Smile Like You Mean It (One)

Chapter Two

Sal stepped his way through the crowd of students, his eyes fixated on the girl, as he mentally prepared himself for what he was going to say to her. He gulped, feeling his mouth become dry, as the nerves swarmed his body. Sal came to a stop, turning back towards the table where his friends sat. They all waved at him, urging him on, as he took a deep breath.

"You can do this, Sal." He told himself repeatedly, inching closer. He was a few steps away from where the mysterious girl sat, picking up on the book that she was reading. He psyched himself up, reaching a hand out and placing it to her shoulder, causing the girl to shriek out. She turned to face him, as he swallowed hard, fear stricken across his features. "H-Hi."

"You scared me..." She panted, holding a hand to her racing heart. Placing the bookmark onto the page, and closing the book, the girl gestured for Sal to take a seat at the table with her.

"Sorry..." He apologised, a nervous smile pulling at his lips. He folded his arms, leaning onto the table, as he peered across, reading the title to her book. "Nightmares and Dreamscapes? That's a good book, which is your favourite story from it?"

Sal smiled uncomfortably, attempting to make small talk with her, as the girl looked at him, perplexed by his forwardness. She let a grin play on her lips, as she opened the book, turning to a particular page.

"The House on Maple Street." The girl answered, as she spun the book round, showing the contents of the page to Sal. He nodded his head, letting a light chuckle slip, as he looked up at her once more, captivated by her. After a few seconds, Sal realised that he was staring, he shook himself out of his daze, clearing his throat, before taking the book in his hands, skimming through the pages. He found what he was looking for, placing the book onto the table to face the girl.

"Home Delivery is mine." He chimed, seeing the girl smile at his words. Inside his chest, he could feel his heart flutter, taken back by her smile, as her curls of hair fell over her shoulder. He held his hand out for her to shake, witnessing the girl hesitate, before taking his hand in hers. "I'm Sal."

"Bryony." She smiled, her English accent accentuating her words. Sal's eyebrows arched, as he leant his head onto one hand.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, as the girl he now knew as Bryony shook her head, a light laugh passing her lips.

"Well spotted." She answered playfully. "I'm from England...my family moved here when my father was transferred here."

"Transferred? As in-"

"The army...yes." She finished for him, as she tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. Sal went to speak, when the sound of the school bell sounded through the building. Bryony grabbed hold of her books, stuffing them into her bag, as everyone stood to leave. Amidst the chaos of students rushing around, Sal stepped to her side, leaning over to peer at her timetable.

"Hey, you're in my form tutor. Come on, I'll show you the way." He offered. He started on his way, checking to make sure that Bryony was keeping up with him, before they came to a stop outside of the classroom. Opening the door for her, Sal let Bryony through into the room, seeing two spare seats together at the back. He led her down the aisle of desks, gesturing for her to take a seat. He was just about to take a seat next to her, when he felt a hand tug at the sleeve to his hoodie.

"Sal, we saved a seat for you, Bud." James informed him, as Sal glanced to see Joe, Brian, and Beth stare at him. He peered to his side, seeing Bryony unpack her things, as he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, I'll catch up with you in Math." He responded, before taking a seat next to Bryony. They smiled at one another, as a low chatter from other students filled the room.