One Night (Book 1) - Zayn Malik

Chapter 9

The next morning goes as usual. Getting up, dressing myself in a nice blouse and jeans. Walking outside to inhale the fresh morning air, it's about 7:40. Psychology is 8AM and even though the building is fairly close to the dorms, I like to have extra time. Extra time just in case something happens, extra time to enjoy the beauty of Boulder's campus.

Walking towards the building I take the time to observe the leaves all changing. August is basically over and I can't wait for September. Not only is Sarah's birthday in September but there's all the fall colors that appear. I always found it strange how everything is so beautiful during fall, but everything is dying...

I walk into my psychology class ten minutes before class starts. There are about forty desks set about the classroom, in rows equally spaced. I take a seat up front near the door. There's about four other students in the class, but as 8AM get's closer more students file in.

Mr. Collins is getting things ready. He's scribbling a few things on the board while flipping through a book. Mr. Collins - the psych teacher - had light brown hair and kind light eyes. He was a middle age teacher, most likely mid thirties. He was fun and made the class enjoyable.

The class starts as normal. We are talking about psychological disorders and reading up on them. I found my article interesting. It was about a little girl in South Carolina with Acute Stress Disorder, her parents putting her through therapy to help her out. I'm startled when Mr. Collins speaks, pulling me from the article.

"You're late. Come in, take a seat." Mr. Collins commands, I look over my shoulder and my eyes widen. It's the boy from the party. The boy I had spilled my heart and soul to, the boy who didn't know my name, the boy who I was never supposed to see again, the boy who had been in my thoughts every day.

Everyone is staring at him. He walks past all the students who's eyes follow him. He doesn't look at me as he sits down in the empty desk next to me. I catch a light whiff of the cologne I had been dreaming about and my body begins to tingle.

He's wearing a black v-neck that exposes part of the tattoo on his chest and black jeans. I stare at him waiting for him to say something, to smile, to look at me in acknowledgement; instead he leans over to the blonde behind him with a charming smile and gazing eyes.

"Hey there. I missed the first few weeks of class, maybe we can catch up after and you could help me out?" His perfect accented voice talks to her. I feel myself clench my jaw as she smiles and nods. He turns back around without looking at me. Was he going to ignore me? Pretend he had never met me? Granted that's what we agreed that night... but I figured he'd make some gesture of showing he at least recognized me.

Mr. Collins begins discussing some articles he had read so I manage to keep myself from looking at him. I let out a light breath and look to the front of the class. I shift uncomfortably as he sits right next to me, never looking at me. 

When the bell rings I glance at him, he gets up without looking at me. I keep my eye on him as I gather up my books and as I walk past him his eyes meet mine for a fleeting second before he looks away. I hear him mumble something under his breath before he turns and walks the opposite way I am. I widen my eyes, forcing myself not to turn and watch him retreat.

I shake the thought of him in my class and walk towards the dorms. Thinking to myself as I pass by the trees. Why was he in my psych class? I didn't even know he was interested in psych. Why was he ignoring me? I know we agreed to ignore but still, he didn't even acknowledge my presence. I let out a furious breath as I turn towards the dorms.

When I arrive back to the dorms, I find that Sarah isn't there. Good, maybe she went to class for once. I sit down at my desk and pull out my Chemistry book. As I try to study for my class the thoughts of him keep bombarding my memory. All last week I would have moments where I would think about our conversation but nothing like this. Nothing where I couldn't push it out of my mind, nothing that evoked anger.