"Meralda, are you seriously planning on wearing that for your first day of high school?!" My mom's voice echoed in the quiet kitchen. Her normally pale face was blotchy and angry as she stared at my outfit I had chosen for today's first freshman day of high school. I was wearing ripped jeans, a baggy tee, a friendship bracelet and flip-flops. Nothing out of the ordinary, surely?

So I replied with sarcasm. "No, mother, I plan on stripping once I arrive and going nude all day." Then I saw her reaction, and I decided that I probably shouldn't have gone to sarcasm mode.

"Young lady, you will not leave my house until you put on another layer of clothing, do you understand me? I mean what I say, missy!" Yeah, there's no 'probably' about it – I should not have gone sarcastic. I try to diffuse the rising storm. "Okay, mom, sure. I'll just be a moment."

She manages a tight nod and I run up the stairs to my bedroom. Thank whatever God there is that I ran track last year, otherwise I'm sure mom would be yelling at me to hurry up. Once inside my room I pick out my red sweatshirt I bought in Wales last summer and ran back down the stairs again. Mom was sitting in a kitchen chair, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

I approached the table hesitantly, afraid of another outburst. "Mom? I got a sweatshirt. May I go now?" Wow, I really sounded nice.

She looked up and just said, "Have a good day, Meralda," and went back to her consistent rubbing.

I thought about her as I waited for the school bus fifteen minutes later, feeling comfortable in my solitude on the corner of the street. This hangover has got to be her worst one yet, for sure. She's never been so picky before. Even after dad left her sixteen years ago, and she became an alcoholic, she's always been nice to me. Something must be going on in her life that I don't know about, something serious. I mentally vowed that after school I'd find out exactly what 'something serious' is.

Thinking about school got me thinking about during school today. I wonder what kind of peers I'll meet today at Athena's Academy, or the Double-A. On my guess, I'd say the vast majority of the students will be preps and jocks, with one or two Goth kids and maybe one sweetheart guy, but even one is probably pushing the envelope. Even still, I hoped I had a class, or all my classes, with a sweet hearted kid.

I heard the bus before I saw it, so I was kind of prepared for what I was going to see. But only kind of.

The bus was just like a normal bus, if you exclude the fact that the entire vehicle was blue and green, with a portrait of the Greek god Athena painted on both sides. Yep, if you don't count that it's as normal a bus as you can imagine. But, you can't ignore that, so let's just say that this is no ordinary bus.

The blue and green thing that was a bus pulled up to where I was standing and made an extremely loud halt. When the double doors opened, I stared into a face crinkled in a genuine smile, sitting in the driver's chair. Gray hair peeked out of a rust-colored trucker hat, and a blue, oil-stained mechanical uniform covered the massive body of the driver.

"Welcome aboard, missy. I'll need to know your name so I can tell you where you sit." He had insightful, warm blue eyes that made me want to stand and just chat all day with this kind man.

I shook off that feeling and climbed onto the bus. A very loud bus, I may add, that was already filled with students. All of the aforementioned students were talking amongst themselves, more vehemently in the rear end of the bus. In a soft voice I said my name. "Meralda, sir." The bus driver's face told me he hadn't heard me, so I repeated, louder this time, "Meralda, sir!"

His face changed, now. Shock crossed over his features, then incredulity, and awe. I was too immersed in his rapidly changing facial expressions to notice that the entire bus had gone silent.

He finally contrived to speak again, but only after clearing his throat conspicuously. "Erm… Thank you… Let me see here, you sit with Dan, Meralda. Dan, could you wave your hand, please?" This last part was spoken only slightly louder, seeing how the whole bus had gone quiet and there was no reason to shout.

A tall guy sitting in the last two-thirds of the bus lifted his hand. Mr. Bus Driver nodded to me and began to close the doors, and so I took the hint and started maneuvering myself through the mass of bodies hanging off their seats and into the aisle. After looking down while passing the first seat I looked up and saw that everyone was staring at me. When I saw everyone, I swear I mean everyone. The boy named Dan had a hint of a smile hovering on his lips. All the others were just staring. What attractive behavior, I mean, really!

I looked down again until I got to Dan's seat. I met his eyes and noticed that they were a deep green. His eyes were similar to a warm, welcoming meadow, accepting and shielded. He wore a blue baseball cap reading, 'Cape League', and by now a friendly smile lit up his entire face. When he smiled, his face was aglow with inner happiness and peace, with not a care in the world. Well, lucky him. I've definitely got cares in the world.

