Eyes

Chapter 01| He Saw Her

Um, to start with the polite introduction, I'm Nicole, a tenth grader studying for the first year of college.

School's always been a place like home. I got to meet my friends pretty much everyday. My life was pretty normal, actually.

...Until a guy out of nowhere entered my life, and we sort of started dating. I thought about a decent date, while he thought of taking advantage of me... I always tried being kind to everyone, but I had to pay a heavy price for it...

1 year ago

It just started off after summer break, when I was ready to start a fresh sophomore year.

"Audrey, are you done yet? We're gonna be late!" I moaned. I disliked being late in school.

"Just a minute, darling," she replied almost instantly.

I scowled in response. Audrey was taking her "beauty" shower by using her beauty soap and towel - whatever that means.

I went back inside my room and glanced at the clock nervously. Rachel would be mad if I was late, especially today!

"Audrey...!" I called out desperately.

"Yes, wait a bit, Nico-bear~"

I smiled slightly. And that was my best friend, my adopted sister, and the only woman I trusted most in my life. We aren't related by blood or anything, we we're just ... adopted. My father took pity on her and brought her to our house from the orphanage when she was just seven. We fought a lot in the past, bit learned quickly to adapt.

She wasn't exactly like a sister, more like a "mom" friend. But she was the one to console me in the end. I felt like I could tell her pretty much everything. My parents are on their busy scheduled jobs, so they come visit me twice a month or so. But I started living with Audrey since they left.

Both of us have known each other since I was four years old. Audrey had a habit of nicknaming people she liked/disliked, and she calls me "Nico-bear", which particularly doesn't bother me. After all, she was just a few years older than me. Might as well just accept it from my big sis.

I jumped as soon as I heard the door knob twist. Perhaps Audrey was ready!

I opened my door to see her bare body wrapped up in a towel.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you done?"

She smiled at me tenderly. "Yes, dear. I'll be with you right after I changed into my outfit."

She came forward to ruffle my hair, and winked at me.

"I've got a hot date the day after tomorrow."

Yeah, that was Audrey, too. She has a history of dating many pretty boys from her class, but never stayed for something serious. Just for "fun"...

She headed to her room, which was right next to mine and quickly got changed at my request.

As she stepped outside her room, I admired her adoringly. She was wearing a peach colored blouse and a white skirt that reached up to her hips. Truth be told, Audrey liked wearing short dresses, saying that it "attracted" many men's attention. And, as you might've guessed, she liked being in the center of men's attention.

She grabbed her bag and beckoned me to follow her downstairs. I also grabbed my bag and stared at the empty plate in the kitchen. I gave her a weird look, to which she just smiled.

"I ate earlier, baby~" she winked.

We went outside after wearing our shoes. Audrey was having a tough time locking the door today, of all days.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Argh! This stupid lock's stuck!" she moaned.

I peered closer to the lock.

"Hmm... Maybe you're twisting the key wrong."

I told her to step aside as I took the keys from her. I twisted the key inside the lock, and it made a "click" sound.

"And... done!" I said happily.

"Good job, Nico-bear~" She patted my head. "I can see why you're the top student of your class."

I blushed full crimson. "Stop it, Audrey~!"

She giggled in front of my flushed face. Truth be told, I learned to break down doors from Audrey, which was useful, because if I ever get trapped or kidnapped (it was said by Audrey, not me), might as well learn a few kicks here and there, too.

We hit the road after setting the lock problem. Both of us never took the school bus, or even a taxi.

We just... walked on our way to school.

Our family wasn't that rich to provide us a private car. Well, maybe a police car which Dad owns because he's the police chief, but ... it just doesn't feel normal.

I sighed, chasing all these thoughts away. Thinking about these made me sad, but money can't always make you happy.

Audrey immediately sensed my worry, and grabbed my hand.

"What's the matter, Nico-bear?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

She glared at me slightly. "Well, I can sense when it's "nothing", you know?"

"Well, it's just... I don't want to lead a poor life."

