Starstruck

"Hey mom, what floor is the photo shoot again?" I asked cheerfully.

"Hon, it's on the 22nd floor. Just inform the guard on the lobby that you're here for Andrea and he'll let you in. I already instructed him about it, so there won't be a problem. Thanks so much sweetie, I don't know what I'll do without you," she said on the other line.

"No problem mom, school is still a week away, so I'm not busy or anything. Ok, I'm nearly there, see you in a bit, bye." I ended the call and continued driving. Once I found a parking spot, I maneuvered the car expertly to the area and stopped. I grabbed the keys and the bag that my mom requested and went on my way to the building.

I whistled softly when I saw the building that I'd be entering. Wow, my mom's client must be rich or famous. This skyscraper was one of the largest here in the city. It was a good thing that I was only headed to the 22nd floor. I was not particularly thrilled with heights.

The guard that mom was referring to greeted me on the lobby. Once I told him my mom's name, he showed me to the elevators, and I thanked him before pushing the button for my stop. No one entered the elevator car on my way up, giving me enough time to ponder on things. My mom was usually an organized person. I wondered why she forgot the bag that she was going to use for work.

The elevator opened with a ding and I walked casually to the floor. I headed to the room that mom indicated and entered after knocking. Inside, everyone was busy preparing for the photo shoot. Photographers were setting up their equipments, people who were in charge of the wardrobe were carefully selecting an outfit, and different individuals were doing their own set of tasks. In the corner sat my mom Andrea, the make-up artist.

She's been a businesswoman all her life but switched to this line of work 5 years ago to pursue her real calling. At first, she started with small clients. As years passed, her clientele grew, and today, she's known as one of the top make-up artists in the area. With her expertise, it was no surprise that she bagged a big gig like this. I wonder who her client was this time.

"Hey mom," I greeted while handing the bag to her.

"Thanks sweetheart! You're such a lifesaver. I was so caught up in work that I forgot to bring my other makeup kit. It's lucky that you came in time. I have a big client that I don't want to disappoint." She gave me a huge smile, the edge of her eyes crinkling.

I took a good look at my mom, a 40 year old woman. To say that she was beautiful was an understatement because she was drop dead gorgeous. She could have easily been an actress with her looks, but she chose to be a makeup artist instead, which I was totally cool with. She had reddish shoulder-length hair, brown eyes that seemed to look into your soul, and a quirky smile that never failed to bring one to my own lips.

People would often say that I was an exact copy of her, only younger, but I never believed them. While her hair was soft and silky, mine was long and untamable. Maybe I got that from my father who passed away when I was young. Our eyes were different too. Hers were soulful while mine was just plain old brown. I think the only thing we had in common with regards to our appearance was our height of 5'8" and a slender body. At least I got that from her.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet Dulce? If you haven't there's food in the other room for the staff. You're welcome to eat there," she said.

"I already ate mom. I'll just go and catch some sleep; it looks like you're going to be busy for the day. Just tell me all about it when you get home," I replied with a smile.

She nodded. "Sure, see you later."

After giving her a wave, I exited the door and made my way outside the building. Once I reached the sidewalk, I glanced around and noticed a café. I absolutely loved coffee, and since I was in a hurry to get here, I wasn't able to drink my daily cup. It wouldn't hurt if I had one now.

I almost skipped to the coffee shop. The familiar aroma of beans and cream wafted in my nose as soon as I opened the door. The scent alone perked me up. Aside from me, only two people were inside- a twenty-something guy wearing business attire and a girl about my age donning tight jeans and an Armani t-shirt that accentuated her toned and slender body.

I glanced at the girl. Though her face was partly covered by Ray-bans, and her hair was hidden by the cap she was wearing with her ponytail, she looked very familiar. It was like I'd seen her before. I quickly dismissed the idea since I'd never been in this part of the city.

I waited patiently in line behind the girl, marveling at how great she smelled. What perfume was she wearing? Maybe I should ask her. Before I got the courage to bring my hands up and tap the girl's shoulder, the guy in front of the line turned around and spilled coffee all over her white shirt.

"Ouch! Ouch!" the girl flailed her hands helplessly at her shirt. The man just stared at her and instead of apologizing; he quickly got out of the café, leaving the girl behind. What a total jerk!

As for me, I hurriedly grabbed tissue from the counter and wiped the girl's chest with it without even thinking. She recoiled from me, but I still tried to dab the tissue, knowing that she was hurt and soaking wet with coffee.

