Opposites Attract

He smirked at her as she got out of his bed, his eyes twinkling at the sight of her blushing cheeks. She was normally so clean and proper, but looking at her now - she was somehow even more beautiful with her disheveled hair and his saggy clothes. James walked over to her and planted a small kiss on her forehead, brushing his hand along her arm. He then gestured towards his closet.

"Up to you, doll," he said with a chuckle. He knew if he let her go through his closet, she would find things that would unsettle her: his bong, his benzo tablets, clothes that were obviously not his. But he wasn't about to hide from her, or pretend to be someone else. Though his words are smooth and sweet, James is far from a gentleman. He flicked the light switch on.

When he looked at her again, a grin slid across his face. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear gently, displaying the mark on her neck.

Emma didnt know what to think as she ran her hand through her hair. She wasn't used to anyone seeing Her until she was fully ready so this was weird and unusual for her. She didn't necrssarily like it... But he came over and kissed her anyways and that made her feel better. It was just nice to feel loved and she would cling to that feeling.

She gasped as he tucked her hair and she felt her neck, biting her lip. "How bad does it look?" She asked. "Be honest - no lying to me!" She said with a laugh and covered it with her hand. Who was she? She was never usually the girl to be like this? This was so different.

She went over to his closet, surprised at what she found. Some of it she didn't even know what it was used for or anything. She just blushed and moved through. "Whose clothes are these?" She asked about some of the girl clothing, wondering if it would be appropriate to wear.

"You'd better look in a mirror, beautiful," James said with a small snicker. It wasn't huge or horribly dark, but he knew it was way more than she'd ever had on her skin. He shook his head and smiled to himself when she covered it, amazed that she never stopped being adorable.

James walked away, gathering all of his things to go to school. When she spoke, he glanced over at her, relieved she wasn't angry with him. He slowly walked to her side, touching her back lightly. "No idea," he said, pointing at the jeans. "Lily," he said through a yawn as he touched the sweater. "And Jennifer," he said in regards to the other three shirts.

He then turned and started to head towards the stairs. "You want some breakfast, Em?" The corner of his mouth curled up. Em, he repeated in his head. He looked back at her and raised his eyebrow. "I make some mean scrambled eggs," he offered.

Emma blushed a little and nodded her head. She wouldn't look in a mirror for now. She didn't want to see the sort of marks he was leaving on her. She liked it - but she was scared that she would be ashamed once she saw it. Wouldn't she be? she didn't want to be... But altogether she just didn't know.

Emma blushed a little as he pointed at the clothes and named off names of who each piece of clothing belonged too. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly. She didn't want to end up as another piece of clothing in his closet. She wanted to be something special and she didn't exactly know how to explain that to him. "Oh." She said, looking away.

"Yeah, breakfast sounds good. I'll be up once I'm dressed." Though she had no idea what she was going to wear. She certainly wasn't going to wear some of these girls' clothes.

James could sense her uneasiness, but he shrugged it off. She had asked a question and he'd answered it honestly. He was never sure whether to be honest or not - he liked saying what people wanted to hear. Sometimes, lying was the best way to accomplish that goal. "Alright, cupcake," he said, smirking as he headed upstairs.

He started making scrambled eggs, as his body struggled to find energy. His parents had already left for work, but he was not alone. James hummed to himself as he finished the eggs and dumped them into a bowl. He tossed the bowl onto the table, raising his eyebrow at the basement door. Emma hadn't come upstairs yet.

James got plates and forks out, placing them next to the bowl. He whistled to himself, trying to ignore the urge to smoke. Eventually, he caved, and lit up, hopping up onto the counter as he took a long drag.

Emma took a long time deciding what to wear. She didn't want to dress in any of their clothing - because she didn't want to be them. She wanted to be different - to be special. She didn't really think she could be special - but she didn't want to put herself at equal rank with them.

Well, she still had jeans from yesterday... Would it hurt to wear them again? Nah, no one would even notice. She had a camisole too, so she wasn't too worried. She grabbed one of his hoodies and smiled. It smelled like him - maybe something a little smokey or something too. She wasn't sure.

She walked up the stairs just in her camisole, carrying the sweatshirt. "Is it okay if I wear this?" She asked.

James pulled the cigarette from his lips and smiled at her. "Of course," he said with a small nod. His eyes wandered over her body, but he quickly caught himself and looked away. He glanced at the time. They would be late for school, even if they left right now. But she didn't have to know that. They would get there eventually.

He opened his mouth to start to say something, but was cut off by a cough from his protesting lungs. He sighed and drew from the cig again. When it was done, he put it out on the counter, and just left it there as he hopped down to join her at the table. "Emma?" he said, between bites. He decided not to tell her she smelled like weed. He wondered if she knew. "That's my favorite hoodie," he said instead, with a small smirk.

When they were done eating, he grabbed his backpack and helped her gather her things. They stepped outside into the brisk morning air.

