Deep Blue Secret (2 page)

I tossed my school bag to the back seat of my run-down Honda. It was a hand-me-down from my mom when she upgraded to a new car last year. It had been super reliable for how old it was, but the radio didn't work. That was a major bummer. But not even a broken radio could get in the way of me and my music.

I toggled through the menu on my MP3 player until I found the perfect song for my upbeat mood. My earphones blasted as I drove down the street, admiring the cloudless Newport Beach sky, wisps of hair circling my neck from the breeze through the open window.

It was usually in the sixties this time of year but I heard it was going to hit eighty this week; pretty nice for November. I could feel the extra warmth already. The sunshine gave me an extra burst of energy, making an already good day seem even better.

It took maybe five minutes to drive to school. Traffic lined the web of Southern California freeways every day, but I rarely ventured out that far. I had everything I needed right here in my own little corner of the world. My poor car buzzed into the lot full of new convertibles and SUV’s until I found a parking space. I wasn't embarrassed by my car. I was glad to even have one. And it wasn’t like anyone gave me a hard time for driving it.

As I turned off the engine, a slow, melancholy song played in my ears and I ripped the cords out immediately. I thought I removed all the sad stuff a few weeks ago. This day was too cheerful and bright to listen to something so
blah
.

Plus, I was sort of developing a fear of love songs over the last couple months. I’d always enjoyed all kinds of music, but I’d been having some crazy emotional reactions to it lately. And music wasn’t the only problem. A couple weeks ago I felt completely depressed for hours after reading a scene in a book—totally out of character for me. My life was way too great to be sad and moping around for no reason at all.

It was probably just teenage hormones going haywire.

I waved at a few kids I knew talking by their cars and continued to the outdoor quad area, covered in grass and leafy trees. It was already full of my classmates and I greeted a few more as I crossed the sidewalk.

Then I saw him. Justin Crane.

My head darted down and away, hoping he wouldn’t notice me from across the path. We’d been on a few dates earlier this year. It was just supposed to be for fun, but that totally backfired on me. I was hesitant to go with him in the first place, but saying no just seemed too…
mean
.

I should’ve listened to my instincts. Once Justin got the first yes, he couldn’t be stopped. He pursued me obnoxiously. And his hands really had a problem with wandering. I thought it was clear we were only friends, but he just didn’t get it. It got to the point where I had to be outright rude. I didn’t like that.

I thought he finally got the hint, but I wasn’t about to give him a chance to change his mind. I hurried through the double glass doors of the building at the end of the sidewalk and let out a sigh of relief. Justin Crane was safely out of view.

When I approached my locker I glanced around the hallway to see if Heather was nearby. She was mybest friend. We had first period together so she always came to meet me before class.

Her lean physique approached my direction with purpose, her phone attached to her ear. I had a cell phone too—I mean, who didn’t—but mine seemed like a piece of junk compared to hers.

Heather could be intimidating to some people. I was a decent height at five feet five inches, but she beat me by at least four more inches. It wasn’t just her height though. Even in a crowd, Heather had a way of making sure she was noticed, but not in a bad way.

I'd known Heather since second grade and spent more time with her than anyone else, besides my mom of course. We had a lot in common, yet somehow we were nothing alike. Maybe that was why we worked so well together. Either way, we'd been friends a long time.

Heather slid the phone in her designer bag and sprung up beside me.

“Hey, Sade!” she said, her face animated like she had a juicy secret to share. “So I was just talking to Lindsey, and you will
never
guess what she said.”

She checked her long, platinum hair for any imperfections, using the mirror in my locker, then pulled me down through the crowded corridor of students. Some looked like they just stepped foot off the beach, others like they were modeling for a designer clothing catalog.

“What is it?” I asked.   

She stopped and brought her perfectly made-up face close to mine, lowering her voice. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say anything, so you totally didn’t hear this from me.”

“Okay…” I said, confused but intrigued.

“Lindsey heard that,
Nick,”
she said the name with emphasis,
“Christensen
, like, has a thing for you, and wants to ask you out on a date or something.” She paused dramatically, waiting for my response.

