Derik Marks and Kenna Westen were two totally different factors on the scale of popularity. At the top, along with the cheerleaders, jocks and rich kids, sat Derik – the handsomest of the handsome. His dark hair, falling into his dreamy blue eyes, and drop-dead smile and football body send girls swooning. Meanwhile, on the straight-A, computer geek end, Kenna was unnoticed by human life. Her bright red hair always in a sloppy pony-tail and newly acquired straight teeth looked fancy with her vivid green eyes and lightly freckled face.

It all started when Derik needed his class rescheduled. Kenna had English four during her third hour – the same hour Derik needed to switch to. The seat behind Kenna was vacant from the soul who had to switch because of a wrong schedule. Since the class was almost full, and Derik would fill the desks, the teacher directed him to the seat behind Kenna. This new seating chart would keep these two distant people the closest in a hundred years.

That day was a cold November; the wind chilled those who dared venture outside and the autumn leaves had made their final moments on the branches a battle. With Christmas on most minds, people began to slack off, their immune systems weakening with every minute outside of a warm building. Those who were smart, like Kenna and her only friend, Jake Nowak, scarves and gloves prevented cold air from entering the creases of exposed skin. Many of those who were sick with colds were those who felt fine in a hoodie and flip-flops. Derik just happened to miss an important day the day before in English because of a sore throat.

The day he returned, he needed help with his homework. Just before class dismissed, Derik tapped Kenna's shoulder. Surprised, Kenna turned around, expecting him to give her a note to pass to Amy Martin, a cheerleader that sat a few seats ahead of them. Derik already had his question branded into his mind; nothing could make him forget it. Then she turned completely around.

At that moment, Derik was sucked into a world of fantasies. It was almost as if he saw light for the first time in his life, awed to the very core of his body and soul. The force drew him to look into the emerald depths of this girl in front of him. Homework was not a worry nor care at the moment as he automatically fell in love with the girl no one thinks twice about.

Kenna blinked twice before she tried to get his attention. He was beginning to scare her, his eyes unmoving in a stare of wonder. She tried to rouse him; snapping her fingers in front of his nose and waving a hand, yoo-hooing at him to wake up. He blinked twice as if he just awoke from a trance as the bell rang for class to be dismissed. Kenna rose, she had a strict calculus instructor, and started to leave, but Derik called her back.

She paused just past her desk and turned around, a quizzical look crossing her delicate face. A spark of embarrassment exploded inside her gut and her face reddened at the thought of stupidity. Casually, she walked back to where he sat, a polite expression filling her smile and voice. "Yes?"

"I…I need some help on my homework," he spluttered, blinking and noticing a trace of nausea.

Kenna looked at the clock on the far wall, to the door and back to Derik. Her calculus instructor would be shocked if she were to run into his classroom just as the bell rang. She bit her lip and shifted her gaze to their English instructor, Miss Rowling. Then she sighed and came up with a solution.

"Couldn't you ask Miss Rowling? She could help you, being the teacher, obviously."

Derik paused. "Uhh…" Miss Rowling was paying good attention to them, eying Derik like a hawk on prey, "I kind of want your help. Would that be okay?"

Kenna slowly nodded and walked over to Miss Rowling's desk, a question on her advanced mind. Miss Rowling directed her attention from a love-struck Derik to the shy girl in front of her. Kenna asked if she could have a pass to send to Mr. Black, the calculus instructor, asking him if she may be excused for the lesson. Miss Rowling agreed and Kenna, accepting the challenge, went back over to Derik's desk, English on her mind.

"This doesn't leave this room," he inquired.

"You have my word. Now what's your question?"

That was the last time they talked for several days. Derik didn't miss another school day and Kenna continued to shy away from him. He tried to talk to her once in class, but Miss Rowling called him out and he never tried to get her attention again. Kenna never responded to the notes or the taps on her shoulder. It was almost as if he never existed, as if a ghost sat behind her.

