The bell rang, and I remained seated, hoping to outwait the crowd of 'students' who were stampeding their way to the door. When all was clear, I stood up, waved tiredly at the teacher, and walked outside the classroom into the bleak hallways.
Arianna ran out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. She has a thing for the school's pizza. I sighed heavily and opened my locker, throwing my books in it. I turned to glance at myself in the small mirror attached to the wall of the locker door, studying my reflection. My brown hair is up in a ponytail, giving a perfect view of my face. My eyes look a lot bigger than usual. The bags under them are probably the biggest out there.
This week has been pretty tough. A sigh escaped my lips as I slugged my bag over my shoulders. I turned the corner that led to the cafeteria when my phone dinged, signaling an incoming message. I stopped in the middle of the hallway, thinking there are little to no one present.
Suddenly, I heard someone yell some words out. I turned around in both confusion and curiosity to see what happened. I don't know what happened. All I remember is the harsh blow to my skull as something collided with my head and my butt hitting the floor with a thud.
"Ow!!" I groan as I brought my hand up to my forehead. I cringed when I felt the cut on my head. Oh no!! No!! No!! Please, don't let it be blood. I'll puke. Don't look, Athena. Don't. I'm no fan of blood. I can't stand the sight of it. I tend to puke when I see even the slightest bit of it. At least, I know the profession that isn't for me.
"Damn! Are you okay? Here, let me help you." A guy said as he held out a hand for me. I placed my hand in his as he pulled me up.
"Thank you." I turned to look at the person that helped me. I've seen him around, but we've never spoken before. "I'm sorry about that. I tried to warn you, but it was too late."
I opened my mouth to say something when I was rudely interrupted. " Hey! I thought you wanted to retrieve my ball."
I adjusted my head slightly to glare at the person who interrupted me. I think it's pretty safe to say I forgot to breathe for a moment as I take in his entire body.
He's huge, not simply in a height way. He's tall, almost as tall as my dad, who stands at a solid 6'5. However, he has a presence to him. He demands to be seen. Muscles that no 17 years old should be capable of possessing on display underneath his sky blue shirt. His dark blonde hair falls slightly over his left eye, leaving only his right eye. I can't help but appreciate how well sculpted he is.
Like I said before, damn.
"Shit! You're bleeding." The boy who helped me exclaimed. I gasped as I felt the liquid trail down the side of my head. Argh! I'm going to puke. The liquid fell on the floor, and the next thing I know, I had spewed my insides on someone's shoes.
Damn! What did you do, Athena? You don't go around spewing on people like they're garbage.
"What the fuck! What the hell is your problem?" He yelled, looking so angry. He looked at me as he had his face scrunched up in disgust.
"Calm down, Aiden. You hit her with a ball. That's unsettling." The other guy shot lasers at him with his eyes. I'm pretty sure it's taking everything in him not to kill him right now.
"She puked on my favorite shoes, you idiot. Urgh! It stinks." He lamented as he walked off. I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe my mouth. Ew! That's disgusting.
"I'm so sorry about that," I said.
"Don't worry about it. Come on. Let's get you to the nurse's office." He held my upper arm before leading me to the nurse's office. I feel bad for the janitor. My puke is disgusting, just saying from experience.
****
"All done now. Be careful next time, dear. We don't want the ball hitting your eye, now do we?" She smiles, looking like the stereotypical grandmother. Gray hair, soft wrinkles, and a slight purge that makes her appear comforting. She walks away, letting the guy who helped me into the room.
"You okay?" He asked as he took his seat beside me. I nodded my head shyly, playing with the loose thread on my jeans. It feels weird to be talking to someone who isn't Ari, especially after embarrassing myself in front of him.
"I'm okay. Thank you for helping me." He released a breath as he shook his head. "You didn't have to wait here with me. Your friend needed you more."
"Nah, I don't mind at all. We were the cause of your injury in the first place." I smiled at him before standing up from the bed. Maybe a little too quick as pain shot from my head, and black dots clouded my vision. Just how hard did they throw the ball?
"Are you okay? Should I call the nurse?" I shook my head, wincing in the process as black spots danced in my vision. I guess being hit on the head, alongside the migraine that I've been having for a week now, is not a good mix.
"I'm okay. Just peachy." I smiled at him before slugging my bag over my shoulder. I groaned when I remembered the fact that I missed lunch. The nurse smiled at me when she saw me.
"The bell will sound soon. Do you need me to write you a note?" I smiled gratefully at her as she wrote me a note. She handed it to me before giving the guy his slip. I still don't know his name.
"Oh, no. I'm good, thanks." The woman nodded, and we left the office. The guy held the door open for me, and I muttered a quick thank you as we walked hand in hand.
"I didn't get your name, beautiful." A blush crept up to my cheeks when he called me beautiful. No one has ever called me that except my Dad and Ari. That left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. Not now, Athena.
"It's Athena," I said to him.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I'm Gabe. Nice meeting you." I smiled as I took his hand that held out for me.
"Same here, Gabe. Thanks for helping me earlier, and I'm sorry about your friend." He laughed out as he shook his head.
"It's all good. I actually loved the whole puking incident." He leaned closer to me as if he wanted to tell me a secret. I moved a little bit closer. "I love being his friend, but he needs to be taught a lesson from time to time. The look on his face was killer."
I laughed out as I shook my head. The last bell rings, reminding me of class.
"I have to run now. I have a class." He nodded his head.
"No problem. See you around?" He asked with hope in his voice. I wonder why this guy would even want to be seen with me. I'm just a girl that happened to puke on his friend at our first meet. Definitely not a good first impression.
"See you around." I smiled at him warmly before taking the corner that leads to my AP Calculus class. Yeah, I take my subjects in advanced programs.
I rush through the now empty halls, the silence soothing my senses. After what seems like forever, I make my way into Ms. Millers AP Calculus class.
My absolute favorite class of the day, note the heavy sarcasm. She's the only teacher that tends to look for a way to annoy me. I open the door, interrupting whatever she's saying.
"You're late, Miss Brown." She reprimands.
"I have a note." I snapped, shoving the nurse's now crumpled note into her hands before moving to take a seat in the back row behind Arianna. I muttered a hello to her, but her attention is focused on the front of the room.
I rolled my eyes at her before taking my seat. Here I was, thinking she was worried about me. Getting agitated about the rough afternoon I had, I can't wait to get home and sleep the day away.
There are murmurs in the room, but I ignored them as I placed my head on the table. Someone slammed their hand on my table, jolting me awake from my slumber. I groaned, knowing it's none other than Ms. Millers. I swear that woman hates me with a kind of passion that is inexplicable.
"Well, well. If it isn't the girl that goes around puking on everyone she sees." Uh-oh, I know that voice.
I look up to see Mr. One Eyed Sexy Pants standing in front of my desk, shooting daggers at me with his eyes. I did ruin his favorite shoes, I'll glare at me too. I gulped when he suddenly smirked at me, taking his place in the seat beside me.
Shit!