Marcel Styles

"And now, students, take out your textbooks, and flip to page 345, please," Mr. Wills trills. Half the class is asleep. Of course, he's the most boring teacher ever. His voice is monotone.

I let my eyes drift over to my right, to Marcel Styles. His geeky black glasses up to the bridge of his nose, his tie tied tight, his honestly cute smile on his honestly cute face, his hair slicked back, his sweater tucked into his jeans.

I snort, and he looks at me. His smile widens.

"Now, students, pick your partners for the nature project. And remember, it's due in two weeks, and it should take that long. So, go ahead," Mr. Wills says. Marcel immediately turns to me.

"Sydney, will you be my partner?" He asks, but as he does, K.C. comes up. "Hey, Sydney! Be my partner?" She asks. I look from her to Marcel. I sigh, and rest my eyes on my best friend. "Sorry, K.C., but I promised Marcel I'd do it with him. Next time," I say. She leans down to whisper in my ear, "As long as you don't do IT it, okay. Dominic has had his eye on you for a while." With that, she walks away.

"Oh, thank you, Sydney!" Marcel bursts. I look at him and smile sincerely. "No problem, Marcel! You wanna come to my house tonight to start? My parents are outta town, so might as whale!" I say. He raises an eyebrow. "Might as whale?" He asks. I blush twenty shades of scarlet. "Oh, ah, that's something-" I start, but Marcel stops me, smiling. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone you use dorky sayings," he promises. I smile, lean in, and kiss his cheek softly. "Thank you," I whisper in his ear, and lean back. When I look at Marcel, he's blushing like crazy, and I immediately know that he's crushing on me.

"So, what should we do for the project?" Marcel asks. "Hmm... Well, I've always been interested in the woods behind my house... We could see what kinds of animals it has," I suggest. Marcel smiles and nods.

"Okay, students," Mr. Wills starts. "Thirty seconds 'til the bell." The kids around us hurry to get their stuff together. Marcel and I follow at a slower pace.

As the bell rings, everyone rushes out the door. Again, Marcel and I follow at a slower pace.

"Why did you choose me over K.C.?" Marcel asks as he waits for me by my locker. "Oh, ya know... Actually, you probably don't... I chose you because I know you'll help me, where K.C. would just sit there doing her nails!" I snicker, but Marcel doesn't even crack a smile. My smile droops a bit. "And the cute boy doesn't smile at the girl's joke about her own friend," I say, like a narrator would. Marcel laughs-it sounds like music to me-and looks at me. Then, as he goes over my words, he stops. "Did you just call me cute?" He asks, unbelieving. I blush again, and nod. I turn to my locker, put the last book in, sling my bag over my shoulder, and slam the door shut.

Outside, I turn to Marcel. "Wanna come over now? Maybe we can get it done in one week against two!" Marcel laughs again, and nods. We walk towards my house, and a light silence stretches over us.

Finally, as we're about half a mile from my house, I grab Marcel's hand in mine. He looks at me in disbelief, then behind us. I look behind us, too. I see Dominic, Rachael, and Misty. All are staring at Marcel and me. I turn back to look ahead of me.

"You're... Holding my hand? In front of Dom, Rachael, and Misty?" Marcel asks. I smile at him. "I know I can be a bitch, but I really don't care what they think," I say. "But-but... Dominic has liked you for a while... School-word has it, he's going to ask you out tomorrow," Marcel tells me. I turn back to Dom, then back again. "Marcel, I don't like Dominic. I like a guy in my science class," I say. "Oh... You mean Will?" He guesses. I snort. "Uh, no! I hate Will!" I say. Marcel looks perplexed. "Hmm... Mathew?" He guesses.

