Chapter 2

"Zach!" Mrs. Anderson called from downstairs. "Breakfast is on the table! I hope you're awake!"

Natalie was standing before her body mirror with her blond hair tied up. She had a black tank top on and was examining her figure to see if it was acceptable to present to Rafael.

She felt a connection to him when they spoke last night. She was sure it was all in her head, but she didn't care. But it wasn't very comforting to know that almost every girl in the school was after him. That's always the case whenever there's a new guy in school. She had to stand out.

She smoothed out the black tank over her flat stomach. She spun around and examined her back. Yeah, she looked perfectly normal.

"Natalie!" her mother called from downstairs in frustration. "Please get him up! He's going to be late for school!"

"Okay, okay," she muttered.

She ran to her dresser for a sweater throwing it over her head as fast as she could. She grabbed her backpack and books and flung it over her shoulders.

Trying to untangle herself from the wrath of her sweater, she managed to stumble to her brother's room.

"Zach!" she pounded on the door, pushing it open. "Wake up!"

The air in his room was cold and empty. She glanced at his bed and the covers were made and untouched. She sighed and shut the door.

"He didn't come home!" she yelled to her mother. I wonder where he is, she wondered while she made her way down the stairs.

Cynthia was already digging into her eggs and bacon at the table. Her father was studying a sheet of paper, most likely the list of opponents she's scheduled to play in the next few weeks. Her mother was at the counter, spreading butter on slices of toast.

"Morning," Natalie said quickly, not planning to stay for breakfast. She grabbed a cup on orange juice from the table and drank, pulling out colorful flashcards that were in her pocket.

"Morning, sweetheart," her mother greeted happily.

"Nattie," her father burst, looking up from his packet. "Mills is a lefty. So we have to work on your—"

"—Backhand," Natalie interrupted all-knowingly. "I know."

"We're going to spend the entire practice doing backhand today," her mother added proudly.

Natalie let out a sigh. She was exhausted. She knew that late nights out were just a part of her social life, but they were contributing to her lack of sleep. She felt tired all the time, now.

She focused on her flashcards again, quickly studying the French phrases she needed to know for her quiz today. Her dad was rambling on about her last match against Mills, where she was beaten badly. She preferred to refrain from reliving that day, thank you very much.

"Just remember, Natalie, if you beat her, your ranking jumps at least three places," her dad stated robotically.

Her mother scoffed. "What's this 'if' about?"

Natalie nervously glanced at the clock. She was going to be late for an early key club meeting unless she left now. It's not like she was having the time of her life talking about her tennis records.

She threw and arm around her father and planted her lips on the side of his head. "I have to go," she said against his hair. "Bye." She stepped to her little sister and ruffled her hair before her mother stopped her.

"You should sit down and eat breakfast, baby," her mother said.

"I have key club this morning, Mom. I have to get going," she replied quickly. She grabbed her bag and stacked her flashcards and was out of the door before her mother could protest.

"As for the states of attraction experiments, the couples are Hobbes/Mertin, Carling/Stevens, Brand/Eldridge, Anderson/Zetterstrom, Brendan/Devins, Starling/Vandome, Mission/Sheer, Forta/Meade, Rosenthal/McCarthy, Thomas/Bradley and Forla/Kyper," Mr. Miles announced before the class later that day. The entire room shuffled about in order to find their lab partner, while Natalie remained in the center of the room, unable to find her partner. Eventually, the entire room cleared out it was her left alone while the rest of the pairs set off to their lab tables.

Giving up, she stomped to the only empty table and threw her stuff down. She started gathering the necessary beakers wondering if this lab was doable by herself.

When she turned around, there was a boy sitting in the seat beside her that was empty just seconds before.

Natalie jumped, startled at his sudden appearance. Shaking her head and recovering, she managed a quick, "Zetterstrom?"

"Haven't lied to you this far. I'm not going to start now," was all he said. Her eyes narrowed at him. What kind of answer is that?

She shuffled her papers uncomfortably. She could feel his gaze piercing the side of her face. He had been staring at her ever since he took the seat! Her pencil shook nervously in her hand as she wrote her name on the top of the lab sheet.

When she looked up, he was still staring at her. "Well?" she muttered, clearly annoyed. "You gonna help?"

