4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Sloane
M arine biology is after homeroom and I am so excited for this class. Science is hit or miss for me, but marine bio interests me in ways other science classes don't, like chemistry. That was a tough one. Coach Knight is the teacher and baseball coach at DHS, and he has a room full of aquariums with various critters inside. The room has two doors, one at the front of the classroom and one at the back. I walk in the back door and survey the main rows of black lab tables facing Coach K's desk and the blackboard. They are mostly full. I guess I'm not as early as I like. The main section of lab tables is flanked on each side by one long row of tables, set end to end, each facing into the room. While I prefer facing out, the long row on that side of the room is already occupied, notably by Lori Tanner who isn’t friendly toward me, but I have no idea why. Lori catches my gaze and her eyes narrow. I’m definitely not heading over there. As I anxiously try to figure out where to sit, the first bell rings. I walk to the table immediately to my left, the long row that faces into the room, our back to the doors.
"Sloaner-loner! What's up?" says the boy with the flat-top haircut and Garth Brooks T-shirt.
I roll my eyes at the nickname. "Billy, how's it going?" I ask as I plop into the chair next to him, sliding off my backpack and setting it on the table in front of me.
"Good, buddy. I missed you in Mrs. Lynch's class last year," he says as he opens his notebook.
Mrs. Lynch’s class was where I acquired that very appropriate-for-me nickname from Billy. "Ugh, I couldn't take that class," I say. "Beowulf was killing me. I read so many good books in Miss Rockett's class. I'm glad I made the switch." Most people would say that dropping from AP English to general is a dumb move, but I wanted to learn and be inspired, so I dropped down and loved that class. I might regret not having that credit in college, but a great teacher makes all the difference. English is one of my favorite subjects, especially since I like writing and I didn’t want to waste a good class on a boring teacher.
The final bell rings, and I hear Coach K say, "Hustle, hustle!"
I look up to my left, and a boy rushes in the front door. My heart skips a beat. Coach is smiling and pats him on the shoulder before shutting the door. The boy plops down in the closest available seat—right next to me. He sets his backpack on the table and looks at me, his dark hair falling across his right eye. "Hey,” his eyes alight with recognition. “How’s your head?”
I reflexively touch the spot where our heads knocked together this morning. “Totally fine.” I return his smile, impressed with myself for being able to speak in his presence.
“I'm Tyler." His smile practically melts me right there in my seat, for the second time this morning. This time I notice he has the most perfect teeth and his smile looks both naughty and sweet. Of course, I know who he is. Tyler Finlay started at our school last year and is, in my opinion, the hottest guy in school. He's tall, dark, and oh so handsome. He also plays both football and baseball, my favorite spectator sports. I hadn't had any classes with him…until now.
Am I the only one who can hear the angels singing? I think as I try to collect myself. I swear I can feel my heart racing. "I'm Sloane."
"Ty!" Billy says as he leans forward so Tyler can see him from behind me. "Aw, we're going to have an awesome year!"
"Hey Billy," Tyler says. "Yeah, I'm excited about this class. It should be cool." He takes off his flannel shirt revealing a Smashing Pumpkins T-shirt.
"Oh my gosh," I say. "You like the Smashing Pumpkins, too?" I hadn’t noticed his shirt this morning, being blinded by his good looks and all.
Tyler pulls a notebook out of his backpack and looks at me, smiling that dang smile again. "Yeah, are you a fan?"
"I love them! I feel like no one here knows them."
"Yeah, I think most people around here listen to more mainstream stuff."
"Totally," I say softly as Coach Knight starts class.
How is a jock so cute, so nice, so darn sexy, and has such great taste in music? He's taller than me, which is amazing. I think there are probably less than a handful of guys in our class that are taller than me, and I think I'm being generous. I have to try really hard to focus on what Coach K is saying as I sit next to the hottest guy in school. While coach is talking about the labs we'll be doing this year, I remember something I heard about Tyler. When he started here last year, rumors were flying about why he got kicked out of the private school he attended. The school both my oldest sister and I applied for but didn't get into. A nervousness fills my belly as I think about Tyler and what he might have done. Some said he was caught in the girl's locker room, others said he beat a kid up, badly. Could any of it be true? He seems so nice and I hope the only thing dangerous about him is that smile.