Emma smiled lightly and nodded her head. Good - she wanted to wear things of his. She was happy to be cozy in his clothes so that she could happily show she was his. Honestly she was okay with people knowing that. She didn't know how people would respond - but what could she do with that? It would be okay.

She sighed a little as he smoked and coughed and then she nodded her head, sliding the sweatshirt over her head. She figured the weird smell was just him and she was okay with that. "I like it - it's cozy." She said with a smile as they ate and then she ran a hand through her hair.

She took his hand as they walked and she smiled. "I liked being with you last night..." she blushed.

James squeezed her hand, glancing at her cute little face. "I liked having you with me," he murmured, leaning in and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Weren't your parents worried about their pretty little girl?" He wondered aloud. He laced his fingers with hers, running his thumb across the soft veins on the back of her tiny hand. He groaned internally when he remembered that they were heading to school - he wished he'd just stayed in bed. James figured he could have convinced her to stay and cuddle with him easily enough.

He wondered briefly about the events that would unfold today, if anything significant would change in her daily life. He figured her friends would try to convince her to forget about him. James bit his lip.

They were pretty late arriving, as he'd expected - the parking lot had already emptied of buses. As they walked up to the front door, he opened it for her, shamelessly watching her body as she walked in front of him. The hallways were silent. James grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. "Where's your locker at, sweets?"

Emma smiled a little and leaned in, sighing as he kissed her cheek. It was so nice being with him and she cuddled into him, enjoying the way it felt to have her hand in his.

She sighed and blushed, nodding her head. "Yes.. They are - I know they are... It's not going to be good." She said, mostly to herself and then she sighed. She didn't care - mostly she did, but she wanted to be with him... And she liked being with him so that wasn't going to change.

She wasn't too nervous for school until she noticed how late it was. She was never one to be tardy... she just wasn't. She was a good girl and she was scared to be known as anything other than that. The implications of her being with him didn't even register to her yet - she was just too innocent for it and she didn't think about it at all... Not like that. She was still the good girl, right?

"I-I've never been here so late..." She said in a soft whisper and kept quiet, because she didn't want to disturb the classes. "It's just down here..." She said, holding his hand as she pulled him down the hallway.

He recognized her nervousness and his eyes narrowed, accompanied by a playful smirk. James was very accustomed to being late to school, in fact, this was the earliest he'd shown up in a while. But innocent Emma quite clearly wasn't used to it. How cute.

James jumped in front of her and took a firm hold of her waist. "Relax a little, doll," he said, walking forward and pressing her back into the lockers. He looked into her eyes, brushing the hair from her bright face gently and slowly, as if the mere touch of his fingers would corrupt her.

He kissed her lips softly. James looked into her eyes for a moment and then took her hand again, tugging her away from the lockers again. He cleared his throat dramatically and gestured towards the hallway. "Lead the way, captain," he said with a smirk. The bell was just about to ring for first period to be over.

"You look great in my hoodie," he whispered in her ear as the bell rang and people began to fill the halls.

Emma was surprised when he grasped her firmly and she blushed lightly as he pushed her back into the locker. She felt vulnerable and innocent there - crazy that she was with such a bad boy like him. She didn't know how she got mixed up with him - but she believed that he was good under all of that bad boy act.

She shivered at his touch and sighed softly, nodding her head. "I'm sorry - I'm just not used to this." She said with a blush before being breathless from his kiss. She loved being breathless from him; she would never get tired from kissing him... The first boy she had ever kissed - and she loved it.

She blushed even more as he pulled away, realizing where they were again and she nodded her head. "Right..." She said and started to lead the way, giggling as she heard him whisper in her ear. "Cut it out - I do not." She said, jumping slightly from the bell.

"Oh, no, you definitely look better in it than I do," James said with a smile. They weaved through the crowds, eventually making it to her locker. He whistled and leaned on the locker adjacent to hers as she retrieved books.

James saw Jennifer walking towards them, her face stony. He raised one eyebrow, challenging her to stir up a storm. He watched as she plastered a smile onto her face and unzipped her jacket. "Hi Jimmy!" She said, waving her fingers at him. His eyes flashed. "Hey," he murmured.

"Wanna skip this period in the lunch room with me? Like we used to?" She said with a giggle and a bat of her eyelashes. James found his dark eyes lingering over her. Her shirt hardly covered her chest, much less her stomach. He glared at her, shaking his head. A sly grin slid across his face.

"I'm walking Emma to her class," James said smoothly, sliding his hands into his pockets. Jennifer turned her eyes to Emma and grimaced.

"Oh," she said. She then rolled her eyes and walked away, calling out, "Emma, watch yourself hon. He's a dirty rat!"

James clenched and released his jaw, sighing softly.

Emma smiled lightly at his words and shook her head. "I don't think so." She said with a giggle as she reached into her locker and she watched him, liking the way he looked at her.

She heard a voice and knew who it was as soon as he saw a sort of light in James's eyes. She blushed lightly and ran a hand through her hair. She blushed lightly and looked away, not wanting to watch their encounter and just buried her head in her locker.

