Shy Boy

Chapter 6

It all began with a first crush. It was a simple crush. It was a crush he wasn't expecting. It was like a whirlwind that came before he was ready.

Freshman year was a new year for him. It was his first time and how everything that it was, it just was.

The first time he arrived at the beginning of the school year, the hall was crowded and there were many people meeting up with each other and forming their own circles.

He stood in the hall, thinking how big and scary it was, and that he couldn't get used to it. Adjusting to his classes wasn't as easy. It was a scary world, he thought.

Joshua stood in the middle of the hall, just glancing at everything. Middle school and high school sure had differences.

The only person he knew was Scooter but he had no idea where he went.

Looking at just the maple leaf red color on the lockers, the polished white tiles, the noisy utterances, and just a widened hallway spelled out the normality of high school.

He was on his second day, and he had forgotten where to go.

Gosh, where was Scooter? he thought painfully as he looked around the hallway in the search of sight of his friend which he was nowhere to be seen.

There were, of course, some people pushing past him trying to get through the busy hallways and he had tried to not mind it.

He was growing nervous by every minute of it as he stood there for what felt like just a minute and yet, he was growing anxiety of not knowing what he should do.

"Move it, freshman," a guy said, hurtling through his way while causing Joshua's eyes to startle as he went past him.

Is this what it's like? he asked himself, looking very appalled.

Later on, after he went through a rough period in class, he got out and there was time again that he could have before the next class started.

He strolled through the hallways, just exploring around in the midst of the hallways like a fish in the sea.

Scooter was still nowhere to be found and all he had with him were the already checked out textbook weighing in his backpack.

As he was strolling by and turned to a corner to a new path, there were some guys throwing crumbled papers to the trashcan and missed.

They looked like they were playing around and not caring if what they had thrown was lying on the floor. It seemed they won't bother to pick it up after their missed attempt.

The guys were still throwing papers carelessly until many were surrounding the trashcan.

Their loud laughter was filled. He just stood there and watched them until they eventually left. 

Joshua walked closer near the trashcan and found an abundance of the paper balls and nobody around cared even if they shot few glances toward it.

It was a mess. And he just felt leaving it like this was not right.

He bent down onto his knees, lowering himself on the floor and started picking up the trash that those boys left.

One by one, he placed them through the hole of the trash where it should've properly belonged.

While Joshua has picked up a few trash off the floor, a couple more guys passed by.

"Hey, look, a nerd picking up trash."

After someone made a comment, a paper in his hand has been turned into a crumbled paper of a paper ball and he threw at him.

A laugh was followed by his friend.

Joshua just silently took it as he picked up yet another paper ball. At least they were gone.

He couldn't blame them for thinking he was a nerd. They were right, after all. Shaking his head, he focused his attention on fixing this mess.

"What are you doing?"

It was a soft and gentle voice. He looked up to find a girl with short hair with round and curious eyes casting her gaze at him as she stood there.

?! Joshua was very surprised.

He was in an awkward position as he was, and a girl coming up to him was out of the ordinary for him.

Why is she talking to me? he thought as she just simply looked at him.

"Uh...," he just hesitated. "Picking up trash," he went on but his voice quietening. 

"You shouldn't be doing this by yourself. Let me help you," she said, lowering his level and joining in to pick it up with him.

Joshua shook his head. "There's no need."

"Nonsense," she told him. "These shouldn't be on the floor and it's better if two were doing this. It could get done faster."

She started by picking one crumbled paper off and threw it in the trashcan and then did the next one.

He turned to look at her as she was there doing it. He had no idea why someone else would help him. Usually not many do.

She went on to pick many of them off and dispose of it in the trashcan. They both were cleaning up the plentiful of paper balls that were strewn over the floor until the last one was picked.

When they were done, they stood back up. The girl near him gave him a light smile. "See. It's all better now."

Joshua saw that smile played on her lips, and wouldn't he know it was a smile that he was drawn into.

"That was nice of you to pick it up."

He just stood there, not knowing how to respond from what he witnessed of her smile.

"I should get going, but maybe I might see you around. Bye." Her tone was light as she said, waving her fingers at him before she turned around.

He watched her walk off.

He looked at her back, thinking what kind of girl she was.

She wasn't turned off, disgusted, or ignoring him like he wasn't there. She helped him and was kind.

It was strange, but there was something. He had a feeling she was different. And because of that, he watched her.

Not too late, she became a whirlwind.