"Oh my gosh miss, are you hurt?" I said in panic.

"Please don't touch me, who are you?" she asked, pushing my hands away.

I stopped what I was doing and stared at her. "Well are you hurt or not?" I inquired. Here I was so worried about her, and she didn't appear to be in pain like I originally thought.

"Not really," she replied. The girl glanced down on her shirt and groaned. I followed her gaze and noticed her bra through the shirt, which was already semi-transparent because of the spilled coffee. I quickly looked away and blushed.

"Come with me, I have an extra shirt inside my car," I told her. Before she could even object, I was already pulling her out of the café and straight to the parking lot. She covered her chest area with her hands while we walked.

Once we reached the car, I instructed her to enter the back, while I rummaged inside my bag in front. I found the grey shirt that I always kept for emergency purposes and handed it to her behind me.

"Thanks," she murmured. She removed her sunglasses and the cap before pulling her hair tie, letting her raven-black hair loose. I noticed her coffee colored eyes and got lost in them for a moment.

She caught me looking and met my gaze which made my heart beat crazy, like a love struck teenager who just hit her puberty. Well that made sense since I was only 17, but damn my heart hasn't pounded this hard for a long time. She surprised me even more by removing the wet shirt she was wearing while I was still openly staring at her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I stammered.

"I'm changing, is there something wrong with that?" Her tone was businesslike, as if she was used to other people seeing her change.

"Uhm, err, nothing at all. Just hurry so no one will see you," I replied with a slight tremble in my voice while turning my face in front. This girl was shameless.

After a few seconds, she tapped my shoulders, prompting me to turn in her direction. "I'm done," she said. "Look uhh what's your name again?"

"It's Dulce," I told her.

"Alright Dulce... I need to go now. Thanks so much for lending the shirt. I'll give it back to you I promise. Can you give me your number so I can contact you once I had it washed? Or if you like, I can just pay you right now for it so we don't have to go through the trouble. I'm very busy you see," she said while flipping her hair. If there was a chance that I'd see this pretty girl with the coffee colored eyes again, I'd take it.

"No, you don't have to pay me. I'll give you my number," I said quickly. She took her phone from her jeans pocket and punched in the number I recited.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask your name," I said to her.

She gave a smile, one that highlighted her straight nose, full lips, and beautiful eyes. "I'm Glace, nice to meet you stranger," she said with a low voice while placing her hands in front of her to shake mine.

I reached out and touched her soft palm. I bet my hands were dripping with sweat from nervousness, but she didn't seem to mind. Letting go was far from my thoughts, but I had to after a few seconds, or she might think I was crazy.

"You know, next time, you should think twice before pulling a girl inside your car. One might think that you don't have a good intention," she teased.

"But, but I'm not," I stuttered.

"I know," she winked, making my stomach do a small flip.

"So, I guess I'll see you around Glace," I said shyly.

"Yeah you too Dulce, by the way, what school do you go to?" I told her the name of the high school I'd be attending next week.

"What about you?" I asked in return.

"I was homeschooled," she replied. "But I'm in 12th grade like you." She glanced at her watch. "I'd love to stay and chat Dulce, but I still have something to do. I'll call or text you as soon as I get the chance."

We opened the door at the same time and got out of the car. My brain was screaming for me to ask her out, but anxiousness got in the way. In the end, I just held out my hand once more to shake hers. This time, she was the one who grasped my palm.

"I guess this is it huh?" I said while looking straight into her eyes.

"Maybe..." she replied coyly, holding my gaze. For a split-second, I felt something like electricity flowing between us, but it vanished as soon as it arrived. It must be my imagination. I was such a dork.

I cleared my throat to fill the silence that passed. "So just text me Glace. You know, for the shirt," I said almost out of breath.

"Totally for the shirt," Glace said before removing her hand from mine. She gave me another radiant smile, one that nearly brought me to my knees. "See you around stranger."

She walked and disappeared in the distance, while I got back inside the car and let out a long breath. What was wrong with me? I should have asked for her number too. If she doesn't call me, I might never see her again. I face-palmed myself. You don't just let a beautiful girl like that go Dulce.

I groaned inwardly. Well she didn't look like a lesbian, so even if I did ask her number, nothing would happen. I'd just break my heart like the last time. My thoughts strayed to Denise, the girl I used to go gaga with at school. She kept on giving me mixed signals and when I finally asked her out, she bluntly denied me. Not only was it rude, it was downright embarrassing.

