Growing up for Naomi Warner was nothing less than a nightmare. She was bullied by her peers, and her home life wasn't always easy. On top of that, Naomi was very different from other people. In fact, she wasn't human at all. She was a shapeshifter...
I expected today to be like any other Thursday, but it wasn't. I mean it started out normal, I got up that morning around ten to get ready for my eleven o'clock French class, and made it on time. After class, I grabbed lunch from the Dining Hall, and brought it back to my room before eating. I usually had two hours to spare before my next class, which was Calculus, and today was no different.
However, on my way to Calculus was when the unexpected happened... I saw him! Cody Burton. The way he walked, the facial expression he was making, the way his hair blew in the wind, the way his lips looked—everything about him in that moment made my heart stop beating. I wasn't sure if he saw me too, but he didn't wave or say anything to me.
My body seemed to be frozen in place as I continued to watch him walk away. Pull yourself together Naomi! I mentally screamed at myself. I shook my head, attempting to force my thoughts of Cody Burton out of my mind. I began rushing toward my class room, not even knowing what time it was, and by the time I got there, I found out that I was actually a couple minutes early.
I had to admit, the entire time I was in class, all I could think about was him... And part of me felt guilty about that. I was still undoubtedly attracted to Juliet...but Cody... What was it about him that made me feel so...enchanted? It bugged me that I couldn't understand my feelings, especially when I was allured by two different people right now.
Once my class was over I headed straight to my dorm room since Calinida and I had to go grocery shopping. While I was on my way, my phone chimed, signaling a text. At the time, it didn't cross my mind to stop and look at my phone, so instead I kept walking and looked at my phone. It was a text from my cousin, and I was just getting ready to read it when I bumped into something that was solid...and soft...? I looked up quickly, and a pair of hazel green eyes gazed back.
"Are you okay?" a deep, yet sweet voice spoke.
"Y–Yeah..." I uttered.
"Hey, don't I know you?" he asked.
I shook my head. There was no way he could have remembered me from the cafe...
"Yeah... I've seen you before... Where was it...?" he furrowed his brows and stroked his chin for a moment. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and smiled. "I got it! I saw you at that cafe downtown!"
I blushed. How the hell did he remember who I was?! I was astonished.
"I'm Cody Burton, by the way. It's nice to meet you," he affirmed and stuck out his hand.
I glanced down at his hand, then back up at his face. Cody was now sporting a charming smile, one that showed his teeth. I got butterflies immediately, but I forced myself to shake his hand anyway.
"Naomi Warner... Nice to meet you too," I replied.
"Well, I have to get to class, but um, we should exchange numbers. My Frat is holding a big party soon. I can text you the details," Cody offered.
I swallowed hard. I couldn't believe this guy...this unbelievably sexy guy...wanted my number. What was going on?! Without thinking twice, I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen. He took my phone from me, then put his phone in my hand. I realized quickly he wanted me to add my name and number to his contact list, so I did. We switched phones again, and I put mine back into my pocket.
"I hope I'll be seeing you soon, Naomi," he said and smiled.
Cody walked away, leaving me flustered, and still very confused about our encounter.
Calinida and I were walking around the grocery store, shopping for our favorite things. Thankfully the grocery store wasn't too far away from the school, so we were able to take the bus. However, taking the bus meant that we couldn't buy too much because we still had to carry it back to our dorm. And that was going to suck majorly.
"Next time, maybe one of your friends could give us a ride," I said.
"I don't want to seem like someone who is a moocher!" my cousin countered. Then she sighed. "But...you're right, we need to use a car next time. Do you think one of our parents would let us borrow one of their cars for the year?"
I shrugged. It was a big possibility that our parents would be okay with that. Calinida and I had proved to our parents time and time again how responsible we were, so there really wasn't a reason for them to say no.
"Yeah, I think they would," I replied.
After buying as many groceries that we could, we waited for the bus. This was only our first time using the bus line in Sutlow, therefore we didn't even know the schedule times. We waited for at least twenty minutes before a bus fully pulled up in front of us. Each of us carried four bags of groceries onto the bus, and then once we got back to campus, we carried those same bags all the way back to our dorm.
By the time we got back, the both of us were breathing heavily. We took several minutes to relax and settle in before putting away the things that we had bought. I was sitting at my desk, getting ready to do some homework when my cousin spoke.
"I was so focused on shopping I didn't ask how your day was, Lovebug," Calinida said.
Her question made me realize that I hadn't stopped thinking about Cody Burton since I'd seen him earlier... I usually never fawned over anyone, let alone someone I barely knew. Yet, I found myself oddly transfixed on him, despite the fact that he wasn't even here!
"I saw that guy again today... Cody Burton," I told her.
"You what?!" she asked in disbelief. "And you're just telling me NOW?!"
I bit my lip. "Yeah... It was very weird..."
"Weird?! Are you crazy?!" I heard some movement, and then suddenly my cousin jumped onto my bed. She was facing me with curious and excited eyes. "Well! Tell me what happened!"
"I... I saw him twice, and... he wanted to exchange numbers—"
"You got Cody Burton's number?!" Calinida gasped.
I nodded.
"Oh–my–gosh, I can't wait to tell the girls!" she gushed.
"No!" I blurted. "Why–Why would you tell them?!"
"Because! You're MY cousin, so therefore, I'm cool with Cody by association," Calinida affirmed with her arms folded over her chest. "And being associated with Cody helps with my reputation."
I shook my head. Girls and their popularity, it never made sense to me, but Calinida was happy, so it made me happy too.
"So let me get this straight, you're using me now?" I questioned with a smirk.
She grinned. "Don't say it like that...! Anyway, what else did Cody say to you?"
"That his fraternity was throwing a party soon..."
"Hey! I heard that around campus! I guess it's a big thing here. Alpha Omicron Mu hosts a huge party every school year," she informed me. "Wait, did he invite you?!"
"Sorta...he said he would text me the details at some point."
"Naomi! Holy shit, girl! I think Cody's into you!"
I found myself smiling... Why was I smiling...?! There was no way I could have this crush on Cody... I mean, honestly he wasn't even my type! A jock who had this playboy air about him? What was I thinking?! And then...thoughts of Juliet flooded my mind... She and I had just exchanged numbers too. What about us? Was I just going to push her aside for this Cody Burton...?
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