One day, just a few days before the Christmas break, some of the basketball players decided to play a trick on Kenna. As she closed her locker to go home, they knocked the books from her hands and blindfolded her eyes. Caught by surprise, she bellowed a high-pitched scream, scaring her prankers. They quickly recovered and continued to "kidnap" her. She went to scream again, but one of them told the others to shut her up.

Derik was in the physics classroom when he heard a scream. He and the physics instructor rushed into the hallway and find Kenna in a struggle against five basketball jocks. Mr. Lee tried to get them to stop, but they continued. Derik saw Kenna be harassed right in front of him and he wanted it to stop. Gathering the guts to, he stepped up and told them to knock it off.

"Why?" asked one of them, apparently the leader.

"What did she do to you? All she does is keep to herself and get good grades. She isn't someone to harass a couple of athletes like you. Let her go."

Frustrated, the jocks dropped Kenna to the floor and stalked away. Blindly, Kenna tried to stand, but fell over. Derik reached out to help her, but she ripped the blindfold – a torn cloth from a set of sheets – from her eyes and threw it to the ground, standing and trying to relax. Out of politeness, Derik bent down bent down and picked up her books, noticing some of the titles of the textbooks. There were English, calculus, physics, and three college classes – Chemistry, German and history. There was also a novel next to her locker. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.

Derik was confused. "You read Jane Austen?"

Kenna snatched her books away from him and turned away. He shouldn't be poking around in her business, but, then again, he saved her from a horrible experience and seemed interested in Jane Austin. Derik seemed like a nice guy, someone who does not think violence is the answer. He also doesn't pay attention to any of the girls that practically throw themselves at his feet, wanting to be called his girlfriend. Or could he have a girlfriend at a different school?

Then why was he always trying to be by her?

She turned around and smiled, "She's a great author."

Derik nodded in understanding. He had heard the name several times in his English classes and his mother, and he even tried reading some of the eighteenth century literature. Jane Austen's work intrigued him, and since Kenna liked it, he would want to talk to her about the books.

"Yes. Uhh…see you tomorrow?"

Kenna cocked her head and thought for just a second. After all her life, she has had no one but Jake since childhood. Derik moved and seemed nice, friendly in a way. He only seemed to want to talk to her; Derik ignores pretty much all of the female student body except for her – the nobody. Kenna thought of the friendship possibilities – if he had the guts to defy student law.

"Sure. Just don't get too carried away."

Derik gave a small chuckle as she turned and walked away. He watched her leave, then smacked himself for looking.

Whispers of the Annual Martin Christmas Party spread quickly in just a day before the break. Amy invited everyone except the geeks – Kenna, Jake and the others. She also made Derik V.I.P. for the night. As V.I.P, you choose the theme and a guest to invite. With a sigh, he suggested casual dress and asked Kenna during English.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could, but I have to take my little brother to my dad's this break. I'm leaving right after school."

Disappointed, Derik sighed and continued through the day, ignoring Amy's sly hints about asking her to be his 'date.' He really wanted to go with Kenna, kind of get her into the social spotlight for just one night of her life. It was hard for him to believe, but he was growing so attached to her that if he and his mom were to move now, a depression would envelope him. He was beginning to love her for herself and her spirit, not because she could have been the most beautiful senior girl in the town. She was his world now, and he wanted her to realize it.

Near the end of the day, he was sad to see her go, mad that he would suffer a whole night with Amy and the rest of the snobby-rich-kids. He almost asked her friend, Jake, but he didn't think Jake would like that. Jake didn't like Derik, so he left it go. He was mad that Kenna had to go to her dad's, but at least he would see her again after break. Unfortunately, she would be having a better time than him.

She was at her locker when he turned the corner to get to his own. He looked over and saw she had most of her clothes in a bag and was going to heave it onto her shoulder. It was starting to slip and he hurried to help her before she hurt her back. With it safely on the floor, she thanked him and wished him a good Christmas. Stunned, searching for words, he stuttered a small, "and you too."