He nodded his head finally, letting down his gaze to pull out a box of matches. Before she knew it, he was lighting the match and preparing to light the Bunsen burner.

Natalie dropped the safety goggles she was holding to reach over and blow out the match before he had the chance to light the burner. "We don't need that for this," she said. She couldn't help but sound matter-of-factly. He didn't even spare a simple glance at the lab.

"Look," he finally said. "You're not going to be disagreeable, are you? 'Cause Walt specifically promised me an agreeable lab partner."

She stared at him in bewilderment. "Walt?"

He stared at her once again with that glare of his before saying, "You need to relax."

She did not have time for this.

"Actually, I need to learn this."

"Because, why?" he challenged.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her pencil and began writing once again. "Because you have to get a four on your AP exam if you want to get a college credit, in case you didn't know."

The way she said it made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What, then you'll be ahead of the game, right?" he asked.

Natalie shrugged, giving up. "Well, then I can focus on the things that I'm actually good at and keep up my GPA." She was desperate to change the subject. This conversation was not going anywhere.

She looked down at the lab and skimmed the instructions while her partner continued to sit there and stare. "So," she finally said, "We need to fill this one with sodium thiosulfate and this one with nitrate," she said, pointing at the different beakers in front of them.

"Got to keep up that GPA," he continued, completely ignoring what she just said.

"Well, yeah. It's kind of helpful if you ever want to get a job and become successful in life," she rolled her eyes again, desperate for him to drop it. She began to fill the first beaker with the sodium, awaiting his next smart ass remark.

"Wow! A job! No kidding!" was his answer.

"Look, could we just do the lab?" she asked, continuing to fill the beaker.

"I'd love to! Let's do the lab," he said as he grabbed a pair of safety goggles and slipped them on. "Only you're about ten years into the future. We don't need chemistry…" he rambled as he lit another match and lit the Bunsen burner quickly. "We need time travel."

She looked up from her work, astonished at what he just said and found his face only inches from hers. She pulled away disgustedly and groaned. Of course, she was stuck with the weird geek that said whatever was on his mind. She could not see herself working with this guy for the rest of the year.

What the hell did he even mean when he said we needed time travel? She shook her head, not even attempting to decode the secret meanings to what he was saying. She silently wondered if there was anything wrong with him.

They continued the rest of the lab in silence. He finally took the hint and stopped talking. In the middle of the lab, she snuck a glance at his paper and saw his name.

Keith. Keith Zetterstrom.

Why hasn't she heard of that name before? She was sure that she knew almost everyone in her class because of how involved she was in school. But she had never heard of a Keith Zetterstrom.

The period finally ended and they cleaned the table in silence. As the class dispersed, Natalie quickly walked to Mr. Miles desk before anyone else could.

"Mr. Miles?" she asked cautiously.

"HI, Natalie, what can I do for you?"

She swallowed, thinking of the right thing to say. "I was just wondering if I could maybe switch lab partners."

Mr. Miles let out a sigh, as if he understood why. "I'm sorry, Natalie but I'm afraid that isn't possible."

Her shoulders dropped. "But Mr. Miles, this is AP," she said.

He leaned in closer so no one else could hear him, resting on his forearms. "Keith is actually pretty smart when he applies himself."

Natalie couldn't help but chuckle. That was definitely an overstatement. "Okay, but we kind of…" she started, trying to find the right words to say.

"…Lack chemistry?" Mr. Miles finished for her in a sly tone. He was quite proud of what he said and smiled to himself.

She nodded.

Mr. Miles looked her in the eye in almost a pleading way. "Just, try to make it work, okay?"

He looked like his mind could not be changed. Natalie pressed her lips together in a tight line and finally nodded her head. "Fine. Okay." Shrugging in defeat, she made her way to the entrance of the classroom when she heard that familiar, obnoxious voice again.

"About this Natalie Anderson thing—" Keith started.

"Yes?" Mr. Miles said.

"Walter, she's a complete anal-compulsive control freak. How do you expect me to work with that?"

She stopped in her tracks. Anger filled her eyes as her heart started pounding again. How dare he? He didn't even know her. He had no right to say those things about her.

