Look in my eyes

Can you see my heartbeat?
Swirling everywhere I go
Look in my eyes
I will be next to you
You let me be on the line
Step Step
Where do we go now?
It feels like lost in a wrong maze
Step Step  

~Step Step "Suran"

The gum Alicia took along with her tended to be of much help than she'd supposed. Thirty minutes after Zach and his friend–the one she remembered as Marlon–entered the AP chemistry teacher, also entered looking like he'd just been told he had a class to teach. And now she was really struggling not to sleep. She straightened her posture and resumed chewing expertly. 

  "Psst. Psst New girl," she heard someone whisper. She ignored the abstracting noise and went back to what she was doing. What was she doing? Oh yeah, trying not to sleep.

  "Hey new girl!" The voice exclaimed a little louder but not too high enough for Mr. Sigmund, their teacher to hear. She turned to her right, and rolled her eyes when she saw that it was no other than Marlon Fletcher. He was a pretty boy with clean-cut hair and cute almond-shaped green eyes. But Alicia knew better than to talk to the likes of him, he spewed trouble all the way up and all the way. Whatever that meant. "What?" she asked, not hiding how displeased she was. 

  "Here," he said with an amorous smile, wide enough to cover all of his face. Alicia looked at the tiny paper he'd handed to her. "Call you?" she asked, after reading what the note said. She gaped at him in bewilderment, he was kidding right?

"Yeah. You're hot, I'm hot. You get the whole thing right? No need to spell the rest out for you." He winked.

Good God, did he just say that? Alicia blinked. Marlon Fletcher thought she was hot? All through her stay in Woodwave never had he once looked her way, the only time he'd known she existed was when he needed someone to pull another prank on. He wasn't the instigator of the greatest pranks ever recorded in the archives of Crow High for nothing.

 She was disgusted. No, she felt disrespected. Evidently, his good looks were the only great thing going on for him and Alicia made it an objective to resist him at all cost. She crumpled the paper and was about to duck it under her desk when Mr Sigmund came to stand in between her seat and Marlon's.

  "What's that you are holding?" He asked. Mr Sigmund was a fairly built man whose face was young, but weather-lined, and showed the wear of experience and too much intellect. He frowned and turned his caustic gaze to Marlon after reading the note out loud. "Call you?" he asked the same question Alicia had asked. 

  Marlon shrugged and smiled sheepishly as the whole class guffawed—well not everyone, Zach was at the other end, burning with fury.

"Detention after school Fletcher," Mr Sigmund said coolly.

"What? Do you guys always find pleasure in seeing me there? I know I'm nice to look at and all but you're taking this a little too far," Marlon groused, as he pouted. First day back after the summer break and he was already booked for detention, for giving a girl his number. He should be thanked for how charitable he was when it came to pretty girls like her.

 "That stupid comment just tripled it up to one week," Mr Sigmund relayed and that shut him up. He sagged into his seat, hoping the new girl would really text him.

Mr Sigmund turned to Alicia, "What's your name?" he asked.

The class was suddenly quiet, she was sure they could even hear how heavily she was breathing. "Maya- Maya Fox," She said feeling tension build up in her.

"I'm letting you off the hook because you are new—" Wait, what did she do? Her eyes twinkled in confusion.

"The next time you distract my class I won't be this calm." Mr Sigmund warned and unsurprisingly no one talked afterwards. Not even Marlon, who kept stretching his neck to find out if Mr Sigmund gave the note back to the new gi—Maya. Jeez... her name was pretty rad.

  The minutes and seconds stalled and Alicia couldn't stop stealing glances at her watch. She'd wanted to go through her class unnoticed but after what happened she couldn't help but feel like she'd blown that up. And to make matters worse, Zach was also in the class. She'd tried craning her neck to steal a look at him, she'd successfully than that but was surprised to find him already looking at her. His warm eyes looked sad and Alicia didn't know why but felt greatly disturbed.   

