And That's Where it all Started

Chapter 4

Somehow we managed to make it to Language Arts on time, but of course it was on the opposite side of the school. Of course I told her we had motivation. This particular Language Arts teacher was the most strict, old fashioned teacher in the entire school. She has a friggin chalkboard behind her desk! I remember when I first heard about her in seventh grade, it was a scary thought. Now that is a different thought. She is pretty hardcore, but you'll never meet a teacher that cares so much about her students. Aria has most likely never heard of any of the rumors, but why not tell her just in case.

*SLAM* *death glare* Right on schedule. At the beginning of every class, she slams the door shut and then gives us all a death glare. "You all have one minute to copy today's schedule in your notebook, and STEVEN. I would HIGHLY prefer that you use your cursive in pen today. In the real world, doctors will need to read this." And we're off. Class begins, and luckily I am able to find Aria a seat in the back, closer to me, and AWAY from our teacher. Today, she is the Fresh Meat of the class. And Fresh Meat=Limited Eye Contact with the teacher. So while she is "hidden away", we plunge into our 52 minute class.

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"Well, THAT was a festive class!" Aria stutters with a face full of shock. "Yeah, you get used to it." I chuckle with a smile. "Okay well we have lunch now, so did you pack?"

"No"

"OH I'M SO SORRY I'LL SHARE MY LUNCH WITH YOU." Of course now she has a face of curiosity. "Don't ask questions. The food here is ridiculously disgusting. Did you see the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid ?"

"Yeah, but how does that have to do with this school?" she nods with a little head tilt. Awwww, she's adorable.

"Oh, trust me. It's about 4 times worse....no joke."

"Okay, whatever you say," she mutters throwing her hands up.

After about 5 minutes of discussing this again, we walk into our overcrowded cafeteria. I direct Aria over to where my group of friends are sitting. Rightfully taking my place next to Sammy, and making Kevin shift over so Aria can sit next to me. "Hey, who's this?" Kevin asks.

Jokingly I say, "It's Jake...from Statefarm," earning a laugh out of the group, including Aria. Her laugh is...wow. It's one of those kinds of laughs that is contagious. But her expression, well, she looks like an excited puppy.

After regaining her breath she speaks the truth, "No, no. Heh. Uh, my name is Aria. I just moved here from Washington," Everyone nods.

I grab my lunch bag, taking out an apple, crackers, cheese, peanut butter, carrot sticks, a water bottle, and for dessert...SKITTLES. "Okay so you can have the apple, and we can get a water for you, and for the rest we can share them. EXCEPT...my skittles. Don't touch my skittles," I state mapping out the plan.

Aria makes a face that has shock written all over it, "You can't possibly eat all those skittles! It literally says, 'Great for the whole family' written all over it!"

Making a what I hoped looked like a mysterious face, I reply, "Is that a challenge?" To my amazement, she nods and grabs out her phone and going to the stopwatch setting.

"You have 20 minutes to eat this whole bag, AND the rest of your lunch," she replies with a smirk. "Ready. Set. GO."

My friends cheer me on as I scarf down half of each food item, leaving the other half of each for her to eat, besides the apple of course. I now have 12.5 minutes to eat this family sized bag of skittles.

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"I CANNOT believe that you did that!" Aria says, stunned.

"Don't underestimate my eating powers, and especially my sweet tooth." I say with a grin.

"Well, we have 4 minutes to get to class now, we better hurry." Kevin states, rushing down the hallway.

"Pfft, overachiever. We are in the same class again. Science." I say. This is going to be fun. Our science teacher REALLY likes to give us projects.

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"Prepare for a project," I whisper as we walk into the classroom. She chuckles.

I sit down in a random seat. That's the bright side about this class, our teacher doesn't assign seats. Naturally, Aria sits in the seat next to me. I like sitting in the back of the classroom. Nobody really ever sees you, but you still can see everything that goes on. It's nice. Besides the other wallflowers in the back of the room are nice. But today I have Aria, so that's even better.

When our teacher FINALLY walks in, she writes *GET INTO GROUPS OF TWO FOR YOUR NEW PROJECT. THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE A POSTER ABOUT A FAMOUS ASTRONOMER. YOU WILL HAVE THIS WEEK TO WORK ON IT* Welp, that was easy. Aria and I scoot our chairs together making table. "Well hello person." I say with a straight face.

"Ello mate," she replies with an accent.

"Where...where did that come from?" I ask stunned.

"I felt like surprising you for once.....payback for the skittles.....I have talents too," she replies with a grin.

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I lose track of time, and by the time the bell rings, I realize I have one class left for the day. It also happens to be my favorite class. It's just a free class period for homework, like a study hall. Sadly, Aria doesn't have this class with me. But oh well.

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I can't really concentrate on my homework during the study hall. It's pretty infuriating because I don't understand how Aria, a female, could make me feel like this. I always thought I was straight. Well, maybe once I didn't, but that was years ago. But now, I'm kind of opening up to the thought of being....I'm not sure about the exact word for it now. There are different words that mean different things, so we'll wait and see. I spend the entire hour of study hall discussing my sexuality with myself...which is a new one for me. I figure out that I definitely am NOT straight, but I don't really know what to classify myself as. I'll figure it out later. The bell rings, and I bolt up and to my locker. Packing my things up relatively fast, I rush outside. Maybe if I'm out here sooner, I'll spot Aria somewhere. I look for a good 5 minutes, then lose hope. But of course as soon as I start walking away, she spots me. Rushing over to me, she hands me a paper. Five bucks says it's her number. Unfolding the paper, sure enough there is a number. Hey! Whadduya know! I was right. I'll take my five bucks now. Walking off to my house, I grab my phone and put my earbuds in. Coincidentally, the first song is Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon.