"Was that not the creepiest thing you've ever seen?" Asked Emma, my on-again-off-again friend. She was a short, pudgy fake blonde, with dry skin that looked stretched over red chubby cheeks.
She was known thought the school as being a major gossip. And a liar.
I shrugged, "yeah, it was weird." I was of course referring to the boy who had just stared me down for a good minute and a half, most of which had been observed quietly by Emma.
Emma snorted, "boys..."
I looked at her and sighed, as if she knew anything about boys. I knew a decent amount about boys. I had just gotten out of a crappy long distance relationship that left me more hurt than I expected. I leaned my arm on the table. I was so tired already, and it was only first period.
"Yeah..." I said trying to make it clear I did not want to continue this discussion, especially with her.
I turned back around in my chair, facing away from the boy. I had just been looking out of the window, trying to forget about math homework, when I felt the pressure of eyes on me. Two tables over I saw him, the new kid, the tall dark one. Plain shirt, jeans, those white Adidas sneakers, and dangerously sharp blue eyes. Then I remembered how I had dressed that day: black leggings, tight, grey, long-sleeve shirt, hair down, and my nerdy reading glasses. I frowned internally at my poor last minute fashion choices.
"Do I look okay?" I asked Emma.
She looked at me and grinned, "yeah you look really cute! And the shirt really emphasizes your chest!" She said with a wink. I flashed a fake smile back. Well, at least I looked "cute," and my boobs looked "emphasized." I sighed. School. People. Homework. Ew. As if it mattered.
"Is that why you wore that shirt?" Asked Emma.
I frowned, "no, just good luck I guess. I've worn this before...hey, don't you have study hall somewhere else..." I began to say. I wanted her gone, and I didn't know how to make it anymore obvious.
"I think his names Nathan or something," Emma interrupted, "ooh isn't he that Canadian kid?"
I rolled my eyes. "He's French, and so what?"
Emma grinned, "how'd you know he's French? And oh, hey, aren't you French too?" She said, winking again.
I closed my eyes. "Shut. Up..." I thought to myself. Emma was a headache and I was not in the mood for that right now. I stood up slamming my book closed. Emma blinked looking a bit startled. I was never loud or aggressive and I surprised her. "Good." I thought, as I grabbed my books and bag.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the boy slide his black backpack on his shoulder and re-arrange himself. It looked like he was going somewhere too. Emma was still blabbing on and on, something about France? I didn't care. I leaned over the table and wrote a pass to the library. "Anywhere quiet, please." I thought to myself. I took the pass and walked up to my teachers desk.
I'm known for being the shy, quiet, and polite one. So I stood waiting for the teacher to look up, trying to muster the courage to just whisper "excuse me" and I just ended up wait for her to notice me standing there. But standing there was too much. I could feel him looking at me. I could feel it. It was weird. I didn't like it. My teacher didn't look up from her book. I looked around trying to be patient, and I ended up finding the eyes of the boy again. I quickly looked away, but he didn't. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks. I sighed, and whispered "excuse me," but no response. Now I was convinced she was ignoring me. I stood there for a moment, feeling really embarrassed. I was feeling super anxious and got a little nervy. I didn't like feeling like this, like the center of attention, but invisible at the same time.
I exhaled slowly and opened my mouth to attempt to excuse myself again, when the boy appeared from behind me. I hadn't even seen him get up.
"Two, to the library." He said in a voice deep and confident. His accent was thick, definitely French.
My teacher looked up at him and smiled, "oh yes of course deary let me just..."
But he had already turned to go. The teacher sat there, mouth open. "Uh, okay..." She said picking her book back up.
I blushed and looked down and hurried out the door after him. On my way out I noticed Emma giving me a stupid smile and a thumbs up. I wanted to give her a hand gesture back, but the teacher was watching. I stepped out of the class and rounded the corner towards the library.
The boy, Nathan, had gone across the hall to the water fountain and was getting a drink.
