Sequel: Through Fire ›
From the Ashes
Planning
Roman's POV
I lean back in my chair with my arms crossed over my chest, grinning as Aleithea's bright head of hair bobs away. I will admit straight out that she is my favorite for a number of reasons, I think with a silent chuckle as my eyes drift towards the chicks at the next table over. It was a blast to tease her emotionally. She only made that game more fun by resisting, rather than completely falling for it like most. It used to thrill me that so many girls would throw themselves at me. But after a while of that, I grew tired of the shallowness of it all. As little as I will admit it, I'm more of a romantic than that. Unfortunately, the reputation I've gathered for myself drives away the kind of girls I'm interested in, and causes the exact opposite to flock to me in swarms. Yeah, I've dug a ditch for myself without realizing it, but I've had more than my fair share of being used to really care. It's my own fault anyway.
Now Aleithea... She has a soul. And so much more. She won't know how much I admire her drive and individualism. Her disregard for the petty things like labels, that a sickeningly large amount of people at this godforsaken school obsess over. And that's why the dye-job caught me by surprise. Her desire to "fit in" and change what I like most about her was startling.
I overreacted when she called me emo, I won’t lie. I wasn’t expecting it from her, the whole school had already pinned that on me when someone started a rumor about me cutting a few years ago when I came back from rehab after… the camp fire incident. Yeah, I went through junior high as a very sullen kid, but with good reason. I still come to school sporting the occasional “mark of love” from my dad. Sorry I don’t whine and tell everyone that I get smacked around. My business is my business, this school’s just full of drama-obsessed idiots. Allie didn’t mean any harm. She doesn’t know anything beyond the rumors.
"She's cool," Sage interrupts my thoughts with a nudge, having put his iPod away. I grunt in reply, the corner of my mouth tugged up in a smile as I lean against the table.
"She's alright," I confirm with a grin, my chin in my hand. A familiar, warm feeling spreads in my chest, its presence like an old, old friend.
"How are you gonna work on that project from Alpine Mine? You might have to come home every other weekend or something," he suggests. I shrug.
"I wouldn't want to do that. But I have something else in mind."
****
Allie's POV
Heart pounding like a mad demon-drum, I melt into my seat beside Kaitlin. She looks more than eager, seeing the smile that I can't wipe from my face.
"We're good," I tell her, finally wrestling with this strange, head-spinning infatuation, and digging through my purse for a PB+J sandwich. Kait blinks blankly at me from the corner of my eye as I chomp into it.
"'We're... good?'" she repeats slowly, thin blonde eyebrows raised. "Oh, come on, Allie!" She thwacks me on the arm, her grin imploring. "You were scared shit-less because you apparently offended him beyond remorse, then you saunter back not 10 minutes later with that cheesy smile all over your face!" I shush her, leaning my head against her shoulder innocently.
"We're cool. We both overreacted, everything's alright," I explain simply, "He's really quite chill." Kaitlin rolls her eyes, giving up on me.
"Well, did you at least figure out how you two are going to work together?" I shake my head 'no' against her shoulder as I take another bite.
"I suggested your ideas, he shot 'em all down. So I'm thinking, what the hell, you're leaving to be away all summer, you find a solution."
"And you think he'd actually do that?"
"Not really. But we'll certainly see." Kaitlin snorts and shakes her head.
"I guess we will."
The last period rolls around, and Mrs. Frann is passing out a pre-test for the physics final tomorrow, giving us the period to work on it. Kaitlin scoots her desk against mine as I pull out my notes and open my physics book.
"The usual drill?" she asks in a low voice, flipping through the large packet of work.
"You take the first two pages, I'll take the last three." Kaitlin nods with a smile, her streaked hair bobbing. She sets to work with an air of diligence, but I know we'll probably finish our divided sections of work at the same time, even if I have a page more than she does. The time clicks on as I become engaged in the worksheet, referring to my notes every once in a while when a particular equation escapes me. A figure approaches my desk to stand squarely beside it, and I look up to see Roman towering over us. I can practically hear Kaitlin's pulse rocket next to me.
"Aleithea," he whispers as he crouches down on his heels to speak with me at eye-level. His smoky eyes have their usual glint to them, and I choke down the overwhelming fluttering that it causes my heart to experience. Kaitlin is leaning into me from behind, her arm resting against the edge of my desk as she joins this exchange.
"What's up?" I say simply, keeping my expression level and my brows rise slightly. Roman rests one elbow against his knee, and his other arm slides to rest against my desk, practically encircling me. The skin on my arm tingles with goose bumps from the proximity.
"We're gonna need to pick up some supplies for the project before I leave, or else you'll have to get them on your own," he tells me. I rake my hand through my bright hair a few times as I swivel forward in my desk and cross my legs.
“Where do you want to get the stuff?” I ask, fishing through my purse to pull out the list of supplies for the AP Physics project.
“We can get them at Home Depot. I can carry everything in my truck, if you want.”
"Alright, cool," I mutter, glancing back at Roman as he tips his head back slightly, his eyelids lowered, his lips curving into a sly smile. "I am not handy at all; Kait and I botched those boats last semester, and they were just little ones." Kaitlin nods enthusiastically in agreement. Roman winks, and I just can't keep my eyes away from his supple lips, and strong jawline.
"You're in luck this time, Allie. I won't let you destroy this project," he ends with a smirk. I roll my eyes, and say flatly,
"Well thanks, Roman."
“Life sized balsa wood boats… Where does she come up with this crap?” Roman chuckles as he looks over my list one more time.
“Hey, at least you don’t have to read Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales over the summer like the AP English kids do,” Kait joins in to tell him with a light giggle, “I’d rather just build a stupid boat.”