  As soon as the class ended, Alicia was the first to rush out. Her head hurt and God was she starving. She was at the verge of passing out when the bell saved her life. She was craving something spicy, something she could relish in, but the blunt smell of cinnamon rolls, and stale bean chowder, that filled her nostrils as she entered the cafeteria, shattered her dreams of having a perfect meal.    

  She stood in line as she waited for her turn. After many irritating minutes of uncertainty, the girl standing before her finally decided on what to eat and settled on what questioningly looked like a bunch of leaves sprayed with ketchup. She rolled her eyes at the ginger head as she walked away and ordered hers. 

  The cafeteria was filled to the brim. Her eyes run through her surroundings. Every seat was occupied, and not even a single seat was in view. In Crow High, students sat in Cliques; cheerleaders sat together with their spawns, and they had the jocks, the drama club, the writers and debaters club, the skaters club, the book reading club. They'd a lot of clubs that Alicia had lost count, they even had the party planners club, and yes Marlon was their president.

Oh and they had the Mitchie and Alicia's club. It was a stupid thing they'd come up with in first year, when they were stranded and had no where to sit like she was now. She was about to walk to the table they used to sit on when she heard a faint shrill, "Oh my God are those extensions," An overly excited girl asked.

Alicia knew who she was once she got the view of the pretty tanned latina. Candace Daniels, Celeste's right hand, side chick? Backbone? Or whatever they called their friendship, she didn't think they were that important to care about. "No they are natural." she answered.

"You can't be serious!" Another excited squeal.

Alicia took a step backwards. Why was she screaming, when she was standing right in front of her? "I am,"

Candace touched her hair, "You are so lucky. I did a lot to my hair before it became this soft." she pouted.

"Err... thanks?" Alicia said, her food was getting cold and this girl wasn't doing much other trying to blow her ear drums off.

"You're the new girl, aren't you? I'm Candace," she said smiling brightly. 

Alicia raised her eyebrows, wondering why Candace was trying so hard. She knew she wasn't this friendly, far from it, she was evil, in fact she was like two Celestes combined, and the fact that they were best of friends wasn't really surprising. "Maya," she forced out a smile. "I kinda have to go now my food is getting cold," she added.

"Sit with me!"

 Alicia shook her head, she wasn't that crazy. "Thanks but a friend already saved a seat for me," she lied and walked away. She looked through the mass of students as she strutted to the table she and Mitchie called their personal property. No one sat there and no one thought of ever sitting there because it was the table closest to the trash.

Funnily enough, even the nerdiest of all nerds thought they were too high for it. So they claimed it as theirs, and joked about how they wish they could wrap it up with them when the time came for them to leave for college. Alicia smiled as the old memories rushed through her like waves. Speaking of Mitchie, where was she? Alicia hadn't seen her since their meet up at the ball and she was slightly worried.

She pulled out a chair, sat on it, and started munching on her apple. She was more of a fruit before meals kinda person which totally went against every 'food-eating rule' but she didn't care, she wasn't one for rules. Someone joined her as she was eating. Not wanting to look up, she keenly eyed her food like she had just discovered the cure to hunger. The person wasn't speaking so she looked up. "Can I help you?" she asked the boy, who somewhat looked familiar. He'd gorgeous brown eyes and a cold but handsome face.

"No I'm fine." He said, his eyes studying her features. 

"Okay." Alicia said, what she really meant was "If you are fine then get the hell out of here so I can eat in peace," but she was too sweet to say that out loud. She went back to her food, eating in a poised and gentle manner, now that her uninvited counterpart was taking pleasure in looking at her. "What is your problem?" she asked slightly irked, she wasn't used to eating when people were studiously watching her every move. It was unnerving.

"Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out where I've seen you,"

"I'm not sure we've met," Alicia said icily

"Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out where I've seen you,"

"I'm not sure we've met," Alicia said icily.

"I'm also very sure we have. You look a lot like someone I know,"

Alicia's panicked eyes popped out, were they friends in her previous life? No. She didn't remember ever seeing him in Crow High. Ana Perla had told her, she was going to forget a lot of things but she didn't think this stranger was one of the things she forgot. "I don't think so," She finally said.

