Chasing Sofia

Loving Olivia

The one thing I'm actually looking forward to is soccer practice. As excited as I am about it, I'm equally terrified. I'll officially be captain of the team. It still feels bizarre to me as that position still belongs to Adrian in my mind, and probably always will. But he's no longer here, and Coach thought I should take over the reins even though I don't know the first thing about being a leader or bringing a team together.

Adrian always made it look easy, but I know it's not, and I don't know if I'll be able to command the same level of respect that he did. Especially because I'm only in my third year and there are plenty of guys on the team that are older than me, even more so because I skipped a grade when I was younger. Thankfully, most people don't know about that.

I make my way through the hallways, taking in the noise and chatter surrounding me. I thought I would welcome it for a change, but for some reason it sounds really loud to me and I almost feel like covering my ears. It's not like I have supersonic hearing, but I can hear everything. People's footsteps screeching over the linoleum, high-pitched laughter coming from a group of girls, the repeated banging of doors as they open and close. The sounds all clamor together in acoustic pressure, and suddenly I feel a disproportionate level of decibels blasting in my ear like a giant cacophony.

Something must be really wrong with me.

It tapers down as the day progresses, but it's mostly when I'm sitting down in a classroom only listening to the professor's voice that I feel more at ease. As soon as I reach the cafeteria after my first two classes, it starts up again like a noise storm and becomes as loud as a freight train. I sense an impending migraine start to take form.

"Durant!" a voice yells over all the racket.

I consider ignoring it and making a beeline for the library so I can at least find a few minutes of comfortable silence. But I know the last thing I should be doing is being antisocial. So I turn around and head towards a table where some of my teammates are gathered.

"What's up, man? Where've you been?" Ben asks me as I take a seat. After Adrian, he's probably the closest friend I have on the team, but still comes nowhere near him.

"Busy." Unless you consider busy as part of thinking of ways to not get bored out of your mind. Like rearranging my closet and donating half of my clothes to charity. Or completing a five thousand piece jigsaw puzzle of the Tower of Babel.

"Were you traveling or something? You weren't around during the summer."

"Yeah, I was in London," I lie again. Well, at least that one is half-true. I did go to London to visit my two older brothers and their families, but that was only for a week in July. The complete truth is, I didn't feel like hanging out with them once I got back to Madrid. Or anyone for that matter.

Ben nods at me, easily buying my answer. "So have you heard about the new freshman yet?"

"No," I respond. I should care?

"Dude, you have to see her," he says emphatically. "She's the hottest thing this place has seen since your sister. And we all know that didn't last very long."

"What the hell, Ben? I don't need to hear that."

"Sorry. Well, it's true."

"Well, I'm not interested. Save it," I huff back. The last thing I need is to get involved with a girl at school.

"What? Are you still not over Ana?"

I feel like slapping him just for bringing her up. "Trust me, I'm over her. I just don't want to get stuck with a girl that I'll have to see every day."