She scowled. "Listen, it's not poor! Like I told you the last time, you've got to have some fun, you know? I mean, it's 2012! You gotta live up, girl!"

I just thought, that maybe... She was right. I wasn't having enough fun.

"But your fun is dating boys. I'm not like that."

She giggled uncontrollably.

"Oh, no it's not. But then again... You've never even been on a date, have you?"

I scowled, offended at the sudden judgement.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not. The point is, I heard a lot of boys from your class wanting to date you."

"Then how come no one's asked me out yet?"

"What about Dale? He asked you out last summer, but you didn't accept."

"That was just a dare, Audrey!" I reminded her.

She shook her head. "What about that guy back from middle school?"

That struck a nerve. Speaking of which I did remember being asked out by a guy back then. But that was a long time ago.

Flashback

"Woah, you're Nicole Kylie, right?"

He came forward, smiling. I smiled back politely, not sure what he was about to do.

"Um, yes... Why do you ask?" I said nervously.

"I've been trying to reach you for some time. You're so pretty."

I blushed. "What were you trying to reach me for?"

"I was hoping we could go out together sometime. It would've been nice. I really like you and I wanna get to know you."

I would consider accepting him if my parents hasn't made it strictly forbidden for me meet guys, let alone date them. Mark was the only guy my Dad was fond of.

I took a step back, looking away sadly. This was hard enough as it was.

"Um... I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to refuse. I'm really focused on my studies, and I'm not really into dating. I'm really sorry! I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh... It's alright. No sweat." He said sadly and turned around, beginning to walk away.

I couldn't help it; breaking someone's heart. So I followed him to a dark corner, where I saw him being bullied by a couple of kids who looked kind of older than him.

I saw a girl chuckling loudly seeing that guy.

"Someone's got re-jec-ted~!" She cooked.

"Shut up." He snapped.

"Shut up? Hahahaha! Such a crybaby! You really think she's gonna date you? Omygod!"

"I said shut up-!"

No sooner had he finished talking, the girl pushed him away in a pile of mud. The whole group exploded with laughter.

"Stupid Damien Rodcliffe. You show off to much. Your father's a filthy rich businessman. I told you to gimme some cash, friends do that for each other, right? But you're just like the others; spoiled, bratty, and brag way too much..."

"No... I don't..." He stammered.

My heart was breaking to witness this horrible scene.

He soon broke into tears, I wouldn't blame him for that. I am the one who caused this trauma, after all. But I'm loyal, not a traitor to my parents' orders.

Unable to stand it any longer, I picked up a stone lying around, and aimed for the girl's shoulder. My target was firm, and hit her right where I aimed.

"Hey! Who threw that?! I said WHO THREW THAT?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

I guessed she wasn't used to being treated like that.

"Me, you jerks! Leave him alone!" I shouted back, stepping forward from the shadows.

Seeing me approach, she grabbed the poor "Damien" by his collar.

"Well, well... If it isn't Nicole Kylie... You're the girl who rejected him, aren't you?"

"Because I'm not free to date. Only idiots ask people out. They are attention-seekers." I regretted the words as soon as they were out. But was it really my fault. Audrey was the one who advised me to say that to anyone who asked Laughte

"See, Damien? You're an attention-seeker! Your girl said it!"

They burst out laughing again. Honestly, they were so shameless!

He ran away, pushing past me. Both of us never met each other again after that.

Flashback End

"Nico-bear, you are the top student of your class," Audrey said suddenly, making me snap out of my thoughts. "Now no one would want to introduce their girlfriend being a..."

She stopped immediately.

"A nerd?" I guessed.

She shook her head violently.

"No, of course not! I mean, look at you! You're so cute, lovely and sweet. Any guy's gonna ask you out in no time!"

"Yeah, right..." I mumbled.

But she didn't seem to hear me. I didn't push it, either.