She angrily stomped away and waited by the lockers next to the classroom, waiting for Keith to step outside. When he finally did, he rounded the corner and almost ran into her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she spat.

He looked at her and smiled. "Who do you think I am?" he said before walking away and leaving her speechless.

After Chemistry, Keith rushed out into the parking lot, eager to finally get that new fender for his truck. Brian was already standing by his van, waiting for him.

"What's up, man?" Keith greeted with a small grin.

"Hey, how's it going, Zetterstrom," he said, joining their hands briefly.

"It's going good, it's going good," Keith nodded. "So you got it?"

"Yup," Brian declared proudly before leading him to the trunk of his van. He pulled up the door and revealed the dark-grey fender that was inside.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about, my man," Keith cried, grabbing Brian's shoulder. "How much?"

"Fifty is fine," Brian replied. From behind him, Keith noticed a small girl with golden hair. She was wearing a thin, black tank top and was staring right at him. As soon as he made eye contact with her, she looked away quickly and continued talking to the man in front of her.

He couldn't see the man's face, but he was pretty sure that his name was Rafael Marquez. He was what they called "new meat." Natalie smiled and laughed while talking to him, showing off her breathtaking smile.

Of course she would be interested in him.

"Is that okay, Zetterstrom?" Brian said again, waving his hand in front of his face.

Keith shook his head suddenly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few bills. "It's perfect, man, thanks," he said as he slipped the bills into Brian's hand.

"Don't mention it," he said straightly, shoving the bills into his pocket. "Take it easy, will you, Zetterstrom?" he added, holding his hand up again.

"You, too, man," Keith replied. As Brian looked away, Keith glanced at Natalie once again. Her eyes reunited with his once again. This time, however, Rafael Marquez looked back as well and shared a glance with him.

Keith grinned cheekily, pointing at Natalie and waving.

Natalie's cheeks turned red as she looked at the ground.

"Who's that?" Marquez asked bitterly.

"Oh, um, he's nobody. He's just my lab partner," she shrugged. Keith rolled his eyes before turned around to get into his truck, chuckling at himself. He started his engine and left the parking lot so Natalie can explain herself.

It serves her right.

The truth is, he didn't realize how pretty she had gotten. But he couldn't let himself get distracted…there was a job that was to be done! And to be honest with himself, he hasn't been feeling too hot lately. Who knows how much time he has with her?

"Natalie Anderson," Keith said to himself as he sped down a familiar dirt road, "You'll never know what hit you."

The next day at school sped by in the blink of an eye. She trailed in the same exact path that she traveled in day after day, week after week. She trudged along the hallways, reliving the same day over and over again. Before she knew it, she was slipping into the AP Chemistry classroom once again to see her new lab partner already sitting at the lab bench.

She sighed, making her way to her seat next to Keith.

"Hello, partner," Keith greeted happily.

"Hi," she muttered. She took his paper with the lab procedure on it, studying it intently before groaning loudly. "Keith!"

He jumped, startled. "What?!"

She threw her backpack on the ground and took her seat. "You set up the lab wrong," she sighed. She took the test tubes and beakers, organizing them in a way that was described on the sheet.

Keith threw his hands up in the air, backing off. "You know best, partner."

She looked at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and continuing to set up the lab. After several minutes of silence, she realized that he had inched closer to her, simply watching her do her work. He had a small, observant smile plastered on his face.

"So you don't remember," he concluded.

"What?"

"Well, I stood behind you in the sixth grade play, of course," he scoffed. "You were the Princess and I was Russian Soldier #3."

"I don't remember that."

Yet she quickly searched her memory. She vaguely remembered being in a play and starring as the princess. She remembered the prettiest pink dress she had ever seen, and it was her costume. Blake Jensen played the prince, and every girl was jealous of her for being his princess. But there were Russian Solders…?

Keith sighed. "Of course you don't. Princesses never remember the little people."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Well, please excuse me while I cry for you."

"You should!" Keith chuckled. "You should cry for me all the way from your early decision tower." He sucked in a breath. That definitely got her attention. She stared at him, wide eyed, wondering how he knew that.

"It's posted in the front office," he added, noticing her astonishment.

She let out a gust of air, frustrated. "Why do they do that?"