"Now now now! Escape! Run!" I was thinking to myself. I walked right past him, determined to avoid any social contact. But I didn't make it far before he appeared next to me. Too close, way too close. I scooted sideways to give him more room to walk, but he seemed determined on staying close. And of course, the library had to be all the way at the other end of the school.
I was freaking out in my brain. I wasn't good in front of crowds, or strangers. Usually I just bucked up and made up some false confidence and got through it, but it was weird with him. He was cute, he was tall and had a nice voice, but he had been staring at me, and he was quiet. Too quiet. I was overthinking again, and again I wasn't focusing, and I managed to bump into the only person in the hall, CJ Carrigan, a cute 11th grader. He knocked all my books and papers on the floor, and didn't seem to care. I was used to it. Everyone was busy with their own lives. Why slow them down? I bent down to collect my papers when I saw Nathan stop and grab CJ's shirt and say something to him. CJ gave him a look and bent down and picked up some of my books. He shoved them into Nathan's arms, and stalked off. I gathered my papers starting to blush. I looked down as Nathan handed me my books.
"Thank you." I squeaked
I didn't even look up, but I saw his mouth move. A smile?
I looked up at him and immediately locked eyes with his.
"Why are you blushing?" He said smiling, and I almost dropped my papers again.
I could feel my cheeks burning. How long have we been standing here? It felt like forever. This was too long I couldn't do it.
"I-I just..." I brushed the loose strands of hair away from my face.
He laughed at my awkwardness which only made my cheeks burn even more. I started to walk towards the library again. Nathan didn't follow.
"Excuse!" I heard him call out.
I turned around and saw him holding a paper out.
"You forgot one," he said smiling. Before I had anything to say, as if I would've been able to, he handed me the paper, then winked and walked off, away from the library.
Was he going to ditch class?
"Ew." I thought to myself, "another mare-do-well."
I looked at the crinkled paper in my hand, it wasn't one of mine.
I unfolded it and almost laughed as I read his name and number, scrawled slightly slanted, off the paper. I crinkled it up and put it in the nearest trash can.
"Won't be needing that," I thought.
I wasn't sure if he saw or not, but I hoped he did.
Finally I was at the library. I pushed in the door and right at that moment I heard the bell ring.
"Jackie! Hey, walk with me!" I heard a friendly voice say. I turned seeing none other than Robin and Devin, two other 11th graders I had somehow befriended. They had their matching green jeggins on, and both gripping some kind of coffee.
"Omg have you seen Matt? He's got hickies up and down his neck! Was it that Caiezza cunt?" Robin said broodily. Devin replied with more information. I nodded and half listened, but I mostly looked for Nathan. The hall was a mess of kids and I was glad I had a small group to walk with, hoping not to get swept away or lost in the crowd. I was a little weirded out at myself for wanting to find him again. Kids from all classes were pouring into the hall. I didn't see him.
Until he found me.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned around to see him, smiling down at me. Robin and Devin disappeared into the crowd.
"Lets trade," he said giddily.
Trade? Trade what?
He must've seen the confused look on my face, because at that moment he pulled my iPod out of his pocket and waved it.
"Hey!" I said trying to grab it.
He held it over his head, too high for me to reach.
"Trade your phone for friendship?" He said as I grabbed my iPod from him.
"It's an iPod, actually. Alliterate that."
I was proud at my spunky attitude, but he came back.
"A pen for your pod?"
"Uh, sure..." I said handing him a pen from my bag. As soon as he had it he grabbed my hand and scribbled some numbers on it. As if I didn't know what it was.
"Hey!" I objected trying to free my hand. I pulled away and as a result the last digit of his phone number got smudged.
He frowned playfully at me. "You'll regret that." And with that he snatched my iPod back and balanced it on his head, which was far out of my reach.
The bell rang, I was gonna be late. I rushed off to class, still a little confused but actually smiling. I watched him walk down the hallway to biology, the "pod" still balancing on his head.
"Great," I whispered to myself, "now I have to see him again."
But inside, even though I refused to admit it, I was looking forward to it.
