Chapter Two I believe You

Ashleigh woke to the sun glaring through the windows into her eyes instead of the usual blaring sound of her alarm clock ringing. She turned over on her side and burrowed under the covers. She was thankful for the warm arm that came around her, and she remembered the tabby she had let in last night. Guess I wasn’t dreaming, she thought groggily. Then a something occurred to her. Since when did cats have such long arms? She felt at the arm that had latched around her shoulders with a thoughtful frown on her mouth. Then she felt for the tomcat and her hand came in contact with a headful of hair instead of soft fur.
With sudden realization, Ashleigh leapt from the bed with an exclaiming curse.
She stared in speechless shock as the bulge in the covers began to shift around, and the finally, the lump through the covers away to reveal a boy with a confused frown.
He stared up at Ashleigh through a haze of sleepy bewilderment.
“What is wrong with you?” he asked sluggishly, running a hand through dark hair as he sat up. “You look like you’ve seen a spirit or something.” Then, as soon as Ashleigh inhaled a breath to scream at the top of her lungs, he was off the bed in a flash and clasping a hand over her mouth. She squealed against his hand and kicked at his legs.
“Calm down, little princess, or you’ll wake your mother,” he scolded. She froze in his hold. Her mother left for work before morning every day. He thought her mother was still home, so he might think her father is here to. She jerked roughly from him and turned to face him.
“Leave! Out, before I call for my dad! He’s a marine and he’ll rip you to shreds!” she threatened. The boy gave her a look of surprise and then sneered at her. Ashleigh stared at him evenly.
“Silly girl,” he said, “You think I don’t know he’s not here? Nice try, little princess, but you’ve got it all wrong! Your father’s absence is exactly the reason why I am here in the first place. You think I am a threat to you, but I was sent here to protect you.” He gave her a superior look as she cocked an eyebrow at him. Then she gave a hollow laugh and placed a hand on her forehead.
“Okay, you got me. Look, I don’t know who you are, but you fooled me. It was a nice solid joke. Do you go to my school? I’ve never seen you before, and I don’t know if this is your idea of a prank, but it’s over, finished. So you can just leave, go laugh it over with your little buddies. Real funny, whatever, but you’ve got to leave, boy-o. I’ve got to get ready for school, so….” The boy just stared her as if comprehending her words was the hardest thing in the world to do.
“I don’t joke about such severe things, princess. I have been sent here by my country’s Senate to protect you because your personal guard is unable to be here to do such,” he explained seriously. Ashleigh looked at him for a bit, like she was considering his words, though she really wasn’t. He waited patiently for her to say something, to see how she would respond.
“Um….Now that I think about it, how did you even get in here? Did my mother leave the door unlocked when she left? She does have a habit of doing that….” She said, speaking mostly to herself. The boy cocked his head to one side, bewildered.
“You let me in here…. Wait, your mother isn’t here? They left you alone?” he demanded. He was suddenly very angry, it seemed. Ashleigh said nothing as a deep frown tugged at his mouth and his brows furrowed. He shook his head disbelievingly.
“Are they insane? Leaving a young girl like you to defend for yourself? Have they no dignity in what they do?” he asked her, as if she actually knew what he was talking about. “Preposterous!” he exclaimed irritably.
“Look, boy-o, you need to calm down. I don’t appreciate you screaming in my house like that,” Ashleigh said. “Now, will you please tell me what you’re talking about, because this is getting old fast, and I’m about ready to call the cops.”
“I am the “cops”, as you say,” he said, puffing out his chest in a sort of masculine way that made her notice he was sort of cute. “I am here to keep you safe from danger and keep watch on your house for any threatening activities. I am your newly assigned personal guard,” he finished severely, causing Ashleigh to raise her brows.
“What exactly are you suppose to be protecting me from?” she said, humoring him. It seemed like she was starting to work his nerves with her questions,
“From those who are after you, princess,” he said plainly. “There are beings who would love to see the royal family perish and take their place at the throne. I am here to prevent that.” After a long silence, Ashleigh out-right laughed at his statement.
“Royal family? Throne? Are you kidding me? I think you’ve been playing too many video games, boy-o! This is ridiculous! I want you out of my house, now! I’m done with this, okay? You’re gonna make me late for school! Out, out, out!” Ashleigh commanded breathlessly. “Go see if some other damsel in distress needs you around the corner or something. I’m fine by myself, trust me!” She turned him around and started guiding him down stairs forcefully. She gave him a good shove out of the front door and slammed the door in his face before he could utter a word.
