Lovestruck, Page 2

  Selena grew slightly irritated with all the lovestruck sighing that so many girls were making. It was a far worse racket than the one her animals made when they were sick and screeching uncontrollably. Luckily, her animals were healthy, and they healed very fast, but the girls at school didn’t look like they would be healing any time soon from the serious lovespell sickness the stranger seemed to be causing them. Selena had to admit, though, that there was something about the guy. It was a certain something that caused people to gawk at him, and it wasn’t just his good looks.

  “Look at everyone going crazy for that guy, as if any of us regular humans have any chance with his hot self,” retorted Moonflower, rolling her eyes.

  He seemed embarrassed while looking for a place to sit, as if he didn’t like being the center of attraction. How can someone like him not be used to massive attention? Selena wondered.

  Cherise, a cheerleader, invited him to eat at the ugly table where the students who seemed to think they were superior to everybody sat. Selena had nicknamed them the mega-uglies and was eternally grateful that there were only a few in that particular circle. Cherise’s long blonde hair bounced flirtingly and her blue eyes threw confident sparkles. Asher, Cherise’s best friend and look-a-like, didn’t seem too happy about Cherise’s invitation. Apparently, he isn’t up to Princess Asher’s standards, thought Selena. Asher’s overall attitude had gotten worse ever since she hadn’t made the cheerleading squad with her buddy.

  “Sit with us,” Cherise insisted.

  “No thanks,” he said, walking away nonchalantly. Every mouth in the cafeteria flung wide open. No boy had ever turned down Cherise and the student body stared at the new guy with even more fascination than before as he sat by himself in a corner.

  “He’s probably playing hard to get,” informed Moonflower.

  “Probably.”

  “I’m sure he’s stuck up,” Moonflower stated. “Just like Saul said he was.”

  “Maybe.”

  “We’re lucky we’re not stuck like flies waiting to be prayed upon in his spider web of devastating heartbreak like the other girls here,” Moonflower insisted dramatically.

  Selena chuckled. “Very lucky.”

  Moonflower vehemently nodded. “The guy has no car, dresses all plain, and refuses to talk to anybody. What’s the big deal about him, anyway?”

  “Yeah, what’s the big deal?” Selena asked, tearing her sight away from him.

  “It’s not like he’s Taylor Lautner, Rob Pattinson, or Zac Efron.”

  Selena shrugged her shoulders.

  “He’s just a plain, boring guy,” Moonflower added.

  Selena didn’t want to argue with her best friend but of one thing she was positive, the new guy was not plain—not in looks or in personality.

  Having just gotten through fifth period and her favorite subject of College Prep English, Selena joyfully arrived at her last class of the day—World Science. The sun shone brighter, the birds chirped louder and the air smelled fresher at the end of the school day. She sat comfortably in her chair waiting for the bell to start class, relieved to be in a classroom that day instead of the lab with the uncomfortable stools. If conducting experiments, Mr. Honeybee would exchange rooms with the Biology teacher.

  Selena pulled out her research paper on the Mayas and busied herself by going over it when she felt an electrical charge causing miniscule magnetic snaps on her skin. Strange day, she said to herself. Very bizarre.

  Selena’s Grandmother Chela, wonderfully eccentric and her only living grandparent, had told her a long time ago that El Paso and its surrounding areas were in the middle of an energy epicenter. With two countries, Mexico and the United States, two major border cities—El Paso and Juarez, three states--Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua, and countless of towns and small cities coming together including her town of Gran Estrella, eclectic electricity flowed through the air and occasionally sparked like it was doing now. Selena figured it was what caused her to feel ill with the shift in energy. As she looked up to see if anyone else was experiencing the same, the door swung wide open.

  He stepped in.

  The new guy.

  Oh no!

  Chapter 4

  The noisy classroom became as quiet as a library. Selena sighed and shook her head. What’s with this guy? Why does he do this every time he goes into a room? What’s up with that? And of all the sixth period classes, he had to go into hers. With relief, she realized there were no empty chairs near her. She was better off not sitting next to someone who attracted so much attention to himself.

