Mesmerized

do know that is grounds for expulsion."
    Samantha's looked startled. "There was no fight. It was just a little miscommunication. We worked things out. Please don't kick me out, my mother would kill me." 
    Lily was surprised to see Samantha had tears running down her face. "She's right. It was nothing, and it won’t happen again. I promise." 
    The principal sighed, sat back in her huge black leather seat, and stared over her tortoise-shell glasses. She tapped her blood-red fingernails on the table. "I'm willing to overlook this incident if I have your word it will not happen again. If you two go at it again, you will be expelled, no questions asked. I don't care who your parents are." She looked directly at Samantha when she made the last statement. Lily couldn't help but wonder who her parents were—they obviously were important. 
    “Yes Ma’am, you have my word,” Lily said. "I'm sorry." 
    Samantha nodded. “Mine too. Thank you.”
     
    Back in her room, Lily ignored questions from Hannah about what had happened. She didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to forget it ever happened. It was stupid of her to lose her temper over something so dumb. Samantha was not worth getting kicked out. She had to do better at keeping her temper in check.
    “I'm still here. That's the important thing. I am starting to like it here.” Lily looked at the suitcase Hannah was packing and asked, “When are you leaving?” 
    “Few hours. I'll be back Sunday evening."
    "That's good." Lily smiled and grabbed a book off her dresser to read. She flopped back on the bed and crossed her feet at the ankles. She tried to concentrate on the book, but her mind kept wandering to Jake.
     
    It was the day after Thanksgiving break had started and Lily was walking down the hall to the library when a boy with short black hair blocked her way. “Excuse me,” she said indifferently.
    His dark brown eyes bore into hers. “You smell delicious.”
    Lily shifted her weight uncomfortably. “Thanks. You’re in my way.”
    He didn’t move. He just kept staring at her. “Beautiful,” he mumbled, sounding like he was under a spell.
    His hand reached out to touch her and she slapped it away. “Stop it! Go away!” She forced herself past him and ran the rest of the way to the library. She didn’t feel safe again until she had yanked open the door and walked inside. Her breathing was slightly labored from the sprint. With everyone’s eyes on her, she knew he wouldn’t be able to try anything else if he followed her.
    Taking a deep breath, Lily let the scent of new and old books fill her nose. Quickly and quietly, she went up to the librarian's desk and asked her where she could find a book on Native Americans.
    Part of Lily wanted to stay in the library for safety reasons, but the other part of her wanted to get back to her room. With everybody staring it was hard for her to concentrate. She finally decided just to check out the books and leave. It would be quiet and lonely because Hannah had already left for home. Classes were over, but the library and gym stayed open for the students who were staying at school.
    As she was walking back to her room, she felt like someone was watching her. Looking around, Lily’s eyes finally rested on a figure in the shadows. “Who’s there?” she called out.
    The person stepped into the light and she recognized the long bangs right away. 
    “Jake?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Why are you hiding?”
    He couldn’t tell her the truth. That he was worried about her and felt like he had to protect her. “I wasn’t hiding. I was just…relaxing. 
    She raised her eyebrows. “In the woods at night?”
    “Yes,” he said firmly. "I like being outdoors. Anything to get out of that stuffy dorm room."
    “Okay.” She started walking again. 
    Jake closed his eyes. Don’t let her slip away, he told himself, say something to her. “Um…Lily?”
    “Yeah?” She turned to face him.
    Jake looked down and shuffled his feet. “Do you wanna…maybe get something to eat?”
    Oh did she ever! She would love to go eat with him. But, her mother’s voice echoed in her head, “You can’t date boys. You could hurt them easily. Possibly kill them.”
    She sighed feeling defeated. “I can’t. I have a project.”
    Jake’s face fell. “Oh. You have to eat though, right? We don’t have to stay long.”
    She smiled. “Just dinner?”
    “Of course.”
    “Okay. Where are you taking me?”
    “Just the