“Stupid Final Fantasy geeks,” she muttered to herself as she made her way back to her room. She took a quick shower in her mini bathroom and dressed in the button-up shirt, red tie, and red plaid skirt that were the uniform of her school. She glanced out the window as she came from the bathroom and saw the tabby perched on the tree branch from last night. It looked like it was giving her a look of hatred as it stared at her. She stared back as she tugged on her stockings and dress shoes, wondering if he had ran out when her mother had left. With a shrug, she grabbed her book bag and went back down the stairs. She waited cautiously at the front door, contemplating whether she should go out. The bus had left her, so she’d have to walk. She cracked the door open slightly and peeked out.
“Nothing,” she sighed aloud, and then stepped out into the early morning sun.
She felt suddenly energized by the brightness of the day, regardless of her crazy morning. She walked down the sidewalk that led to the old, large school, Maledome High. The school had a big population, but it was in desperate need of repairs and renovations. The paint peeled, the plumbing was horrid, and the roof leaked in some rooms when it rained. Even so, the big old school felt like home to her. Ashleigh was barely on campus when a girl with black-dyed hair and bright eyes that kind of reminded her of an anime cartoon came up to her and rammed into her with a death-grip hug.
“Ashleigh!” she exclaimed in her usual loud, energized voice. Once Ashleigh regained her balance from the assault, she smiled at her eccentric best friend.
“Hey, Jenny,” she greeted her. Jenny was a senior at Maledome, a year older than Ashleigh, but definitely less mature than her. “You’re as….happy as usual.”
“Always, honey, always,” Jenny gushed, “Oh, anyways, there is something I have got to tell you! You know James Denver, right?”
“The guy you have been obsessing over these pass three months?” Ashleigh asked sarcastically. “Yeah, it rings a bell. What about him?”
“I am going to prom with him! Oh, I just can’t wait!” she said, a dreamy look misting her eyes. She took Ashleigh’s arms and began to swing her around in an awkward version of a waltz.
“I can just see it now!” she said. “I’ll be staring into those deep, dark, mysterious eyes as we twirl around the dance floor!” Ashleigh wiggled away from her hold, laughing.
“That’s very sweet, but the bell’s gonna ring soon,” Ashleigh said. Jenny scoffed at her.
“You and your perfect attendance record,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“Whatever, see you later, chica.” She turned away and started towards the school.
Ashleigh sighed and followed behind her. As much as she loved Jenny the girl wore her out. As she was walking up the hill towards the school, Ethan Matthews caught her eye. She smiled and waved at him eagerly, and he gave her a cute wink that made her heart do flips in her stomach. She’d do anything to have him ask her to prom.
Ashleigh went to her locker to trade her Algebra 2 and English text books with her Anatomy and History books and hurried to class, making it to her seat a half second before the tardy bell rang. Thank God, she thought, greatly relieved. Coach Jacks, her History teacher, and also the assistant football coach, gave her a teasing smile as he walked by her desk. “Barely made this morning, huh, Ms. Spesky?” he asked, patting her lightly on the back. She smiled at him brightly, but rolled her eyes at him when he turned his back. Coach Jacks was a nice guy, but her attendance record was one thing she did not joke about.
“Okay, kiddos, today I want you to meet a new student who will be joining us in a little while. He’s all the way from the North of the Arcadia border line, whatever that means, and I want you to respect him as a fellow student or whatever. Anyway, let’s begin our lesson today about the Amendments of the Constitution.” Ashleigh couldn’t help but notice how uncaring he sounded. She rolled her eyes and took out her History book.
Ashleigh’s mind drifted off shortly after the lesson began. She thought of the boy from this morning. What a lunatic! With luck, she’ll never have to deal with that sort of thing again. She’d have to tell her mother to make sure she starts locking the door when she leaves. The guy could have been a murderer instead of some goofy teen. There were a lot of weirdoes in the world today, and one had to be careful.