  The bell rang and she prepared to annoy the rest of the class by turning in her paper early since it was due on Friday. She couldn’t say she blamed them. If I wasn’t me, I’d annoy me too, but I’m tired of messing with the paper and need to unload it, she said to herself.

  “Class,” barked Mr. Honeybee, his obsession with Albert Einstein more apparent than ever as his dyed white hair fluffed out in crazy directions. “I’d like to introduce a new student to class. This is Xavier Jones. Please tell us about yourself.”

  The new guy looked as if he hated being up there. “My name is Xavier Jones like Mr. Honeybee said. There isn’t much to say.”

  “What school did you come from?” asked Mr. Honeybee.

  “I was in school in London before this,” he said uncomfortably, his opaque eyes even more closed off than when Selena had seen them earlier. No British accent, she thought.

  “But you’re American, right?” asked Mr. Honeybee.

  “Yes.”

  “How did you like London?” Mr. Honeybee asked.

  “It was fine,” he mumbled.

  “Did you meet Harry Potter?” teased Kevin with a sloppy British accent and most of the students chuckled.

  “Have you met him off the pages of a book?” Xavier Jones asked sarcastically.

  The students roared with laughter and snickered at Kevin who turned a bright reddish pink.

  “Jerk,” Kevin mumbled under his breath as he shuffled in his chair. Suddenly crashing to the ground with a loud thud, Kevin sat on the floor with a surprised and bewildered expression on his face.

  “Who pulled the chair from under me?” Kevin demanded as he stumbled to his feet.

  “No one,” answered an annoyed Mr. Honeybee. “You did it to yourself.”

  “But I’m sure someone pulled it,” assured Kevin, almost pleading for anyone to believe him

  “There’s an empty chair behind you.” remarked Mr. Honeybee, his voice at its most aggravated. “Stop trying to save face and sit down.”

  Students started snickering and yelling, “I’m falling, I’m falling.”

  “Settle down,” demanded Mr. Honeybee.

  Xavier Jones started heading towards the first empty chair he could find on the other side of the classroom. Thank goodness, Selena said to herself.

  “Xavier, don’t sit there,” Mr. Honeybee told him. Saul, you sit over there.” He pointed where Xavier was about to sit. “Xavier, you sit where Saul was at.”

  Great! Selena thought. Saul sat behind her and now he had to exchange seats with Xavier Jones. I’m stuck.

  Xavier Jones walked to Saul’s desk and breezed by Selena. She could feel her inner peacefulness become disrupted like Alka Seltzer dropped in water. The hair on her arms stood straight up as his shiny black eyes flickered at her before he sat down.

  “Xavier, this is Selena Spinoza,” Mr. Honeybee said. “I want you to sit behind her because she’s one of the smartest students in school, and she is very helpful.”

  “Hi,” he said flashing a movie star smile—the kind that made huge stars out of unknowns.

  “Hi,” Selena returned, not wanting to be rude but not giving him his sparkling smile back. She wanted to tell him to save his charm—not to waste it on her, especially since there were so many girls desperately hungering for it. She angrily tried to regroup and regain her annoyingl
y disturbed balance.

  Selena abruptly turned to face the front as Mr. Honeybee started class. Mr. Honeybee discussed the subject of energy sources and then gave a half hour of reading time. As Selena was about to focus her eyes on her Science textbook, she felt a light tap on her shoulder causing an electrical zap.

  “Ow!” Selena cried under her breath.

  “Static,” he said. “Sorry.”

  She quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard her cry out. Luckily, Mr. Honeybee had stepped out, and everyone was chattering.

  “Can I help you with something?” Selena asked, tilting her head to the side and not turning around.

  “You like The Diary of a Young Girl?” Xavier Jones asked.

  “How did you—“

  “I can see it in your mesh backpack.”

  “I love it,” Selena said defensively, still without turning around. Some of the boys had groaned loudly in English class when the book had been assigned. They had wanted to read more of a male-defeats-the-world kind of a book.

