The Common Differences

Adrian and Valen

Chapter 2

     As I skate up to the school I start to read one of the school banners. When I pass under it I look back at it so I can finish reading it through the back side. When I finish reading I turn face forward and notice some stairs 2 feet away... it's too late. "Ah-!" is all I could manage to get out before I hit the stairs and fall flat on my face on them and send my long board backwards and up the curb. I turn and see a long board flying up into the air and being caught by a boy who dressed in the same style I do.

     "Oh I-I'm so sorry I fell and then my long board went-" I stutter. "Its cool don't worry about it." He hands me my long board and walks into the school. I hold my long board watching him as he walks in. It's not love I'm in, it's awe I'm in. He's the only person I've seen so far I've been on campus that dresses like me and is nice. I run into the school rubbing my forehead from the fall.

     My first period is History. I sit down and put my long board next to my bag. "Oh boy History is definitely the class I wanted first, am I right?" I say to the girl sitting next to me in a joking matter. She looks, me rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Geez no need to be rude you jerk," I say under my breath. "What did you say?!" she says angrily. "Okay dude chill out." "Settle down class," Mrs. Craudrill, the history teacher. "Okay class lets start out with some attendance." "Martha Banfil?" "Here!" shouts a girl from the other side of the room." 8 people are called and here's the ninth one. "Becky Halondway?" "I'm here," says the girl who yelled at me. What an awful name to a rude person. After about 6 more people go by and Mrs. Craudrill calls my name. "Noa Spon?" she calls. Ugh, here I go. "Here!" "Oh I expected you to be a-" she stops herself. "a boy!" calls out Becky, "Yeah so did I." And everyone laughed. I mean I could have come up with something better than that to crack on myself about, but she had to go with the classic. Genius. I look around the room just to see how many kids are laughing at me. I look around and I stop. There he was again. They boy who caught my long board. I saw him looking dead at be like a serial killer but he had that look of 'I've been there bro' in his eyes. After a whole hour of murmurings I can hear purely on the topic of my outfit and hair, the bell rang. I stand up and pick up my book bag and I get slammed on the ground. What the heck?! I turn around ready to knock fools out and I see Becky and her wannabe popular group standing above me. "Sorry my bag must have knocked you down," Becky says in the fakest possible voice ever. Her little girl squad giggle and pounce. As they walk away in they're fake Coach sneakers, I reach for my long board, I see a hand with a bunch of bracelets that resemble mine. It's him!!! My boy of the school year my only almost friend so far.

     "Hey again, I got it this time," he says to me in his soft voice (once again, I'm not in love) "No no that's okay," I say to him. "No, I want to." I look up at him his eyes are so pretty he's is a magic kid. But before I could even say thank you he was on the floor with me too. He falls hard right on me, but he tries to avoid falling on me. I could hear the thump of his arm hitting the ground. I grab him making sure he's okay. I look up and there's some idiot kid, I think his name was Ryden, I remember it from the attendance. "Move it goth!" Ryden says as he steps on my almost friends bag. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall on you." "That wasn't your fault, you shouldn't apologize for that."

     We stand up and he carries my long board still. "What class do you have next?" I ask him. "We have the same classes," he says. What the heck! Stalker. "Uhh umm how do you know?" "Your not the only person who tapes their schedule to the back of their long board." I'm not? He's an extra stalker. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name during the attendance," I say awkwardly to avoid an awkward silence. "Oh sorry, I'm Adrian. Adrian Norland." "Hi I'm the girl everyone laughed at. I'm sure you can remember my name." He looks at me like he understands everything I'm saying like he's experienced my life before I did. "Wait. Where are we going?" I say in fear of being late. "We are in 10th grade so it would make sense that we have 10th grade PE next right?" he says in a calm voice.

     As we walk into the PE room, I immediately get hit in the face by a basketball thrown by no other than the "cool" crew. "SCORE!" yells Ryden as he high fives his friends. I fall back and scream "WHAT THE HECK!!!" in agonizing pain. Adrian drops my long board to help me. "IS IT BLEEDING? IS IT BLEEDING?" I ask him. "maybe just a little," says Adrian.  Is it even possible how many times I have gotten bullied already today? Well maybe seeing as how it was only twice. Adrian must have gone to go get tissues because disappeared from above me. I sit up.... oh no. Adrian is on his way over to Ryden who is almost a whole foot taller than him. Adrian starts pushing him and yelling at him. "Adrian No!" I'm too late. Adrian got it right it the face. Hard! He starts to wobble like he's gonna pass out. He is. I stumble up knowing that if he falls and hits his head he's out. I run to where he's standing and drop to the floor before he does. His head falls into my lap as I catch his back. I pull him over to the corner of the gym and splash water on him and shaking his head around. He jumps up suddenly and covers his face. I think he's crying and doesn't want to appear weak. Becky runs over to us with her phone: "OMG couple of the year!" and snaps her camera. I'm so angry I snatched her phone and throw it across the gym. She doesn't know whether to hit me or go after her phone. She finally decides to go for her phone and runs off. "Adrian you didn't have to do that. You don't have to stick up for me. You aren't my boyfriend." "I know Noa that's not why I did what I did." "I did it because I wish someone had done it for me last year." I don't let him explain. I don't want to know or I will cry. He turns away and wipes his face.

     Before we knew it the bell rang for lunch and I try to help limping Adrian to a table. "let go," he says to me. "You need help," I say pitifully. "I said let go." Adrian limped in pain through the lunch room past the cool crews table. "At least let me get you your lunch," I plead. He nods and I walk away. As I walk through the lunch line the lunchroom doors burst open and a girl flies in. Becky pushed I can tell by the way Becky came in after. She walks past her kicking her as she passes. Adrian is right. everyone needs someone to stick up for them. I'll be that girl. I drop Adrian's food at his table and run over to the girl. When I try to pull up her hand she yanks it back in fear. When she thinks she can trust me she extends her hand and I pull her up. I help her to our table without saying a word. "thanks," she says as she touches the bruise on her shoulder. "I'm sorry this is happening to you," I say to her. "Valentine, but you can call me Valen." I look at Adrian and he smiles. "Have we found a friend?" he whispers to me. "Yes, I think so."