"Why Duke?" Keith asked, ignoring her question.

Natalie shifted her focus on her paper, skimming the questions before answering him. "Oh you know, great faculty, Division I, that kind of stuff."

"Oh I'm sure you get what you pay for."

"Actually, I have a partial scholarship," Natalie said, scribbling down the answer for the first question. Keith picked up the test tube with the samples inside and studied them.

"That's right, tennis. So they basically give you a bunch of money for hitting a ball over a net," he said blankly.

"Something like that," Natalie said quickly. "Where did YOU apply?" She crossed her arms, curious to see what the answer would be.

He put the beaker down and licked his lips before joining his eyes with hers. "Nowhere," he said bluntly.

Natalie paused. "What…are you not going to college?"

"Not in the 'Christian-Judeo' sense, no, I'm not," he replied.

She tried to understand. "So…what are you doing after high school?"

He just stared at her before saying, "The sky's the limit."

"That's informative," she muttered sarcastically. "Then what are you doing taking an AP class? I mean, AP in what?"

His eyes looked around the room, avoiding her stare.

She threw her pencil down. "Well, I'm sure there's a really simple explanation."

"Of course there is, Natalie, and you're not going to stop until you figure out what it is."

"That sounds like a challenge," she tested. "You're on."

For some reason The Brick was extra cold that night. Natalie wished she had brought an extra jacket or something.

Brooke snuck up from behind her, nearly giving her a heart attack.

"Look! He's over there, just go talk to him!" she whispered excitedly.

Natalie snuck a glance at Raff. He was dancing with Sarah Moore to an interesting Latino song. She narrowed her eyes jealously. She never really liked Sarah.

"What do I even say?" she asked, turning her back to him once again. "I don't want to sound like a desperate idiot."

Brooke shifted her glance to behind her. "You won't have to," she winked. "Have a good time."

Before Natalie could figure out what Brooke was talking about, she spun around to see Raff's beautiful face inches from hers.

"Hi," she shook.

"Hey, there," he smiled. He pointed at the water. "The lake looks amazing tonight."

She relaxed her pounding heart. "Yeah, it really does." She spotted two large rocks right next to the lake. "Do you want to sit?"

"Of course," he said, gesturing for her to lead the way. She walked over to the smaller rock and took a seat. He plopped down on the rock next to her.

"So, how are you adjusting to the new school?" she asked.

"I don't know, Miss Key Club. You tell me."

"Well, you got a 98% on your History Midterm, so I'd say you're falling apart," she teased.

He chuckled to himself. "What about you, miss four point four. You obviously have so much waiting for you after you graduate."

She turned to face him, staring into his eyes. "Thank you," she said as sincere as she could. It was nice hearing it from someone other than her parents.

He laughed it off. "Don't mention it."

She smiled and shifted so she could look out into the lake. "What do you think you'll be doing after high school? Or even after college?"

He thought about it. "I'm going to own my own record label," he declared surely.

"Wow, you think big," she smiled. She found it attractive that he had such high ambitions. That was difficult to find in a guy. For a moment, just a moment, she thought of Keith and how he claimed that he wasn't even going to college. She shook the image of his face out of her mind.

"What about you, Natalie?"

She straightened her back. "I want to run a magazine. I want to be the editor," she said. She let out a sigh of relief. She had never told anyone that before, and it sounded strange being said out loud. She felt so happy she couldn't stop herself. "I mean, why not? Why not do something absolutely amazing with your life?"

"Yeah, there's a whole world out there." Raff was somewhere else. He looked into her eyes with a longing that wasn't there moments ago. Natalie was too excited to notice. He looked down at her mouth.

"Everybody here just wants to make it to state," she went on. "What happened to trying something new?" Raff's eyes were still glued to her lips.

"Yeah," he said before leaning forward and putting his lips onto hers by surprise. Startled, it took Natalie a second to realize what was happening.

She was kissing Rafael Marquez.

She pulled him closer to him eagerly, her mouth moving with his. She could feel his breath on her skin, and it warmed her from the cold night. She cupped his face with her hands as his trailed down to the small of her back.

It couldn't have been more perfect.

In the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of light shine on the other side of the lake. It faded slowly as the car drove away.