"Hey, Jen," Lexi said to one of her friends, a tall blonde cheerleader, "There's a new guy in some of my classes.  He's hot - long black hair?  He's a senior.  Do you know anything about him?"<br/><br/>"Oh my God, yes," said Jen, who always knew everything about everybody. Lexi leaned back on the bleacher; now that she'd gotten her friend talking, she could just listen.  "He's new, but there's a group of them, all new here. I saw them together in the hall yesterday.  They're all really good-looking.  Well, anyway, one of the girls is a junior like us.  She's in Government with me. Sarah something-or-the-other, I don't remember her last name.  Anyway, they all transferred together from somewhere else.  She's really friendly."<br/><br/>Lexi didn't want to talk about some girl, she wanted to talk about Vician.  "Oh, cool.  Did she say anything about the long-haired guy?"<br/><br/>"No, but I can ask her.  I just know his name. Vician. Such a cool name, right?"  Suddenly, Jen's eyes narrowed.  "Oh, my God, Lexi.  You have a crush on him!"<br/><br/>Lexi denied it, shaking her head. "No, I don't."  But then, at Jen's knowing look, she started laughing. "Okay, okay. I think I do."  She couldn't exactly tell Jen what she knew about him, why she was so interested.  He hadn't said anything about not telling anyone, but instinct told her that it would create problems for him if she blabbed, even to her friends.<br/><br/>Jen nodded matter-of-factly. "Well, it was bound to happen sometime.  The ice princess is finally interested in someone."<br/><br/>"Ice princess?"<br/><br/>Lexi's friend giggled. "Don't you know that's what the guys call you, Lexi?  Everybody wants to be your first. I still don't know what you're waiting for."<br/><br/>Blushing, Lexi shrugged.  "I haven't met anyone who's been worth giving up my virginity for."<em>Until now</em>.  She pushed that thought from her mind.  She didn't know him. And he wasn't even human.  How could she want him?<br/><br/>"Jeff's going to be pissed.  He's been working on you for a while.  He has a bet with some of the football players that you'll go to homecoming with him."  Jen looked positively delighted that her friend was interested in someone.  "Lexi, I'm so happy for you!" She pulled her friend into a hug.<br/><br/>"Hey," Lexi laughed, "I just met him yesterday.  He probably doesn't even know I'm alive."  Even as she said the words, she thought about his lips on her neck.<br/><br/>After practice, Lexi rushed off to class, making sure she avoided Jeff.  She walked into class, and stopped in her tracks when she saw that Vician was already there.  She bit down nervously and walked past where she'd sat yesterday with her cheerleader friends, right to the back of the room.  She wasn't sure how he was going to react to her.  Her stomach was in knots when she approached him.<br/><br/>"Hey," she said, her voice soft, "Anyone sitting here?  Your friend from yesterday?" There, she'd given him a way out in case he didn't want to sit with her.