A New Love

Chapter Three

"I can't I believe it's already the last day before Christmas break, it doesn't seem like Christmas yet." Skye says once everyone sits down to eat there lunches.

"That's because you haven't gotten your gifts for anyone yet." I nudge her in the arm. She ignores me and continues to eat her lunch.

Some of us always walk towards our classes together and today I had Leadership with Ashley, Vera, and Delainey (so we all walked together). I know Leadership sounds like a stupid class, and well, it is, but I'm with all my friends so it's okay.

As we are walking through the halls I seen him, duke, we make eye contact and he waves at me and says, "hey" on his way by. I wave back to him and whisper "hi" to myself as he is already to far gone down the hallway to hear.

But my friends do.

Great.

Of course they start making hearts in the air and kissy faces, I totally ignore it and eventually they stop.

Leadership is the last class of the day so of course it goes by the slowest. But finally - after starting at the clock for the past 30 minutes while my teacher babbles on about some field trip - the bell rings and I rush out of the classroom towards my locker.

Delainey, Vera, and Ashley catch up with me and we all arrive at our lockers at the same time.

Skye, Kayla, and Matteya get to the lockers a few seconds after. Along with all the grade eights, sevens, and other nines in our locker pod.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Everyone says as we grab all our bags and coats and we go into a circle and have a group hug. Then we hug each other individually because we can!

At this point everybody is out of our locker pod except for one person, Duke.


(Just some background information: there is a guy in my class that wasn't in my class last year but he was mine and everyone in our friend groups friend until he made some really poor decisions and he's not friends with almost any of us anymore, he just thinks we are. His name? Nick).

I decide to being him up, "Nick, apparently, is getting me a Christmas gift." I say skeptically waiting for a response from someone.

"Really?!" Vera says, "How many times did you tell him not to?" She already knows the answer to this, she just wants to make a point.

"I think like 17 times or something."

Vera nods her head saying she wins and walks toward Delainey to tell her about her day.

All of a sudden I hear a masculine voice. "I don't think you should get his gift it." I know Ashley can make the sound of a dolphin but not a guy and since there is only one guy in the locker pod, I soon know that it's Duke who said that.

I walk over to his locker and he I ask him why and he says, "I don't want to ruin your break." Awe, he's so sweet, but seriously.

"Seriously, what happened?"

"He just said some not very nice things about you."

"Like what?" I ask and he just waves as if to push me away but I'm like a pitbull so I stay. "Seriously, what did he say?"

He takes in a deep breath and slowly exhaling realizing I'm not giving up. "He said you have a mustache." I tries to whisper.

Asshole. I already don't like it as it is and I try to change it and I can't so he doesn't have to point it out.

I go back to my locker, 5 lockers away, and finish putting all the stuff I need in my backpack, sulking.

Skye and Ashley are yelling at me to hurry up and I wave back at them to signal I'm getting there.

I hear Duke's locker slam and he hurls his backpack over his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas Duke." I say sulking.

Duke picks up on my sadness and says, "Awe, it's okay Shelby." and he pulls me into a hug.

He hugs me.

He Duke, hugs me Shelby.

And it wasn't one of those side hugs or anything, no, I was facing my locker (which was sideways to him) and so he puts his arm around my back, twists me and gives me one of those hugs that makes you feel safe and secure the one you just want to stay in forever.

I can feel my palms get warmer than normal and my cheeks burn with the heat rushing to them, making me blush (Gosh, I hope he doesn't see, I blush at everything). This is feels amazing and I don't want to leave this hug. None of my friends are making hearts in the air, Do they not see this?

Reluctantly, he pulls away and says, "you'll be fine Shelby."

I smile and my face is probably as red as a tomato. Crap.