The Deep Spark by KttySaysRawr (recommended ebook reader .txt) 📕

slide of the PowerPoint. She was dimly aware that Kurt hadn't risen from his seat and was actually taking his time in packing up.
She closed her binder and as she put it away in her backpack, she glanced at him. He was a good guy, sweet and known to respect girls. Sure, he wasn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen, but one couldn't be picky when mending a breaking heart.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up and made sure that her foot was caught behind the land of his seat. Taking a quick step forward, she threw over her shoulder, "See ya, Ku-"
Her sentence was cut off by the sudden rush of air that met her face as she began a fast descent down. Just as Althea expected, he had rushed to catch her, effectively twisting his body around hers. Her arms had landed on his chest and she marveled at how firm it was.
"Whoa, you 'kay?" She looked up and smiled at the concern in the green depths.
"Yeah, just got a bit clumsy." She giggled and inwardly winced at how strained it sounded.
Kurt smirked. "You do trip a lot."
Althea stood, punching Kurt in the arm softly. "I do not. It just happens once in a while." She replied, adjusting her bag.
Kurt grabbed his own and put it on. "Want to walk to second period together?" He asked.
Althea weighed her options: walk alone or walk with a cute boy on her arm? She grinned and nodded. "Why not?"
Kurt beamed and the two walked down the hall. "So, about Friday…" Kurt started. Althea feigned annoyance, but the smile pulling at her lips gave her away.
"I guess I can come just this once," she said in her most extravagant voice. Kurt laughed and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. It was a simple gesture he'd done many times, but why did it make Althea's skin burn now?
"I'm so happy! I was hoping you'd say yes. We haven't gone out in a while and now Mel won't kick my ass for not getting you to go." Kurt laughed.
Althea giggled and elbowed him in the stomach. "Was that what this was all for? To save your own butt from Mel's wrath?"
Kurt smirked. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or, Athena." Althea blushed at the comment and looked away.
She felt Kurt staring at her, but kept walking. "Um, this is my stop," she said lamely, her voice cracking. Althea mentally kicked herself but Kurt didn't seem to mind. He took her hand and kissed it, making her heart flutter a bit. Unreal.

Kurt's green eyes met Althea's own turquoise and he looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped. "The bell's going to ring. I should get to class." He flashed a smile and was soon heading down the hall.
Althea paused a moment at the door and let her gaze follow Kurt's. It was bad using him as a rebound, but she and James had never really had anything.
So then, why did she have this sinking feeling in her stomach? She should be elated that someone was interested in her. Considering the fact that they were very attractive should have made her forget completely about James.
But it didn't. Walking stiffly to her seat, she stared blankly at the mathematical problem on the board. She scowled as she took out her text book and began to solve the problem.
No matter how attractive or nice Kurt turned out to be, she knew that only one boy would forever take first place.