It nearly blew my cover. People in school all knew that I was straight. I didn't want to tell anyone about my sexuality or I'd be bullied and victimized like the others. Besides, it was enough that my two best friends in the world knew, plus my mom. Other than that, my gayness was no one's business but my own.

I inserted the key to its rightful place and started the ignition. My three year old car came to life and I drove straight to my best friends place. Forget sleep, I'd do that this evening. For now, I needed to tell them that I met someone beautiful.

I reached my destination and rang the doorbell. My best friend's brother greeted me after opening the door. "Someone's early," he teased. He pointed to the stairs. "Go. . . Tim is also there." I gave him a quick smile before darting to Patty's room.

As soon as I opened the door to the bedroom, someone screamed and hugged me like there's no tomorrow. "Whoa!" I exclaimed.

"We missed you girl, where have you been hiding that cute butt of yours?" asked Tim, my best friend. Like me, he was a closet gay and didn't want anyone to know about his sexuality. We prefer to live our life peacefully, so no we're not telling anyone other than our family, at least until we graduate.

"Hey Tim, hey Patty," I greeted. I plopped down on the bed. "Sorry, I've been busy running errands for my mom and reading books, so I haven't had much time to go out."

"You and your books Dulce. Aside from that, I bet you've been cooking nonstop," said Patty.

"You know me well," I replied sheepishly. I haven't mentioned it before, but I really liked cooking. It puts me at ease when I'm in the kitchen. I feel like I'm in my element whenever I'm in front of the stove or baking something sweet. Maybe that's why my parents named me Dulce.

Tim adjusted his eye glasses. "Guys, school is a week from now. Is anybody as excited as I am?

"Yes!" Patty said with gusto, while I just groaned loudly beside them.

They both turned to me. "I don't get why you hate our school Dulce. Sure nobody knows that you're lez, but you're popular. Guys and girls love you. They always swarm around you like flies. You should be thankful for that," Tim said.

"Yeah, but I can't be myself there Tim. I can't even ask a girl out. I'm a teenager; I should be dating someone by now or at least making out passionately at the back of my car."

"Technically, you did ask that bitch Denise out. I don't get why she turned you down. She's crazy for you. Maybe she wants you to pursue her."

I rolled my eyes at Tim. "I'm not good enough for her. That's why she didn't want me. Speaking of women, I met someone today," I segued.

"Who's the lucky woman who caught our gorgeous Dulce's eyes?" asked Patty.

I told them all about Glace and how we met this morning. The two oohed and aahed, especially when they heard about how beautiful she was. "So did you ask her out," they asked together.

The smile vanished from my face. "I didn't," I said shamefully.

"Ahh, miss shyness struck again," Tim said and patted my back. "Don't worry dude, just wait for her to call you, and problem solved."

"Yeah, but she's probably not lesbian, so I shouldn't get my hopes up." My shoulder slumped in dejection.

"You can always make her switch. Look at you, you're beautiful! Your gorgeous body and that to-die for smile can even rival Frio." Patty said.

That name again. I was so tired of my friends mentioning that Frio girl. Forgive me for my ignorance, but I didn't like to watch too much TV. I'd rather sleep, read my book, or cook all day long for my friends and my mom, than to follow a Hollywood celebrity like my friends do. Why were they so caught up with this Frio person? I bet she was a snob like most celebrities were and wouldn't even give us a single glance.

"Oh Frio," Tim sighed. "If I weren't a gay and totally boy-crazy, I'd marry you in an instant."

"What's so great about this Frio chick?" I found myself asking.

Tim rolled his eyes at me. "I swear Dulce; you're so out of it. Don't you know that Frio is one of the top stars in our generation? She's been modeling and acting since the age of 7 and she's very popular. She's our age too and there are hearsays that she might be lesbian!" he gushed.

I raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

He giggled and continued. "She's never had a boyfriend before and she's the ice princess. No one as in NO ONE can penetrate that wall that she put around her. But you know she's beautiful and great at acting, so the whole iciness adds to the charm."

I shrugged. "She's probably a total snob. Anyway, let's talk about something else."

The three of us switched the topic and tried catching up about the things we did this summer. In the end, I just went home and slept like I promised my mom. Before I closed my eyes, Glace's face flashed in my mind.

