I was trying hard not to make a scene as Logan practically paraded through the crowds, holding me bridal style in his arms.  

"Let me down, I can walk by myself." This was mumbled through his t-shirt which I had ducked my face into as soon as I couldn't bear to see the crowds of students gathering around to watch the freak show.  

"What are you doing? Do you like my shirt? Cause I can take if off for you."

"Shut up." I whacked him, blindly on the arm. And after taking a ridiculously deep whiff of his shirt by mistake, I recoil away from the cigarette smoke smell.  God, was that damaging. I wrinkled my nose and was about to open my mouth and tell him how much I didn't approve of smoking before he started to laugh.

"I won't get lung cancer, babe.  Stop worrying." I hear him chuckling.

"Stop it.  And don't call me babe." I intentionally looked away from the crowds but also tried to avoid Logan's gaze.  Without anything much to look at I directed my attention to his plan shirt that I had been burrowed into just seconds before.

"I know you want to see my 6 pack." He sang quite loudly, attracting the attention of the crowd.

"I'm bleeding here! Let me go!" I mutter, sure that he won't do anything I say anyway.

"We're almost there.  Keep on inhaling my beautiful body scent and I'll drop you off soon enough." 

He was right, though I'll kill myself before I admitted it.  Him (not his smelly t-shirt) smelled so clean.  He smelled of fresh laundered clothes and that woodsy smell all boys have mixed with a tiny bit of mint.  I liked it.  As much as I told myself not to.  

His footsteps slowed to a stop outside the familiar banged up nurse's door and deposited me slowly down onto the floor.  I opened the door and he followed me in, catching the door before it slammed in his face.  

I quickly explained to the nurse what had happened and she patched me up with some bandages and antiseptic.  I think I heard her mutter several obscenities under her breath before she went back to her phone, giving me a couple of side long glares.  I blushed with guilt under her gaze and tried to win back her kindness but smiling.  Nope.  She just gaze me a particularly strong stare before tapping at her phone.  I looked at the beds near the door and noticed that Samson and Max were gone by now.

"I think that just ruined our cliche moment." Logan remarked.  I could just about hear the smile in his voice since my back was turned to his front.

"What did?" I ask.  I winced as the nurse came up to add more antiseptic to my scrapes with one hand while the other was frantically swiping Tinder matches on her phone.

"Well naturally, if this was cliched moment I would grab a first aid kit and bandage up your scratches and then you would fall in love with me "

"Man, you sure read a lot of romance novels." I remark drily, trying another apologetic smile as the nurse glanced up.  She immediately looked back down again.

"I don't, It's my sister's fault for sitting me down on the couch with her whenever she wanted to watch her fucked up romantic movies." 

I shake my head as if I don't quite believe him, smiling quietly off to the side.

"You make a very cute couple!" The nurse exclaimed as she glanced up from her phone.  I saw a pair of glistening abs before she swiped right.  I was surprised she was complimenting us (I guess?) after all the trouble I had caused her.  Maybe my smiles had worked somewhat.  Or it was probably because Logan was grinning at her right now, his lips lifted in an amazingly seductive smirk.

"No we're actually-"

"The best couple in the world!" Logan came over closer and pecked me on the cheek.  My ears were probably radiating heat.  He shrugged, chuckling before lifting his hands up in a 'I surrender' pose.

After everything was done and my scratches fully bandaged, I hopped off the crisp white bed and made my way to the door.  

"See you later, babe?" Logan raised an eyebrow, a move so bad boy ish that it made me want to laugh.  I didn't.

"I hope not." I replied, spinning on my heel.

The rest of the school day went by in a blur and before long I was climbing into Zoe's car and having her drop me off home.  I can see Logan climbing into his, a few spaces down the parking lot.  He was talking animatedly on his phone and moving some cardboard boxes in his car back and forth.  Zoe glanced at me before peeling out of the parking lot, a hand reaching over to turn up the country songs on the radio.  She parked in our driveway and gave a little wave before I climbed out.

Making my way to the door I see that the house next to ours had lights shining through the windows.  That was weird.  I thought it was empty.  As I barge into my house I do a double take as I see my mom in the kitchen talking to a random woman.  I pop my head in the room and frown at my mom curiously.  

"Clara! This is Mrs. Connors.  Say hi!" She exclaims, with more of the usual fake happiness she exudes around strangers than normal.  MRS.CONNORS? AS IN LOGAN'S MOM?

"Hello, Nice to meet you!" I say politely, shaking her hand.  

"The Connors family moved in next door!  They had some trouble with their old house so they moved here." 

"My husband and I are divorced so he took the house. Shame on him though, because I've got a better option here." She made a face at my mother and smiled at me.  She seemed so confident in herself, so sure of her choice in what she was doing, and from what I picked up I really liked her attitude towards things.  I wish I could be like that too.  Confident and self assured.

"You go, girl!" My mother jokes.  I flash her a quick look and for a second the smile drops off of her face, tired from having to fake friendliness.  I sighed quietly to myself.  My mother never played nice with others...not a surprise considering how she treated her own children.

I leave the living room quietly, leaving them to their gossip session while I head up to my bedroom and peer out of the window at the house the Connors have moved into.  The curtains are drawn in the window facing mines but I see a light shining through.  Wonder what room that is.  I shake my head and go to do my homework, watching the sunlight fade and the beautiful colors of sunset take over the sky.

Putting a pause in trying to decipher some Latin text I watch as the clouds swirl across the sky, as pink and purple and orange all blend together as if they were watercolors on the blank canvas that is the sky.  I loved the colors and one day I wished I could mimic the way I saw things, the beauty in such a lonely, horrid world.  But I knew that would never happen.  I was just not a good enough artist to do anything.

After I showered, ate dinner, brushed my teeth and did everything else that I do before bed I wrap myself up in my comforter and bookmark a page of The Great Gatsby (one of my favourite books) before closing my eyes temporarily.  It's quite late at night so I can only hear the occasional cricket or bird and the circular bright moon shone it's light down onto my bed at the perfect angle. The perfect time to read. 

Suddenly, a loud booming sound shakes my bedroom window.   The sound is then followed by drums and an electric guitar.  A rock song.  URGH! Too much noise!  I get up and go to the window.  The curtains are drawn in the other room and I can see a boy, shirtless with his back facing to me, reading a book.  Upon further inspection and much tilting of heads, I see that the book is The Odyssey and the boy is quickly highlighting and writing notes, all the while standing up.  I move to close my curtains before I spot movement in the other room.

He turns his head for a moment and I see the signature cat eyes and smirk.  

Logan.

________________________________________________________________________

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