The next day, as soon as Alex walked into the classroom, his eyes scanned the room for one particular girl he had been thinking about all night. Sarah Johnson.
He found her sitting in her usual spot in the corner, engrossed in a book and oblivious to everything else around her. He took advantage of her inattentiveness to examine her features.
He couldn't believe that she and his girlfriend, Deliah, were sisters. They looked nothing alike. But then again, maybe Sarah was intentionally trying to blend in and hide her looks.
"Did you see the game last night?" David asked Brad as he shuffled over to his seat.
"Yeah, number 18 was incredible! That high kick and boom, goal!" Brad replied enthusiastically.
Alex pretended to listen to their conversation while stealing glances at Sarah. He observed her almond-shaped face, similar to Deliah's, and the large eyes that she concealed behind her glasses.
As Sarah tapped her chin while reading, she had no idea that someone was examining her entire face.
Alex moved on to Sarah's cute nose and then pink lips. They were pressed in a firm line as she read on, apparently reaching some sort of climax of the book. Alex tried to recall Deliah's lips. He realized he hadn't really looked at them before, or they were just always curved in a smile while Sarah's smiles were few and sparse unless something good happened. Somehow that made Sarah's smile more precious, something he would like to see more often.
*To be completely honest, I think they might look alike. Under that thick woolen sweater of hers and the horrendous hair,* Alex concluded. *Well MAYBE,* Alex mused. *Maybe Sarah Johnson might even be prettier than her sister!*
Just at this instant, Sarah seemed to finally sense a pair of eyes on her.
She blinked and glanced up from her book, locking eyes with Alex for a moment. She raised her eyebrows quizzically at him, causing Alex to struggle to hold back a blush after being caught staring. He simply shrugged and put on his toughest expression, then turned back to his friends as if he had just happened to be looking in her direction.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah made a face and went back to reading. *Phew, that was close,* Alex thought to himself.
*What were you thinking Alex? Deliah is obviously much prettier, isn't she?*
In his mind, he repeated that Deliah was his girlfriend, emphasizing the point to himself. He couldn't afford to forget that fact.
************
The Aerospace boys were walking to the cafeteria for their lunch break where Deliah and her friends would be joining that day. Brad seemed exceptionally excited that he would be sitting with his girlfriend and very nearly bounced as he walked.
They arrived at the cafeteria and saw that the girls were already at the table. Brad bounded over to Nancy while Alex smiled politely at Deliah. "Hi." he sat down beside her.
Deliah brightened and gave him a large beam. "Hello Alex honey!" she chirped.
They ate their lunch in merry chatter. Iris and David kept fighting over the food while Yvonne looked like she was too cool for even Aerospace's lame chatter.
Alex looked at Deliah when she wasn't looking, trying to figure out if her features matched those of Sarah's he had studied earlier. They were very similar indeed. Deliah's face was rounded, her eyes darker, her skin tanner due to the cheerleading.
But apart from that, they appeared quite similar yet quite different at the same time. Deliah went to dispose of her trash, and Henry nudged Alex from the side. "I know you have a crush on her, but if you continue staring at her like that, you'll turn into a second Brad," he joked.
Alex shook his head. "No, no. I was just thinking. Don't you think Sarah Johnson and Deliah look alike?"
"What?!" Yvonne exclaimed, and Henry almost choked on his sandwich. "Henry!" she scolded.
"Sorry," Henry said, embarrassed, then gave Alex a disapproving look. "You must be crazy or blind to say that. How are they alike? You're going insane, Alex. You should see a doctor."
Alex sulked and poked at his mashed potatoes. *But they really do!*
************
Another meeting for the Newsletter was held a few days later. The previous Newsletter had been well received, with many people discussing the front page news written by Alex and Sarah. Alex felt proud as he gazed at the part where they had put "written by Sarah Johnson and Alex James" several times.
The next meeting was for brainstorming ideas for the upcoming Newsletter in two weeks. "I have an idea," Grace said with a giggle. "Why don't we interview Alex and Deliah? Everyone wants to know more about this new couple, and you two do nothing to satisfy our thirst for information! Not even a single moment of affection!"
Alex blushed and instantly refused. "No way. We're just starting out, you know."
Sarah nodded and didn't want to expose her sister's personal life to the entire school. "The Newsletter is for news, not gossip," she reminded. "We should aim for inspiring information and things with a cause, not entertainment columns."
Grace sulked, and Amy bumped shoulders with her, shaking her head to signal her to abandon her pursuit for gossip columns.
"How about animals?" Alex suddenly blurted. Sarah looked at him curiously and Nathan gestured for him to elaborate. Teacher Edison leaned forward in interest as well. "Uh well," Alex explained. "The number of pet animals that are being abandoned are increasing by the day. It's important for the teenagers these days to know the responsibilities of having a pet, instead of the initial interest that fades." Sarah nodded, thinking.
It sounded pretty good to be honest, even though she didn't want to agree with Alex. Teacher Edison nodded. "What do you think, Sarah?" Sarah shifted in her seat and Alex turned to look at her in interest. *Wonder what she'd say.*
Sarah cleared her throat and avoided meeting Alex's gaze. "In my opinion, it's actually a good idea," she admitted. "People are often unaware of what happens to animals when they are abandoned. It's crucial to raise awareness on this matter."
Alex blinked in surprise and held back a smile. She thinks the same way.
Teacher Edison grinned. "So, is everyone in agreement?"
Everyone nodded, and she clapped her hands. "Alright then, this will be the front-page news for the next issue. Sarah and Alex will handle this as usual. The others already have their respective areas of focus, so that's it for the meeting."
The others swiftly gathered their belongings and rushed out of the room following Teacher Edison.
Sarah arranged her papers neatly and put them in her bag. As she dropped her pen, she lowered her head to pick it up and saw a pair of sleek grey sneakers with neon yellow laces in front of her face.
She glanced up and saw Alex looking down at her.
Sarah's cheeks flushed involuntarily and she quickly rose to her feet, trying to regain her composure. "Alex, are you still here?" she murmured.
Alex smirked and leaned in closer. "You agreed with my idea," he said. "I didn't think that was possible."
Sarah shot him a glance. "As much as I would have liked to refuse your suggestion, I will support a good idea when I hear one Alex James."
Alex grinned. "Still," he shrugged. "Surprising."
Sarah grabbed her bag and waited for him to leave the room before locking it. She found him still waiting for her as he ambled by her side.
"Do you like animals?" Alex inquired. "You seemed really passionate and defensive about this cause just now."
Sarah's lips curled into a small smile. "Yeah, I do. But cats are my favorite," she murmured, thinking about the school cat and her kittens.
"Oh?" Alex pondered. "Just like your sister, right?" he remembered how Deliah would feed the kittens every single day. "Deliah likes kittens too, doesn't she?"
Sarah halted and stared at him. "What?"
Alex looked back at her, perplexed. "I said, Deliah likes cats too, right?"
Sarah nodded slowly and made a small noise of affirmation. She secretly scratched her head, feeling perplexed. *But Deliah despises cats.*