Playing With Fire
Sparks
He smiled at me, and I felt myself blushing. I silently cursed at myself as we gathered the materials we'd need for the lab. We returned to our table, and I let him set up the bunsen burner, busying myself with breaking the toothpicks into small parts, then placing them in their respective test tubes.
"Is that your natural hair color?" Jake asked, running his hands through his own dark brown hair. I looked up, startled, and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm only half Japanese." He nodded and smiled. I felt myself blushing again and returned my gaze to the toothpicks, shielding my face with my hair.
Why did he affect me so much? I dared to breathe through my nose, and the offensive boy smell didn't fill my nostrils. Instead, the beautiful smell of smoke wafted into my senses, and I grinned.
"Have you always lived here?" Jake asked, lighting the bunsen burner. I shrugged, trying to look away from the flint-and-steel lighter.
"Yeah. My mom moved here when she was sixteen from Japan," I answered, my smile matching his.
"Really? Do you speak Japanese?" His eyes burned with an interest I wasn't used to seeing. I laughed nervously.
"Yeah." I placed the test tube over the bunsen burner, grinning as the toothpicks emitted a yellow smoke. It smelled amazing. I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent.
"I love the smell of smoke," Jake admitted. I opened my eyes to see him inhaling it, just like me. I grinned at him.
"Yeah, me too." We smiled at each other again, this time less timidly. We smirked simultaneously as one of the cheerleaders, Becka, started coughing loudly.
"N00b," Mel's lab partner said. I saw her roll her eyes and throw the toothpick box at him.
"So what music do you listen to?" Jake asked me as he wrote our observations. I shrugged, my eyes having caught the flame.
"I don't know... Rock-type stuff. You?" I said, transfixed by the sudden flashes of orange in the blue fire.
"Same. What's your favorite band?" He shut off the gas, and I was freed.
"You probably haven't heard of them," I said, brushing my hair out of my face. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Try me." I looked at him, taking in the genuine interest in his face. I bit my lip, worrying it between my teeth.
"It's between a Japanese band called L'arc~En~Ciel and an industrial band, The Birthday Massacre..." I frowned, looking at the cheap linoleum table. Jake chuckled lightly,
"You got me. I haven't heard of L'arc~En~Ciel." A smirk crossed my lips as I chipped the table with a black-painted nail.
"What about you? What's your favorite band?" I asked. Jake sat next to me, writing our conclusion quickly.
"Probably The Clash." I looked up, surprised. I loved The Clash; they just weren't my favorite.
"Really? That's awesome. Not many people listen to stuff that old." I fingered the lighter in my pocket.
"Yeah, I know... My dad is a huge fan." His eyes darted to our lab sheet, and he filled out the answers, clearly not wanting to discuss his father.
"That's cool." I tried to smile at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He must have been thinking deeply.
"So Mr. Armstrong, you didn't think Miss Edwards was able to do the work?" Mr. Domaryu said in his nasal voice. I cringed, not having heard him come up to us.
"No, I know she was more than able. She's done this lab three times." My head snapped up. How did he know that? Mr. Domaryu smirked and moved on to his next victims.
"How did you know I'd already done this lab?" I whispered. He shrugged, doodling on our paper.
"You were in Advanced Chem with my brother, Joey." I nodded slowly, struggling to remember.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember..." I said quietly. He shrugged again, not looking up. I frowned and bit my lip. Had I done something wrong? I took the lighter out of my pocked and ran it between my hands under the table. It was a nervous habit; I couldn't control it.
Mel caught my glance from across the room and stuck her tongue out at me. I half-smiled, still wondering what had caused Jake's sudden mood swing. Mel frowned at me.
"What's wrong?" she mouthed. I shrugged, making a face at her. She frowned, turning to her lab partner who was openly staring at her.
I was vaguely jealous of Mel; she was beautiful. Her perfectly straight black hair almost sparkled, contrasting with her light blue eyes. Her pale skin was almost transluscent. If vampires existed, she would be the perfect example.
I, however, was not so fortunate in the looks department. My mother was Japanese, giving me the almond-shaped eyes. My father gave me vibrant red hair. It was almost unreal, even to me. My skin was pale, but not the almost white of Mel's. My eyes were a disconcerting green. And my scarred hands... I glanced at them now, taking in the ugly marks left by the very lighter I was currently playing with.
I looked up to see Jake smiling apologetically.
"Hey, I'm sorry about just now... I shouldn't have acted like that." I smiled back faintly.
"It's okay, really." The bell rang, startling all of us. Jake and I jumped and cleaned up our equipment quickly. I picked up my backpack, looking up to see Jake.
