"Alice!", I spun round in my chair to face Riley. He mouthed something at me, I didn't catch it. He tried again after seeing my confused look. Something about a boy? I tried to get him to say it again but instead rolled my eyes as Miss Shah called my name.
"Yeah."
I was always last on the registers-"And Luke". Luke? Who was Luke? I frowned. I turned back to Riley,"He's the new guy", he explained. I craned my neck over the rest of the class, only to find a new face looking back. He waved to me.
I smiled. "You didn't tell me he was hot", I hissed at Riley.
"That's because I'm not gay", he replied, "obviously". He looked over my shoulder and I followed his gaze. Emma. My girl best friend, who lives next-door, he had fancied her for weeks. Emma is lovely, but she just doesn't understand me the way Riley does.They are sweet together but neither of them see how much the other likes them. I always wished to have a relationship like theirs...maybe one day. I had one of those things when i can't see anything- just black. I pressed my fingers against my temples and closed my eyes. Riley gently pushed my hips so i would turn around away from him. He carefully massaged by back. He knew exactly how to calm me down. It was like he was my agony aunt and therapist and fashion adviser. He stopped suddenly and leaned over to my ear- "8 O'clock" he whispered then left me with an empty chair.
"Hello." a soft voice spoke. My eyed flicked open. I turned to the angle I had been given by Riley. Luke stood there with a smile on his face. I checked behind me, he cannot be talking to me! But there was no one in the direction he was looking, except me. He laughed; my chest fluttered. Damn. He slid into the seat next to me. "I'm... the new guy". I grinned.
He flicked his hair to the side- I liked that. "I wonder whether his hair is as soft as it looks." I cocked my head to the side.
"What?", Luke frowned.
He even looked good frowning! "Oh my gosh, did I say that out loud?" realization sank in. Luke laughed.
He tipped his head towards me, "Go on have a feel,"
"Oh... urm... no thanks I just... um... sorry."
He laughed again- I liked that even more than the hair flicking! "Okay, well, see you later", he smiled as he walked back to the guys. Riley returned. "Okay, he is hot. But no way am I gay, got it?"
The bell rang and I grabbed my rucksack and pulled it on to my back, "Bye, Miss Shah!" I shouted through the doorway. "See you later Alice!",she called back- I could hear her smiling as her next class filed into the class room. First lesson to get through was German- with Mrs Sutton (also known as Mrs Slutton).
We had to line up at the back of the room while she called out our names,"Second row back, Emma, Alice, Luke and Cody". You are joking, I said to myself, please don't make a fool out of yourself. I reluctantly went to my seat.
Luke grinned at me as he removed his chair from the table,"Hello again". I smiled, I wanted to say hey back but for some reason my mouth was paralysed. "It's Alice, right?", I still couldn't reply, I just nodded. Emma nudged me and winked so I elbowed her hard in the stomach. As if I really liked Luke! I hadn't even spoken to him. "Damn it." he cursed.
"What's up?"I replied, relieved to know my voice box was actually working. "I forgot my pen, do you have a spare one?", I reached down to my bag and grabbed the first pen I could find. I went to pass it to him and realised my hand was shaking. The pen fell from my hand. I reached down to get it. So did Luke. I picked up the pen from the cheap carpet tiles and Luke took my hand.
"Oh", I gasped in surprise,"Sorry!".
He didn't let go of my hand though, "Wow, your hands are freezing". He rubbed my hands between his,"Better?", I lost all my speech once more. I nodded. He took the pen from me and started writing. I turned to Emma who grinned like she had slept with a hanger in her mouth. I ignored her.
"I have to admit- he is fit. But never thought he was your type."
"I have a type?"
"Well, he is a rugby player."
"And?" He was a rugby player, just like my ex. Surely that made him more my type...
"Well, you turned down Freddie!"
"He is a friend, and he was probably messing around!"
"He wasn't and you know it and he was on the rugby team!"
"Emma! I don't date people because they are on the football team or rugby team or any other team! That doesn't matter! It's just a bonus."
"Fine. But I still think you suit Elijah better." Why did she have to bring him up?
"That was... a memory."
"Come on, I know you still miss that"
"So? Does it matter, its all over now, the summer is over."
"Is that why he has asked me to give you this invitation to his party next month?" She flapped about the card just out of my reach. "Tell me the full story of what happened, then you can have this." Then the bell went. I swiped the invite away from her just in time. October 7th, Smeeton Village Hall. He was going to realize how much he misses me, the same way I miss him. But I only had a month to be ready.
