Nobody is going to volunteer. Nobody wants to be the buddy for the new kid. What if they think I’m weird? What if I make no new friends? What if this fresh start was just a waste of time and—

“Thank you, Jacob,” Ms Kently’s gentle voice pulled me out of my ever-growing spiral. “Why don’t you take a seat besides Kaitlin?”

I turned around, watching as a tall boy rose from the backrow. At first, I hadn’t noticed him raise his hand, but now that I’d seen him, he was impossible to ignore. My breath hitched slightly as I observed, noticing immediately that he was very, very pretty.

He had a defined jawline and high cheekbones, with deep brown eyes that seemed to darken under the yellow glow of the classroom lights. His hair – beautifully chocolate and curled – framed his slightly tanned skin, making him look like he belonged on a Vogue magazine.

The black hoodie he wore stretched over his broad shoulders, and when he moved, I caught a glimpse of his strong arms beneath the fabric. Butterflies erupted in my stomach, uninvited but impossible to ignore. It wasn't often that I took interest in someone so quickly, but this one—Jacob, as Ms. Kently had called him—was different.

He took the seat beside me, smiling gently. It was a conscious effort to keep my breathing steady, and played with the hem of my jumper, grounding me.

Up close, his features were sharper than I'd realized—long lashes that fanned from his eyelids, full lips that where set into a plush bow, a glow to his eyes. He glanced sideways, and I immediately looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed me staring.

"Hi." He said. His voice was low, and smooth, and made my heart leap.

"H—hello," I stuttered. "I'm Kay." I added stupidly. He obviously already knew that, as I had announced it to the class just a few awkward minutes before. “Kaitlin Yarrow,” I spoke to fill the silence, and I almost palmed my face with frustration. He didn’t need to know that.

Still, he chuckled lightly, as though I’d said something funny. "I'm Jacob Cruor,” he said in a jokingly mocking way, “but most people call me Jake."

I nodded, unsure what to say next.

Something about him was messing with my head. My thoughts felt tangled, my stomach uneasy, and for the first time in a long time, I had no idea I should say or do. Every word felt like a risk, every move overthought. I found myself watching my every nervous tick, the way I sat, and even the volume of my breathing. Still, if he noticed my awkwardness, he didn’t mention it. He just sat there, smiling like he had no idea what effect he was having.

Instead of saying something to embarrass me like he ought to, he chuckled, flashing a wide grin that revealed dimples I hadn't noticed before. My face burned, and I quickly looked away.

I was dimly aware of Ms. Kently speaking in the background, but I couldn’t focus. Don’t breath too loud. Does my hair look weird? No, now your fiddling with your sleeves again, he’ll think you’re a nervous idiot. My mind couldn’t stop racing, but for entirely different reasons than the beginning of the day.

At the end of class, I stood up, rushing for the door. Although the room had been pleasant enough before, it now felt as hot and stuffy as the rest of the school.

Just as I made it outside into the hall, Jake grabbed my wrist. The touch sent a flare of heat and through my body, radiating from my fingertips to the very centre of my soul. I stopped short in my tracks, taking a deep breath and turning towards him. There, he held up my backpack, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"You forgot this." He sounded serious, but the look on his face said otherwise..

"O—oh. How stupid of me. Thanks."

"No problem. It was nice meeting you, Kay."

"Th—thanks. You too."

I grabbed the backpack of him, turned on my heel, and scurried away. My whole body was trembling, and I could feel the electricity beginning dimming in my arm. If I wasn’t able to sort myself out, this would be a problem. Someone bumped into my arm, furthering my annoyance, but at least it reminded me that it was lunch and I should probably find the cafeteria.

Not knowing in the slightest where it was, I followed the rush of other students walking down the hall ahead of me. If anything, it would be best to go with the traffic. Now was not the time to be a lone sheep.

After a short – but crowded – walk, I found myself in a massive open space, larger than any other section in the school. The roof was so much taller here, if that was even possible, and the aroma of burgers, fries, and less-than-fresh salads overpowered the heaviness of reeking teenagers.

My mouth suddenly felt warm and wet, a tell tail sign that I needed to join the line of people waiting to get food. I dug in the front pocket of my backpack for the loose coins my mother had given me yesterday, before hearing Yasmine’s familiarly friendly voice calling out my name.

She side-stepped around other people rushing to get in line before it grew too long, joining me in the middle of the ever-growing line.

"Have you seen this place," she spoke excitedly, "this cafeteria is so much better than our old schools measly tuckshop."

Something panged in my chest at those words. Nothing could ever be better than our old school. Our old home.

"Well I think it’s amusing that the largest place in the entire school is the cafeteria. It’s probably bigger than the gymnasium. And you can’t smell BO over the food, so double win.”

"Uh-huh. I love this place. I love food."

I hummed in agreement, smiling at Yasmine’s excitement. It was good to know she was already feeling settled in.

We stood for a while, boredom beginning to kick in after just five minutes of standing around. My food tapped unconsciously against the floor, drumming a beat to a song that was playing out of the speakers.