“There you are, Ian!” The coach’s voice suddenly, and loudly, cut through Ashleigh’s trail of thought. She glanced up, still a little spaced out. “It’s nice of you to finally join us. Grab yourself a seat.” Ashleigh shot out of her desk with an exclamation of surprise. It was him, the guy from this morning! She stared at him with mortification. What was he doing here!? He was even dressed in the school uniform of a white button-up shirt and slacks, as if he’d been going here for a while, yet he was a new student? How does this make any sense? Ashleigh then realized that the whole entire class was silent and staring at her.
“Is there a problem, Ms. Spesky?” Coach Jacks asked with a wry voice. She fumbled and searched for words.
“Um, I r-really need to go to the restroom, please…sir?” she said sheepishly, a flush spreading across her cheeks.
“Seeing as it seems to be such an emergency, you may go, but make it snappy!” he allowed. Dodging the boy, she half-sprinted out of the room and to the girl’s restroom. She shut herself into a stall and collapsed onto the floor with her head between her knees and attempted to breathe. What was she going to do? The guy was a whack job, and now he was going to her school! Would he declare all the crazy “I’m protecting you” nonsense to her in front of everybody? Why now, when it’s so close to prom? She thought pitifully. What if Ethan got the wrong idea, should the boy hang on her every hour of school, and think they’re together? He wouldn’t ask her to prom, and everything would be completely ruined!
“Ashleigh, are you okay?” a voice called. “Coach Jacks told me to check on you. You’ve been in here for a while now.” It was Brandy Fibbs, a close friend of Ashleigh’s. Ashleigh exhaled shakily and stood from the floor. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. She wished she could just run back home and lock all the doors and windows and draw every curtain in the house.
She had to escape from that boy somehow. But what could she do? She couldn’t check out, or she’d ruin her perfect attendance record. Maybe if she just hid in the bathroom all day, Brandy could tell the teachers she was present….. That would definitely cause too much trouble. Oh, she hated this! Why did this have to happen to her!?
“Ashleigh, are you coming out?” Brandy called again. Ashleigh jolted back to reality, which she seemed to have to face now. She unlocked the door and Brandy watched her with raised brows.
“Stomach flu?” she inquired, crossing her fingers into an “X” at Ashleigh, as if to ward off evil. Ashleigh smiled and shook her head.
“Just a bit of a head ache is all,” she assured her. “Let’s go back to class, though I really don’t want to.” Brandy patted her back with a friendly smile.
“Don’t worry, the bell is gonna ring soon,” she said. They went back to class together. Brandy could not stop talking about the lunatic, which is what Ashleigh had decided to call him.
“Oh, he’s sooo cute, Ashleigh! Why don’t you like him? You haven’t even talked to him yet,” Brandy pointed out after Ashleigh had thoroughly expressed her opinion about him. Ashleigh could have laughed at that. Oh, she’d talked to him all right, but she couldn’t exactly tell Brandy. She didn’t know why, but it felt like something you kept to yourself.
“I just don’t like the look of him is all. I’m not saying he’s ugly, he just doesn’t seem…. right,” Ashleigh finished lamely.
“Well, then that’s too bad for you, because he’s sitting right next to you in class,” Brandy sneered tauntingly. Ashleigh’s head whipped around to look at Brandy with wide eyes. “What!?” she exclaimed. “He can’t be!”
“See for yourself,” Brandy shrugged as she opened Coach Jack’s door. Ashleigh gasped when she saw him sitting on the desk to the right of hers. He looked up and his eyes lit up when he saw her, followed by his body slumping in relief. What was with him? She thought wildly.
“Glad you could join us again, Ms. Spesky,”” Coach Jacks said from his desk. “If you’re no feeling well, you should check out.” She could hear the mocking tone in his last statement. She sent him a subtle look of disdain.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said coolly. His brow twitched, and then he shrugged nonchalantly.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I told Ian he could share books with you until I assign him one,” he added as Ashleigh dreadfully walked back to her chair next the lunatic. She could have cried from frustration when she noticed for the first time that the lunatic’s desk was slid close to hers so he could see the book. When she looked at him, she saw he had a smug smile on his face before he bowed his head over her book to read and jot down notes. She stuck her bottom lip out into a pout and sat on the furthest edge of the seat from him.
“You’re overreacting,’” she heard him mutter next to her after about ten minutes had passed. She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“No, I just think you’re under reacting. Just leave me alone, you crazy person, and stop following me everywhere! Stay away from my house especially!” she snapped.
“You’re the one who let me in the first place,” he said quietly. “I only accepted the invitation you so graciously offered.” Ashleigh gave him an appalled look.
“I did no such thing!” she whispered ferverently at him. “You’re insane!”
“Yes, you did, last night. Though you were half asleep, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t recall it,” he said thoughtfully.
“You can’t be serious!” she began. The ringing of the second period bell cut her short of what she was about to say. She was about to rush off when he stepped in front of her to stop her and took her hand. “Walk with me, and I’ll explain,” he promised. She snatched her hand away violently.
“I don’t want to hear it! Just leave me alone!” she said. She gathered her things up and speed-walked down the hallway. The last thing she needed to be doing was taking to him. She was so absorbed in getting away fro him that she almost ran straight into Ethan. He caught her fast right before she slammed into him, causing her books to fall to the floor. He laughed as he stooped down to help her pick them up.
“Sorry,” she said, turning red in the face. “I wasn’t paying attention.” He shrugged and handed her the Anatomy text book and a few papers.
“It’s okay,” he said smiling. “I kind of tried to jump out in front of you to get your attention anyway. There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now.” Ashleigh’s heart began to race. Here it comes, she thought. Ethan Matthews was going to ask her to prom!!!
“I was wondering if you would like to-” he began. A hand suddenly came down onto his shoulder and moved him aside. It was the lunatic.
“Excuse me,’” he said, “I do not mean to interrupt, but it is important that I speak to Ashleigh for a moment. Do you mind?” he said politely to Ethan. Of course, Ethan, being the nice guy that he is, smiled a friendly smile at the lunatic and nodded.
“Sure go ahead,” he said. He backed up a little. “Do you two need privacy or something?” The lunatic waved him away.
“Of course not, this will only take a minute,” he assured Ethan. He turned to Ashleigh and held up a bright pink flyer that read “Junior and Senior Prom Night, Saturday, March 12” at the top of the page. Ashleigh’s heart stopped, knowing that what she had feared this whole time was about to pass.
“A young girl informed me of this event. She said it is some kind of ball that will be held on a non-school day. Do you plan to go to this?” he asked. The first thing that registered in her brain for the second time was how weird he talked. Secondly, she simply thought, Lie, Ashleigh, lie! Before she could utter a word, Ian continued.
“I would, by requirements, have to escort you to this so-called dance for your own protection, should you decide to go.” Ashleigh’s face fell and she saw Ethan tense from the corner of her eye. “Do you intend to go?” he persisted. Ashleigh pressed her lips tightly together, and then Ethan spoke up.
“It’s funny, I was just about to ask the same thing,” he said lightly. Ashleigh’s head snapped to his direction and she beamed at him with relief.
“I would love to-” she started, but Ian cut her off abruptly with an obnoxious laugh.
“You think you are worthy of her?” he snorted. “Do not make me laugh! She is my princess to protect and escort to wherever she needs to go! She is coming with me, it is the best way.” A flash of annoyance darkened Ethan’s face.
“Are you saying you two are together?” he asked with distaste. Ashleigh spoke before Ian could.
“No! We are absolutely not, in any form or way, together!” she said, on the verge of shrieking. “He…He’s just a son of my dad’s friend, and they…They work overseas together, but Ian is staying here with, um, his grandmother, I think , and he-we-barely even know each other! Yeah, that’s it!” She had no idea how she had pulled that out her pocket, but it sounded pretty legit to her. She eyed Ian sharply, and he returned the look evenly with malice. Eventually, he just shrugged and turned back to Ethan.
“It is the way she said. I am living with my grandmother. However, that is not the subject at hand. It is my duty to protect her from any harm she may face. I cannot permit you to escort her when there is currently so much chaos going on these days,” he said formally. “If you wish to accompany us, though, that is fine.”
“No,” Ethan said with an edge of contempt, “that’s all right. I wouldn’t want to crowd you two buddies.” He glanced at Ashleigh with a wistful smile and nodded at her politely.
“See you later, Ashleigh,” he said. He walked off to his next class, leaving Ashleigh staring after him with her mouth agape. She suddenly reared on Ian.
“How could you do that to me!? What is your problem!?” she demanded harshly. He glared at her silently as she continued to rant. “You, you’re crazy, I tell you! What have I ever done to you? I don’t even know you, and you don’t know me, so why are you doing this to me!?” she cried.
