Chapter 1
I didn't like him. At least that's what I told myself every morning when I walked into school and instinctively made my way past his classroom.
His classroom was on the 2nd floor. Mine was on the 3rd. I just wanted to drop my friend off before heading upstairs.
That's right. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to catch a glimpse of him.
My friend, of course she never questioned why I insisted on walking her to her classroom every morning. Why would she? It's not like there was anything suspicious about it. Besides, it was on my way. Right?
I wasn't particularly close with her. We spoke occasionally, shared a few mutual friends and happened to share a few classes on the same floor. She'd asked me to walk with her to school one morning since we were neighbours. We were early, so I walked her to her classroom that day. Eventually, it became a habit.
I didn't mind. It gave me an excuse to take the longer route upstairs, anyways.
I couldn't tell you exactly when I started paying attention to him. He wasn't someone I had spoken to nor was he someone I knew. He was just a boy who went to the same school as me. Yet somehow, seeing him became a small part of my mornings.
I never really knew whether he'd be there or not. Sometimes I'd walk past and the classroom would already be full of students, everyone caught up in their own conversations. Other times, I'd catch a glimpse of him through the open door. I never stopped walking of course. There wasn't really a reason to.
Besides, my friend had other friends whom I wasn't really familiar with. I had no reason to linger around. It wasn't as though I had anyone else to see.
Thankfully, I had someone I actually wanted to see waiting for me upstairs. My best friend, Leia, was already waiting for me outside our classroom. I made my way towards her and she looked up from her phone as soon as she noticed me.
"You're late," she said, glancing at the time.
I rolled my eyes. "It's just like two minutes, bro."
"Two minutes is still late."
"Geez, the bell doesn't even ring in another 3 minutes. It's only 8:57."
She shook her head, letting out a small laugh before putting her phone away. "Fair enough."
We made our way into the classroom where only a handful of students had arrived. I dropped my bag beside my chair and pulled out my phone to put it on silent.
"Did you do your homework?" Leia asked, taking the seat beside me.
I glanced at her. "What homework?"
She stared at me for a few seconds as if trying to figure out if I was being serious.
"Alaya, are you serious? The biology homework! It's due today, 3rd period."
"Just kidding. Of course I did it."
Leia narrowed her eyes at me. "You're actually so annoying."
I smirked, reaching into my bag to pull out my biology book. "You should know better than to trust everything that I say."
"Next time I won't bother asking."
I flip through my book, checking that I actually finished everything. For once I had been organised enough to actually do my homework before the night it was due.
"Let me see," Leia said, holding out her hand.
I raised an eyebrow. "You don't trust me?"
"Not really."
The bell rang. A few minutes later, our form tutor walked into the classroom, carrying the usual pile of papers. The conversations gradually died down as everyone made their way to their seats. I tucked my phone into my bag and turned towards the front of the room.
Registration was same as usual. It usually consisted of taking the register, listening to a few announcements and occasionally being reminded about deadlines we’d all conveniently forgotten.
I glanced at Leia, who was already looking rather uninterested. It was going to be a long day.
Once registration was over, our form tutor gave us the usual reminders about upcoming deadlines and school announcements before finally letting us go. Leia immediately started packing her things, while I took my time putting my planner back into my bag.
“What do you have first?” she asked.
I checked my timetable. “English. You?”
“History.”
I nodded, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “Well, I’ll see you at break then.”
“Don’t be late this time.”
I gave her a dismissive wave before making my way out of the classroom.
The corridors were already beginning to fill up by the time I stepped outside. Students hurried towards their classrooms, some still trying to finish their conversations before the next lesson began.
I made my way down the stairs, squeezing through the small groups of students gathered along the corridors. It was only when I reached the second floor that I happened to glance towards his classroom.
He was there.
Standing among a group of boys, laughing at something one of them had said.
I looked away almost immediately and continued walking.
Nothing special. Just another morning.
Except, I suppose, there was one thing I always seemed to notice.
His smile.
I think it was his smile that caught my attention first. I never really believed in love at first sight. It wasn't love. There wasn’t anything really extraordinary about his smile, or at least I couldn’t explain what made it different. It was just something I found myself noticing whenever I happened to see him. Which is strange because after some observation, he wasn't really someone who smiles often.
Perhaps that sounds ridiculous. Finding someone attractive just because of their smile? But there was something about it that I couldn’t quite put into words.
And, as much as I’d hate to admit it, I liked seeing it.
By the time I reached my classroom, most of the students had already settled into their seats. I slipped inside, greeted a couple of people I knew and made my way towards my desk.
“Morning,” one of my classmates said.
“Morning,” I replied, taking my seat.
I pulled out my books and glanced at the clock above the whiteboard. There were still a few minutes before the teacher arrived. I took out my phone, but found myself staring at the same notification for far longer than necessary.
This was ridiculous Alaya. You’d barely even seen him.