  “I admire that book too,” he stated.

  Selena turned to face him and her eyes caught his curious ones. They were much more inviting than they had been earlier, and his face was much more open. “Really?” she asked.

  “Yes, really.”

  “Are you messing with me? Do you really like The Diary of a Young Girl?”

  “Anne Frank was one of the most amazing human beings who ever lived.”

  Selena stared at him for a few seconds and then turned back around, trying to banish what she had seen in his eyes from her mind. From far away, his windows to his soul had heavy curtains that intrigued everyone with their mystery but up close, she could discern a certain deep sadness. She was sure something was hurting him, but it was none of her business.

  Trying hard to concentrate on her textbook, she shut all other thoughts out until the bell rang. At her locker, she exchanged the books she needed and headed for the bus. When she stepped on, she immediately noticed that Moonflower had saved her a place across from Xavier Jones’s seat. She shook her head and gave a light groan. Great! Why can’t he disappear into the crowd? Why does he have to be everywhere I’m at? And it really doesn’t help that so many girls have a whole tragic romance built up about him in their squishy lovestruck heads. Selena very reluctantly sat next to Moonflower.

  "I've got so much homework," complained Moonflower.

  "I don't have that much today," Selena said.

  "Hi, ladies," greeted Saul who sat in the seat behind them.

  "Hi, Saul," said Moonflower.

  "You look like a rainbow butterfly," he said to her.

  What does a rainbow butterfly look like? Selena wondered. Sometimes Saul didn’t make a lot of sense, but his intentions were good. He was into theatre but not as much as Moonflower who could easily memorize lines. Saul, however, often needed help since his vocabulary wasn’t large.

  "Thank you," Moonflower gushed.

  "Selena, would you help me with my research paper? Now that they've moved me, I couldn't ask you in class," Saul grumbled, throwing an irritated glance at Xavier Jones.

  "Sure."

  Saul handed her some paperwork. "This is what I've got so far."

  Xavier Jones’s searching eyes fell on Selena as she read the page. She grimaced, not liking being stared at.

  "I like that you're doing your research paper on Benjamin Franklin’s inventions,” she said, gulping. “Benjamin Franklin is one of my favorites, but I don't see a thesis statement here.”

  "Do I have to have one?"

  "Yes! What kind of a research paper would it be without a thesis?"

  "Okay, I'll work on it."

  "Just remember that your thesis statement is what your paper is about,” Selena stated, trying her hardest not to think about where Xavier Jones’s focus was. His solid gaze stayed stubbornly on her.

  "Okay."

  "I'll check it for you when you finish it."

  "Thanks, dude."

  It had taken a while for her to get used to him calling her dude, but that was what he called everybody—everybody except Moonflower. Selena smiled warmly at Saul, subconsciously shifting her sight and catching up to Xavier Jones’s dark eyes. He didn’t even flinch as he openly and curiously gazed into her. Why does he keep staring? Selena quickly yanked her eyesight away. Clearing her throat, she tried to get her mind back on track.

  "Saul," Selena nervously uttered, "you've only got until Friday, so you have to get going."

  "Maybe it's too late for me to get this done," he said dejectedly.

  "Of course you can get it done. It's only Monday, but you can't be fooling around. You've got to sit down and do it. You can do it, Saul, you really can. I’ll help you any way I can."

  Saul smiled. "Thanks, dude. Thanks a lot."

  When Selena stepped off the bus, finally and thankfully, Antonio was already waiting for her with his tail wagging happily. She patted him on the head as she said goodbye to Moonflower and walked towards home.

  "That dog has got to be the ugliest thing in the world," sneered Brad, laughing and walking in the opposite direction.

  Selena angrily knelt down and hugged her dog. "Don't pay any attention to that jerk, Antonio. He's the ugly one."

  Selena stood up to find Xavier Jones's curious eyes on her. Then she heard a loud thud. When she looked in the direction of it, she saw Brad sputtering angrily from the ground.

  “Stupid thing,” he kept saying furiously, pointing at a huge rock.

