Introductions

I couldn't believe what I was hearing!

My father was actually alive? The words my mother left me with before I had to go to school continued to run through my mind. I couldn't believe it still. 

How could they just lie to me like that?

And why were they suddenly deciding to drop this on me now? On my eighteenth birthday? It all seemed so odd. I couldn't make any sense of it. I took a deep breath as I made it to the bus stop. I would not let this ruin my day.

And what do you truly have planned for today to let things ruin it?

I slipped my headphones over my head, hoping the music would drown out my inner thoughts as much as it drowned the outside world out. As the bus stopped in front of the stop, I tried not to visibly cringe at the loud squeals the brakes made. The bus had definitely seen better days, but I knew better than to think they'd actually put any money in fixing the public transportation in the city. I stepped onto the bus, praying there'd be an empty space and I wouldn't have to either stand akwardly in front of the others or be squished beside a bunch of strangers. I hated the bus. I'd tried to convince Mom last year to let me drive to school. I'd gotten my license as soon as I could. But...there was the whole problem of not having a car.

As I glanced around the bus, I was pleasantly surprised to see the bus was almost empty. I had to admit that I was a bit shocked as well, though. My stop was one of the last in the route to my academy and as such, the bus was typically full--between the other students, people making their way to their jobs, and others just making their way to whatever destination they needed, the bus was never without its passengers.

So why was it so empty today?

I wondered if I should be nervous. Was I missing something? I didn't think it was a holiday of any kind and I knew I wasn't running late or anything. Taking a deep breath and deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I made my way down the aisle and slid into an empty seat. I took a deep breath, sitting back and just trying to make sense of the conversation I had with Mom earlier.

"Dani, I want you to come home straight from school today," my mother said, looking anywhere but at me.

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"It's...your father. He's going to be arriving shortly to meet you for your birthday," she said, not at all seeming to realize just how shocking those words were to me.

"My father? I thought he was dead, Mom," I said, shaking my head.

"We'll explain it to you tonight, okay?" she said as she finally looked at me.

The look in her eyes shook me and I decided to leave it alone.

"Alright, fine. I'll be home after school," I said numbly, moving to grab my bag and make my way out the door.

I continued to replay the conversation in my head. It'd been a little over thirty minutes since I'd left home, but I was still just as unnerved. How was I supposed to go on with my day with my head like this? It wasn't fair for her to just drop this on me like she did!

I paused, feeling a sudden sensation on the back of my neck, the skin seeming more sensitive. I moved my hand to my neck, wondering exactly what I was feeling. Every nerve on my body suddenly seemed to go on alert and my heart began to beat irregularly. This wasn't the first time I'd had this feeling, it'd begun to grow a few years ago but I'd been able to ignore it so far. Now...it was the same feeling but doubled, if not tripled in intensity. I turned, feeling like I was suddenly being watched and that's when I noticed him.

My heart began to beat even faster.

The man sitting in the back of the bus was gorgeous. He was large, I knew I'd only reach his shoulders--if that--if I stood beside him. His skin was bronze and his dark hair was thick and long, reaching past his shoulder. It had that messy-styled look that I only thought you saw in movies. His eyes were...

On me?

I paused, blinking a bit when I realized he was staring directly at me. I felt my skin warm as his eyes held mind, refusing the break the stare. A part of me wanted to hold his look, but then I suddenly felt that I needed to look down. Every fiber of my being screamed to look away, to show...respect? I realized then that I had broken the stare. I was suddenly looking down at the ground. But I would not forget his gaze for a long time. His eyes were bright green, reminding me of emeralds under the glowing sun. I flushed again, scolding myself at the thoughts I was having over this stranger.

I should be more concerned about the way he was staring.

And even though he could see I'd noticed, he hadn't broken his stare.

Even without the benefit of meeting his stare, I knew he was watching me. With that dark, penetrating gaze. As if my nerves weren't already on edge enough. I shook my head, taking a deep breath and looking away, turning in my seat. I could ignore this, could ignore him. As the bus came to another stop, I watched as several new passengers made their way onto the bus, moving to block my view of the stranger. As the bus began to move again, I relaxed as my body also calmed down. Turning to see if I was still being watched, I saw that the man had slipped out of the bus at the last stop.

My shoulders slumped and I wondered why.

You liked him, that's why. And you should!

That voice again. I stifled a growl. Wait. Did I really just stifle a growl? I took another deep breath, snatching my phone from my pocket and turning the volume of my music up. Not that it would really help. It just made me feel better. I quickly glanced through my notifications on F******k and my texts.

I only had four birthday wishes. One of which was from my mother. I chewed my lip, wondering why I was so unpopular. I'd wanted to be liked, wanted to have friends. But any time I thought I'd made an actual friend, they'd either disappear or suddenly start to avoid me like the plague.

What's wrong with me?

I chewed my lip, realizing the bus was coming to my stop. I looked over as the academy came into view, watching as the other students walked up the entranceway. I envied the smiles on their faces, the small clusters of friends laughing and goofing off with each other. I wanted that so badly.

Wanted to belong somewhere.

Why could I never share that feeling with someone?

The bus came to a stop and I just continued to stare out the window. I knew I needed to make a move if I didn't want to miss my stop. But I couldn't move. I didn't want to go to school today. I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway, not after learning about my father. I relaxed as the bus continued on its route. I continued to stare out the window, pausing only when I noticed the stranger from the bus standing right at the entrance of the school, his arms crossed in front of his chest...

And his eyes were staring right at me.

I felt my cheeks grow hot and once again was lowering my gaze as if I had no control of my actions. Why was this guy at my school and why was he looking at me? Was he stalking me? I felt my nerves worsen and grabbed my phone, deciding that I'd text my mom to let her know I'd be home early. I never skipped school and it was my birthday.

ME: I'm skipping school today. Be home early.

I watched as the text went from delivered to read. I chewed my lip, hoping she'd understand, hoping that I wouldn't have to explain anything further.

MOM: I hope everything is okay. Take the day to relax and I'll be home this afternoon before your father gets home.

I took a deep breath, glad to see that my mother wasn't upset about me skipping classes. Leaning back in my seat on the bus, I moved to look to see what route I would need to take to get home. I decided I was going to spend the day in bed. Thinking of as little as possible. When I found the right bus route, I went back to listening to my music, realizing that along with the thoughts of meeting my father tonight, I couldn't seem to get that stranger's piercing gaze out of my mind.

What else was in store for me...?