*Edited*

I opened the window in my room to let some air in and then collapsed on my bed, exhausted from all of today's events. I pressed a green pillow over my face and let out a huge sigh.

My phone started buzzing from the desk with my computer on it. I jumped off my bed and snatched my phone off the white desk, plopping myself down in the swivel chair. An unknown number flashed across the screen...not that I had very many numbers saved in my phone.

"Hello?"

A familiar voice responded, "Veronica, I'm so sorry. My brother is such an asshole, I can't believe he ruined our, uh-"

How did Uriah get my number?

To save him from embarrassing himself by calling it a date, I said, "It's alr-"

"Are you talking to that weird girl again?" I heard a different voice yell in the background from Uriah's phone.

"Shut the hell up, Eli!" Uriah said.

I picked my head up to look out my window and gasped.

"What's wrong? Did you hear what my stupid brother..."

I didn't hear the rest of what he said. I stared out my window to see a shirtless guy with only a towel wrapped around his waist in the house across from mine. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he whipped around towards me. Glowing green eyes glared at me from the other window. My heart started beating fast in my chest as my eyes dipped lower.

Why did my room have to be right across from Elijah's? Why couldn't it have been Uriah's?

Uriah was saying something in my ear over the phone, but I couldn't hear him. Elijah placed his hands on the window and tried to push it up. His muscles bulged, straining against the effort of lifting a window that hasn't been opened in a while. Damn. He was hot.

The window opened, and Elijah stuck his head out. Our houses were so close that if he wanted to, he could jump right into my room. A breeze flung his wet hair across his face and he impatiently shoved it back.

"Like what you see?" He asked, smirking.

"No! Go put some clothes on!" I yelled.

"Veronica? Who are you talking to?" Uriah asked.

Shit, I forgot I was on the phone with him. Elijah straightened, staring at me.

"Oh, uh-"

Elijah placed his hands on the top of his towel, raising his eyebrows. My eyes widened as he started untucking the cloth.

"No!" I yelled, dropping to the floor so I wouldn't see Elijah without his towel on.

"What's going on?" Uriah's voice said from where I had dropped my phone in my haste to look away from Elijah. I crawled over to it, breathing heavily. I took a deep breath before answering.

"Your brother almost flashed me!" I gasped.

I heard angry footsteps over the phone and a door being slammed open. I lifted my head so only my eyes were visible over my window. I looked across to Elijah's room with my cell phone pressed against my ear as Uriah stormed in. He dropped his phone on Elijah's bed and pinned him to the wall.

"What is wrong with you?" He bellowed.

Elijah turned his head to look at me, and I ducked down before he could catch a glimpse of me peeking. That was close.

"I thought she wanted to see my-"

"That's enough, Eli. I actually like her-"

I peeked out the window again. Elijah pointed out his window at me and before I could move again, he said to Uriah, "You know the window's open?"

Uriah released Elijah and flung his gaze out the window. I blushed furiously as I realized Uriah had just admitted he had feelings for me. He placed his hands on the windowsill of his brother's window and leaned out. I stood up all the way. There was no point in hiding anymore. He knew I was there.

"Did you just hear and see all that?" He asked.

I nodded once, hanging up my phone since we could just talk in person. He cursed under his breath. But then he smiled, showing his cute dimples.

"Well, it's true. I like you, Veronica."

I didn't think it was possible for my face to get any more red, but it did. Uriah chuckled at my embarrassment.

"I like you, too-"

"Jeez, you guys are disgusting. Do you mind not making out in my room?" Elijah said.

I gaped at him with my jaw hanging.

"We aren't making out-"

He waved a hand. Uriah climbed back inside his room, grabbed the cell phone he had dropped, and walked out.

"We need to talk," Elijah demanded once his brother was out of earshot. Then he slammed his window shut and drew the curtains before I could argue.

There was nothing we had to talk about.

********

For the rest of the day, I laid flat on my back on my queen sized bed. I was relatively small, so I didn't need this big of a bed. I stretched completely out and I still had a lot of room. I thought about Uriah and how he would be coming over tomorrow for dinner. We had told each other that we had feelings for the other so I didn't know where that put us.

I ended up falling asleep with those thoughts, forgetting to do my homework and eat dinner. I thought I heard my door open once as my parents checked on me, but they left once they saw I was sleeping.

*********

I woke up the next morning in a good mood. I couldn't wait to see Uriah and felt butterflies flying all around in my stomach. I decided to wear some mascara to school today and wear something I wouldn't usually put on. I wanted to actually look pretty in front of Uriah.

My blue eyes stood out against the black mascara and I curled my short hair. I put on a lace sweater with a pair of skinny jeans and black boots. When I got downstairs, my parents were staring at me.

