Mr. Jackson’s brow rose high on his long forehead. “Yes, Natti?”
Natti dropped her hand to the table. “Though not my favorite author, he is considered by many to be one of the great American novelists. He was raised in Minnesota, sent to boarding school in New Jersey and enrolled into Princeton, yet he never graduated. Instead he enlisted in the army as World War I neared. When he became a second lieutenant, he was stationed in . . . Alabama I believe?” Mr. Jackson nodded, and she continued, “It was there that he met his future wife, Zelda. However, with her desire for wealth, fun, and leisure, she wouldn’t marry him until he proved to be successful. This came when he published This Side of Paradise in nineteen-twenty. The Great Gatsby, which was published later in nineteen-twenty-five, actually illustrates many of the events that occurred in Fitzgerald’s earlier life and his relationship with his wife, Zelda.”
Natti heard a pencil drop behind her and turned in time to see it roll off the desk. A boy gaped at her in shock. Her cheeks heating under all the students’ stares, Natti crouched into her chair and used a sheet of her hair to hide the side of her face.
“Well, Natti, I am very impressed.” Mr. Jackson’s smile boosted Natti’s confidence. He stood up and walked to the board behind him. “She is correct, and as Natti had pointed out, Fitzgerald applies himself into his book through two characters: Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. . . .”
Natti was relieved once she had reached her locker. She hadn’t seen the upperclassman she ran into since their little encounter, and she only had one more class for the day: physical education. All for the better. She didn’t know what exactly happened back in that empty classroom, only that she didn’t want a repeat experience. Exchanging her books for a pair of tennis shoes, she locked her locker and turned around to find the tall, copper haired boy standing over her. His intense eyes bore into her.
She leapt back, hitting the back of her head against the locker-lined wall. “Ow,” Natti growled and rubbed the small bump that was developing. “What’s with sneaking up behind me?”
The young man grinned and placed his hand on the wall beside her, blocking her path. For the first time, Natti noticed the color of his eyes. They were a gorgeous shade of turquoise. So hypnotic and enticing, they had the warmth of a gentle fire. She could feel their power over her, trying to pull her into their depths. Natti refused to be drawn into them. She, instead, stared right at the chest of his tight, black T-shirt, which showed of his perfectly lean muscles. She felt her cheeks flush.
What is with this guy?
“Do you mind?” Natti snapped, feeling a bit uncomfortable with him being in her personal space. “I have to get to gym class.”
He leaned a little closer, forcing her to look up into his eyes. A heart-melting grin exposed his brilliant white teeth. They were shaped perfectly, unlike several of the boys’ she knew back in London. It only added to the undeniable features that attracted her, making her body hot with want and desire. Natti’s heart pounded wildly, but her fury burned underneath.
“That wasn’t a request! Bugger off!”
The young man was dumbfounded by her abrupt response. His eyes moved down the exposed skin of her legs to her flip-flops, almost as if he was searching for something. Natti squirmed under the gaze, wishing she knew what the hell he was looking for. She wouldn’t give him a free ride, she could tell him that. However, it surprised her when his eyes focused on hers again, he seemed flustered. He straightened his stance and stroked the back of his neck.
“Um . . . Sorry?” he told her. There wasn’t even a hint of the overwhelming pull his voice had earlier. Nothing to ensnare her senses with. “You’re . . . You’re not like other girls.”
Say what? Natti rolled her eyes. “Is that supposed to be a pick-up line or something?”
“No. An observation. You’re really not like other girls.”
“Been around enough to make such an evaluation, have you?”
His enchanting grin returned. “I’ve had my fair share of experience.”
Natti wanted to gag, glaring at him in disgust. However, her reaction only seemed to encourage him. His eyes were beginning to draw her in again. A wild, intense tingling sensation coursed through her veins. Natti shoved the exciting feeling from her mind and forced her gaze once again on his shirt. He held out his hand to her.
“My name’s Seth.”
A strange fog took over Natti’s thoughts. She felt the urge to respond, to give him her name, yet her heart was sending her warning signals. The heaviness making her feel dizzy and sick. As charming and gorgeous as he was, something was truly wrong. Something about him made her feel like she was being controlled, which she did not like, at all.