I lean back in my chair with my arms crossed over my chest, grinning as Aleithea's bright head of hair bobs away. I will admit straight out that she is my favorite for a number of reasons, I think with a silent chuckle as my eyes drift towards the chicks at the next table over. It was a blast to tease her emotionally. She only made that game more fun by resisting, rather than completely falling for it like most. It used to thrill me that so many girls would throw themselves at me. But after a while of that, I grew tired of the shallowness of it all. As little as I will admit it, I'm more of a romantic than that. Unfortunately, the reputation I've gathered for myself drives away the kind of girls I'm interested in, and causes the exact opposite to flock to me in swarms. Yeah, I've dug a ditch for myself without realizing it, but I've had more than my fair share of being used to really care. It's my own fault anyway.
Now Aleithea... She has a soul. And so much more. She won't know how much I admire her drive and individualism. Her disregard for the petty things like labels, that a sickeningly large amount of people at this godforsaken school obsess over. And that's why the dye-job caught me by surprise. Her desire to "fit in" and change what I like most about her was startling.
I overreacted when she called me emo, I won’t lie. I wasn’t expecting it from her, the whole school had already pinned that on me when someone started a rumor about me cutting a few years ago when I came back from rehab after… the camp fire incident. Yeah, I went through junior high as a very sullen kid, but with good reason. I still come to school sporting the occasional “mark of love” from my dad. Sorry I don’t whine and tell everyone that I get smacked around. My business is my business, this school’s just full of drama-obsessed idiots. Allie didn’t mean any harm. She doesn’t know anything beyond the rumors.
"She's cool," Sage interrupts my thoughts with a nudge, having put his iPod away. I grunt in reply, the corner of my mouth tugged up in a smile as I lean against the table.
"She's alright," I confirm with a grin, my chin in my hand. A familiar, warm feeling spreads in my chest, its presence like an old, old friend.
"How are you gonna work on that project from Alpine Mine? You might have to come home every other weekend or something," he suggests. I shrug.
"I wouldn't want to do that. But I have something else in mind."
****
Allie's POV
Heart pounding like a mad demon-drum, I melt into my seat beside Kaitlin. She looks more than eager, seeing the smile that I can't wipe from my face.
"We're good," I tell her, finally wrestling with this strange, head-spinning infatuation, and digging through my purse for a PB+J sandwich. Kait blinks blankly at me from the corner of my eye as I chomp into it.
"'We're... good?'" she repeats slowly, thin blonde eyebrows raised. "Oh, come on, Allie!" She thwacks me on the arm, her grin imploring. "You were scared shit-less because you apparently offended him beyond remorse, then you saunter back not 10 minutes later with that cheesy smile all over your face!" I shush her, leaning my head against her shoulder innocently.
"We're cool. We both overreacted, everything's alright," I explain simply, "He's really quite chill." Kaitlin rolls her eyes, giving up on me.
"Well, did you at least figure out how you two are going to work together?" I shake my head 'no' against her shoulder as I take another bite.
"I suggested your ideas, he shot 'em all down. So I'm thinking, what the hell, you're leaving to be away all summer, you find a solution."
"And you think he'd actually do that?"
"Not really. But we'll certainly see." Kaitlin snorts and shakes her head.
"I guess we will."
The last period rolls around, and Mrs. Frann is passing out a pre-test for the physics final tomorrow, giving us the period to work on it. Kaitlin scoots her desk against mine as I pull out my notes and open my physics book.
"The usual drill?" she asks in a low voice, flipping through the large packet of work.
"You take the first two pages, I'll take the last three." Kaitlin nods with a smile, her streaked hair bobbing. She sets to work with an air of diligence, but I know we'll probably finish our divided sections of work at the same time, even if I have a page more than she does. The time clicks on as I become engaged in the worksheet, referring to my notes every once in a while when a particular equation escapes me. A figure approaches my desk to stand squarely beside it, and I look up to see Roman towering over us. I can practically hear Kaitlin's pulse rocket next to me.
"Aleithea," he whispers as he crouches down on his heels to speak with me at eye-level. His smoky eyes have their usual glint to them, and I choke down the overwhelming fluttering that it causes my heart to experience. Kaitlin is leaning into me from behind, her arm resting against the edge of my desk as she joins this exchange.
"What's up?" I say simply, keeping my expression level and my brows rise slightly. Roman rests one elbow against his knee, and his other arm slides to rest against my desk, practically encircling me. The skin on my arm tingles with goose bumps from the proximity.
"We're gonna need to pick up some supplies for the project before I leave, or else you'll have to get them on your own," he tells me. I rake my hand through my bright hair a few times as I swivel forward in my desk and cross my legs.
“Where do you want to get the stuff?” I ask, fishing through my purse to pull out the list of supplies for the AP Physics project.
“We can get them at Home Depot. I can carry everything in my truck, if you want.”
"Alright, cool," I mutter, glancing back at Roman as he tips his head back slightly, his eyelids lowered, his lips curving into a sly smile. "I am not handy at all; Kait and I botched those boats last semester, and they were just little ones." Kaitlin nods enthusiastically in agreement. Roman winks, and I just can't keep my eyes away from his supple lips, and strong jawline.
"You're in luck this time, Allie. I won't let you destroy this project," he ends with a smirk. I roll my eyes, and say flatly,
"Well thanks, Roman."
“Life sized balsa wood boats… Where does she come up with this crap?” Roman chuckles as he looks over my list one more time.
“Hey, at least you don’t have to read Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales over the summer like the AP English kids do,” Kait joins in to tell him with a light giggle, “I’d rather just build a stupid boat.”