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Chapter 10 *Sparks*

~Sophia

"What did you like about the movie?" Drake asks when the movie ended.

I don't know what to say. Truth is, I haven't seen some parts of the movie because I was busy staring at his face. Come on, Sophia, think fast. My head is like a blank sheet of paper. I can't even think of anything so I say, "You first." My voice is rough so I clear my throat.

Drake thinks for a moment. Finally, he says, "Despite the fact that they know nothing about each other, they still believed that they will see each other again."

"Me too," I mumble, which is true. "And it's really destiny because Jonathan's girlfriend was the one who gave him the book which contained the name and number of Sara."

"Yeah," he says, laughing. "The part where Sara wrote her number and then it was lost in the wind was amusing."

I laughed at that too. Poor Jonathan and Sara, the odds were never in their favor in the beginning of the film.

"I don't like the kid, though."

"Which kid?" I ask, albeit I know who he's talking about.

"The kid on the elevator," he says. "Because of him, they didn't see each other."

"At least we know that they picked the same number in the elevator. And if they saw each other already, the movie will have a quick ending."

"I know," he says thoughtfully. "You don't have to understand. You just have to have faith." That was what Jonathan said to Sara. Hah. Even if I haven't seen some parts of the movie, I recognized what he said.

"Faith in what?" I ask, smiling. This is what Sara replied to Jonathan.

"Destiny," he says, smiling in return.

"If two people are meant to be together, it doesn't mean they have to be together right now," I say softly.

Drake turns to look at me.

Staring at someone is rude, I want to say, but his gaze is so steady I find myself tongue-tied. I want to look away but he captures my eyes in his mesmerizing gaze. I'm like an ice cream, melting in my seat. You have to say something, Sophia.

"Um, what I said earlier, I . . uh, ." Shoot! I'm stuttering again. I take a deep breath and continue, "That was for Jonathan and Sara."

"Because if two people are meant to be together, they will find a way not to be separated, and they did," he says.

"Yeah, right," I mutter.

Phew! I'm glad he understand me because half of what I said to him doesn't make sense to me.

"Come on," he says suddenly.

"Where are we going?" I ask. "I thought I'm going to help you study in Literature."

"That can wait for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"So where are we going?" I repeat.

He smiles playfully, refusing to answer my question.

"Fine, you go," I say, "I'm going to stay here."

Drake frowns at me. "Just trust me," he says, standing up. He walks to the TV screen and turns it off.

Trust me? The thought lingers in my mind, never wanting to be erased.

Before I can stop myself, I hear myself say, "Okay."

~Drake

"When's your birthday?" I ask Pie as I start the engine of my car.

"Why?"

"Is it wrong to ask your birthday?"

"No," she says hastily. "When's your birthday?"

This girl has a way of asking the same question you asked her. My birthday this year already happened so there's no point in not telling her. Besides, it's just a birthday.

"September 22," I say.

She nods. "Why don't you wear your seat belt?" she asks, eyeing it.

I never wear it unless it's necessary, but looking at her face makes me buckle my seat belt. I give her a look that says, satisfied? "What about you?" I ask. "When's your birthday?"

She smiles mischievously. "Secret," she says slyly.

"Secret?" I say incredulously. "But I told you my birthday!"

"I already know your birthday," she says, smiling sheepishly.

"How?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

She bites her lip and shakes her head.

"Pie," I say.

"Draky."

"Pie," I say warningly.

"Draky," she says in the same tone as mine.

"Pie," I repeat, but there's already a smile forming on my lips.

"Draky," she says, and sticks out her tongue like a child.

I don't know why I'm not annoyed when Pie calls me Draky. Whenever my twin sister calls me that, I want to strangle her. Maybe because when Pie calls me Draky, the sound of her voice -

"Why do you want to know?" Pie asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm just curious," I tell her, which is half true. "How old are you?"

She pauses for a second, maybe contemplating if she'll tell me or not. Finally, she says, "Sixteen."

"Sixteen?" I repeat, taken aback.

"Yeah, the sum of ten and six, or it can also be -"

"I know!" I can't help but scowl at her. She can be sarcastic if she wants to.

She clears her throat and says, "You know, I noticed you like repeating the things I say." Amusement lightens her pale blue eyes.

"Of course not," I mutter.

Back to the point, I can't believe she's just sixteen. I thought she's seventeen, like me. But that doesn't mean that she looks older with her age. It's just that I assumed she's seventeen because she's a senior like me. Wait! Pie is sixteen, which means her birthday this year hasn't happened yet.

"You're going to be seventeen this year," I say matter-of-factly.

Pie just looks at me with a blank expression on her face.

Silence means yes. A grin makes its way onto my face. She's going to celebrate her birthday this year! I have to know when it is so that I can surprise her. For sure, Driana will not tell me when I ask her. That's not a problem because an idea already pops into my head. I really am smart. I wonder why I don't get medals during recognition.