Then he thrust out his hand as if to shake hers. She looked taken aback at first, then she grasped and shook his hand. They broke apart and she walked away, leaving Derik staring at her as if his life was walking away from him. Kenna turned around and waved at him, but all he saw was her leaving him forever, that last moment their final time in the world together – or at least until the break was over.

Derik stood at the snack table at Amy's party, watching people dancing and having a good time as rap music blared from the speakers mounted to the wall. He mentioned casual, as in jeans and t-shirt. Instead, casual was short-shorts and strapless tops. It was Christmas for heaven's sake, thirty degrees or colder! He sipped more of the water he snatched from the fridge a little bit ago and crunched on a cookie he found at the end of the table.

Amy came sidling up next to him, her shorts and strapless sparkling brightly and noticeably tight around her body. She stopped next to him and tried to get him to dance, pulling him by the hand and yelling for him to have some fun. He yelled he was having fun, but he was really thinking about Kenna and her little Christmas party at her dad's house. Kenna should be the one pulling on his hand, begging him to have some fun, and he would gladly go and dance with her, not caring if she wore shorts or snow pants.

"Derik, come on! You're V.I.P! Be the life of the party! Please?"

"Sorry, Amy. I'm bored. There's nothing for me here. I don't even know why I'm even here."

Her smile vanished as he said he never knew why he was there. She snorted and stalked away from him, on a mission to make him happy. Derik watched her go in a back room, several guys following her. He wanted to know what they were doing, but they came back out before he had a chance to wonder. Amy turned the music off and got everyone's attention. They listened as she said the words "Blindfold Wonder."

As she said that, the guys came up behind him and blindfolded him. He swung his arm, trying to punch them, but they avoided him and got him to sit in a chair. Derik stayed, half-wondering what "Blindfold Wonder" was, wondering if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Amy said that he was the victim, and that he was going to be kissed by someone that he would not expect it from. He secretly thought it would most likely be Amy since she had the power here.

There was a scuffling noise as another chair was pulled up and a body being dumped into the chair, a female "oomph" coming from her mouth. The chairs scooted over toward each other until their knees rubbed. The sound of the knees was as if both owners had pants on, Derik was glad because it wasn't Amy. He felt his head pushed until he met a pair of lips. That moment felt like it would never end, he wanting it to end, yet wishing it was Kenna.

He pulled away and waited for the blindfold to be ripped from his eyes. It was, and the light blinded him from those four seconds of darkness. Once he recovered, he took a second to become aware of his surroundings. People laughing, others dancing, a pouting Amy, and a head of bright red hair. He couldn't believe what he saw, noticing the person he kissed.

Kenna sat in the chair across from him, her blindfold still firmly attached. She had her hair straightened and she wore a white sweater and jeans over a pair of Uggs. Her facial expression under her blindfold was of shock from kissing a strange guy and a small bit of disappointment. She had her hands clenched at her thighs and she waited for something to happen.

Derik, mad and surprised, pulled her blindfold from her eyes and watched her look at her surroundings. Her eyes landed on Derik and she moved back a little, confused as to why Derik sat in front of her. Then she realized that it had been he that she kissed. Her emotions struggled with her muscles, wanting to hug and kiss him, and keeping a calm stature. She finally gave up and leaned her elbows onto her knees, gazing at him with questioning eyes.

He stared at her as she didn't comprehend that it was him who kissed her. "So…you went to your dad's?"

"No. the guys got me and tied me up in the back room. Got out just now."

"And your brother?"

"Hopefully got a ride to California. Plane would have been the plan, but I missed my flight."

They stared at each other and really wanted to defy student law. Derik liked Kenna a lot. She liked him back, just the same amount. He wanted her to be his girlfriend, just someone to be with. She really liked him and wanted to get to know him better.

Right in front of the entire party, Derik and Kenna kissed again, proving to everyone that you don't have to be a jock dating a cheerleader to be in love.

It was official; Kenna and Derik were going out.

Amy was frustrated with the whole fact that the game didn't go the way she wished. She wanted Derik to come running to her side begging her to dance with him after that horrible experience with Kenna. When she saw them kiss again, knowing who they were, she wanted to wring Kenna's neck, but the blood would worry her parents. She came up with a plan, one that will get Derik to come running to her, begging her to like him and go to dinner with him. Amy couldn't help a smile in the middle of her physics class.

