You Give Me Butterflies

He was the most popular guy in school; you all have at least one of those in high school. He played as many sports as possible so he was fit, toned and athletic. Oh did I mention the fact that he was also drop dead gorgeous? With that blacker than black hair and crystal blue electric eyes that if you ever got the chance would want to just stare into for as long a humanly possible. He was the boy that everyone loved or wanted to be like. Idolized you might say. And he was staring straight at me. Derek Crombie, the hottest and most popular boy was staring at me and I don’t mean a casual glance, I mean a full blown hardcore stare down. And I wouldn’t say that I’m the type of girl this kind of guy would just stare blatantly at. I have straight black long hair that always to me looked dull and boring. Green eyes that no one would want to stare into for all eternity, not like Derek’s. Yes I was slim probably because I play a lot of hockey, I am the ultimate nerd for hockey.

But I wasn’t popular I wasn’t the hottest girl in school. I hung out with my three best friends, didn’t socialize much. I was pretty much a perfect fit for a class A loner. Which is why it was so weird that at biology the first class of Monday morning Derek Crombie who was sitting on the other side of the room was so obviously staring at me. The first time I caught him do it was when he walked in at 9am and I was already sitting down next to one of my best friends Gina and his eyes followed mine all the way until he sat down. Thinking nothing of it I looked down at my notebook as the teacher Mr Fairweather began talking about our task this morning, dissecting a white lab rat. Hearing this I froze, went death white and looked up at my teacher in disbelief.

"Derek and Elizabeth could you please hand out a pallet containing a rat to each table." Groaning at the thought I stood up on my wobbly legs and made my way to the front of the class. I looked down at the dead frozen rats as Derek walked up beside me. He stood so close that our shoulders were firmly touching. I picked up a pallet containing a rat and felt a wave of light headedness flow through me and dropped the pallet back onto the table with a thud. Derek grabbed hold of my arm to steady me as I waved form side to side and putting his face close to mine whispered, "Are you okay?" Feeling as though I was on another planet I nodded slightly, picked up a pallet and on wobbly legs brought it over to the first table.

I carried out this routine till Derek and I had distributed all of them and calmly sat back down in my seat. When I looked over at Derek he was staring at me again with a look of interest and concern spread across his face. Mr Fairweather began demonstrating how we were to dissect the rat telling us to follow as he went along. I picked up the knife to make an incision into the rat when my hand began to shake, my face went that deathly pale look and my whole body flashed hot and cold. I dropped the knife to the table with a clatter and Gina looked at me.

"Liz you alright?" Shaking my head she told me to go for a walk. I slowly stood up and half stumbled half ran for the door. As soon as the door closed behind me I ran down the corridor outside all the way to the tree of forests we had at the end of the school. I sat down on the ground drew my legs up to my face and breathed. I don’t know how long I was there when I felt a hand on my shoulder I didn’t hear Derek walk up so got the shock of my life rattling my already frazzled nerves and jumped what felt like three feet in the air. "whoa, sorry didn’t mean to give you a fright." "S’fine." I mumbled. What was he doing here? "I wanted to come see how you were," he said as he sat down beside me, too close beside me, so close we were shoulder to shoulder again " you had me worried you went white as a sheet in class I thought you might pass out or something."

"I’m fine." I mumbled again, I still hadn’t looked up. Turning to face me he turned me till I was facing him lifted my chin and looked at me with those beautiful electric blue eyes of his. Cupping my cheek in his palm he whispered, "You don’t look okay babe, you’re still all pale and feel really really cold." Something shot through me an electric bolt or something but whatever it was it was amazing. Something changed in his eyes they grew from a soft concerned look to hot and fierier. I tried to look away but Derek wouldn’t let me.

"God what is it about you Lizzie? I can’t get you out of my mind!" As if he were angry he sat back and pulled his hands away. Suddenly I felt cold and empty without his hands there. Hurt and confused I stood up and moved further down the line of trees. I didn’t know what to make of this, Derek Crombie had never really spoken two words to me before and now he was confessing to always having me on his mind? And he seemed so angry about it. Hearing the bell ring I turned and changed course to head back up to the school. A wave of anger washed through me, stuff this, stuff school and stuff Derek Crombie this is the last thing I needed more drama to start the school year off.

By the time I got to biology and picked up my bags I had my mind firmly set. Focus on hockey my one true passion and just forget everything else, walking back down the corridor heading to math I looked up to see Derek walking toward me obviously he had left his bags in class to in his rush to see if I was ok, I thought sarcastically. I fixed my eyes on an object in front of him and kept walking. "Lizzie…" he started to say. But he never got the chance, picking up the pace I just kept walking by.