~Sophia

"Draky!" I snap, my heart pounding in my chest. He almost hit a kitten! "Why don't you look on the road while driving?"

He grins broadly. "I'm a very good driver. Even if my eyes aren't fixed on the road, I can manage."

"If you do that again, I will never ride with you."

He chuckles under his breath, ignoring my protest.

He's a horrible driver. I wonder how he got a driver's license. He drives like a maniac. He doesn't care about speed limit. He's not looking on the road while he's driving. He doesn't like seat belts. The list can go on and on.

No matter what, I feel safe with him. Not that I'm ever going to admit that to him.

"I'm not ready to die yet," I mutter, just to annoy him.

"You're not going to, Honey," he says thoughtfully.

"But if you continue to drive like this -" I stop suddenly when what he said comes rushing back into my mind.

DRAKE SWIFT called me HONEY! What on earth is he trying to imply? Wait! Maybe I'm just over reacting. It's Drake Swift we're talking about here. He is a player. That means calling a girl 'Honey' doesn't mean anything to him.

A frustrated sigh escapes from my lips without my permission. Of course, it's not a big deal to him. I bet he called a lot of girls Honey before. Perhaps Love, Baby, Sweetheart, Darling are on the lists too. I am not disappointed.

Okay, I have to admit, my heart skipped a beat when he called me Honey. Truth is, I had a huge crush on him before. I still remember that day when I first saw him. It was the first day of freshman year.

"Mom, don't leave me alone," I plead.

"You're going to be okay, Sophia. It's just high school."

"But it's the first day," I murmur, trying to control my tears from spilling.

I don't want my classmates seeing me with puffy eyes on the first day of school. Some are already staring at me because I don't want my mom to leave me here.

"I'm late for work," she says, and gives me a kiss on the cheek. And then, she drives away, leaving me staring at the students entering the school.

I'm so alone. While the other students have their friends with them, I have nobody. Thanks to my mom and dad for deciding that we should leave our old life behind. That meant leaving my friends and old neighborhood. So here I am in this big school without anyone I know. If only Matt didn't die, I wouldn't be here. Again, that thought! Past is past. There's nothing I can do about it.

First, second, and third period passed in a blur. Nothing special happened. We just introduced ourselves in front of everyone. That meant stuttering in front of everyone.

When the bell rings for lunch time, I search for a vacant table in the cafeteria after buying my food. And that's when I see him.

Unlike me, he's surrounded with a lot of people. He has an air of confidence around him. The way his friends look at him while he talks makes me think he's saying interesting things. When I look at his face, my heart thumps painfully in my chest. Am I sick? Maybe I have to go to the clinic to have this check up. On second thought, I have another realization why I'm feeling these things. This must be love at first sight. But no. I don't love him. You cannot love someone you don't know. Perhaps this is what they call crush. The thought, even foreign, brings smile to my face. He's my first crush in my life. He may not know me but I will make him my inspiration.

When I had a boyfriend, my attraction to Draky dimmed a little. But I know it was there, just buried under my feelings for my boyfriend. His name is a curse so I don't say it. I don't even think about it.

Now, hanging out with Draky feels like someone lights a match stick that turns into fire. Perhaps even years had passed, you will always have that special feeling for someone you used to like.

"Pie?" Draky says, and I have a feeling it's not the first time he's calling me.

"What?" I ask, blinking my eyes and shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

"Why are you always daydreaming?" he asks in a teasing voice.

"I am not!" I say defensively. I am just reminiscing the past. And by the way, it's about you.

Looking around, I realize that the car isn't moving anymore. I'm about to ask where are we when he goes out of the car. I do the same and stand beside him.

"Paint shop?" I say dubiously, staring at the sign in front of me. I have to admit, I didn't expect it.

Draky looks at me and says," You don't like blank white walls."

"So?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

"So, we're going to paint your room," he says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"But I don't have money with me."

"That's okay," he says, smiling. "I'm going to pay for it."

"Um, I'm going to pay you later when we go home."

Home? Did I really say that? I haven't considered Andre's house to be my home.

"No need," he says. His right eye closes and then opens suddenly.

My breath catches when I realize what he did. Draky winked at me! Like, really wink. He smirks, no doubt thinking he got me. He walks to the shop, knowing I'll follow after him.

Maybe Drake is not bad; I was just wrong about him. He listens to me whenever I talk. He even thinks of my situation in my new room. He may be cocky and sarcastic, but I know he has a good heart. Behind those cold eyes is a fire waiting to be lighten.

*****

I still can't believe a lot of people are reading my story. You don't know how happy I am. I can't even put it into words. To all my fans, thank you! THANK YOU so much for supporting me and my story :)

The song is Fallin' for you by Colbie Caillat

Thank you for reading *.*