Kenna and Derik see each other often, but they sit with each other at lunch and talk, no physical contact was allowed at this point in the relationship. Kenna began to read a new book and was talking to Derik about it, making Derik interested in reading it. Derik was trying out for the basketball team here shortly and hoped she would come to his games if he made it. He asked her to dinner in the next few night and they were going on an official date.

The dinner was planned for the Friday evening after break was over. They were going to a nice restaurant on the good part of town, sit down and great service. Jeans were not allowed, so Derik asked Amy if she would go to the mall with Kenna to pick something out for their date. Amy accepted, a plan forming in her mind. Kenna had some money and she and Amy went to the mall, hoping to find something acceptable.

"Do you like Derik?" asked Amy.

"Yes, I do," responded Kenna, hesitant from Amy's blunt question.

"Oh, because I heard that you and Jake were going out."

Kenna immediately turned from a nice sweater-coat and glared at Amy. "Jake and I are best friends. I would never do that to him. Who told you that?"

"Jake. The only reason that he didn't tell Derik is because he loves you too much – "

"I'm not going out with Jake! Never have, never will. I'll tell Jake that he's mistaken – "

"No, no, it's okay. I'll tell him. Just clarifying for future reference."

A small smile of shyness spread across Kenna's face as she paid for the clothes she would wear the next night – a black sweater-coat, white short-sleeve, low-cut shirt with rhinestones on the front, black slacks, and black heels. Amy said she looked okay in everything, but Amy like lying to her. Amy thought she looked bad in the clothes, but in actuality, Kenna looked beautiful. Kenna wouldn't learn that until she walked into the restaurant with Derik.

They walked into the restaurant – Kenna and Derik – and immediately several guys came up to Kenna or were caught staring at her. She thought it should have been the other way around, but Derik told her that she was the most beautiful girl there. Kenna had her hair curled just right and everything about her was perfect for that evening. Derik felt ashamed and awestruck – ashamed that all of the better guys had bad girlfriends and he had Kenna, fascinated that she could even be more beautiful than she already was. He felt like leaving with her and taking her somewhere more private, somewhere only they could be in each other's presence of their beauty.

After dinner, when he dropped her off at her house, he asked her if the relationship could get more serious. It took her a moment to think and she asked why. All he could tell her was that he really wanted to kiss her and not get in trouble for it. Kenna sighed in a humorous way and jumped up and kissed him. Then they hugged and the kiss got a little more serious, but only until they heard footsteps coming to the door. After they hugged, she went into the house and sung herself to sleep from the great time she had that night.

Kenna came to school that Monday and heard Amy telling a class before that class started that Kenna and Jake were going out behind Derik's back. She explained that Jake told her about it and that Kenna vouched for it. Not caring that she would be late for class, she marched into that classroom and told Amy to stop the lies. Amy paused, turned her head to look at Kenna and scoffed in her face.

"Stop it, Amy. I told you, I'm not going out with Jake –"

"Hey, honey!" Jake called from the back of the class, running up to Kenna and hugging her around the stomach. She tried to get him off, but he kept hold of her, kissing her cheek and hugging her.

"GET OFF ME!" she screeched, ripping and clawing away from him.

Derik, who happened to have this class, came in and nearly dropped his things. He stood there, trying to assess the situation in front of him. All he saw was Kenna and Jake fighting and Amy laughing her high-pitched squeal. He did drop his book, by accident, and the entire class looked up at him. Amy smiled and strutted up to him, showing him the situation.

"Looks like your girlfriend has been playing you –"

"It's a lie, Derik! Don't believe anything she says."

He stood there in shock. "Kenna, this isn't your class. I thought you had study hall?"

"I do, just that now Jake won't get off of me because of the spell Amy has on him and she's lying about how Jake and I are going out –"

"She came in here, obviously to give her old boyfriend a hug and kiss before class. Sorry you had to find out that way, I wouldn't believe this if I were you. She's cheating on you, Derik, get used to it. She played you."