  The jerk must’ve tripped, Selena said to herself, not being abe to help the sudden smile that sprang to her lips, but then she chastized herself because it wasn’t good to be happy about someone’s misfortunes, even a jerk like Brad.

  Brad tried to stand up but due to complete uncoordination, he kept falling. The more he attempted to get up, the more students mocked and ridiculed him. One of his friends finally helped him to his feet.

  Selena shifted her eyes away to find Xavier Jones’s solid gaze still on her and groaned. She quickly started going home, and he quietly walked behind her. Selena kept ordering herself not to do anything stupid like turning around and starting a conversation to see why he stared at her so much. Did she have something funny on her face? Maybe I remind him of someone, she reasoned. As she stepped inside the gate to her house, she questioned where he lived. It must be somewhere up the street, she thought. Hopefully far away from me.

  She couldn’t help wondering what had brought him all the way to the little town of Gran Estrella in the outskirts of El Paso from the far distance of London.

  Why is he here?

  Chapter 5

  “Mom, where are you?” Selena called out as soon as she walked in the door.

  “In the kitchen.”

  Selena headed towards her mother’s voice. “Hi, Mom,” she greeted Mrs. Spinoza, a Salma Hayek look-a-like. The voice of Selena Quintanilla Perez blasted from the C.D. player in the kitchen. She was Mrs. Spinoza’s favorite singer and even though she had been tragically killed, her music lived on. When Mrs. Spinoza’s only child was born, choosing a name for the baby had been easy.

  “Buenas tardes, preciosa,” Mrs. Spinoza said, kissing Selena’s forehead.

  “Mom, have you noticed anything strange today?”

  “Like what?” Mrs. Spinoza asked as she tried pulling apart two bright red lovebird magnets from the refrigerator door.

  “What are you doing?”

  “These magnets came together, and I can’t separate them,” Mrs. Spinoza said, annoyed. The vein on her forehead popped out with all the strength she was trying to muster.

  Selena took the magnets from mom’s hands and easily snapped them apart.

  “How did you do that? I couldn’t get them to budge.”

  Selena shrugged and chuckled as she handed the magnets back to her mom. “I guess milking Eleanor has given me powerful hands.”


  “Yes, preciosa, taking care of those animals has made you very strong,” she said, looking at the magnets in her hands with a perplexed look. She could feel them pulling towards each other.

  “My troop needs a lot of care.”

  “Selenita, you spoil your animals way too much, especially Zac,” Mrs. Spinoza stated, putting the magnets on opposite sides of the refrigerator door.

  “I can’t help it if Zac needs a lot of attention.”

  “Zac thinks he’s human. He doesn’t know he’s a pig.”

  Selena chuckled. “I know, Mom.”

  The lovebird magnets started slowly pulling towards one another. Suddenly, they snapped together again, making a melodious clinking sound.

  “I guess they wanted to stay together,” stated Mrs. Spinoza, furrowing her eyebrows.

  “There must be something especially magnetic about the atmosphere today,” Selena informed her.

  “What?”

  “You know, Mom, the earth is magnetic. It comes from the earth’s core.”

  “My daughter—the brain.”

  “I just pay attention in Science class,” Selena said, sitting at the table.

  “No, preciosa, it’s not just that. You’re very smart.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  "So, how was your day?" asked Mrs. Spinoza with a bright smile.

  Selena smiled back, basking in her mother's light. Even though she lived in a double wide mobile home and not in one of those huge houses in the area, she doubted that the people who lived in them had any more warmth in their homes than she had in hers.

  "A little off balance. How was your day, Mom?"

  "Good, but why was your day off balance?

  “Nothing important.”

  Mrs. Spinoza didn’t look too convinced. “Nothing at all?”

  “Just stuff,” Selena said uncomfortably.

  “Stuff?”

  “Yes.”

  Mrs. Spinoza still didn’t look convinced, but she dropped the subject. “I've been waiting for you to eat. I've made green enchiladas."

  Selena’s mouth watered. "I'm starving.”