Huh. That was the big news? I did like going on dates but I didn’t see what the big deal was.

It took me a second to place the name she mentioned with a face. “Oh, I know Nick,” I said. “He seems like a nice guy.”

She clutched my arm, dragging me with agitation. “He seems
nice
? He’s only, like, one of the most gorgeous guys at our school. Seriously, Sadie, could you be any more clueless when it comes to guys? You get asked out on more dates than any other girl in the entire school and you’re completely oblivious.”

My feet stopped. “What? No I don’t. And by the way, you get asked out on dates too.”

She continued to say his name like he was a celebrity. “Not by guys like
Nick Christensen
. You could at least try to appreciate how lucky you are.”

I thought about it a second. Maybe she had a point. I was lucky to get asked on dates at all, so I should be more excited. I didn’t want to come off as a jerk or something.

“Really?
Nick Christensen
?” I said, mimicking Heather’s excitement. “Actually, he’s pretty cute. A date with
him
sounds like fun.”

“Of course it does,” she said, like I was ridiculous for thinking otherwise. “He’s totally hot.”

We entered the classroom and sat in our usual seats. Mr. Rivera lectured and scribbled illegibly on the white board as my chin sunk deeper into the palm of my hand. Math first thing in the morning was a bit of a challenge. My mind wandered.

The depressing song I heard in the car started playing through my mind, the chorus repeating in my head over and over again. It was annoying. I should’ve listened to something more upbeat before I turned it off. I straightened in my seat and tried to focus. Even math sounded better right now than that stupid, dismal song.

During break I went back to my locker and grabbed a bag of baby carrots. I tossed one in my mouth, but it was bigger than I expected and I struggled to chew as I shut the locker with my elbow.

I almost choked. Nick Christensen was standing right in front of me.

“Oh,” I said surprised. I threw my hand to my face, covering my mouth full of food, chewing as fast as possible. I practically swallowed the carrot whole.

He ran a hand through his chestnut hair, eyes shifting to the floor. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

I gave him a welcoming smile to ease the awkwardness. “It’s okay. You just surprised me.”

Most girls would probably be a little anxious right now, but I didn't get nervous around boys. Maybe because I didn’t care whether or not they liked me, or if there might be a future for us someday.

“So, I was just wondering…” He paused and fidgeted with a strap on his backpack “If maybe you wanted to hang out with me this Saturday?”

For being one of the most gorgeous guys in school, he sure seemed insecure, but it was sort of endearing.

“Oh…actually…” My eyebrows wrinkled, apologetic. “I already told my mom I would help her paint our living room on Saturday.”

He looked away, blue eyes full of disappointment. “Oh. That’s okay.”

Poor guy, I didn’t want him to think I made up some excuse not to go. I really did have plans. Each week my mom had just one or two nights off from the hospital where she worked. That was really our only time to see each other, so we started girls’ night. It had become our weekly tradition. We’d usually do stuff like get take-out and watch chick flicks, but this time my overly-energetic mother talked me into another do-it-yourself project. At least this time it wouldn’t require tearing down walls.

I wasn’t that excited about painting in the first place, and with Nick looking way cuter than I realized before, I was really starting to regret our plans. But instead of becoming bitter at my mother’s ambition, I quickly thought of a solution that would work for everyone.

The smile returned to my face. “Well, school’s closed Friday for Veteran’s Day. I don’t have plans if you want to do something then.”

“Sure!” His face brightened with a smile full of perfect white teeth. “My uncle works at Disneyland and he could get us in, but that’s kind of an all-day thing, so I don’t know if you would be interested.”

I didn’t have to think about it. “Totally,” I said, touching his arm. “That sounds like fun.”

I loved Disneyland. Growing up in the area, I used to go all the time, but I hadn’t been in a while. That would be something to look forward to.

“Okay,” he said, relieved. “I’ll come pick you up Friday morning. Would nine work?”

I nodded. “Nine sounds good.”