Derik knew Kenna would never date Jake. He was her best friend. Jake liked Amy from the very start, he snitched a note in another class to find out. Amy wanted Derik, he knew that, so he did something he may regret later. He took in a deep breath and told Kenna he couldn't see her if she was going to lie to him.

Kenna's face dropped and her books fell from her hands with a loud bang. She couldn't believe that he was listening to Amy after all of the times she admitted to liking him and only him. With a small "oh," she picked up her books and left the room just as the bell rang, a tear running down her cheek. Derik wanted to go after her, but Amy stopped him and told him class started. He sat down, his heartbreaking with every beat and every drop of blood that pounded in his living body.

Ashamed with himself, he sent her a note later that day in English. He passed it to her, but she tossed it back into his face. Again, he tried, but she gave it back to him, not bothering to read it. After a third time, Kenna, ticked off, took it to the teacher, a scared Derik whispering for her to stop barely audible. When Kenna returned to her seat, Derik asked why she did that.

"Don't talk to me," she said, the teacher responding and telling Derik to knock it off.

So he continued to be mad at himself as the day went on. Several more times before she left, he tried to talk to her, but she would ignore him and Amy would be right next to him. He watched Kenna go, but Amy lightly slapped him from his daze and told him to get over her. Something wasn't right, and he was going to get to the bottom of it, even if he had to go to great lengths to do it.

"Tell me the truth, Nowak. Did Amy put you up to it?"

"What are you talking about? Kenna and I love each other –"

"No you don't. Amy tricked you into lying to me and I know it. I trust Kenna enough to tell me something like that. She would never lie to me, or anyone. That isn't like her. Now tell me the truth –"

"That is the truth, Marks! For a while now, it was me and Kenna. I swear to –"

Jake couldn't swear to Derik, for Derik had rammed his fist into his ex-girlfriend's best friend's face. Blood lightly dripped from Jake's nose and he crunched over, hissing in pain. Derik shook his hand and waited for Jake to recover. When he did, Derik asked him again if Amy set him up to do that.

"Yes, she did. I like Amy so much. I would do anything for her. She told me to act like Kenna's boyfriend and I did. I know it was so she could get you to go out with her."

Derik, knowing his mission was done, apologized to Jake and took off, thinking of the way to get Kenna back. He tried to call her house, but she was still mad enough not to talk to him. Frustrated, he screamed into his pillow at home and tried to think of a way to get her back still. Then it came to him, while he was getting dressed for school the next day.

He walked into school, saw Kenna and ran up to her, hugging her and whispering in her ear that he believed her the entire time. Confused, she tried to get away. He wouldn't let her go and explained to her that the only reason he broke up with her was so it would make Amy happy and that he would get her back. She still did not understand, until Derik kissed her and held on to her. He saw Amy come up behind Kenna and they broke apart, preparing for what Amy had to say.

"You are no longer her boyfriend, Derik. You broke up with her a few days ago, remember? Come away from the little liar –"

"I am away from her, Amy. The little liar was you."

The entire hallway gasped as Derik shot at Amy. She stepped back, lost for words as she felt her plan falling apart. No one has defeated Amy Martin before, and she wasn't letting Derik take her down. She straightened her back and stuttered for a moment, then regained her poise.

"I didn't lie. She was the liar," she pointed at Kenna, who began backing away, but was held by the same guys who got her before break. "I don't deceive –"

"Save it. Jake told me everything. About how tricked him into lying to everyone. Maybe you should go out with him, because you seem like a good couple – two people who lie to get what they want."

Amy screeched in frustration and threw her books at him. "Yeah, I lied to you. She isn't good enough for you, only I am. You started going out with her and I got mad, because you seemed to not understand the law here – jocks and cheerleaders always go, geeks have their own world. If you wouldn't have moved here, none of this would have happened –"

"Really? Because I love Kenna and if I never would have come here, I would still be as depressed as I was a few months ago. She brought me from a state of sadness and that's not all she's given me. None of you would have looked at her twice if I hadn't of fallen in love with her.

