Julia Lelieveld and the fifth element

~24~

It was mid-November. It was dark outside. You came to school in the dark and almost left in the dark. If the weather was only a little nice during the day, I would always make it through the winter.

It was cold on the bike. It was already quieter in the bicycle shed at school. More and more students came by bus or were taken. I put my bike in the standard. It was dark, the light was broken. I had already seen Eva and Bas standing on the school steps. Behind me I heard the sound of an engine. A sound I had never heard before in this stable. I locked my bike and turned around. A boy with a fast motorbike entered the garage. He had on a black helmet that matched his black and yellow bike. Geez, what were those guys up here with motorcycles? He stopped the bike and took off his helmet.

He ran his hand through his dark hair. In the twilight I saw his hair fall like silk down his handsome face. No matter how dark it was, I could see that. Geez what a treat. He was well built. He wore a black leather jacket over black jeans and black leather boots.

I had never seen him at school before. I walked to the exit of the stable, it was almost time for the first lesson, when I heard something fall. I looked around and saw the boy bending over and groping for the ground.

I heard him curse to himself. It was also just too dark to find anything. I thought of myself. Suppose it was my first day and I dropped my key in a dark garage and no one wanted to help me find it. With that thought I walked over to him and also dropped to my knees to feel the floor for the key.

He looked startled, as if he hadn't heard me coming at all. He looked at me a little confused and annoyed.

He didn't seem comfortable at all. I smiled at him briefly. "They could do something about the lighting here," I told him.

I saw him relax a little more.

"It's just an old mess in here."

He had a lived-in voice, a slightly hoarse edge. I think he was about my age.

Okay then, good morning too. I looked at him questioningly.

"You could call it that too." And I shrugged indifferently.

He probably didn't appreciate my help. I actually wanted to run away before he got really mad when I felt something cold and hard with my finger. I slid my hand under the open stable door and felt that it was the key. I took the key and handed it to him.

He looked incredulously at his hand where the key was, then folded it shut and looked back at me. I returned his gaze, got up and walked to school.

I don't know what that boy had, but I think it was bothering him quite a bit.

I saw that everyone was already inside. Shit, I was late. It was Monday so I had math. Fucking professor de Wit. That will be detention again.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind me and I turned around automatically. Of course there was the beautiful new boy. With his jet black hair and dark eyes. I didn't know what was bothering him or why he was being so mean, but for some reason I felt sorry for him. Maybe it was his look. I don't know.

"Do you have Mathematics from Professor de Wit?"

He took a crumpled paper from his pocket and looked at it for a moment. He was able to translate it despite the dark sky.

"Right first time," he said sarcastically.

"Say I don't know what your problem is. But if you want you can come with me, maybe we only have to stay after today and not all week", I said to him in a slightly irritated tone. I just saw him draw his eyebrows together before I turned and walked into the school. While I was already at the second flight of stairs, I heard the door below open with great force and someone walking up the stairs with hard footsteps. I started walking a little faster, I didn't want him to knock me over here in the stairwell so that I could be found downstairs for the next hour.