Playing Matchmaker

Meet the boys

ONE
Zoey's POV

"Okay class, today you can do whatever you want that's within the school rules. Actually, I don't really care", announces Ms Karp to the class. Everyone was dumb founded. This wasn't something Ms Karp would say at all.

"Who are you and what have you done to Ms Karp?" someone shouts dramatically from the back of the class.

Ms Karp rolled her eyes and drifted deep into her thoughts. I leaned back against my chair and sighed in content, reminising the things that happened that led to this wonderful free period. Who knew that setting up the history teacher that nags the most, Ms Karp and the most grumpiest teacher, Mr Turner, would change the lives of students at Ridgewood High forever? Oh yeah, me.

Ms Karp was that teacher who nagged about almost everything. She once gave us a three-decade long (or what felt like it) lecture about responsibilty because someone dropped their pencil on the floor. Who does that right? And Mr Turner was known for his death glares and killer homework quantities. 6 pages of his calculus homework takes about 4 hours to complete and leaves you brain dead after. Life was hell for us students until I decided it was about time these two got a life.

All I had to do was tell Ms Karp that Mr Turner thought her eyes sparkled like the stars in the night sky and Mr Turner that Ms Karp thought he looked very handsome in his worn-out grey blazer. The next thing you know, the two were seen leaving the school compounds together.

"This has you written all over it. Thanks Zoe! You've saved all our lives!" Chloe, one of my classmates, thanked me.

I was known as the matchmaker in my school. I've lost count of the number of people I've brought together and I can confidently say I've never made an unsuccessful match. It's kind of sad that people only approach me for my help but I do get thanked after that. You'd think that someone with such talent would've found herself a match, but no I have not. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with being single...for now at least.

The period ended and it was finally time for lunch. I headed to my locker to keep away some of my textbooks when suddenly the world goes dark. A huge pair of hands covered my eyes and I don't even have to look to know who they belong to.

"Hey Seth."
"Hey Z! Ready for lunch?" my brother asks rather enthusiastically.
"What are you even so excited about?"
"Just looking forward to meeting an old friend of mine later," he replies still smiling
"oh, who is it?"
"uhm... no one you know" he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I know all of your friends Seth, who is it?" I question.
"I... uhm... I just remembered I have to... hand in my homework...to Mr Turner. I'll catch ya later Z, love ya! Bye!" He says in a hurry and runs down the hall.
Seth's my twin brother, older by only a minute, and he never lets me forget it. We both have the same shade of dark brown hair and blue eyes, but his made my orbs look dull in comparison. He could be so weird sometimes but I could tell he was definitely hiding something from me. I guess I'll just have to force it out of him later, but right now, I really need some food. I am starving!

Our school's cafeteria food isn't so bad. It's actually edible and sometimes even tasty. Today, they're serving beef burgers. I spot Brooke at our usual table with our other friends and join them. They were talking about something but I couldn't exactly hear them clearly from where I was but as soon as I reached the table, they immediately stopped talking. Hmm, weird.

"So what were you guys talking about?" I asked to looking at all of them.

"Oh... uhm... nothing interesting. Just about how good of a mood Mr Turner seemed to be in today," Jess, one of my close friends replied rather quickly.

"All thanks to Zoe, of course," Brooke added, giving me a grateful smile.

Brooke and I have been friends since forever. We met on the first day of school back in 3rd grade after she moved here. It was strange just how well we got along and no one could ever tell that Brooke used to hate me. Yeapp, that's right, we weren't always friends. On the first day we met, it was under some unfortunate circumstance. I had tripped over myself, being the clumsy person I am and accidentally spilt some cranberry juice over Brooke, who happened to be wearing a white top that day. She, of course, thought I was being a bully and did it on purpose. It was a year and countless of apologies and attempts to explain myself later that she gave in and admitted that she may have overreacted. We've been inseparable since.