She turned away from him and started to walk away slightly, expecting him to follow and she wasn't necessarily mad but just confused.

She was just all confused right now. Her friend Kelly walked past them then and the look on her face was surprised. She blushed lightly and wondered what that was all about. She didn't think that Kelly would disapprove or question her.

James put an arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer to him playfully. "Where is your class, anyways, cupcake?" He asked, as this girl passed them. She watched them, judgement in her eyes, and James returned the favor with his glinting eyes and devilish smirk. He made a wild guess that she was one of Emma's goody two shoes friends.

It would be unsettling, he mused, to someone who knew her well, to see her walking with him. Wearing his sweatshirt. Holding his hand. He wondered if she would still like him after her friends proved to be scared and hostile. He wondered if her friends could distinguish the smokey smell of pot that his hoodie held.

He's a dirty rat echoed in his head as they continued through the people. James slid his arm off of her shoulders and returned her hand to his, her soft warm hand comforting. He looked at Emma, getting weird vibes from her. "You okay, Em?" He smiled a little to himself, using the nickname.

James squeezed her hand.

Emma sighed as he pulled her closer and she blushed, shrugging as she looked up at him. She couldn't help a smile. Just looking at him made her smile and she knew that was bad because they were from two different worlds... But she liked the way he made her feel and couldn't deny that.

"Math..." She said. "I have my Calc class." She said. She was really advanced in most of her classes. She was smart and had potential. That was why she knew that Kelly was looking at her in judgment because he really was the opposite of that...

Her heart jumped at his nickname for her and she glanced up at him, nodding her head. "Yeah... Just fine." She said softly to him and then sighed shaking her head. "No... I just..." She started and then breathed deeply. "Nevermind - it doesn't matter..."

Calc. James tried not to think about how he'd fallen to the lowest classes. At one point, he'd been the kid raising his hand to every question, sharp as a knife. At one point he had been the kid that the teacher had to scrounge around for, to find something to challenge him with. But when his parents stopped pretending to care, he'd done things simply for their attention, gotten in trouble just so they'd feel obligated to speak with him about it. From there, his performance had only progressively dissolved. James blinked.

His deep eyes turned to Emma. "No, it matters. Hey," he said gently. "Look at me," he murmured, waiting for her eyes to meet his. "I don't bite," he smirked. "You can tell me."

They slowed to a stop along the wall, and he carefully tucked her hair behind her ear. He scanned her face, smiling lightly. "You're so damn cute," he murmured.

He debated whether or not to go to his next class or skip. They hadn't recorded him on attendance yet today - technically he was still absent. He thought maybe he would avoid any classroom as much as possible, at least until they caught him wandering aimlessly about the halls.

He still had his smokes with him. Maybe he would leave school grounds and light up, and come back to pick her up later. That is, if she wanted to talk to him later.

Emma blushed lightly as he slowed down for her and she looked up to his eyes, blushing as she watched him. She hated that he had her attention with just the way he looked at her and she sighed... Why did she want to just kiss him now - just to let him make her forget about Jennifer.

She let him speak and then blushed, shivering lightly as their eyes met. She didn't know what to think right now.. She sighed and crossed her arms, leaning into his touch but not wanting to encourage him.. Not right now. She didn't want that right now.

"I just... what's with you and her?" She asked softly, crossing her arms. "I see the way you look at her - there's something there... And I know... I shouldn't care but I can't help it." She said with a whisper and ran a hand through her hair softly.

"Jamie, I just need to get to class..." She said, saying a nickname for him that just slipped off her tongue easily and she blushed, looking away from him.

James had to stop himself from saying who. He quickly realized Emma must be talking about Jennifer, considering she'd been the only other person he'd talked to. The way he looked at her? Sure, her body was nice, but as far as emotions go, there was nothing but regret on his side of the equation. Jennifer was a bitch. It had taken time, but James had come to terms with the fact that he wasn't into bitches - not like his friends were.

He listened carefully to her soft whispers. "Em, darling," he murmured, taking both of her hands in his. "She's nothing like you," He added softly. "You're smart, and cute, and sweet," he said through a smile. "She's pretty," he added, tip-toeing with his words. "But you're beautiful, okay?"

He smiled wide when she called him Jamie. It made him want to kiss her - but if they kissed every second it wouldn't be as special when they did. "Jamie, huh?" He said with a smirk, poking her ribs.

"Get to class, you little rebel."

Emma blushed lightly as he looked at her and at the way that she saw the realization come over his face and she waited for his answers in agony. It hurt to know that he could have feelings for Jennifer and she could just be a rebound until they could get back together. She knew little about their past together...

"You have a history together... i know that, and I wouldn't want to get in the middle of that... I don't want to be in the middle of something like that James..." She blushed and then gasped as he poked her in the ribs.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean Jamie... Just James." She said with a blush and then nodded her head softly, looking away from him. "You're right - I should really get to class." She said softly, wanting to step away from him but also wanting to just be with him right now.