When Coach is done going over the syllabus, how class will run, and the lesson, there are ten minutes left in class. "Just talk amongst yourselves until the bell," he says. "That's all I've got for the day."
"Tyler!" Lori Tanner hollers from across the room. "Why are you sitting there ?"
Did she just give a dirty look over to me when she said that? Ugh, just my luck. Lori is friends with Tyler, and now he's going to go sit with her. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Tyler grins and says, "I've gotta be close to the exit in case I have to make a quick escape."
I cock my head and look at him, and he winks at me. Oh, dear God, does this guy know what he's doing to me? It's like I feel energy emanating off of him that's sending my body into a tizzy. I wonder if he's really seventeen, because he sure acts more mature than the other guys in our class, and none of them are this…alluring. It's like he's a man and they are mere boys stumbling through life.
"Earth to Sloane," he says as he waves a hand in front of my face.
I blink hard and shake my head. "Sorry, I—did you say something?" He grins. Lord help me with that smile. How can a smile have such an effect on a person?
"I asked you what your favorite Pumpkins’ song is."
"Oh, right." I tuck my hair behind my right ear. "Er, I love "Crush." What about you?" Oh my gosh, I just told him I love "Crush," a song about a crush. What am I doing?
Thankfully, he doesn't seem to think a thing of it. "Hmm, probably "Siva." But it's kinda hard to pick just one."
"Great choice. I love 'Siva' and 'Rhinoceros,' too. Gish is such a great album," I say. "I just love their guitar sound so much, and Billy's voice is so cool. Like, it's not something you'd say is a traditionally good voice, but I love it. It's like an instrument of its own, you know?" Oh, gosh, I'm rambling.
He nods earnestly. "Totally. You really are a fan, huh?"
I smile. "They're one of my favorite bands."
He turns in his chair, facing me, and I catch Lori watching us out of the corner of my eye. "What other bands do you like?"
I mimic his posture and turn toward him. "I love The Lemonheads. Totally different from the Pumpkins, but so good. Of course, R.E.M., Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, INXS…"
"You have good taste in music," he says with an approving nod.
"Oh, and The Pixies and Tom Petty," I add.
"Pretty eclectic," he says.
I smile. "What about you?"
"Metallica, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Megadeath. A bit harder stuff," he says. "But the Pumpkins and Metallica are probably my favorite bands right now."
"Cool. I'm kind of surprised that a football player has such good taste in music," I joke, but as soon as the words come out of my mouth, I regret saying them. Does he know I'm joking? I do that, you know. I'll make a joke and fret about whether the recipient knows I'm joking.
"Gee, thanks!" he says with that grin appearing again.
"No, no, I'm joking—" I start and grab his upper arm. Holy cow, that felt too good. I retract my hand as if I have just touched a hot stove. "Sorry, I mean, it's just that most of those guys seem to be just like one another and you seem…different. In a good way." I add quickly. What have I done now? I put my hand on my forehead. "I just mean, you seem like a free-thinker and that's cool."
Between the way he's grinning at me while I squirm and the electricity I felt when I grabbed his arm, it's a wonder I can even continue to speak.
He laughs, "I know what you meant. And, yes, most of the guys on the team aren't listening to the music I am. Maybe with the exception of Metallica and Megadeath. I've always been a little different." He winks at me again.
I smile, sure that my pale skin is betraying me right now as heat warms my face. "Me too," I say as my insides feel full of butterflies ready to explode. "I've always felt like that Sesame Street bit about 'One of these things is not like the other' around here."
"Then we'll get along great," he says just before the bell rings.
I feel like I must look like a grinning idiot as I grab my backpack. Suddenly, I'm not so sure I want this year to fly by after all. That is, as long as Tyler Finlay decides to sit next to me the whole school year.