As we reached the school gate, I spotted my best friends, Mark and Rachel chatting nearby. I admired our school. It had 6 floors, 35 classrooms, and 3 lab rooms. Taking the train to school was optional, but only rich kids in our school could afford it. Besides, our home wasn't that far from school...



What's more, it was a private one.

Noticing my arrival, Mark whispered something to Rachel and raced her to hug me.

"Nicoooole!"

I gasped, knowing well in advance that I was going to be suffocated in no time. A pair of strong arms wrapped around my wait and pulled me into a tight hug. I couldn't help but laugh. I wrapped my arms around him, too.

"Man, I missed you so much!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"I missed you too, Mark." I laughed.

Mark's been my best friend since kindergarten. We met in the playground one day after school. And since then, we became the best of friends. I always saw Mark as a funny little boy who was three inches shorter than me. He used to wear glasses and had lots of pimples, so many kids in our school stayed away from him. I didn't care about what others thought; I still stayed friends with him nevertheless.

But as he grew up, he's grown three feet taller than me, has unbelievably fair skin and has no pimples at all. He has chocolate brown hair and emerald green eyes. He even stopped wearing glasses, and wore contact lenses, of course. Mark entered football competitions when we enrolled in high school, and proved to be the best footballer in our school. Now many girls are crazy about him, but he doesn't pay attention to them at all. I couldn't blame him, after the attitude they showed him during kindergarten.

He pulled away from me and smiled adorably. Reached waved indifferently ahead. Rachel was our tomboy friend. She wasn't interested in neither men not women, and enjoyed playing video games like normal teenagers. Rachel may seem quite rebellious, but she's been a very good friend. She helped me out with my assignment during my mid-term, which was strictly prohibited under school rules. Which was weird, in a way, but kind, too.

Rachel soon caught up with us, earphones in her ear, wearing a blue denim jacket with a red tank top underneath and a pair of jeans to go with it.

Rachel joined a band called "Salty Thrillers" when she enrolled in seventh grade. Since then, we've been attending lots of school concerts just to see her on stage. She dyed her hair purple to mark her punky attitude. I felt good to have such talented, yet amazing friends...

"Shall we go?" Mark asked. I nodded, snapping out of my thoughts.

"Let's go."

After dropping Audrey and Rachel by their classes, Mark and I headed towards our classes. I couldn't help but see him as a guy. Looking at him now, I couldn't see him the way I used to when we were kids. Obviously, I would start seeing him as a guy...

We opened the door to our classroom and took a seat beside each other, that's what we usually do; have every single classes together.

I saw most of my classmates arriving. Thank God Audrey hurried, or else I would've missed my test papers. A bright smile appeared on my lips as I got handed the paper. An A+! I quickly turned to Mark, who turned gloomy after being handed his paper.

"What did you get?" I asked cautiously so as not to upset him.

He sighed in exasperation and waved the paper in front of my face.

"C," he muttered.

I quickly hid my paper, feeling guilty. I shouldn't feel good especially when my best friend wasn't.

"Umm ... It's not bad! I mean, look at mine, I got a D!" I lied, but that didn't work.

He smirked at me unexpectedly.

"Ha, like I'm gonna believe that. Nicole

getting a D."

We looked at each other and let out a hearty laugh.

"You always know how to make me feel better." He smiled.

I smiled back and grinned mischievously.

"That's my job!"

•••

After surviving four classes, it was finally time for break!

The first four classes were Maths, Literature, History and Biology. I enjoyed all of them equally, and couldn't wait to find out more.

I joined Audrey and Rachel in the cafeteria. Mark excused himself by saying he had an urgent meeting with his football buddies. I had no choice but to accept.

On the other hand, he must've felt weird about hanging out with three girls and him being the only guy. And that was perfectly understandable.

I was greeted my Audrey with a hug, and a wave by Rachel.

"Sup," she said, without bothering to look at me.

"Oh, just survived four classes, nothing more."

She grinned. "So you agree school sucks?"

I shook my head. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Pfft." She sank back in her chair, shifting all her attention to her beloved cell phone.