The week passed by quickly and today was a start of a new school year. There was only one year left until I graduated, and I was off to college to pursue my culinary dreams. I checked myself out in the mirror before leaving my room and greeted my mom in the kitchen.

“Senior year,” she mused. “It seems like yesterday when you were just a small baby. Now you’re all grown up and ready to leave me behind.” She pretended to wipe her imaginary tears with her hands.

I rolled my eyes at her. “Seriously mother, there’s one whole year left. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. There are lots of colleges here that offer my dream course. Chill okay?”

“Aww, I’m just kidding sweetie. Now give your old lady a hug before going to school.” She opened her arms wide and smiled at me.

“How can I resist this old woman,” I joked before meeting her for a hug. “Enough with the drama mom. I need to go now or I’ll be late. I don’t want to break my all time record of arriving to school on time. It will tarnish my reputation,” I smirked.

“Remember what I told you about meeting a girl,” she reminded.

“Yeah, yeah. . . When I meet a girl I really like, I should introduce her to you first,” I recited.

“Good. . . Now get your butt to school. Oh, and say hi to Tim and Patty for me.”

“Okay mom,” I said before dashing out the door and going to my car. Sorry you had to see all that. You probably guessed it by now. My mom and I were super close. When my dad died eons ago, my mom did everything to raise me. She worked hard, kept us afloat, and taught me a lot of things in life. She was pretty open about my sexuality too. That was why when she told me that she wanted to switch jobs, I supported her just as she did when she found out I was gay. Now that she was successful, I was very happy for her.

I pulled over the school parking lot after a couple of minutes and grabbed my things before walking to the direction of the building. I checked the bulletin board before heading to my assigned locker for this year. Good. . . Tim and Patty were in most of my classes. It was going to be a breeze.

“Hey Dulce,” two girls greeted when I passed.

“Hi guys,” I said.

I continued walking. “Ssup Dulce?” four guys called out from my left.

“Doing great guys. Thanks,” I replied while nodding my head to them.

I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and let out a long breath. Mr. Cooper from Chemistry class passed me and greeted with his booming voice. “Dulce, my favorite student. How was summer?”

I had no choice but to return the greeting. “Great Mr. Coop, can’t wait for chemistry.” I pasted a smile on my face and quickly walked to the direction of my locker. I hoped no one else stops me, or I’d really be late for class.

Thankfully, I was able to reach my locker without anymore disruptions. I stuffed some of my books inside and was about to close it shut when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned, only to find Denise staring at me.

“Hi hot stuff,” she said.

“Denise,” I replied awkwardly.

“So what are you doing?”

“Uhhh. . . Placing things inside my locker?” I nearly rolled my eyes at her but decided against it. She wasn’t worth the trouble. After refusing me last year, I didn’t want to do anything with her.

She flipped her long blonde hair away from her face and raised her perfectly trimmed eyebrows at me. Yeah, I knew she was beautiful. That was why I fell for her in the first place. It was clearly a bad move. I should have judged the inside more than the looks.

“Well duh,” she said. “I can see that. Why are you so uptight around me Dulce?”

I stared at in disbelief. “Denise, you turned me down remember? Why are you acting like nothing happened?”

Denise glanced around before leaning close to me. “Shhh. . . Don’t let anyone hear that. You know what will happen if people find out that you’re gay. You’ll lose your popularity status. Forget that we ever had this conversation. Besides, I just want to be friends with you Dulce. I care for you a lot.”

“I don’t care about popularity Denise, and if you really think of me as a friend, then you’ll just leave me alone.” I shut my locker and left her standing there. Who was she kidding? Things were too awkward between us.

I reached my classroom in the nick of time. I scanned the room and found Tim and Patty waving at the back. They saved a seat for me, next to an empty one. I walked quickly to them and placed my bag on the floor.

“Oh my God Dulce, what took you so long?” Tim asked.

“Denise,” I said in frustration.

The two looked at each other before turning back to me. I knew that they understood what I meant when I said the name. Just as I’ve explained, Denise has been giving me mixed signals since forever.

“Forget about her Dulce, we have news for you,” Tim said in glee.

“What is it about? Wait; is it about a cooking contest? I’m so in! When is it?”

“You and your food Dulce,” Tim groaned. “As much as we love your cooking, no it’s not about that. It’s regarding Frio!” he squealed.

“Frio? That Hollywood celebrity? What does she have to do with anything?”