"So you're saying you look nothing like Beyonce?" He looked surprised.

Alicia laughed, she liked him. "Of course not. I think I've better dance moves," she joked. 

Realization dawned on her, he was the guy who'd asked her for a dance at the ball. She smiled sheepishly, "Oh you are that guy,"

"Yes I am that guy." he smiled. His boyish eyes danced with mischief. "Jesse Mclurkin at your service." He stretched out his hands.

Ali chortled. He was so cute. She reached out for his hand and said, "I'm Maya,"

"I know."

 "So when are you going to take up on your word?" He asked as Alicia snagged a spoonful of her mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"Huh?" she asked swallowing the dry food. She picked up her bottled water, and drowned in its liquidness.

"You said you'd dance with me some other time and I'm only here to ask when that time will be," he shrugged.

Alicia had totally forgotten she'd said that, "I'm sure it will be very soon. I'm still getting settled in." She intoned hoping he would understand. He was too nice to let down.

"Jesse Mclurkin." A voice hissed and Alicia knew who it belonged to even before she saw the rage in Zach's eyes as he approached their table.

"Zachary Dunst," Sweet Jesse snarled, and Alicia was startled, where did that come from? Zach made himself comfortable in an empty chair and snapped his eyes to Alicia. "What are you doing with him?" he asked, gone was his usual gentleness.

Alicia had never seen him this furious. "Same thing I'm doing with you," she bit her lips. The tension between them both was making her antsy.

Zach frowned, "Maya, I'm serious," his eyes glazed in anger when he heard Jesse scoff.

"So am I," Alicia said as the bell rang, "I'm already late for class. It was nice seeing you again Jesse," Ignoring Zach, she grabbed her tray and dumped the remnants of her food into the trash and proceeded to walk away from the boys. She wanted no part in whatever they had going on.

"Maya we need to talk," Zach jogged after her.

"No we don't. I'm late for class,"

He pulled her back, as she walked. "Stay away from him Maya, he's bad news,"

"Funnily enough, someone said same about you." She said, her eyes narrowing on his hands as he held her, " And can you let go?"

"Gosh! You are so stubborn,"

Alicia glowered, now she'd had enough, "I don't know who you think you are to tell me what to do. But I'm seriously getting pissed," she seethed.

"I'm aware we know nothing about each other," he said looking into her eyes, "And I've no right to tell you what to do but Jesse Mclurkin isn't someone you should even think of getting close to,"

"And why is that? Why are you so much against something which is clearly not your business,"

Zach looked weary as his body went numb with pain. He couldn't tell her why, it was too complicated, "Just stay away from him Maya," he sighed.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll avoid him at all cost just because you said so," She said sarcastically, and resumed walking. She partly wished he would stop her again but he didn't. He just stood there, and Ali didn't know why but she had a dreadful feeling something was very wrong.

The rest of her classes passed in a daze, she didn't have any run ins, with Zach or the unpleasant people she'd had the pleasure of meeting. Among the bunch she interrupted with today, Jesse was the sweetest and apparently the one she'd to away from. She didn't know about the feud those two guys had going on, but she wasn't just about to stop been friends with him because Zach said so. 

The person she really had to stay away from was Zach.

She strolled to the parking lot in search of an ostentatious black porsche. It didn't take her too long to find it, it paid to have a punctual chauffeur. "I'm so tired, please take me home Philippe," she said as she opened the door and slumped into the plush cushioned seat. 

And he did just that.

Hours passed and Alicia found herself thinking about how hectic her day had been. She walked out into her balcony as the sun dipped into the horizon, spraying a splash of orange bluishness into the darkness that had started surfacing. Her mind spiraled around many thoughts, she thought of her previous life, she thought of her mum and dad, her sister, she thought of Bill and little Kristen and she thought of her murderer. Did they know she'd come back to life purposely for them? And least of all, did they know she was alive?

As she continued brewing her thoughts, a psycho sped off deep into the deadly glares of the cold night wondering why life was out to get him...