I sat down next to Dan and Mr. Bus Driver, noticing that the silence was enduring, turned on and up the radio. As the other people began to chat again, I gave him a grateful look before I turned to my seat partner.

Dan's eyes were quietly observing me, assessing me. I didn't like that, so I flipped my long brunette hair over one shoulder and introduced myself. "Hello, I'm Meralda," and I added in a smile for good measure. I could clap myself on the back, I was so proud of myself for being civil.

Dan threw me another heart-breaking smile. I nearly gasped, his smiles made him look so… attractive. "I'm Dan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Meralda." His voice was deep and matured, low and assured. The vibrations in the air that he made when he talked wrapped around me like a blanket, warming me and protecting me at the same time. He reverted back to his silent observing of me, and when I turned uneasy again I tried to make light conversation.

"So, Dan. Uh, what kind of movies do you like?" Geez, I sounded so dumb. Just shoot me now, get today over and done with already.

His reply jarred me. "Horror." I was most definitely not expecting that. Romance, yeah. Comedy, maybe. But horror? Now I'm intrigued. He'd gone quiet again so I asked, "What's your favorite movie, then?"

Dan sighed, a defeatist sound, letting me know he's finally going to open up to me. "My number one? Probably 'Not Another Teen Movie'".

I frowned. "Didn't you just say you liked horror movies?"

He nodded, closing his amazingly green eyes in the process. With his eyelids down, his face looked exposed and vulnerable. I instantly discovered that, much to my amazement and chagrin, I had a crush on Dan. IN the space of two minutes, he'd managed to make me like him. Considering I've never liked anyone before, this is a pretty lofty feat.

When he re-opened his eyes, they were anew with curiosity. He leaned a little off the window and a little toward me. My mind told me to lean back, to maintain my personal 'bubble'. But my body wouldn't listen to rational thought. Involuntarily, I edged towards him, too.

He asked me in his beautiful, smooth voice, "So, Meralda. What about you? What's your favorite movie?" His green pools glittered.

The answer came to me as quick as breathing. "Most definitely 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'." I surreptitiously eyed him to see at his reaction. The last person I'd told had outright laughed at me and told me to go watch the Teletubbies.

His expression didn't change, but amusement betrayed him in his eyes. "Ah, so you're into comedy. Not many girls around here who look like you watch those movies."

I was offended. "Define what I look like, please, Mr. Dan-I'm-The-Man!" Yeah, the irresistibly cute man.

He considered his answer. Smart choice, with how I'm feeling. "The Plastics from the movie, 'Mean Girls'. Only with a much more defined with mature look." He smiled again. I think I'm becoming addicted to his smiles. In fact, I swear I am.

I'd also seen the movie, 'Mean Girls', and I have to admit that I was flattered at first. The Plastics were the elite, popular, gorgeous girls at their high school. They were also dirty dishrags, with the I.Q. level of a walnut. Dan told me I wasn't a dirty dishrag, but he'd not exempted me from their intelligence. Translation: he thinks I'm 'stoopid'. Well, we'll see who's stupid.

I tilted my head and enlarged my eyes marginally, gazing at him unflinchingly. He gazed back, with so much intensity that I almost, but not quite, forgot what I was planning on doing. Almost.

"I have two questions. The first is, how do you add accents and tildes to letters when you're using sign language? Secondly, if I had the inequality of five minus two 'x' is less than three, what's the quantity of 'x'?"

The expression in Dan's eye, still holding mine, changed from amusement to understanding as he saw that I was trying to show him I'm not stupid. He turned in his seat to fully face me, then he replied, "To your first question, I don't know, and the second is 'x' is greater than one."

I smirked. "One out of two. Wow, good job, Einstein."

My smirk died as he said, "Fair fight, Rasputin". Rasputin here referring to the Russian confidante during the first world war who corrupted the Russian government by wheedling himself into favor, hiring and firing those he chose and angering the Russian citizens. In the end, it took enough poison to kill off fifteen people, three bullets in his body, kicks to the head, and finally drowning in a frozen river to kill the man. Fair fight, indeed.

My face went red as I had a new thought. Rasputin was also known to be a very hypnotizing person to be around. He always got his way. His presence was like a magnetic force, drawing everyone near to him.

I covered my confused embarrassment with easily accessed anger. My fists balled. "So, what's that supposed to mean?"

