Strangely Normal

Chapter 5

Art passes by uneventfully for me. Other than the fact the all of the girls in that class continuously try to flirt with Josh, who is so absorbed in his project that even I can barely get him to answer my questions. After class he waits for me and we walk to government together with every pair of female eyes trying to bore holes in my back. I simply ignore them.

When I see my friend Diane I wave her over and introduce her to Josh. She smiles at him like she does with everyone. So far she's the only person who hasn't stared at him like he's a designer purse that's on sale.

Diane and I talk about our classes as we walk down the halls with Josh silently walking beside me. When we get to my class Josh walks in but Diane holds me back.

"If you let him get away you're going to regret it! You two are perfect for each other!"

"What are you talking about? We just met this morning!"

She rolls her eyes in exasperation, "He's obviously crazy about you! Didn't you notice him watching you the whole time as we walked over here?"

"He was?" I think over the last few minutes and then the rest of the day and realize that he literally never left my side. "Huh. I never noticed."

"You'd better reel that catch in before someone cuts the line. I'll talk to you later Marina!" Diane waves to me over her shoulder as she skips away to her class.

I walk into government and see that the empty seat next to mine is now occupied by Josh. This has been the case all day but I still find myself amazed by it. I sit down next to him and take out my notebook and copy the notes.

Ms. Hobbs, our government teacher, walks up to the front of the class to introduce Josh to the rest of the class but most of them have heard about 'the new kid'. Josh and I do our work and help each other by summoning notes on the other's desk with questions on them and they disappear when Ms. Hobbs comes close to our seats. We finish our work early so Ms. Hobbs lets us leave class early, which she rarely does. We walk down the silent halls side by side to the student parking where my car is parked.

"Do you have a ride home?" I ask as I open the driver's side door.

"No but I walked to school today and it wasn't that bad of a walk," says Josh as he stares off into the distance avoiding eye contact.

"Where do you live?"

"Orchard Drive."

"Great. You live on next the street from me. Hop in I'll give you a ride," I smile at him as I climb into my truck and reach to open the passenger side door. "What's your address?"

"1430," he mumbles as he buckles up.

I laugh quietly. "You're our new neighbor? The house behind ours is 1430. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, huh?"

Josh chuckles, "I really hope so."

~~~~~

A short while later, I pull up in front of his house and I turn to look at him. He has his head back resting against the seat and his eyes are closed but I know exactly the shade of blue that is hiding behind his closed lids. His arms are crossed over his chest causing his muscles to flex and for someone who doesn't play any sports, he's surprisingly well built. I reach over to shake his arm to wake him up but he opens his eyes before I can.

I giggle, "Hey sleepy head. You're home."

He stretches and shakes his head, "Did I seriously fall asleep? Wow. I'm sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought!"

I smile at him as I turn off the truck, "It's ok. You obviously needed it and it was nice to just drive with someone who wasn't yapping the whole ride. Here, let me see your phone so I can put my number in."

"Wow, you're straight forward huh?" He says jokingly as he hands me his phone

"Oh shut it," I say while rolling my eyes. "You know you would have done the same thing. Here's your phone back. I have to get home soon so I'll have to come over and meet your parents some other time."

"Sure. And just so you know, my parents are going to go crazy when they meet you."

"Same with mine, Josh. I'm going to warn you though, you're going have to wear a bullet proof vest. My dad might threaten to shoot you if he doesn't like you," I laugh so he knows I'm joking.

He climbs out and closes the door. He leans in the open window and holds out his hand. A beautiful pink rose appears in his hand.

"A beautiful rose for a beautiful girl," he says with a smile.

I blush as I take it, "Thank you. It's gorgeous."

"You're welcome. I'll see you later Marina." He picks up his bag and walks into his house without looking back.