"I'll make it up to you," he said, leaning in quickly. I unthinkingly inhaled, to be surprised with a mixture of vanilla and smoke. I grinned and headed off to my next class.
"Is that your natural hair color?" Jake asked, running his hands through his own dark brown hair. I looked up, startled, and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm only half Japanese." He nodded and smiled. I felt myself blushing again and returned my gaze to the toothpicks, shielding my face with my hair.
Why did he affect me so much? I dared to breathe through my nose, and the offensive boy smell didn't fill my nostrils. Instead, the beautiful smell of smoke wafted into my senses, and I grinned.
"Have you always lived here?" Jake asked, lighting the bunsen burner. I shrugged, trying to look away from the flint-and-steel lighter.
"Yeah. My mom moved here when she was sixteen from Japan," I answered, my smile matching his.
"Really? Do you speak Japanese?" His eyes burned with an interest I wasn't used to seeing. I laughed nervously.
"Yeah." I placed the test tube over the bunsen burner, grinning as the toothpicks emitted a yellow smoke. It smelled amazing. I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent.
"I love the smell of smoke," Jake admitted. I opened my eyes to see him inhaling it, just like me. I grinned at him.
"Yeah, me too." We smiled at each other again, this time less timidly. We smirked simultaneously as one of the cheerleaders, Becka, started coughing loudly.
"N00b," Mel's lab partner said. I saw her roll her eyes and throw the toothpick box at him.
"So what music do you listen to?" Jake asked me as he wrote our observations. I shrugged, my eyes having caught the flame.
"I don't know... Rock-type stuff. You?" I said, transfixed by the sudden flashes of orange in the blue fire.
"Same. What's your favorite band?" He shut off the gas, and I was freed.
"You probably haven't heard of them," I said, brushing my hair out of my face. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Try me." I looked at him, taking in the genuine interest in his face. I bit my lip, worrying it between my teeth.
"It's between a Japanese band called L'arc~En~Ciel and an industrial band, The Birthday Massacre..." I frowned, looking at the cheap linoleum table. Jake chuckled lightly,
"You got me. I haven't heard of L'arc~En~Ciel." A smirk crossed my lips as I chipped the table with a black-painted nail.
"What about you? What's your favorite band?" I asked. Jake sat next to me, writing our conclusion quickly.
"Probably The Clash." I looked up, surprised. I loved The Clash; they just weren't my favorite.
"Really? That's awesome. Not many people listen to stuff that old." I fingered the lighter in my pocket.
"Yeah, I know... My dad is a huge fan." His eyes darted to our lab sheet, and he filled out the answers, clearly not wanting to discuss his father.
"That's cool." I tried to smile at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He must have been thinking deeply.
"So Mr. Armstrong, you didn't think Miss Edwards was able to do the work?" Mr. Domaryu said in his nasal voice. I cringed, not having heard him come up to us.
"No, I know she was more than able. She's done this lab three times." My head snapped up. How did he know that? Mr. Domaryu smirked and moved on to his next victims.
"How did you know I'd already done this lab?" I whispered. He shrugged, doodling on our paper.
"You were in Advanced Chem with my brother, Joey." I nodded slowly, struggling to remember.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember..." I said quietly. He shrugged again, not looking up. I frowned and bit my lip. Had I done something wrong? I took the lighter out of my pocked and ran it between my hands under the table. It was a nervous habit; I couldn't control it.
Mel caught my glance from across the room and stuck her tongue out at me. I half-smiled, still wondering what had caused Jake's sudden mood swing. Mel frowned at me.
"What's wrong?" she mouthed. I shrugged, making a face at her. She frowned, turning to her lab partner who was openly staring at her.
I was vaguely jealous of Mel; she was beautiful. Her perfectly straight black hair almost sparkled, contrasting with her light blue eyes. Her pale skin was almost transluscent. If vampires existed, she would be the perfect example.
I, however, was not so fortunate in the looks department. My mother was Japanese, giving me the almond-shaped eyes. My father gave me vibrant red hair. It was almost unreal, even to me. My skin was pale, but not the almost white of Mel's. My eyes were a disconcerting green. And my scarred hands... I glanced at them now, taking in the ugly marks left by the very lighter I was currently playing with.
I looked up to see Jake smiling apologetically.
"Hey, I'm sorry about just now... I shouldn't have acted like that." I smiled back faintly.
"It's okay, really." The bell rang, startling all of us. Jake and I jumped and cleaned up our equipment quickly. I picked up my backpack, looking up to see Jake.
"I'll make it up to you," he said, leaning in quickly. I unthinkingly inhaled, to be surprised with a mixture of vanilla and smoke. I grinned and headed off to my next class.