I didn't have one as we could never afford it. But I don't feel too bad about it.

"Take a seat!" Audrey urged.

I took a seat beside her after ordering a smoothie. Receiving my order, I quickly went to take it, rushing back with a large cup of smoothie.

"So... Who's this lucky guy you're going out with?" I asked curiously.

She giggled. "James Cadwell."

I sipped my smoothie. "Who?"

She glared at me slightly. "Nico-bear~ be nice!"

"Mmh..."

"He's coming to pick me up the day after tomorrow in the evening, so I gotta look my best!" she said excitedly.

I'd totally feel bad if her date didn't approve of her looks; she tries pretty hard, and I love her no matter what.

"When are going coming back?"

She smiled. "Don't worry, your big sis is coming at night from the arcade."

My eyes went wide with surprise. "The arcade? But..."

"Yes, he's taking me there..." she said dreamily.

My attention drifted off. But when a tall guy entered the cafeteria, I couldn't help but stare. I looked around to realize I wasn't the only one; all the other girls were staring, too. Including Rachel.

"Who's that?" I asked her.

"Damien Rodcliffe, I think. He's just transferred to this school," she replied, eyes wide.

I looked at him closely. He was tall, and had pale skin and ruby red eyes. He had fairly messy black hair and possessed a seductive aura. Strange enough, he looked oddly familiar to me. He walked towards a table and took a seat at the corner of the room.

"He rarely shows up in school. I mean, he transferred like, last month," Rachel added. "Plus, he's filthy rich. His dad travels a lot from time to time, so he changes school a lot, too."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far with him," Audrey said coldly. "There's something not right about him. Attention seekers are the one thing I hate."

But you yourself are a...

I stared at him despite Audrey's openly expressed indifference towards him.

He was undeniably sexy in every way. Perhaps in a dark and mysterious way. He was wearing a black jacket and a white shirt underneath with a pair of blue jeans.

He was glancing at his phone, and beckoned at a guy to come near him. They seemed to know each other well, and got caught up in a conversation real quick.

It was just when Rachel was showing me something on her phone that I caught him staring at me intensely. I blushed as he stared harder, refusing to break his gaze. I looked around in amazement.

Was he really staring at me?

Of course not, Nicole!

But there was no one else who was staring at him now. Everyone was busy in their own conversations. I looked back at him again. He was still staring at me, resting his chin on his palm. I shuddered at his gaze and a chill ran down my spine.

This was not me!

What was happening to me?

He was probably playing with me, as most playboys did with ordinary girls. But there was something about him...

I would've stared at him all day if wasn't interrupted. Which I was, by Audrey.

"Come on, break's over."

I'd just realized I'd been staring at him for full thirty minutes. I tore my eyes from him and began to walk away with them. I looked at him again, but he wasn't there.

Where was he?

I was about to resume walking when suddenly...

"!"

I was pushed by someone real hard!

I was about to fall flat on my face when the same person caught me just in time.

"Woah there, it's risky falling on slippery floors like that..."

My whole body shivered as he spoke, the guy I was staring at for a whole thirty minutes!

His voice was deep, and sexy. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulling me to my feet. My eyes were wide, and my cheeks were flushed. He slowly let me go and flashed a wink, to which all the girls drowned in fantasy. I stared at him in surprise as he walked away, giving me one last look.

"Nicole."

"..."

"Nicole!"

I snapped. "What?"

"Dude, let's go already," Rachel said impatiently. "Don't tell me you have a crush on him already."

"Of course not!" I blushed. But I could never forget what had just happened...

I was so obsessed with that guy that I didn't even hear a thing the teacher said.

"...And so Marlin was gifted with knowledge. That's what made him more and more curious, the desire to learn more. So I would therefore like to encourage you to chase after knowledge."

I stared off at a distance, without listening to a word. I asked myself, how can I like someone who I barely even know? I knew it was stupid, but...

Was this... what people called "love at first sight"?