I turn to Marcel. "Marcel. I want you to think as hard as you do in science. Who do I like in my science class?" I see Dominic and his group stop in my side vision. Marcel thinks for a while, then his eyes grow large. "Me?" He asks. I smile, stand on my tip toes, and kiss his cheek softly. I step back again. "Yes, Marcel. I like you," I say. He stares at me once again in disbelief. "Why me?" He asks. I laugh. "Marcel, you are the cutest boy in our school!" I say. "I just dress like a geek," he mutters glumly, hanging his head. I hook my finger his chin and make him look at me. "Marcel Styles... I don't give a rat's tail about how you dress! You're still amazingly hot to me," I say. He looks down at me. "Sydney, for you, I'll change. I will go to whatever store sells clothes like the ones Dominic wears, get contacts, and style my hair differently! I will be hot for you, Sydney! I promise!" He declares softly. I frown slightly. "Marcel, I'm not asking you to change. I like you the way you are," I say. "If I changed, would you still like me?" Marcel asks. I sigh. "If I say no, would you get that silly idea out of that beautiful and smart mind of yours?" I ask. Marcel thinks, then nods, swallowing. I kiss his cheek again, then we start walking again, hand in hand.

AT MY HOUSE:

"Shouldn't you call your parents?" I ask as I lay on the floor with Marcel, working on ideas for our project. "Oh, they're out of town, too," Marcel answers. I smile and shake my head. "Wow... That's weird," I say, and stand. "Would you like some ice cream?" I ask. Marcel raises an eyebrow. "You eat ice cream?" He asks. I laugh lightly, and nod. "Yes, I eat ice cream... Don't tell any of my friends, though," I say, and Marcel laughs. I wink, and go down to the kitchen.

As I come up, I hear the front door open and close. I open my room door, hand Marcel the ice cream and spoons, and say, "Hey, I'll be right back." Before he answers, I go down stairs.

"Hello, Sydney?" I gape at the figure before me: Dominic. "Dom! What're you doing here?!" I ask. He looks mad. "I saw you with that Marcel geek!" He yells, making me jump. "So what?! I'm not allowed to like a guy who's smart?!" I yell back. "Not unless it's me, no!" He yells, getting closer to me. I laugh harshly. I know Marcel is on the stairs, watching, but I let my inner bitch out. "Oh, so I'm not allowed to date a smart guy! Only the biggest airhead jock in our school! Any girl who wants that is desperate! And probably had dated the whole entire school, and you were just a last resort! I mean, when was the last time you had a girlfriend for over a week?!" I screech. Dominic stares at me in shock: I've only been like this once, and he ended up having to break me apart from the girl who's hair I was pulling so hard she was crying: and she was in college.

"Well?!" I demand after a few moments of silence. "A few months ago," he answers, finally. I shake my head in disapproval. "Pathetic, Dom! Even I'VE done better!" I yell, then add, "Get out! You insult Marcel at school, or embarrass him, or place a finger on him, you're dead to me, and I promise that I'll have Mickey kick your ass to Tokyo! GO!" I scream the last part when he just stands there, shocked. He stumbles out the door, closing it behind him.

I sigh, and turn towards Marcel, but my eyes are squeezed shut. "Sydney?! Are you okay?" Marcel asks, his voice right next to me, sounding panicked. I nod. "I'll open my eyes as soon as you tell me you're not... Leaving," I tell him. Suddenly, I feel his lips on mine. They're soft and warm, but strong at the same time. I pull away, and look at Marcel. He looks at my shocked expression, and blushes, looking at the ground. I once again hook my finger under his chin and make him look at me.

"Why did you do that?" I whisper. Marcel shrugs. "What do you mean?" He asks. I scoff, and gesture towards the door. "If Dom heard about this, your life would become hell, no matter what I say Mickey'll do!" I exclaim, and wrap my arms around Marcel's waist, pressing my face hard against his chest. It's surprisingly strong through the fabric of his button up.

I sigh, and look up at Marcel. "Wanna go swimming?" I ask, quite randomly. He looks confused, but nods, then hesitates as I lead him outside. "I don't have a suit," he tells me as I approach a chair. It's dark outside.

I sit Marcel down, and run up to my brother's room, where I know I'll find some old swim shorts. I rummage through his draws, until I find his swim shorts, and run back to Marcel. I throw him the suit, and he goes into the house quickly to change. I quickly turn the light inside the pool on.