“You remember last week when we saw each other?” Tim asked. I nodded to him. How could I forget? It was also the day I met Glace, though she didn’t contact me after that. I groaned inwardly. I knew I should have asked for her number.

“Well Frio announced that she’s taking a break from the whole celebrity life after 10 years of being in the limelight. According to an interview she did that day for a magazine, Frio wants to experience a normal high school life, so she enrolled for this school year,” he shrieked in excitement.

“So?” I asked.

“What do you mean so?! That is a BIG deal Dulce because Frio enrolled here in our school! I don’t know why she chose ours. I mean, we’re one of the top schools in the district, but she could have gone to a private one. Maybe she really wants to experience a normal high school. Cross your fingers guys. By some stroke of luck, she’ll be our classmate.”

“Good luck with that,” I said. “Even if she did become our classmate, I doubt that she’d want anything to do with mere mortals like us.”

On cue, the bell rang loudly, signaling the start of a new school year. A few seconds later, our homeroom teacher entered. I just stared at my notebook and doodled Glace’s name with a question mark beside it. I didn’t even know her last name. If I did, I would have searched for her Twitter or Instagram already.

“Listen up,” the teacher said. “Someone new will be joining our class. Now I know that she has special circumstances, but I still want all of you to treat her as one of you. After all, she did enroll here for a normal high school experience. Frio, if you please.”

Someone entered the classroom, but I didn’t look up. The whole class erupted in cheers, even Patty and Tim beside me. The teacher tried to quiet the class down, but everyone spoke in hushed tones.

“Oh my God it’s her! I can’t believe this I’m going to die,” someone said in front.

I ignored them and shaded Glace’s name with my red marker. It was too early for this kind of craziness. On my right, Tim elbowed me hard. I glared at him before concentrating back to my notebook.

“This is my first time to attend a normal school,” the new girl began. “I’ve been home schooled and had private tutors all my life, so everything is new to me. I experienced a teensy bit of high school on set for movies, but other than that, I guess you can call me a noob.”

I blocked out the noise and thought about Glace’s face. Now that was a real beauty. If only I had the guts to ask her that one time, I wouldn’t feel this regret. I was so hopeless when it comes to love.

“Dulce,” the teacher called.

I ignored him and focused on my work. “Dulce,” he said again. The name didn’t register and I drew hearts all over the notebook.

“Dulce Gavin!” he bellowed.

The name finally connected to my brain and I stood up without thinking. “Yes Mr. Harris? I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you,” I said in a rush, my face reddening in embarrassment.

“If I have your undivided attention now, I just want to tell you that Frio will be sitting next to you. I want you to show her around the school when you have the chance. If she has difficulties with anything, then you have to help her. Everyone knows you’re popular and a straight-A student, so you won’t have problems with my request. Is that clear?”

“Yes Mr. Harris,” I said before turning to the girl named Frio.

My jaw dropped when I saw who he was referring to. “Glace?” I asked out loud.

“Hey stranger,” she murmured under her breath, but I understood the movement of her lips. My eyes connected to her coffee colored ones and once again, I got lost in the depth of them. Like the first time we met, my heart pounded hard against my chest.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out. She didn’t answer and just gave me a poker face.

“What the F*ck Dulce, do you know her?!” Tim murmured beside me. I ignored him and glanced at Glace again.

“Okay Frio, you can sit beside her now. There’s an empty desk there so make yourself comfortable,” the teacher instructed.

Without any questions, Glace went beside me and sat gracefully. Everyone whispered with each other while I just openly stared at her. “What are you doing here Glace?” I asked again.

She acted like she didn’t hear anything and just looked ahead. I did the same and sat back on my chair. I didn’t know what was going on, but this was definitely confusing. Everyone called her Frio. Frio? As in the celebrity Frio, or another one? Wait. . . I thought her name was Glace. What is this, the Twilight Zone?

The homeroom teacher said a couple more things in front, but I didn’t pay attention. I was too dizzy thinking about Glace and the whole Frio thing to listen. When lunchtime came, everyone stood up, including Tim and Patty, but I didn’t. Glace quickly walked out of the classroom, a couple of my classmates already trailing behind her.

“Let’s go Dulce! She’s getting away. I really want to meet her,” Tim said.

“Go ahead guys, I’m not really hungry.”

Patty stared at me with concern in her eyes. “Are you okay Dulce? Why did you mention Glace’s name when you saw Frio?”