"So now you know. I'm depressed and my only escape was closure. Now with Kenna on my mind constantly, I feel I have something to live for. If anyone wants to see me die from the depression, take Kenna away from me. If not, let us stay together."

The entire hallway was silent as Derik told about the main reason he moved. His doctors suggested he move to a nice town so he would recoup from a bad incident in his old town. Again, the story about him realizing Kenna was the one was very true; he had ignored her until that one sight. It was almost as if his doctors knew he would fall in love.

"I…I'm sorry, Derik. If I would have known –"

"No one knew. I told Kenna that my mom and I came here and tried to start over. So, can I have my girlfriend, Amy?"

Amy gave a nod of her head and Kenna was released, running to Derik and staying close to him. He hugged her and the hall broke apart, knowing the drama was over. Amy, still shocked about what happened, gulped several times and turned away from the couple. The bell had rang several minutes ago and the entire school was tardy for class, but most didn't care. There was always a happy ending in student drama, just not the kind to get all emotional about.

Kenna was the last one to cross the stage at graduation. She received her diploma after giving her valedictorian speech. The crowd of people applauded for her and she had seen her family and her boyfriend's mom. Once she got off the stage, she was tightly hugged by Derik, who was salutatorian of their class.

The hall was slowly emptied of the people and Derik led Kenna to his mom. She hugged her and Kenna's family came over to congratulate the graduates. Dinner was planned at Derik's house, then the couple would have some time alone. They were going to go to Amy's party, but Derik still never forgave Jake, Amy's boyfriend now, for the first breakup between the two of them. The plan was to go to the beach near his house and walk in the moonlight as high school graduates.

"I love you," Derik said as they were walking the beach, holding her hand.

"I know. You tell me that every day. I love you too."

"No, Kenna. I mean love, as in this."

He stopped and got down on one knee and held Kenna's right hand. She was stunned, several thoughts screamed in her head as he pulled a ring from his pocket. He was smiling, but Kenna turned pale from surprise.

"Don't worry, it's a promise ring," he reassured her, as if reading her mind. "Kenna, I love you so much. This ring, a promise ring, means that you love me, and only me. By me giving you this, I will forever love you. And since all I do is try to make your life my will and the main priority for living. Kenna, when the time is right, will you marry me?"

Kenna was speechless. A regular ring was one thing, but a promise ring made your love grow. She thought she loved Derik to the limit, but now, she felt that the past few months was just a fraction of the love she felt for him now. Building up the courage, she smiled, felt tears rush down her cheeks, and took a deep breath.

"Yes, Derik. I promise, from the bottom of my heart, that I will forever love you and I will marry you when the time is right."

Derik slipped the ring onto her finger and stood, ignoring the sand on his pants. They hugged and he picked her up, swinging her around until he was dizzy and sent them to the sand. Both of them were laughing and he kissed her lightly. Then they kissed more passionately and lay in the sand, savoring the moment.

Afterword

Several years later, Kenna and Derik were married. They had several degrees in both medicine and teaching. Derik became both a psychiatrist and therapist at the local clinic, Kenna became a high school literature teacher. After a daughter, Tanya, and son Eric were born, they moved back to the town they grew up in and lived in Derik's old house. They still contact Amy and Jake, even after that horrible senior year. Amy and Jake had four kids, three girls and one boy, and they seemed to like Kenna and Derik's kids.

Kenna and Derik lived in the same house for fifty years, after the kids left and grandkids came over every week to visit them. Both were true to each other and Kenna still wore the promise ring every day, never taking it off. When Derik took ill, Kenna was there to help him through it. When he couldn't take it anymore, he told her that their love would last an eternity, then he later died. Knowing that it would never die like her husband, Kenna stayed strong and never removed the ring from that graduation night on the beach fifty-some years ago. She lay down in her bed one night and sighed that memory one last time. Her love-filled heart stopped beating and their love remained for eternity.