💫GISELLE💫

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"I STILL CAN'T GET OVER the weekend." Maxine sighed into her pillow, turning over in her bed to face me.

"It was insane." Agreeing, I ran my fingers through my hair. "I need to get up and head to class."

"And the way that dude was looking at you. Do you know him?"

"Nope. I have a class with him though."

"I think he wants you." Squealing, taunting me, Maxine began humping her pillow. "He wanted your hair in his fists instead of hers. He wants to make love to little miss Star!"

"Quit teasing. I doubt he has any interest in me. He was probably just drunk or high or something."

"I asked. He only smoked weed. He doesn't drink." She shrugged, nonchalantly. "He was hot."

"He was ok."

"Come on! Admit it! You'd bone." Waiting for my response, Maxine was all smiles.

"Doesn't matter. I'm with someone."

"Oh really? And who is this mystery man? Someone back home?"

"Yes. Aaron. He'll be closer next year. I seriously can't wait."

"Is he as hot as the guy from last night?"

"He is. He's just not as dark and mysterious or grungy and badass." I squeezed my eyes together, trying to stop myself from picturing his face. His hair. His tattoos. His body. I still saw him. The way he looked at me as he engaged in the filthiest act, in public, with that girl. Maxine was right. The way he stared into my soul the entire time. The way my body ached from that lustful gape let me know that I wanted him. I would have traded places with her just to be beneath his tall, ink-infested body. And when he sprayed her down, I came without being touched. That had never happened before. Honestly, I didn't know it was possible.

"Star?"

"Hmm?"

"Wake up. We have class."

I opened my eyes, not even realizing they were closed to begin with. I found Maxine was up and getting dressed. Taking an exaggerated breath, I hopped out of bed and joined her. The last thing I wanted was to miss my walking partners on our second week of class. I enjoyed having her and Sevyn. They provided the easiest friendship I'd ever come across. Easy to talk to and fun to be around. What more could a girl ask for?

"Good morning, baby. I'm walking to class with the girls. How was your weekend?" I spoke quietly into my phone. Even though both, Maxine and Sevyn, were close enough to hear me. I wanted to at least try to be discreet with my relationship.

"It was eventful. I was invited to the pub for Tam's birthday. It was fun. I got drunk. Can you believe that?" His laugh was so innocent. Aaron never drank or did anything wild, really. I was happy to hear that he did something new for a change. "Yours?"

"It was great. There was a beach house party on Friday. Saturday we actually went back to the beach, and I taught the girls a little bit about surfing."

"Cool. Did you catch any waves?"

"Like three small ones, but it wasn't that active. One of the surfer guys said it'll get better in a few weeks."

"Ah, so you're already replacing me?"

"Never. You're irreplaceable, baby."

By the time our call ended, I was at the building for my first class. I had to practically beg Aaron to let me off the phone. He missed me. I got it. We'd never been so far apart or living such distant lives until I left. Finally, I was able to convince him I'd call him later. I ended with a, "Bye Aaron", at which Max and Sevyn sang with me into the phone. They were so aggravating.

First class of the day. Anatomy. After filling out my information on the sign in sheet, I walked in and found myself a middle seat. Five minutes later, swarms of students came rushing in, lining up to sign in, and fighting for a good seat. Some could care less about where they sat or just preferred somewhere far off in the back.

"Settle down ladies and gents. Let's settle down." Our professor spoke loudly, with authority. She was a tiny woman, wearing black-rimmed glasses and long golden hair. "We will be getting started right away, so pull out your pens and notebooks and let's get it on!"

Class went by quickly; I immediately turned my recorder on and took notes as quickly and efficiently as I could. I took anatomy in high school, but it was during a rough patch of my life when my mom and dad were fighting a lot, so I didn't get a good understanding of the material. Determined to accomplish a full comprehension of the course, I was ready to lock in and focus.

In the middle of the first presentation within chapter one, we were interrupted by a late arrival. All eyes turned to the door as the last person I expected walked through the door. Mr. Public Porn Star loudly burst through the door, wrote his name down on the list, and whispered a few words to our professor, after apologizing for his tardiness. After a few seconds of privately chatting, he was granted access to class. Problem was, the only seat left was the one next to me. Why me?

"Hi." I quietly greeted him as he took his seat. He simply nodded in my direction, avoiding eye contact.

Hi? Who was I kidding? I knew he wasn't sociable, yet I tried to speak anyway. What an idiot. I shook it off, going back to my notorious notetaking. I'll admit, I found it challenging not to glance his way. There were times when I felt his eyes burning a hole through the side of my face. On occasion, I would peer from the corner of my eye and spot him looking away. I couldn't help but wonder if he was interested in me. Did he find me attractive? Was I his type? Did he even have a type? Why was he so anti-social? Clearly, he wasn't shy. So, what was it? Dark past? Criminal record? There were so many questions I fabricated storylines for.

"Your phone." I jumped at the sound of his voice, deep and husky. He sounded like he could host one of those late night, slow jam radio stations. Very sensual. Quickly looking in his direction, unsure if he was talking to me. I blankly looked him up and down. "Your phone." He repeated.

That's when I realized my phone was buzzing, interrupting class. Glancing around the room, I noticed everyone searching for the origin of the sound. The professor keenly eyed me as I silenced my phone. I didn't even get a good look at the name, nerves shaking my entire body. Completely over it, I was ready for class to end. Luckily, God was on my side. A few minutes more and I was practically running out of class.