They probably wouldn’t believe me even if I say that they were the same person. “Nothing. . . I’m just out of it guys. I’m sorry. . . You can go to the cafeteria now before all the best food is taken. I’ll stay here and sleep a little. I didn’t get enough of it last night,” I lied.

They nodded and darted out of the room, in search of their precious celebrity idol. I slumped on the chair. I couldn’t believe at what was happening. I met the girl of my dreams again, but she turned out to be this super famous person. To make it worse, she didn’t even acknowledge me.

It was too embarrassing. First there was Denise, and now Glace pretended not to know me. I was having such a bad luck. Maybe I should give up with being a lesbian and just get a boyfriend.

As if that would work! I wasn’t really interested in guys. Never had, and never will be. I’d probably be a loser lez who didn’t have anyone. I’d just adopt a cat and name her Grumpy. At least someone would accompany me while I grow old.

“Why the long face stranger?” someone spoke beside me.

I looked up to see coffee colored eyes staring at me. “Glace? I thought you went out?”

“Nah. . . I just dispersed the crowd a little. Back to my question- why are you sad?”

“Nothing really. . .” I couldn’t tell her that I felt confused because of her. “Hey, you remember me?”

“Of course I remember that beautiful face,” she said huskily. My face flushed in embarrassment.

“Then why did you ignore me earlier?”

“Oh that. . . I tend to do that a lot in front of other people. That’s why they call me the Ice Princess,” she murmured the last line to herself. “Wait, is that why you’re sad?”

“A little,” I admitted.

“I didn’t mean to offend you Dulce. I just can’t let my guard down with everyone looking at us like that.”

I smiled widely at her. “You’re forgiven because you remembered my name.”

She gaped at me with her mouth open for a few seconds. I felt a little awkward so I waved my hands in front of her. “Glace? Why are you staring at me like that?”

She averted her gaze quickly and stared down. Her ears and cheek turned bright pink. She was so cute, but why was she blushing? I asked her the same question. “You look a little feverish Glace, is everything okay?”

“Don’t mind me. I just feel a little hot, that’s all.” She gave a shaky laugh.

“I see. . . By the way, something’s been bothering me. Why did you tell me your name is Glace? Everyone calls you Frio and I don’t really get that.”

She let out a sigh before answering me. “My real name is Glace McKenzie. Frio is just my stage persona that people from Hollywood created. Not a lot of people know me as Glace, even my diehard fans, so just call me that when we’re alone like this. I don’t want everyone running around screaming my birth name.”

“Why did you give me your real name then? You could have just told me outright that you’re Frio,” I said with a blush, thinking about the way I pulled her inside my car. If I’d known she was a celebrity, I wouldn’t have done that.

“It’s because you didn’t appear to recognize me Dulce. You don’t watch a lot of TV do you? Most people would have easily known me at a single glance. I did wear my disguise that day, but I removed it in the car. Aside from that, you looked a bit innocent so I couldn’t help it.”

“I only watch cooking shows,” I explained. “And what do you mean by innocent? I’m not like that,” I argued.

She rolled her eyes, making me notice her thick lashes. “Chill okay? I meant that in a good way. You’re not like any of my followers and I like that about you. You make me feel like a real person instead of a product or a piece of meat.”

The bell rang loudly before I could even reply, signaling the end of lunch. Students streamed like water inside the room, including my two best friends. Because of that, my conversation with Glace was interrupted, and she pretended not to know me again.

I stared in front of the classroom as the teacher entered. Tim leaned near me. “So did you get that sleep?” he asked.

“Uh huh,” I whispered back.

“Good. But next time, let’s talk to Frio. I’m dying to be her friend.”

“Okay sure. Whatever. . .” I said in a hushed tone so the teacher wouldn’t catch us.

After the conversation, the teacher started the lesson and I tried to concentrate on what he was saying. I also tried to pretend that Glace was not sitting beside me, but it was hard considering that she smelled good like that day in the café.

I still did my best to ignore her the whole time since she didn’t want to acknowledge me herself. When the last class ended, Glace quickly got her books and stood from her chair. Before she walked away, she whispered something to me, making my cheeks blush beet red.

“Nice doodle by the way,” she said and strolled out of the room, her tons of followers marching right behind her. I glanced down at my notebook and saw my drawing of Glace’s name with hearts and all. I completely forgot that it was there.

“Oh boy,” I muttered. “This is going to be an interesting school year.”