw her bookbag into the closet along with her shoes.

    Thump. Something upstairs made a noise. Savannah smiled and ran up, expecting to find her mother moving boxes around.

    "Mom, I-" Savannah stood in the doorway of her mother's bedroom.

    It wasn't her mom.

    "Dad!" Savannah cheered and ran up to the husky man unpacking a suitcase. She wrapped her arms around him. "Why are you here?"

    "Hey, honey," her father kissed her forehead. "I was in town on business, and your mother said I would be able to stay here until I leave for Seattle."

    "When do you leave for Seattle?" Savannah grinned at her father. She hasn't seen him since her 16th birthday, which was 3 months ago.

    "I leave in a few days." he sighed. "I would like to stay longer but I can't be here in Long Beach forever..."

    "I know, Dad." she let go of her father. Her cell phone started to ring. "Hello?"

    "..."

    "Hello?"

    "..."

    "Alright, I'm hanging up."

    "Wait!"

    "Who is this?"

    "Gerard."

    "Gerard? How did you get my number?"

    "I asked around. I wanted to know if you could hang out right now..."

    "Um..sure."

    "Alright I'm at your house." Click.

    How did he know where I lived? She thought.

    Part Three

    "Hey," Gerard smiled as Savannah got into his Corvette.

    "Hey, Gerard, um," Savannah hesitated to tell him her thoughts. Then she thought, Oh great, a Corvette? At sixteen? Rich kid.... "How- how did you find out where I lived?"

    "Just like how I got your number, I asked for it," he smirked at her.

    "Who did you ask?" Savannah cocked one eyebrow.

    "Um, this girl, what's her name...Jasmine?"

    "Oh, the friend of mine." Savannah punched the leather seat. She was incredibly angered with her so-called friend, after how she laughed louder than anyone when Mrs. Quillan read the note aloud.

    "You two don't get along?"

    "Not really anymore..." Savannah felt that familiar lump in her throat again, "I told you everyone hates me..."

    "And I told you that I don't." Gerard picked up Savannah's hand. Savannah looked shocked and stared into his endless eyes once again. "Savannah, those girls must be jealous of you. You're...." Gerard couldn't finish his sentence. He looked away quickly, embarrassed, and let go of her hand.

    "What?"

    "No- nothing."

    "Alright, but where are you taking me?"

    "Um, I was thinking we could go for a walk on the nature trail."

    "Oh, um, sure that sounds good."

    ***

    Walking and laughing, Savannah and Gerard notice that it was going to rain soon. They were on the trail for hours on end, just walking and talking.

    "Uh oh, rain." Gerard looked up at the sky.

    "Oh, crap. I didn't bring a jacket." The rain came pouring down. Savannah covered her head with her hands.

    "Here, take my jacket!" Gerard yelled over the pelting rain. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around Savannah and pulled up the hood.

    "Thanks!" Savannah started running down the trail and back to Gerard's car.

    "Savannah, wait!" Gerard tried to catch up to her.

    "You can't catch me!" Savannah whooped from a small distance in front of Gerard. Suddenly, she shrieked. She slipped in the mud and fell backwards. Gerard saw her falling and ran as fast as he could and caught up to her. He caught her gently, but he, too, slipped in the mud and fell back.

    They both lay in the mud, laughing and yelling. Gerard tried to get up, but he slipped again. Savannah also tried to get out of the muddy mess, but then she slipped and failed once more. She fell face forward onto Gerard. She hit her head on his and they both yelled 'Ow!' at the same time. Gerard looked up at her with pleading eyes. She knew what he wanted by the look on his face.

    "I, um..." Savannah smiled at him. Her black hair was covered in mud, and her deep blue eyes were pouring into his green ones. Gerard, then, pulled her face closer to his. He leaned in closer. Both of their hearts were beating at a hastened pace, and Gerard moved his lips closer to Savannah's. Their lips almost touched and then...