ADWAW old version (English)

ADWAW Chapter 1 (2/2)

Ian

They were already sitting by one of the tables, talking to some students from the other classes, when I arrived. Ruben was in a heated discussion with a boy, who I'm pretty sure was named Theo. Benjamin was right beside him, eating a slice of bread with ham and cheese. He looked up and waved when he noticed me. Iris laughed and talked away with her blonde sideman.

My heart skipped a beat.
A chain reaction started. My heart beat faster, my whole body heated up and I could feel my cheeks flush. Fuck, fuck, fuck... I cursed inside my head and tried to breathe normally.
Heiley hadn't seen me yet.
I set my course towards Benjamin and tried to calm my frantic heart. Finally there, I'd managed to fight the warmth and my heart was in a somewhat slower place
Benjamin smiled up at me. "Want some?" he asked and held the half-eaten slice in front of me. I wrinkled my nose. "What? No, why would I?" I grabbed a chair, pulled it over and sat down beside him. He shrugged and kept eating. "I just thought since you haven't brought any food today, you'd need it." he said in between chews.
I looked at him questioningly. "What are you talking about?"
A bit skeptical I opened my backpack and peeked inside. The space where my lunchbox usually sat, was empty. "How do you do that?" I asked, surprised. He smiled like usual and took another bite of his lunch.
"Trade secret."
I was just as surprised and didn't notice the voice speaking to me. "Ian?" A foot kicked me gently in the thigh. I jumped and turned around. She was lying down in her chair, her shoe touching my leg.
I froze.
Heiley was dressed in a flowery top along with a black, thigh-high skirt. She smiled her bright smile and laughed. "Have you gone deaf?" she asked. I didn't know what to answer and tilted my head to the side. She sat up, smiling energetically, showing off her pearly whites. "What I was trying to say was: I saw you and your sister walking to school."
I chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "A little creepy?"
She laughed her sweet laughter and her long, blonde locks fell down from one of her shoulders. "I didn't mean it like that, you doofus. I was on my way to school when I saw you guys in front of me. I was gonna run over, but then I met Ester." Iris interrupted the conversation. "Yeah, where is she anyway?" Heiley shrugged. "Dunno. She said she wasn't feeling too good, so she left in the middle of class." Ruben smiled a snarky smile and took a short break from his discussion. "Ladytroubles?" he asked with a self-appreciating grin. Iris sent him a glare. "Shut up, you pygmy." He twitched. A heated name throwing session broke out and us others pulled away.
Heiley poked my shoulder and I looked at her. The clear, blue eyes shone. "But yes, like I was saying, you and your sister are the cutest things ever." She looked like she was talking about kittens. "What did you see?" I asked skeptically. She grinned. "You lifted her and spun her around. It was so adorable!" She choked back a squeal of happiness and kicked her feet in excitement. I smiled awkwardly. "Ehe... yeah. Thanks, I think?" A thought came to me and I tilted my head to the side. "Wait, why were you walking behind us? Aren't you always early at school?" She scratched her arm and looked a little embarrassed. "Mom suddenly got a shift at the hospital, so I got the mission of waking Tobias and Emil. Then I had to make breakfast and send them off." She groaned tiredly. "I swear, I'll never have children. There's nothing more tiring than sleepy, whiny kids." I laughed and turned towards her completely. "I know, right? I think Anna spent half an hour deciding what to wear this morning." I told her. She pointed at upwards and winked. "That's the positive thing about boys. They just pick the first thing they find. What takes time is getting them away from their games. It's like pulling a cat out of a tree." We both laughed. My heart pounded hard in my chest and the annoying heat came back and made it feel like I was in a Sauna.

It had been like this since the first time I'd laid eyes on the smiling girl. Heiley had started in one of the parallel classes in the middle of ninth grade and like two Lego bricks, she and Iris clicked and became inseparable. And since Iris and I were childhood friends, we automatically became introduced to each other.
"Ian, you have to say hello to Heiley! I think you two would make really cute couple." Iris had grinned before she turned me around. And there, right in front of me, she'd stood. Like a dash of summer in the grey, fall weather she stood dressed in a flowery dress. The long, bright hair dancing in the wind, and her lips in a friendly, wonderful smile. The big, blue eyes were clear like the summer sky.
For a moment I'd stood there and wondered if it was a person or an angel that stood in front of me.
It was Iris' laughter that woke me from my trance. "I'm kidding, but seriously, Ian, This is Heiley. She lives not too far away from me, so do you say we all walk home together?" she laughed and put her arms around Heiley and I's shoulders. The blonde beauty laughed somewhat embarrassed and reached out her hand.
"Hi, I'm Heiley Price."
I awkwardly grabbed her hand and didn't even dare to meet her eyes. I still remember how I blushed and barely managed to stutter out my name. It's something Iris still mock me for to this day.