“Are you finished yet?” he asked dully when she went silent.
“No, I am not finished, you jerk! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for him to ask me out? Then he asks me to prom, and you ran him off with your little “protector” nonsense, and he’ll never ask me out again because he thinks we are together!” Ashleigh turned away from him and leaned her head against a senior locker. The metal surface of the locker was cool against her hot forehead. She stood there for a while, even after the bell rang. That made her sob a little. There goes her perfect attendance record in just a few short minutes. Ian stood behind her the whole time silently. Loyally, she corrected herself, and almost burst into hysterical laughter.
“Are you not feeling well?” he said finally. “You are very late for your Anatomy class. We should be going.” Ashleigh exhaled a long, tired sigh.
“Just leave me alone, you crazy lunatic,” she muttered severely. “You have ruined my life, and I don’t know if you’re being serious with this whole thing or not, but it’s got to stop now. Stop following me. Stop “protecting” me and stop messing my life up. Leave. Me. Alone.”
“I can’t do that. My duty is to keep you from danger-“he began.
“What danger!?” she snapped. “You keep saying there’s danger, but nothing is happening! No one has tried to hurt me or anything! What danger!?
“Someone could hurt you, and that is what I am here to prevent!” he snapped back.
“You’re crazy!” she said once again. Ian gave a loud, grumbling sound that reminded her of a wild animal. She saw a flash in his honey-colored eyes that was beast-like. She stared at him with wide eyes, taken off guard.
“Did you just…growl at me?” she asked incredulously. His expression went regretful, and he looked at his feet with embarrassment.
“I-I am sorry, I lost my temper,” he said awkwardly. He features hardened again, “But you shouldn’t be so incompetent! You are agitating me when you accuse me of being crazy! I am quite sane!” Ashleigh stilled just stared at him with bewilderment.
“You growled at me…Like a….an ani-an-,” she stuttered. He raised a brow at her as she searched in her mind how to say what she was trying to say.
“You aren’t making sense. What are you trying to say?” he asked.
“You….growled at me like an animal …!” she squeaked. Ian turned a deep pink.
“I said that I was sorry. It was involuntary. You made me angry. Stop looking at me like that!” he said.
“Like what?” she wondered faintly. He frowned deeply.
“Like I’m a monster,” he said flatly. Ashleigh blinked at him bluntly and continued to stare.
He looked very uncomfortable with her speculating expression. She stood slowly, turning her eyes from him.
“I have to go get a tardy pass from the office. Please, don’t follow me,” she said.
“But I have to. I need a pass as well,” he pointed out. Ashleigh shut the need to scream up inside of herself. She turned without saying anything and walked slowly down the hall toward the office. He followed behind her quietly. They didn’t say anything to each other. When she walked into the lemon-scented office, the receptionist, Ms. Gurtle, smiled brightly at her with hot-pink lips. Ashleigh smiled back weakly and approached the desk.
“How can I help you two?” she asked pointedly to Ian, who stood close and protectively behind her as he had the whole time they’d walked down the hall. So, she’d been smiling at Ian, not me, she thought irritably. She spoke for the both of them.
“We need tardy passes,” she said miserably. Ms. Gurtle did a double-take on Ashleigh, her loosely pinned atop of her head bobbing awkwardly with the quick movement… “You need a pass? You’re never late! What happened?” she asked all her attention on Ashleigh now.
“I got… held up. It doesn’t matter, though,” she said quickly. With a raised brow, Ms. Gurtle got out two tardy slips and scribbled their names and the class room they were heading towards.
“You two have a nice day then,” she said, flashing a beaming smile at Ian especially. Ashleigh’s eye twitched. She walked out without a word to her, Ian close on her heels. She took her time getting to Mr. Young’s room. The lab was busy with activity when they walked in. Mr. Young was at his desk in front of the lab, hovering over a beaker and a gas heater. Ashleigh considered just sneaking off to her seat while he wasn’t looking, but then Brandy called out to her loudly from the back lab table.
“What took you so long getting here, Ashleigh? Come join my group!” she called. Mr. Young looked up through his glasses at Ashleigh and Ian standing at the door way. He stood up straight and turned off the heater.