When I saw Dan flinch from the flicker of anger in my eyes, I felt two-faced and I instantly wanted my pride and dignity to bow and leave, but apparently they're staying for an encore appearance.

In response, Dan retaliated viciously. "What do you think it means? Whatever you're thinking is probably wrong anyway."

The nerve! My mouth flapped open. I was speechless with fury. I did only logical thing I could think of. So I slapped him hard, on the cheek, and turned myself so I wasn't facing him and proceeded to ignore the cute man's existence who sat next to me.

Five minutes passed, and I began to regret what I'd done. I hoped I hadn't hurt him. My slaps have been known to be man-punches thrown from the backside of a woman's hand. With this thought I began to cry. I probably did hurt him. And my first friend, too! What a great way to start my high school career!

My shoulders started shaking with sobs. The bus went quiet, all eyes transfixed on my tears. I saw awed glances thrown my way, as well as looks full of loathe, and a few with even… pity? Pity?! I won't have anybody pitying me!

I wiped my hand across my eyes, catching my fallen tears. Only, they were golden tears, not the normal, clear, salty ones. Since when had I cried golden tears!? That's what I'd like to know! I looked back at Dan, and his expressing was hard to label. Reverence mixed with sadness, and a little lick of surprise? What an odd reaction to seeing someone shedding golden tears.

As I noticed a splash of red on his cheek, I tried to choke out my words. "I-I'm so …s-s-sorry… D-Dan…"

His expression instantly altered to a compassionate one. He said, "No, no, Meralda, there's nothing to forgive. I'm alright. Forget about me, now how are you?" His eyes reached out to me, pleading me to confide in him. I worked on getting myself under control. His eyes were so pitiful and honest, I couldn't say no to a face like that. But how could I expound all my nervousness, all of me, to this boy I met this morning? How could he even listen to what little I could possibly say?

As the clamor of voices began to rise again, his eyes tried to persuade me. I succumbed with good grace to Dan's powerful magnetic pull. Pssh, and he called me Rasputin? Hardly the case.

"Okay, Dan. But I think I should start in the begin-" My sentence was abruptly cut off when the bus went from 60 MPH to 0 in two seconds, thus sending everyone smashing into each other and the seats ahead of them.

Mr. Bus Driver looked into his mirror facing us with a sheepish grin making him look like he got caught doing something mischievous.

I heard a high-pitched girl's voice from the seat behind me squeal, "OH! My nails are so totally, like, ruined! Gerrrr!" Then I heard her pound her fists into somebody. A low, masculine moan reached my ears, and I turned back to give this idiot of a girl's punching bag a sympathetic look.

What I saw didn't warrant any sympathetic glance from me at all. The girl and her seat-buddy were in full make-out mode, with their hands in each others hair, the girl in his lap… the full nine yards.

Since I really was not in the mood to watch snogging at the moment, I coughed loudly and told the couple in a carrying voice, "No need to be so chaste, you two. No one's watching."

I heard snickers erupt around me, and I felt Dan tugging at my arm. "Mer, sit down, leave them be…" I ignored him, although his nickname for me was charming.

The guy liplocked with the girl was the first to respond, at all, and that was only after a few more sarcastic remarks from me. When he did look up, I was rendered absolutely speechless.

Gorgeous navy blue eyes were framed by loose black curls. With cherry lips, a dominant chin and a muscular build, this guy would be on everyone's radar. If, that is, he didn't obviously already have a girlfriend – Mouse-Voice Girl to his right. He looked into my eyes as he pulled away from his kiss. His blue orbs actually looked semi-smart; not what you'd expect coming from a guy so beautiful; it should be a crime to go out with him. But the spark was there, all the same.

His eyes scanned my face, probably wondering about why I even care that they're making out behind me.

I suddenly felt the need to explain, and quickly. "You see, I just don't like PDA's. It's against my religion." My eyes challenged him to ask exactly what my religion was, since he obviously wasn't part of it.

He took the bait. "Yeah? What do you practice?" Beautiful voice, but arrogant.

"Abstinence."

Dan full-out laughed beside me. Laughter floated around my seat. Some people looked shocked I was calling out this guy on his completely inappropriate behavior.

His eyes looked at me as if he'd been blinded, but now saw the light. They appraised me. Reminded of Dan's first glances my way, I felt uncomfortable for at least the second time already today. I held out my hand for him to shake and introduced myself. "I'm Meralda."

In turn, he told me his name. "Hello, Meralda. I'm Zeus."