"How was class?" I asked noncommittally, filling in the silence. 

I saw her eyes twinkle mischievously, as if saying ‘oh don’t I have a story for you’. She grinned, biting her bottom lip and looking at me through her eyelashes. “Ohmygosh,” she started, her voice bubble and energetic. “In Italian, this guy walked in and he was so hot, and obviously I was staring but I didn’t expect him to literally sit right next to me and start talking, asking me about what its like starting at MHS, and if I’m feeling settled in and all that stuff. I don’t even really remember what we talked about because he’s just so hot and so tall with such sexy eyes and this tan – which I think might be fake, but I don’t really mind because it looks most natural on him other than a few pudgy spots – and his smile is—”

So Yasmine was besotted. It had been all of one hour, and she was already infatuated. Doesn’t that sound familiar?  

Yasmine was still yapping in the background, probably saying the words hot, and sexy, and oh my god one-hundred-times too many, but I didn’t mind. She was happy.

"If he's from Italy, why is he taking Italian classes?" I interrupted, not out of annoyance, but out of genuine curiosity. Maybe he was the type of person who would take their home just to get good grades and win all the subject awards.  

"I asked him that exact question. He said his parents are from Italy, but he was born in America, so he doesn’t actually know how to speak it. He wants to learn more about his culture and language, and I think that shows his dedication to—"

"What's his name?"

"Luca Marino. He said—" Yasmine stopped suddenly, looking with wide eyes locked to a spot just over my shoulder.

“What—?” I asked, turning. And there he was, standing right in front of me.

"Mind if I join you guys?” Jake asked. “The line is already huge, and I'm starving."

"Sure," I squeaked, turning away and trying to ignore the way his shoulder was bumping gently against mine. Yasmine’s eyes where comically huge, her mouth shaping out the letters OMG. I rolled my eyes, acting as calm as I possibly could. I'll explain later, I mouthed back.

Jake brushed in closer, trying to avoid the people who kept almost tripping over his foot. So he’s a gentleman too. I shook my head; he's just a random guy I just met less than an hour ago. He’s not your friend, and you don’t have a crush on him… yet. Give it a few days at least.  

I stepped closer to Yasmine, grabbing onto her hand for comfort, hoping her presence would distract me from Jake's. But then the dude decided to start talking. So much for trying to distract myself.

"What are you guys going to buy?" He asked, eyes flicking between Yasmine and I.

"I don't know what they have," I admitted sheepishly, avoiding eye contact by facing the front of the line.

"Today's Monday, which means they are selling burgers, fries, and chocolate milk.” He considered that for a moment, his face scrunching up. “Although I don't recommend the milk. It's usually expired and all clumpy – I know a few people who have gotten sick from it," He explained.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I suppose I'll get a burger and fries. How much are they?"

"Seven dollars for the two. But don't worry about it. I'll pay for you and your friend."

I looked up at Jake in surprise. "Wh—what? Are you sure?"

"Positive." He smiled. "You seem like a nice girl, and I know from experience that starting a new school is rough. I actually only joined about two months ago, but I want to make sure your idea of MCH isn't too bad."

"That's very nice of you, Jake, and I appreciate the offer, but I can’t possibly make you pay.”

Yasmine nudged my rib cage, and I groaned in pain. Taking the violence as a 'but he offered to pay for my lunch too,' I sighed and eyeing her hard, as an attempt to tell her I wasn't going to change my mind.

"You’re not making me pay, I’m offering," Jake winked. Oh for the love of god, just kill me now, I internally groaned. I saw the corners of his mouth tug upwards, and knew he was suppressing a laugh, clearly catching onto something changing in my expression, but he didn’t press.

“Jake,” I sighed. “It’s fine, honestly.” I looked at Yas, who was glaring at me with annoyance, but I just ignored.

Finally, before the both the butterflies and boredom got to be too much, we reached the front of the line. I stepped aside for Jake to order first, but he ushered for me to go forward instead. My heart was pounding, but I’d die before I let him know how beautiful and lovely I thought he was, especially this early on.

I turned to the cafeteria lady and asked for a burger and chips. She shoved a disposable plastic container in front of me, and it slid to a stop in front of my hands. Peeking inside, I noticed a small cluster of thick fries, a packet of tomato source, and the burger wrapped in butcher paper.

“Seven dollars on the right,” the lady said, her voice bored and monotone.

“Thanks,” I muttered, already taking the container and heading to the cash register.

The small square screen showed a pixilated $7.00, and just as I was about to place my coins on the counter, Jake stepped in front, tapped his card on the PayWave, and shrugged at my sound of surprise. He then grabbed my hand, carefully placed seven dollars cash into my palm, and closed my knuckles over them.

That flare of electricity struck me by surprise, the warmth from his fingers radiating up my arm from where they were still pressed into my hand.

“For your friend,” he said, smiling with a mischievous grin. I would have argued had he not paid for his own meal and disappeared into the crowd within the space of mere seconds.

“Fuck,” I muttered underneath my breath, mouth hanging open in shock.