THE CAFÉ MUST HAVE BEEN everyone's destination at some point during the day. It was a spacious area with multiple sections. The room opened up into this large glass wall with four glass doors in the center that led to an outdoor seating area. There was this cool graffiti wall on the right side of the room, where students signed their names and left messages or their social media handles. I hadn't planned on utilizing that at all. After a second of deliberating sitting inside or outside, I ended up sharing a table with Sevyn and a few people she was acquainted with. It was safe to say that she was the friendliest out of the three of us. Entertaining strangers came easy to her. She never seemed nervous or hesitant to meet new people. She was sweet.

"Where are you from, blondie?" A muscular, scruffy looking guy asked. He was sporting a man bun, clean shaven, with an average height and build.

"California." I smiled a half-smiled, reluctant to the basic "who are you and where do you come from" conversation. Not wanting to appear snobby, I sucked it up and engaged in their festivities of basic Q&A.

"I'm into both." I heard Sevyn announce after being asked if she was seeing or into any guys at school. Even I was shocked to hear that news.

"Both what?" Dumbfoundedly, I questioned her intentions.

"Girls and guys, sunshine." One of the guys from the beach party answered. I flashed a sardonic frown, balling up my face slightly to mock his tone. "I don't think I properly introduced myself, I'm Loki." Extending his hand around the table, I quickly pushed it away.

"And I'm Thor." I mocked. The table laughed in unison.

"A woman that knows her Marvel characters, I love it." His smile told the story of a vain, privileged, brainless jerk. "You told me your name the other night, Giselle. So sexy." Blowing a kiss, he stood and excused himself from the table.

My eyes followed him as he made his way toward the glass doors. There was one table in the corner, where he seemed to make his way, and that's when I saw who he was walking over to. So, he was friends with Lonely Boy? I couldn't believe it at first, but when I saw his body language, I realized that he too was a victim of Loki's forced company.

"Hey! Surfs up! Waves are in!" A tall, blonde, athletic built boy rushed over, banging on the table. All of the guys and two girls jumped up and headed towards the exit.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"They're surfers. There must be some good waves out there right now, based on how excited he is."

"Oh my gosh. Let's go!" I jumped up as well. "Come on, Sevyn."

"Hell yeah! Let's catch some waves, blondie." Another guy shouted.

Everyone at the table jumped up and cleared the room. We made our way to the dorm, changed clothes, and headed to the beach. I wasn't sure how many people were headed there, but I was excited to surf for the first time since leaving home. Once we arrived, I realized it was a large crowd. Literally, enough people to kickoff and full-blown party. I kicked my shoes off, tied my hair up in a bun, and ran to rent a board. It took me a while to find one I liked, but once I did, I was racing out towards the ocean to catch a few waves. Sevyn and Maxine stayed behind, catching some rays on a blanket.

I swam out, eager and enthused to feel the water within me and beneath me all at once. Once I got far enough out, it was a waiting game. I steadied my breathing, trying to control my emotions and remain calm. The first big wave built on the backend. Immediately, I pedaled hard and fast. The moment I stood, I realized I was late. One foot slipped from the board, and I dove headfirst into the water. The wave came crashing down on me as I flipped a few times from the current. My head spun as I found my way above water, retrieving my board for another shot. I wiped the salt and sand from my mouth. Once again, I was sitting on my board, calming my nerves as I waited for the next one. Three minutes later, a ten-footer rose quickly.

"Pedal, pedal, pedal." I chanted to myself, adrenaline rushing through my veins, filling my body with the artificial feeling of power. "My ocean! My world!" I whispered to myself. And then quickly, I popped up on my board. I caught the wave perfectly, riding fiercely as the wind blew my hair from the bun, I thought I tied tightly. I screamed with satisfaction. I could hear a few other voices screaming along with me. Finally, inside the barrel, the florescent coloring of the water swirling around me blew a cool breeze through my body and kissed my soul. I exhaled exuberantly, rejoicing in the familiar feeling of floating on one of God's great creations.

I managed to catch a couple more good waves before I called it and made my way back to shore. Stopping to retie my bun, I was met by a few classmates. They praised me a little, pumping me up more than I already was. I was thrown off by Loki running towards me, scooping me off the ground and spinning me in a few circles.

"What the hell?" I laughed, confused.

"Please, marry me." He exaggerated. "How the hell did you do that? Oh, you've got to do that again." Loki was as excited as I was when I was out there.

"I've been surfing for years." I laughed. "That was just a warm-up."

"Ah, don't get cocky on me, sunshine. I mean, you actually can. You've earned it, but seriously—" He stopped mid-sentence and turned to get backup. "Angel, you agree right? She's amazing, right?"

I looked to put a face to the name, Angel. It was Lonely Boy. Mr. Darkness is my only friend stood there gazing nonchalantly. Unphased. Being closer up on him, I hardly in took air. Angel. What an odd name for a guy like him, protruding a wide range of the most eerie energy. He didn't seem Angelic at all. I studied his appearance, graphic t-shirt with the shoulders cut out, distressed shorts, baseball cap on his head like before. Why was he so carefree? Why was he so expressionless? He nodded a few times, displeased. Apart of me wanted to press him for a better reaction. Instead, I shrugged and shook it off, careless of his opinion. Maxine ran over to us and applauded my performance, followed by a few others I'd become acquainted with through her and Sevyn.

***Author's Words****

It's happening! The main characters still haven't officially met, but after crossing paths a time a two, they have finally entered into a closer proximity of becoming acquainted with one another.

Our sweet little Giselle just showed off one of her talents. How are you feeling about her so far?

 NEXT CHAPTER IS MORE OF GISELLE'S POV. CONTINUE ON!

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