There was an awkward pause in our conversation. It looked like Nick wanted to say something but couldn’t push out the words. I looked off to a corner of the ceiling, giving him a chance to regroup. He laughed nervously and scratched his head but still came up with nothing. I had to put him out of his misery.

I turned back with a smile. “Well…I probably should get to class. I’ll see you Friday?”

He wore an unsure, semi-goofy expression while I sauntered away, glancing back with a flirty wave goodbye. It couldn’t hurt to be a little flirty, right? Nick seemed completely harmless compared to Justin Crane. Although Heather once said I flirted all the time, even when I didn’t mean to, so I should probably remember to tone it down.

Thanks to
Nick Christensen
I was suddenly in an extra great mood. As I skipped cheerfully down the path outside I noticed my friend, Ariana, from the other side of the quad. Her parents were originally from the Dominican Republic, but they moved here from New York a few years ago.

Ariana jumped up and down with a huge smile when she saw me. I loved her enthusiasm. She was one of the most energetic girls at our school. Next thing I knew she was bounding across the grass in my direction.

“Sadie!” she called happily.

She jumped up next to me. “Hey chica, I love your hair today.” She pulled a handful of wavy blonde strands in the air and let them fall playfully through her fingers back to my shoulder.

“Thanks,” I said. “That’s a cute shirt.”

She looked down at herself as if trying to remember what she was wearing and giggled. “Oh yeah…Thanks, it’s new. So I brought you that CD I was telling you about.”

Ariana was always putting together CD's with new music for me to try; mostly salsa type music I would have a hard time finding on my own. Despite how well I was doing in Spanish class, I couldn't understand most of the words in the songs, but the beats were infectious. Sometimes it was hard to stop my hips from waving side to side.

She rummaged through her backpack and handed me a plastic case.

I slid it on top of the chemistry book cradled in my arm. “Cool. I’m excited to listen to it when I get home.”

“Make sure you listen to track two,” she said with animation. “That’s so totally my favorite this week.”

I looked at Ariana with her bubbly happiness and suddenly found myself staring at her golden eyes, a stark contrast to her milk chocolate skin and curly black hair. It was kind of a breath of fresh air in the sea of blonds parading the school.

My thought was interrupted by a small jolt. Someone bumped into me from behind. I glanced up, distracted.

A boy in dark clothes muttered a quick
sorry
under his breath and continued walking, turning his face only partially towards me. I could’ve sworn a glint of light caught his eye causing a stream of little green sparkles.

A slight tingling sensation shivered up my arm and I looked down at it instinctively. There was a silvery film with iridescent swirls shimmering just below my elbow. I tried to touch it, but it disappeared. I wasn’t sure if I imagined it. Maybe the sunlight was playing tricks on my eyes.

My thoughts flew back to the intriguing boy that bumped my arm but I couldn't see him anymore. He seemed oddly familiar. Like something was pulling me after him, drawing me towards him.

“Who was that?” I wondered aloud.

 Ariana shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Suddenly I wanted to chase after the mystery person.

“Hey, I have to get going,” I said, moving away in a daze.

If Ariana replied, I didn't notice. I was too busy searching through the crowd of students for
the face
—the one with the sparkling, familiar eyes. I didn't know what the rest of him looked like. He shuffled by so fast. I didn't have a chance to register anything else.

I rushed through the school grounds, propelled by curiosity, intense desire growing inside me. Students eyed me as they caught me staring. My gaze darted back and forth from face to face, examining them as I shot by. But none of them were right. The mysterious green eyes were nowhere to be seen.

The warning bell rang, interrupting my quest. At least I was able to gather my senses enough to direct myself to class. Chemistry was my hardest subject and I couldn’t help but groan a little when I opened the classroom door.

I peered at the equation on the board. It was like trying to figure out a foreign language. Although I had Spanish after lunch and it was one of my easiest classes, so the analogy didn’t fit. Instead I just pictured a tiny bomb going off in my head, frying a bunch of brain cells. I didn’t know how I managed to keep a decent grade. Mr. Wallace must have awarded a lot of participation points for doing the labs.