Chapter 1 - Lily

I should have known a 9:00 AM film class was a bad idea. Before I had even finished my morning coffee, still warm in the thermos between my palms, I was nodding off in my seat in the dimly lit classroom beneath the low whir of the projector.

Right when my sleepy head was about to hit the desk, I caught myself with a start, quickly glancing around to see if anyone had noticed, thankful to be seated in the back row. Luckily the ancient film professor, Mr. Corval, was paying sole attention to his tattered. To my left, Randy Lynch had his head bowed, fervently taking notes just as he had spent every class since high school. The other students looked bored out of their minds, nearly leading me to believe no one caught me in the embarrassing act, until my eyes locked with those of a smirking boy in the front row, several feet below me.

He winked, taunting, and I scowled. He had an elvish face with a spattering of freckles, a mess of sandy hair, and playful eyes that lingered on mine a moment too long before he turned back to the screen. Though I couldn’t recall his name, the first week of class he had proudly remarked that his favorite director was Wes Anderson, to which I had rolled my eyes. Nothing against Wes, of course, but it was such a typical boy choice.

I popped the lid of my thermos, taking a swig of bitter coffee. Determined to stay awake, I shifted my attention back to the screen, but I had missed enough of the plot to leave me confused by the time the credits rolled and Mr. Corval flicked on the blindingly white overhead fluorescents. “Your film journal for Rear Window will be due this time next week, as per usual...” His voice trailed off amidst the rustle of shifting students, more bored than anyone. “Class dismissed.” He returned to his paperback.

Randy shoved his notebook away and gave me a curt nod. “See ya, Lily.” He slipped off into the fray of exiting students, his book bag looking heavy with the weight of a full course load. I needed a nap. I sluggishly began to gather my own belongings. The sandy-haired boy was approaching me, his lanky legs ascending the risers one at a time. Door’s the other way, I thought.

He stopped at my side with his hip jutted and his knuckles resting on my desk, as if we were old friends. “Not a fan of Hitchcock? I saw you dozing off back there,” he said, a slight rasp to his voice. I mumbled something noncommittal in response, fighting with the zipper to my backpack. “Hey,” he said. The sudden, urgent shift of his tone made me glance up. He cocked his head to the side. “I think you’ve got some drool,” he whispered. “Just there.” He motioned to the corner of his mouth.

Mortified, I frantically wiped my chin with the back of my hand. It was dry. I narrowed my eyes at the boy, whose eyes twinkled before he burst out in deep, raucous laughter, his face breaking into a smile more brilliant than that morning’s sunrise. “Gotcha.” His absolute delight at his own innocent trick made me crack a small smile as well, in spite of myself.

“You’re a meanie,” I complained, giving his shin a light kick under the desk.

“I’m Avett,” he corrected, grabbing my hand for a shake and his laughter subsided.

“Lily.”

“Miss Lily, your hand is like an ice cube!” He exclaimed. He knelt beside my desk, taking my pale hand in both of his large, freckled ones. They were so warm they seemed to instantly defrost my frigid skin while he rubbed them to create friction. Bringing my hand to his mouth, he blew on it a couple of times for good measure. His hot breath on my skin sent shivers down my spine.

“M- Mr. Corval keeps the AC on so high...” I stammered, nervously glancing to the teacher, hoping my soft voice was drowned out by the louder conversations of other lingering students.

My attention was drawn back to Avett when he quickly pressed his lips against my palm and wrapped my hand in his, as if sealing the kiss there. He stood, his grip on my hand unwavering. My heart fluttered, to my annoyance. I cursed myself for being so easily charmed by this random boy. I hadn’t realized how touch deprived I must have been. Pathetic.

Avett tipped his head to the door, never taking his eyes off me. “Come with me,” he said, his tone more an order than a question. “Let’s get some coffee and get you warm.”

Before I could open my mouth to argue, my legs, as if under a spell, obediently lifted me from my seat and allowed Avett to guide me down the risers. We stepped out of the cold, sterile classroom into the sunny autumn morning. He grinned down at me from his impressive height, his teeth ever-so-slightly crooked. He said, “I have someone who absolutely must meet you.”

The campus coffee shop was comfortably warm and bustling with the morning rush, a line of students reaching nearly to the door. It was probably my favorite place in the school, with its carefully curated music playlists playing low, its eclectic, thrifted furniture, and walls cluttered with student artwork. Avett’s grip on my hand was still firm as we entered, as if he feared I’d otherwise slip away. He didn’t let go until he spotted a dark-haired boy standing in line.

“Adrian!” He exclaimed, rushing over to embrace the boy from behind. Lifting Adrian clean off the floor, he swung him around and nuzzled his face into his neck. The boy gave a small grin, clearly pleased to see Avett. I felt a wave of relief that was quickly stippled with disappointment. Perhaps Avett had not been flirting with me, after all.

“Adrian, you simply must meet Miss Lily here,” Avett announced, placing the boy down to face me. I recognized him at once as someone I had seen frequenting the library, often lost in his own studies in some secluded corner. He dressed in dark colors, long sleeves that pooled over his hands. He had an intense gaze and a silver ring hooked through his lower lip. I had admittedly always found his aloofness intimidating, though Avett was clearly unperturbed.

“Is this your boyfriend?” I blurted out, immediately cringing at myself.

With a laugh, Avett released him from his grip as the two boys made faces of mock disgust. “No, just best friends,” Avett admonished.

“We’re more like brothers,” Adrian clarified quietly, sizing me up from beneath his dark eyelashes.

“Or twins!” Avett cut in excitedly, lowering his face to be level with his friend’s. “Can you see the resemblance?”

I scoffed. They looked nothing alike. Avett looked like he belonged at Woodstock, while Adrian looked like he belonged at the Warped Tour.

“Yes, but I’m older by six months,” Adrian said, looking away.

“But I’m two inches taller,” Avett announced, straightening up to his full height. It was true; but even though Adrian was shorter than his bean-pole friend, my petite stature barely came up to his chin. They certainly acted like brothers, each trying to one-up the other in any way he could.

The line moved and we three took a step closer to the register. “Lily is in my film class,” Avett was explaining to Adrian. “Though, she spends more time sleeping than watching the movies.”

“Hey!” I argued, swatting his arm. “That was one time!”

Avett grinned his toothy grin. “You’re just so easy to rile up, kid,” he said, tweaking my nose.

I blushed. Adrian’s presence only seemed to fuel Avett’s impish pestering of me, which, albeit a bit annoying, mostly made my heart quicken and my insides twist into a depraved tangle. I glanced at Adrian, who quickly broke eye contact and looked at the floor, his cheeks also tinged with pink. Hmm. Maybe he wasn’t so intimidating after all.

The three of us ordered coffees and grabbed a cramped table by the window, beneath a canopy of hanging planters. The boys happily bantered back and forth the whole time. I had never seen two people so thoroughly comfortable in each other’s presence, and their dynamic somehow put me further at ease. “How long have you two known each other?” I asked once we were settled, directing the question at Adrian. I couldn’t quite read him, much unlike Avett, who seemed an open book, and it intrigued me.

“Forever, basically,” Adrian shrugged, still not meeting my gaze. He blew steam off the top of his coffee, into which he had dumped several vanilla creamers and packets of sugar, much to my surprise. I had taken him for more of a black coffee type person.

“Are you from around here?” I questioned further.

“Nope,” Avett stepped in. “We transferred to this school because we moved here over the summer.”