Canon

"Lizzy!" Rose exclaims as I push open the door to homeroom. "Come here and tell me all about your summer!"

"You're the one who spent the last few weeks in Hawaii!" I wrap my arms around Rose's small frame for a hug. "How was it?"

"Hot. The sun was hot. The sand was hot. The boys were definitely hot. Now tell me: what have you been up to?"

"Well we've repainted the nursery six times because mom's hormones are off the charts right now. When I wasn't splattered with paint I was applying for hundreds of scholarships." My hand still throbbed from the amount of typing, "Why can't I just get into a good college without all of the work?"

"Oh please!" Rose fans her manicured hand in my direction, "You've practically been in the top ten percent since kindergarten. After you graduate you'll be able to get into any college you want."

The bell rings signaling the start of senior year. Everyone settles into their seats listening as our principle, Mr. Holbrook begins his annual ramble about what the new school year holds. New friends, new classes, new moments, new programs, and another year for our lacrosse team to bring home the trophy. The usual beginning of the year speech. He's given it every year for the last three years.

"Everyone, settle down." Mrs. Burns doesn't look up from the latest novel she has her face glued to.

"Where's your next class?" Rose inquires and snatches my schedule into her hands. "Of course you would take Trigonometry."

"What?" I ask defensively. "I wanted to get it out of the way."

"Sure.' Rose laughs depicting the rest of my schedule, "We have Art Appreciation, English IV, and PE together."

"And C Lunch." I add in sliding her schedule back across the smooth wooden table.

"See you after Trigonothanks." Rose waves pulling her designer handbag over her shoulder and strutting down the hall.

I readjust my backpack and go onto the third floor for Trigonometry. Once I make it to the classroom I find a seat in the middle and make it mine for the rest of the semester. I watch as people begin to file into the classroom. Boy. Boy. Boy. Boy. Boy. Bo- girl. Boy. Boy. I wait to see if any other girls would begin to show but they never did. Thirteen boys and two girls including myself. Just as Dr. Werner begins to go over her syllabus the door opens. In walks a tall, slender built, blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy covered in tattoos. The less built guy beside me shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

"Ah, Mr. Horan. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show." Dr. Werner gestures her hand out to the empty seats, "Pick one and please try not to be late anymore."

He mutters a sorry before going to very back of the room. I find myself glancing over my shoulder to see him shaking out of his green backpack and plopping down into the chair. His captivating blue eyes catch my stare and he raises an eyebrow. I direct my attention back to the board in front of me before Dr. Werner continues with the syllabus. As soon as Trigonometry was over I hurry downstairs to the art room to tell Rose about the mysterious boy. Rose sat on a wooden stool next to a boy with jet-black hair. His long-sleeved black tee shirt was pushed up to his elbows showing off his arm covered with black swirls of ink.

"This is my best friend, Lizzy." Rose introduces me with a smile.

"Cool." he nods his head towards me, "I'm Zayn."

I drop my backpack to the floor and take the stool beside Rose after wrapping the stained smock around my waist.

"How was class?" she leans over to whisper.

Zayn was on the other side already drawing detail swirls on his paper. He pulls his lip between his teeth as he concentrated His dark eyebrows knit together as he leans closer to the easel.

"There was this guy."

"Who?" she drops her paintbrush to stare at me. "Tell me all about him. What's his name? What does it look like? He's in Trigonometry? Is he s-"

"Whoa slow down. I don't know his name! He walked into Trigonometry - late. He has blonde hair but you can see his dark roots. His eyes are blue and he has so many tattoos that I couldn't count."

"A boy with tattoos?" She smirks folding her arms across her chest, "Lizette Matthews is attracted to a boy with tattoos? The same Lizette Matthews who dated preppy, clean-cut, perfectly ironed, Lacrosse captain Scott Hunter? What happened to you over the summer?"

"Hey! I never said I was attracted to him. He just... surprised me."

"Whatever you say."

A small smirk plays on Zayn's lips as he stares at his work in front of him and something told me he heard the entire conversation. After Art Appreciation Rose and I head to English IV and then finally to lunch.

"You both should come sit with us." Zayn stands in front of Rose and I with his red tray in his hands, "It'll be cool."

I watch on as Rose and Zayn stare flirtatiously at each other. He rocks back and forth on his smooth Doc Martens while she twirls a long strand of hair on her skinny finger. I follow them to the table filled with a handful of boys already. I pull the seat out and plop down beside a curly-haired boy dressed in a red and black flannel.

"Lads." Zayn speaks chewing into his slice of pizza, 'this is Rose and Liz."

"Harry." The curly-haired boy beside me grins, "That's Louis and Liam."

"Nice." I nod leaning on my hand as I take a bite of my pizza. "Are all of you new?"

"Yep." Liam answers, "We're all transfers over from Trinity High."

"Oooh. Our rival school." Rose stiffs at a laugh and Zayn admires it.

"Is this Lacrosse team of yours really that good?" Louis raises a suspicious eyebrow. "Its all people seem to talk about."

"Its all that people care about too." I clarify, "they've taken it and ran with it."

"Maybe we'll have to try out." Harry jokes nudging Liam.

The bell rings ending C Lunch and everyone begins to scatter around heading to their next class. I toss my tray and stand up grabbing my bag.

"Off to gym we go little Lizzie."

"Gym? That's where I'm headed." Louis stands on his feet, "Mind showing me the way?"

"Sure." I shrug as Rose is walking her tray over with Zayn.

Louis and I walk outside and push the double doors open to the gym. I point out the guys changing room before heading over to the locker room myself. As I'm changing into the school's uniform Rose walks in and unlocks her locker.

"I thought you would be with Zayn." I tease shoving my bag into the tight locker.

"Ha ha." Rose shrugs me off, 'he invited us to his place this weekend."

"Are we going?"

"Of course we are."

After we change into our clothes coach rushed us out onto the track where we were starting the semester off with a mile.

"Great job Matthews!" Coach calls out as I run across the line of my fourth lap. "I'm hoping you'll join cross country this year."

"I don't think so Coach."

"It'll look good on college applications." he urges.

"That's what you've told me since freshman year." I point out walking over to the bench to wait for everyone else to finish.

My eyes meet with the same guy from Trigonometry. He sits on the bleachers with a shiny black camera across his lap. He was dressed in a white tank top displaying his tattoos for everyone to see. A red hat was covering his hair and black ray bans hid his eyes.

"You like staring, don't you?" A grin tugs on his small pink lips.

"I was just wondering what kind of camera that was." I say awkwardly as I mentally kick myself.

"It's a Canon EOS 5D Mark III." He answers proudly as he holds the camera up. "And I'm Niall."