Since I changed once I got home, I just strip off my shirt, then my short shorts. Then, I go up to the diving board, and wait for Marcel. When I see him come out, I pretend I didn't see him, and dive perfectly.

When I surface, Marcel is staring at me. I stare at him.

"M-Marcel!" My voice is almost a squeak. I've never seen him shirtless. He has tattoos all over his chest, and upper left arm. He's taken off his glasses, and he smirks. He dives right in, and when he surfaces-about two inches in front of me- his hair is out of it's slicked back style. Instead, it's around his ears, and slightly curly.

"Holy... Mother... Of... CRAP!" I squeak, and Marcel's lips are on mine. He smirks half way into it, and I don't understand why until he starts dragging me down. I start to push him away, but he's too strong.

Under the water, he plugs my nose gently. I open my eyes, and see Marcel's eyes are open also. He smiles again into the kiss, then breaks away. I smile at him, and surface so I can breathe.

Marcel follows. We pretty much just stare at each other. Then, I push his head under the water.

I laugh as he tries to drag me under. I kick softly at him, and swim towards the shallow end; I'm too slow, and he catches me.

He pulls me under, and surfaces. I try to follow, but he takes long enough to take a breath, then comes back down. I start to panic, but Marcel presses his lips to mine, and blows the air into my mouth. I smile and laugh into his mouth, then surface.

Again, Marcel follows. We are standing in the shallow end. I press up against him, and wrap my arms around his neck. I look into his eyes, and smile shyly.

"This, is exactly like a sappy love story," I say. Marcel smiles shyly too, and laughs softly. Then, he kisses me, long and hard. I pull away, and look down at his chest. He has two birds, and a huge butterfly on his chest. On his arm, he has three nails, a heart, and a ship. I look back up to Marcel's eyes as I see my name in calligraphy. He blushes under my gaze. I place my hand on his bicep, where my name is. Then, I take my hand away, and place my lips on the tat. I look once again up at Marcel, and he kisses me again.

I pull away, and push him into the deep end. I laugh, and get out. I pull a towel from the chair next to mine, and wrap it around myself. I lay down, and wait for the sound of Marcel... But it doesn't come. I look up, and see Marcel at the bottom of the pool. I untangle myself from my towel, and dive.

As I reach Marcel, he looks up at me, and smiles a surprisingly cheeky smile. I roll my eyes, and push back up to the surface. I swim for the stairs, but Marcel catches my ankle and stops me. He makes me look at him. "Sydney, I'm sorry," he whispers, and hugs me. I now notice the tears falling from my eyes, down my cheeks onto Marcel's shoulder. I wrap my arms and legs around him, and he treads and keeps us both up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispers in my ear, and my simple tears turn into full blown sobs, racking my body as I cling to Marcel. He coos to me, and swims for the stairs. He carries me out, and sits down on a chair, me astride him. I sob into his neck for awhile, until it's all out of my system. By now, I can't look at Marcel.

"Sorry, Marcel," I whisper in his ear. I feel his relieved smile. "For what? Being scared half to death? Crying? It's okay. I like holding you like this," he tells me, and kisses the hollow beneath my ear. I laugh lightly. "Partly for that... Mostly for all the times I could have kept Dom and them from..." I trail off, and lean back. I trace a scar above his eyebrow, knowing who gave it to him. "I was a bitch. And I'm sorry," I say, and the tears come more heavily down my already soaked cheeks.

Marcel looks up at me, frowning. "What could you have done? So what they've beat me up?" I stop him. "Marcel, I've seen how bad it's gotten! He gave you a fucking scar!" I hiss. He flinches as I curse; I don't do it often. "I'll hate him for it! That's one of the reasons I chose you over him! He's an ass, you're the sweetest guy I've ever known." I rest my forehead against his, our lips millimeters apart. "I love you, Marcel," I whisper. His eyes look into mine, and his lips lift. "I love you too, Sydney," he whispers, and kisses me.