“Passes?” he asked curtly. Ashleigh handed her slip to him and walked over to Brandy’s table. She sent Brandy a scornful look and looked into the microscope she meekly slid over to her. She felt Ian come stand beside her and she tensed.
“Go away,” she muttered at him. He only moved closer to her.
“There is no more space at the other tables. You will have to make do with what cannot be helped,” he said with no sympathy. She grinded her teeth together, then she said no more. He was clueless about what they were doing, since they had been working on this project progressively for a week now. So, he just stood there and watched politely and interestedly. The one thing he was good for was his unusually excessive body heat. The lab was freezing cold, and having him near warmed her a little.
“Your skin is cold,” he said when he handed her a test tube and their fingers brushed. She didn’t as much as look at him. Then he suddenly draped his uniform coat over her shoulders. It smelled deliciously of summer rain and something else she couldn’t quite place. She didn’t even think to toss back at him. Better yet, she thought, I’m not even going to give it back. She pushed her arms through the sleeves and continued to ignore him.
The bell rang for lunch period and all the students rushed out of the room towards the cafeteria. Ian caught Ashleigh’s arm before she could get away and looped it into his.
“Let’s walk together,” he said. She looked at him like he was crazy.
“Absolutely not!” she snapped. He tightened his grip when she struggled to get away. She stared at him incredulously. “Are you plain stupid? Let me go!”
“I’m only trying to look after you,” he said seriously. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“Look, I don’t care if you walk with me, just don’t grab on me like this,” she sighed. No point in arguing with him anymore. If he wanted to sound like a crazy person, let him. But she was not about to let him cling to her like a burr.
Reluctantly, he released her, but kept close at her side as they walked. He toted her books for her. She couldn’t help but smile to herself. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a personal bodyguard and servant after all-at school, of course. He would have to stay away from her house. That was just plain creepy. When she thought about, she recalled having to unlock the door when she had to toss Ian out. Maybe he had come through a window. Whatever the case, it bothered her for some reason. Hadn’t he said she’d let him into the house?
Ian opened the door to the cafeteria for her. She smiled at him out of reflex, but quickly stopped herself. He had seen it, though. He smiled back boyishly, and Ashleigh rolled her eyes. “Egotistical,” she muttered as she passed him to walk in.
That wasn’t all Ian insisted on doing for her. He carried her tray to the table for her, got her extra napkins, and then took her tray to the garbage when she had finished. Her friends, of course, happened to notice his chivalry.
“Wowzers,” Brandy said impressively,” that sure is a nice fellow you got there.”
“I don’t “have” a fellow, and he wants to do it, so I won’t argue. Now, shush and just leave it alone as it is,” she said with a delicate sniff. Ian returned to the table and sat beside her.
“Let me see your hands,” he said, taking them into his before she could tell him no. He rubbed her cold fingers with his to warm them. Ashleigh saw the look that Brandy was giving her from the corner of her eye and ignored her. When her hands were warm enough to suffice them, he let them go so she cold put them into the pockets of his jacket she still wore. This isn’t so bad, Ashleigh thought. As long as he doesn’t take it too far, it’ll be okay.
“I don’t have the same fourth and fifth period classes as you,” he said fretfully. Ashleigh rolled her eyes.
“Don’t worry about it, boy-o,” she said. “I’m sure whoever is after me won’t be stupid enough to come to the school with all these people around. I’ll be safe enough.”
“I still don’t like it,” he said stubbornly. “I’m getting it changed as soon as possible.” Ashleigh let him walk her to her locker to get her Algebra 2 and English books out of her locker and put her other books back. He carried them for her atop of his Trig and Physics books. He must be real smart to be taking classes like that, she thought. Too bad he’s a lunatic.
“I will see you when the dismissal bell rings,” he said formally. He handed her books to her. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Look, unless you can protect me from the harm of ruthless grammar rules, you’re no good here. I’ll be fine. Go on, before you’re late,” she said. With a quick nod, he turned and walked down the opposite way of the hall. Feeling a little tuckered out, Ashleigh took her seat. Mrs. Canham, or Can-of-ham, as teasing students called her, was erasing the board when she walked in. She sat down in a desk and opened her English book to the page Mrs. Canham was assigning on the board. Ugh, she thought, not nouns again. It seemed Mrs. Canham always taught the same stuff over and over again. The routine was absolutely boring her. She was half asleep when the bell rang for fifth period.