"What's the special occasion?" My mom asked with a huge smile on her face while she looked at my clothes.

"Does this have anything to do with the new guys coming over tonight?" My dad wondered.

"No!" I yelled and scooped up my backpack before I ran out the door.

I got to school with a few minutes before the final bell. Getting ready had taken longer than I had thought. I walked into math class, taking my usual seat in front of the last row, right next to the window. I was staring out of it when something poked me in the back. I twisted around and yanked the pen out of Elijah's hand.

"You look different today."

"Thanks," I clipped, turning back around.

"She still looks ugly. Like look at her clothes. Who wears lace anymore?" An annoying, high pitched voice said. The class laughed and someone else said, "She probably thinks she looks good."

I clenched my fist around Elijah's pen as Bianca and her best friend, Christi, threw insults at me. I abruptly stood up, drawing the eyes of every student in the class. Bianca flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder as Christi looked me up and down with a disgusted frown.

I strode over to their desks as the class held their breath. I felt someone behind me, but I ignored them. I placed my hands on Bianca's desk as I leaned forward in her face. Her white tank top that said Pink across it threatened to spill her boobs even though it was still winter.

With Elijah's pen in hand, I raised my arm. Bianca's eyes bulged in realization about what I was about to do. She couldn't do anything to stop me as my hand descended on her shirt.

When I was a few inches away from making a mark with the pen on her white shirt, a larger hand wrapped around mine, stopping me.

I froze as long hair tickled my ear.

"Don't," someone breathed. I could feel his chest pressed against my back as his other arm snaked around my waist. Bianca and Christi wore identical expressions of shock.

I threw my elbow back, connecting with his solid chest. His grip on me lessened and I took that as an opportunity to push all my weight on him. I shoved my shoulder into him and he grunted.

He stumbled back a step and the class gasped. Bianca cried out and tried to grab his arm as he tripped over the desk and plunged to the ground.

"Veronica Fray, that is a detention," Mrs. Humphrey said from the front of the class.

Detention? I've never gotten a detention before.

"Ooh," the class hushed.

Green eyes flashed in anger on the ground where he laid in between a row of desks.

"Why?" I asked.

Mrs. Humphrey gave me a stern look and pointed at Elijah on the ground. "For inflicting violence on another student. The new student, nonetheless."

"B-But-"

Mrs. Humphrey shook her head. "Enough."

Elijah picked himself off the floor and clapped a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away from him and he smirked.

"Mrs. Humphrey, this one," he said, flicking his head at me, "Isn't the one who should be punished."

Bianca gasped. I stared at him with my jaw hanging wide open.

"Excuse me?" My teacher said.

He shrugged.

"You'll catch flies in your mouth like that," he whispered to me, placing his finger under my chin and gently pushed my jaw back up. Bianca fumed from her seat.

He turned back to the teacher, "Nevermind, you're right."

Then he sat down in a seat next to Bianca instead of his usual seat in the back of the room and folded his arms across his chest, just staring at me.

"Take a seat, Veronica. This is over," Mrs. Humphrey said.

I dropped my head in defeat and turned around to go back to my seat. This was so unfair. Bianca and Christi should have gotten detentions, not me. Elijah, too. He's the one who got too close to me.

As I was walking back to my seat, Bianca stuck her foot out. Of course, I didn't see it. So, I tripped right over it.

And fell right into someone's lap.

"What would my brother say about this?" A deep voice rumbled in my ear.

No one dared laugh at his comment in case they got in trouble. Mrs. Humphrey had her back to us as she began the lesson, but she had good hearing.

I could feel Bianca's eyes on my back as I sat in Elijah's lap. The classroom phone rang and Mrs. Humphrey dashed out of the room to answer it in silence, shutting the door behind her.

I had an idea.

"He doesn't have to know," I whispered, bringing my lips up to his ear so only he could hear. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. They grew wide as my gaze dropped to his full lips. My heart started beating rapidly in my chest.

I could do this. I'd play with Elijah to piss off Bianca.

I licked my lips, drawing his eyes to my mouth. My breath hitched. Before I could chicken out, I leaned in for a kiss. Elijah shut his eyes at the last second and I smirked.

As his lips were about to meet mine, I moved my head, pretending to reach for something behind his back. His lips smacked my cheek instead and he pulled away, glaring at me.

I unwrapped my arms from around his neck and said, "Oh, I didn't want your brother to know that I got a detention. What did you think I meant? And I'm so gonna tell him that you tried to kiss me again."

Then I got out of his lap, saluted him with my middle finger and sat down right as Mrs. Humphrey walked back in the room.