On My Own Time

Chapter 3

I couldn't sleep the first night at the new house. It just felt strange to not be in the old, smaller house I grew up in. But I understood it was time to move on. Caden became grumpy once again and locked himself in his room the second we got here. He only came out for dinner which was awkward once again.

My mother talked on and on about how she was going to decorate the place. She was excited and now that Daniel lived with us, she didn't have to work anymore. Daniel wanted her to rest from working so much. He was wealthy enough to be able to work and pay off the bills with just his paycheck.

"Boys I want you to get a good night rest. I understand we just moved but you still need to go to school tomorrow."

My good night rest went out the window. My eyes were heavy but I just wasn't comfortable. I knew I just had to wait until my body gave in which annoyed me a bit. However, there wasn't much I could do.

The next morning I felt terrible. I knew I had slight bags under my eyes but I didn't seem to care. I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I was glad for the three and a half bathrooms we had because it was then that I noticed just how long Caden can take in the bathroom. I was in and out but that was practically Caden's second room.

My mother made breakfast that morning for us to which I enjoyed every bit. Caden left before me due to his friends coming to pick him up. I, however, had to take the bus so I had to quickly leave as soon as I had finished my breakfast. I gave my mom a quick kiss on the cheek for goodbye and left the house with my things. Daniel had already left for work and I felt a little bad leaving my mother alone. She had a smile on her face though and I knew she'd be occupied with cleaning and decorating.

The school bus stop was only a five minute walk from the house. My best friend, Max, took this bus as well so I wasn't completely alone. He was glad when I told him I was moving and that we were close to each other because that meant he didn't have to take the bus alone anymore. In reality, I think he was just glad he wouldn't need to share a seat with a stranger. The bus ride was long and quiet between us but everyone else was loud, too loud for a morning.

Like any other bus, we had to shove and fight our way off because some teenagers had no patience and just wanted off the vehicle. It didn't matter though, we were finally at school and had just enough time to go to our lockers before the bell rang. Max followed me to my locker, talking about a show he had watched last night and how he was upset because one of his favorite characters died. Our other friend, Sara stood at my locker, looking bored until she saw us.

"Hey guys! I hate how our buses drop us off at different times."

"Sara, can you believe that Mitch died?!"

They began to discuss the show and how sad it was. All I could do was shake my head at them and unlock my locker. I was quick to get the books I needed and and switch the ones I didn't need. I didn't like staying in the hallways for a long time, I found it a little uncomfortable with everyone being so close.

"I have a Precal test today which I totally didn't study for," Sara said, rolling her eyes at herself and crossing her arms.

I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips. Sara didn't need to study to pass her tests because she somehow manages to pass all of them. Sara was a bright girl but if you get her upset then she can be very mean. She stood at 5' 4" and had black hair with a few red streaks. Her eyes were a nice blue and her skin was pale. She was beautiful though, no doubt. Max had a complete crush on her and has since middle school. I was pretty sure she knew about it but they were close as friends so that was the good thing. Max and I have been friends for a longer time. We went all the way back to elementary school. He definitely grew up and he beat puberty up pretty well. He wasn't packed with muscles but he did have some. He was naturally handsome with brown hair and hazel eyes. He stood at 5' 9", an inch taller than me.

"Sara, trust me, you'll pass," Max said and offered her a smile.

She sighed but gave a small smile back. We began our walk to our first class which we thankfully had together. It just so happened that Caden was in this class along with Victor. The classroom didn't have our seats in rows but rather moved so we were in table groups of four, some having five. Caden and Victor were in our neighboring table group along with one friend of theirs and sadly, Max. Max hated it but he had to endure it. Sara was in my table group along with two of her friends. They were nice and cared about their grades a lot so we always had our work done.

We took our seats, Max slouching in his out of annoyance to which Sara released a small giggle. I chuckled and sat down in my seat, laying my head down in his hands that rested on the desk. I was super tired from not having any rest but Sara would never let me get away with sleeping in class. Soon kids started pouring into the classroom and Max groaned lowly when Caden and Victor appeared. He was okay with Victor but he did not like Caden.

"What's up Maxie?" Caden said, dropping his bag on the floor and sitting down next to him.

Max gave him the usual silent nod and went on his phone. Victor chuckled and sat down, his friend soon appearing and sitting down as well. Victor was in the seat farthest from me but that only meant I had a clear view of him if I simply looked up. I always fought myself to not make eye contact. There would be times where he was so focused on his work that I could stare for a second or two without it seeming weird. However, there were those few times where we both just happened to look up and make eye contact. I'd look away before I could see his reaction.

"Alright class, settle down. Take out your packets, we'll be starting right away from where we left off. You also had homework so have that ready in your table groups for someone to bring up."

"I'll go," I offered.

"Such a gentleman," Daisy said with a smile as they each gave me their papers.

"I'll go," I suddenly heard Victor say.

I made my way to the basket that was at the back of the classroom where we drop off our assignments but had to wait as other students were dropping the papers off. Victor got behind me but I made sure to face forward. When it was my turn I put the papers in and Victor put them in as well.

The thing is, his finger slowly but surely grazed my hand. He gave me a smile and went back to his desk but I knew I wasn't crazy because he watched me the entire time as I took my seat. All I kept thinking was holy moly.