Ashleigh walked into Mr. Jenkins’s Algebra 2 classroom. She dreadfully remembered she hadn’t done her homework as she took her sea.She glanced to the front of the room. Mr. Jenkins wasn’t at his desk. That was a little unusual. He was always flipping through papers and grading work at his desk with the speed of lightning. Maybe he wasn’t here. She looked around the room. Only about ten other students were in the room so far. All students know better than to be late to Mr. Jenkins class, so where were they?
Ashleigh jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked back to see who it was. Omigosh, she thought wildly. A tall, handsome man about five or six years older than her smiled down at Ashleigh pleasantly. She stared stupidly back at him.
“Good afternoon, young scholar. You must be wondering where your instructor is. He has left early today for an appointment. I am the substitute for today. You will let me know if you ever need anything,” he said in a voice that was as charming as his smile. Ashleigh nodded silently at him, a flush coming into her cheeks.
“Good. I must take attendance now. Please excuse me,” he said. He moved his hand and walked to the front of the room. He picked up the attendance notebook from Mr. Jenkins’s desk and began calling out names.
“Zachary Harvell?”
“Here.”
“Danielle Hardy?
“Here.”
“Ashley Hill?”
“Here.”
Ashleigh watched him thoughtfully as he called roll. He talked strange, a lot like Ian. It seemed kind of ironic that he would be substituting on the same day that she met Ian. She shrugged it off as just a coincident until he called out her name.
“Ashleigh Spesky?” he called.
“Here,” she said shyly. He gave her an open white smile that made her blush deeply.
“I believe I know your father,” he said in a tone she didn’t understand. Ashleigh pretended to be politely interested. Everyone knew her father. She was used to it.
“Really? How?” she asked. His smile became a little too coy and slightly menacing.
“We….have met under certain circumstances a couple of times. He is quite the soldier,” he said. Ashleigh fought the frown that tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“He’s not a soldier, he’s a marine,” she corrected. The man burst out in sudden, bewildering laughter and shook his head. Students stared.
“So he tells you! All right, if that’s the way he wants to play that’s fine!” he said mostly to himself. Ashleigh gave him a confused look.
“What’s that suppose to mean?” she demanded icily. He must have not caught her tone because he smiled at her and waved her away.
“Nothing, dear, forget I said anything,” he said. He leaned his hip against Mr. Jenkins’s desk and folded his arms across his chest and smiled at the class.
“I am Mr. Marquis DeBarge Jeanquenche, but you can all call me Mr. Jean, if it is easier for you to pronounce. I will be substituting for Mr. Jenkins this afternoon. I am sure your teacher will return tomorrow. For now, I do not want to be considered an “old stiff” amongst you young ladies and gentlemen, so you may talk quietly among yourselves and work on any tasks he has given you previously. Let me know if you are in need of me. I will do what I can to assist you.”
Ashleigh looked at him speculatively until he saw her watching him. His smile was strange, like he knew something about her that she didn’t. She turned away quickly and took out her unfinished homework. Ashleigh felt his eyes on her the entire period. It was a lot like Ian watching her. He was beginning to weird her out. She was relieved when the bell rang finally. Mr. Jean caught her arm as she was walking out.
“Do not think I do not know. I am watching you,” he said so that only she heard. Ashleigh’s heart raced as he let go of her. She stared up at him wordlessly. He raised a brow at her.
“You are dismissed, Ms. Spesky,” he said casually.

*****

Ian was at the door as soon as she walked out of it. He looked extremely relieved.
“I nearly pulled my hair out worrying about you, do you know? It has driven me crazy. Do you know what they’ll do to me if something happens to you?” He noticed Ashleigh’s expression for the first time.
“What? What is wrong?” he asked. “Why do you stare like that?”
Ashleigh just shook her head and began walking towards the school’s double-doors.
She was so freaked out right now. She didn’t know what to think or say at the moment, so she just kept silent as Ian continuously asked her what was wrong with her. She was more scared than anything. All this time, Ian had been talking about protecting her. Now, she understood he what he meant. Ashleigh stopped and turned to look up at him when they were at her door.
“Ian,” she said weakly, “I believe you.”
Then she fainted at her doorstep.