Chapter 4

"Ellie. Ellie, wake up. If you don't wake up now, I'm just gonna ditch you again like yesterday. Ellie. Ellie! Wake up!"

I was aware of the annoying voice of Jason trying to wake me up. I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head, and snuggled deeper into my pillow.

"Ellie, I don't have time to wait for you. You either get up, or I'll leave." Jason pulled the blanket off of me, exposing me to the chilliness of my room. I decided to ignore him and just lay still without my blanket on.

"I didn't know you slept with only your panties on, little sister."

I shot up at that, snatching my blanket and covering my lower half on instinct. Jason's loud snickers reached my ears, and I flushed a bright red, drowning in embarrassment.

"You...haha...you believed...me!" He choked between his laughs. "Only you would not remember what you wore to bed, El." He chuckled and headed for the door. If it was possible, I blushed even more.

"Oh, and you have only ten minutes to get your butt outside, or else I'm leaving you behind," he added and walked away.

I jumped out of my bed and ran to the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and splashed my face with cold water (leaving the gauze dry), dressed up in my baggy sweatshirt and skinny jeans, and was all ready with two minutes left to spare.

I silently thanked myself for taking a shower last night; I mostly took showers at night because I knew something like this would most definitely happen to me (waking up with ten minutes left). Plus, my hair didn't need any tending, it was always decent, and I was proud of it. I put my hair in a bun, with some strands sticking out, and ran out of my room and down the stairs, slinging my back pack on. Grabbing an apple from the table, I hurried to the door.

"Elora, I'm going to be out for -"

Mom's voice cut off as Jason revved up the engine, signaling me to hurry up. I didn't think what Mom was saying was that important, so I just yelled out a quick "Bye" and slammed the door on my way to the car. I got in, and Jason drove to School in less than ten minutes. We parked in the lot, and I was about to get out when Jason grabbed my arm.

"I have soccer practice today, so I won't be able to give you a ride home. Go home with Beth, alright? I asked her, and she said she can give you a ride."

I nodded, and turned to leave. "And El! Be careful out there. Next time I see you should be in your room or something, not lying unconscious on a bed," he added. I scowled at him and walked away.

As soon as I reached my locker, I saw Beth leaning against my locker casually, and I hurried up to her. I hadn't even reached her, when she began rambling on about how I was, why I didn't text her back, etc. "Relax Beth, I'm fine. It was nothing big, there's no need to worry," I assured her, but she just glared at me. "What?"

"It was nothing," she imitated me with a high-pitched voice, earning stares from students passing us. "Did you see the way you fell on the ground? I was sure you were dead. God, you scared the crap out of me, Ellie!"

I laughed nervously. "I'm okay. I mean, I was feeling totally fine, but you know Mom, she never listens to me. If I hadn't been dragged out of school, I would've attended all the classes." Okay, that was a total lie. But I wasn't going to admit that to her. She shook her head as we started heading for 1st period.

"But you know what, El? I would give anything to get hit by a ball if that means I get to be carried in a totally hot guy's arms. Like, really, I would give anything to be in his arms," she said dreamily. I just gaped at her. "I mean com'on, you should've seen the way he ran to you, picked you up like you weighed nothing, and practically ran inside the building," she continued.

"You're probably exaggerating...but...he did that?" Instantly, I felt a warm feeling towards him. He'd come to me even though we were complete strangers before? I guess he can be sweet sometimes.

"Totally, dude. He didn't even let anyone come near you. It was almost as if....Hey, what if he likes you?" Beth's eyes were wide, and she was grinning ear to ear.

"Shut up. He doesn't. I mean, we only met yesterday, and we never knew each other before-"

"Awww, is little Ellie blushing?" She cooed, pinching my cheeks.

"I always do!" I made up a pathetic excuse.

Why did I have to blush so easily?! I slapped Beth's arms away, and stomped off. She merely followed me, not at all affected. We were both silent as we changed (I had a black tank top this time) and slipped outside.

Beth suddenly turned to me while walking and said "You know how you said you guys never knew each other?"

"Umm...yeah?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously; she could be setting me up for something for all I know.

"Well, maybe he knew you and saw you before but it was you who never noticed, as usual- but that's not the point. The point is that he might have already liked you! Oh my God, I'm a genius!" She squealed loudly, making a few girls turn around and look at us.

"More like an idiot without a brain," I muttered.

"Hey! I heard that." Beth smacked my arm and frowned at me playfully.

"I know. You were supposed to."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes at me.

As soon as we reached the field, curious looks were sent my way and I began to feel really uncomfortable. I hate being the center of attention. I looked around, searching for Ace, when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I spun around, only to come face to face with...Ms.Kim.

Her lips - didn't look like she had any - were pressed in a tight line. I gulped, expecting the strict rules she unleashed everyday on the students, but none came.

In fact, my jaw dropped open when she said, "You can have a few days off, Miss Hewlden, but I expect you to have full participation after you've fully recovered."

I couldn't believe my ears. Ms. Kim, excusing someone? It was a miracle. Even the other students were staring at the teacher in disbelief. I snapped my jaw shut and nodded. "Go sit in that corner for the rest of the period and don't bother the others," she snapped, and I hurried across the field after giving a quick nod to Beth.

For the rest of the period, I just sat on the ground, feeling left out. I'd rather play than die of utter boredom. There was no sign of Ace or the guys that I saw him with yesterday. A small part of me was disappointed when the period ended and I still didn't see him.

Suddenly, a thought came to me. Why did I care if he was here or not? I don't even know him that well. I might have a tiny crush on him...only because he was so hot. I decided that I was crazy. After all, no one would disagree with me on that one.

I had AP Chemistry next, which Beth and I had together. We walked together, with her glancing every now and then at my cheek which had a normal gauze on it. I rolled my eyes. "Have you never seen a band-aid or a gauze before, Beth?"

She chuckled.

"Not on someone who got it because of a ball." My cheeks warmed up, and I was about to retort, when someone bumped into me from behind. I grabbed onto Beth's arm to steady myself.

I turned around to see who it was. Surprise filled my face as I looked at him. Ace. He hadn't seen me yet. But boy, did he look pissed.

"Watch where you're go - Oh." His eyes lost the pissed-off look slightly as he glanced up. More like glanced down at me since he was so damn tall. His face, which only a moments ago was filled with irritation, turned into a mocking one. "Ah, if it isn't the clumsy Princess," he smirked.

"For your information, I wasn't the one who bumped into you. You better watch where you're going," I retorted heatedly.

"Oooh, little Princess, I'm so scared," he imitated in a squeaky voice, faking a shudder, and walked past me into the classroom.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and looked at Beth. She was looking at me in utter shock. "You did not just talk to him like that." She said.

"Talk to him like what?" I asked, irritated.

"Like you've known him forever? I mean...have you? Well, of course you haven't. Damn, you're so lucky. Every other girl wants to be his friend, or maybe girlfriend." She frowned. "Actually, I don't think he's ever been seen with a girl before," she said, still frowning.

My heart stuttered at that piece of information. It can't be...can it? How can a hot guy like him not have had any girlfriend? Or not been seen with a girl before? "Whatever, It's not like I care," I muttered, looking away. I grabbed her arm, dragging her into the classroom that only a few minutes ago, Ace had entered. We both were almost in, when I stopped abruptly.

My mind finally registered that he entered this classroom. Ace entered this classroom. To say I was shocked would be a huge understatement. Ace was in AP Chemistry? AP? Sure enough, he was sitting in the back, with his arms behind his head, looking totally at ease. I mean, I know I was being judgmental, but still, Ace, the "bad boy" in an AP class?