CHAPTER 4

The week passed by in a rush as the pressure to do well on the final exams increased. Althea started spending less time worrying about how James was able to discard her so easily from her life and began to try to do the same thing to him
She started spending more time with Kurt and reintegrated herself into her social circle. She was mildly shocked to learn at how much everyone had changed during sophomore year. Slowly, she began to dust off her social awkwardness and learned how to use her Greek charms.
The biggest shock hadn't been the fact that Mel was going to dye her hair blue, or that Janise had been going steady with Justin. Not even the news that James had started seeing the new intern at the neighborhood Double Tree - although it had formed a sharp sting in her heart. What had come as shocking was that Kurt actually had aspirations.
Although in class he played the part of the class clown and constantly forgot his homework, he was truly smart. He had a 4.3 GPA, which wasn't that far off from her 4.6 GPA. He wanted to be a pediatrician and the fact that children trusted him so easily only helped support his career choice.
He started being the main reason that she kept her phone on at all times. He started being the why for her seemingly permanent smile. He never failed to greet her in the hallways and make sure to cheer her up when the reviews got to her.
Now sitting in her room with a new thriller opened in front of her, she started remembering Friday.
Mel had slept over on Friday, self-proclaiming herself to being Althea's life savior. She had promptly dug through her closet, avidly searching for something "presentable."
At six o'clock Friday night, Althea stood in her room with Mel, both staring at her in the mirror. Around her room lay a mess of discarded clothing and accessories that she had started trying on around 4:30 p.m. She now stood wearing a light blue graphic tee, black skinny jeans, blue Converse, and multiple bracelets. Mel scrutinized her.
"The shirt flatters your figure, but those jeans are so boring!" Mel stomped her foot in frustration, which made Althea giggle.
"All of my jeans are either black or blue," she said.
"What about these?" Mel dug out from the bottom of Althea's closet a pair of purple skinny, ripped jeans.
Althea snatched them from her. "No way!" The two wrestled until Mel – like always – got her way and Althea slipped into the jeans and changed the blue graphic shirt for a black graphic one.
"There it is!" Mel squealed. She steered Althea out of her room and out the house before she could change and they were soon riding down the street in Mel's car. Mel jumped and danced in her seat to the blaring music, much to Althea's amusement.
"Where are we going anyway?" she asked when Mel turned down the music.
Mel ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. "We're meeting at the mall," she answered.
Althea nodded. They pulled up to the mall and went inside. Their group of friends was sitting in the food court, talking and laughing, when they arrived. Kurt saw them first and ran over to greet them. "Hey. Wow, Mel, for once you got someone here in one piece." Mel hit Kurt's chest and stalked to the others.
Althea was laughing and didn't notice how close Kurt was standing; she could feel his soft breath on her face. She looked up into his green eyes and smiled, receiving a brilliant smile from Kurt. "I'm really glad you came." He whispered.
Althea nodded. "Me too." She said. The two joined the group and they roamed the mall.
"Althea! Look!" She turned to Janise's voice and clenched her jaw. In the distance were James and a group of other seniors, storming the mall with the flair of popularity that only James knew.
"Come here." She was taken out of her trance with Kurt's voice as he took her hand and led her away from the group. Althea looked back at them, but only received giggles and smiles. Kurt brought her outside and leaned on the wall. "I don't think he saw us," he said, looking back inside.
Althea laughed slightly at his Mission Impossible air about the situation, and leaned on the wall. "That didn't really concern me anyway." Althea sighed.
Kurt stood in front of her and put a hand on the wall. "It would concern me," he said, "if you were out with a very hot guy and a group of friends."
Althea laughed. "You know, vanity is bad for the soul," she said with a smirk.
Kurt returned it. "It's not vanity, it's confidence," he said, moving a bit closer.
Althea put her hands on his chest on reflex and marveled at how hard and strong it felt. "I like confidence," Althea breathed.
Kurt dipped his head, now eye level with the shorter girl and brushed his lip tentatively against hers. Althea's breath hitched, remembering how shy and sweet the gesture was when it came from James; it was just like this.
She firmly laid her arms on his chest and leaned into the kiss, completely closing the distance between them. His lips were soft and slightly chapped, not at all like James's smooth yet hard lips. She clenched her hands and forced herself to push all thoughts of James out of her head. She had a right to enjoy another boy's attention, just like he was enjoying another girl's.
Frustrated now by the images of James kissing and caressing someone else, she kissed Kurt harder. She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. He stood still for a moment, shocked at Althea's reaction. Yet when she tugged his head down, he gave a low groan and wrapped his arms around her waist.
She heard the swoosh of the automatic doors open and the giggles of a group of girls. She paid no heed to the presence of others and continued to kiss him. Even though there was a little insistent voice in the back of her head shrieking, "Didn't you hate to see couples making out?"
It was only when she heard the muffled sound of a gasp that she started she soften the kiss. Kurt's hands began to loosen their hold on her and she wanted to growl at him for doing so.
"Althea?" The shocked yet angry growl of James snapped her out of her personal angry revere. With a gasp, she broke the kiss and ducked her head into Kurt's shoulder. His arms came protectively around her, trying to shield as best as possible from anyone's view.
"What do you want James?" Dear Kurt, ever the knight in shining armor. His stance was tense and his voice was calm.
"What the fuck are you doing to her?" She winced at his harsh tone and shyly peeked at him.
His hands were clenched at his sides, his whole body seeming at stressed as a rubber band pulled to it's limit. The glint in his blue eyes scared her. She had never seen him so angry before.
Althea held on tighter