High School Romance with The Malek Brothers

Chapter One.

I hate waking up early. Especially today. The first day at a brand new school. My family had recently moved us all to Los Angeles for Dad's new job. I wasn't complaining. I love the sunshine and fresh air. I just hate change. I'm already a nervous person by nature, so I obviously didn't sleep much at all last night. I woke up in a whirlwind of sheets. Blindly reaching for my alarm clock, to shut it off. An ocean of worry weighing me down. I hate making small talk. Finding a seat in class. Making new friends. I suck at all of that. The knot in my stomach tightened. Just as I was running my fingers through the mess that was my hair, my Mom pushed open my bedroom door. "Oatmeal or cereal today?" She asked me. I wasn't hungry. "Oatmeal." I half smiled. I sluggishly sat up in bed and threw the covers off. Mom went back downstairs to start my breakfast. I jammed my feet into my bedroom slippers and slowly made my way to my closet. I pulled out my favorite black skinny jeans, a white tank top and a soft blue and white plaid shirt. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and threw on my black converse sneakers, no socks. Some face powder, lip gloss and a spritz of my favorite Marc Jacobs perfume behind both ears. I headed downstairs for my bowl of breakfast and bright purple backpack. I jammed the food into my mouth. I probably swallowed about 3 bites before I knew I had to stop. I told my Mom I wanted a granola bar instead. Found one in the pantry and slung my purple backpack over my left shoulder. I had a bus to catch.

When the bus pulled up to my new school, Notre Dame High School, the butterflies all came back in a flurry. I checked my hair in my compact mirror and then slowly stood up to get off the bus. I was so nervous, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going and bumped into a girl in front of me. My backpack slipped off my shoulder and some papers spilled out. Great first impression, Erika! I scolded myself internally. Before I could even begin to react, she was already lifting my backpack off the ground. "Here you are." She motioned towards me, still crouched and picking up my scattered papers. "Thank you." I crouched down to help. "I'm new." I added. "And nervous." I offered. "Hi. I'm Rykie." She smiled up at me. "Do you need somebody to give you a tour?" She offered. "Sure. That would be great actually. This school looks huge!" I answered. "What's your first class?" Rykie asked me. "I actually have Latin first. Then European History followed by Biology." I revealed. "Oh, nice. I'm also in European History. See you in class." Rykie handed me the last of my paperwork off the floor and hurried off the bus. "I'm late for my first class, we're supposed to meet in the gym. See ya later!" She sped off.

I gathered all of my papers into some semblance of order. Stuffed them back into my bag and hopped off the bus. I made my way across the massive courtyard. Finally reaching the entrance of the school, I reached for my granola bar in my pocket. Maybe chewing on something will calm my nerves, I reasoned. As I entered the big building, I was hit with all kinds of sounds. Various conversations, all going on at once. Jocks walking by in a cluster to my left. An all glass library to my right. I finally made it to the bank of lockers and found mine. I was able to unlock it after only two attempts, surprisingly. I stuffed my backpack inside and only kept my itinerary, notebook and purple pen. I locked up and headed for my first class. Latin. I speak Spanish fluently, so I hoped that Latin wouldn't be too difficult? I knew it would look good on my transcripts, which was why I chose it.

As I stepped into the classroom, I saw that almost all of the seats were already full. The teacher was at the front of the class, perched on the edge of her desk. Her dark red hair was cut short and blunt, just above her shoulders. She heard me walk in. I guess she could read the bewilderment on my face, and told me to pick a seat. "Where?" I asked looking for an empty spot. "Sit next to the boy you think is the cutest." She mused. A wide smile on her face. Oh my god! Is she kidding? I looked around the room trying my best to not look nervous. Then my eyes locked on him. The guy towards the middle back of the room. His head was full of dark tiny curls. His eyes deep blue. And his smile inviting. There was something about him. Something comfortable. The teacher noticed my reaction. "Sally get up!" She half scolded. The girl next to Mr. Curly Hair jolted out of her seat. And my new teacher motioned for me to take a seat. I did. All the while trying to keep calm, cool and collected. I didn't dare look at him. When I was finally seated, the teacher (Ms. Golden, by the way) began the lesson for the day. Scrawling on the chalkboard and the classroom giving her their undivided attention. This was when I took the chance, to peek at him again. And when I did, he was looking right at me. He smiled again. This time revealing his perfect white teeth. "I'm Rami." He extended his hand towards me. "Erika." I replied with a tiny nervous smile. We shook hands, awkwardly. Then he slid his desk close to mine so I could see his notes. I only hoped he couldn't hear my heart hammering underneath of my shirt. I certainly could. It felt like I had just run 10 miles, yet there I was just sitting in my chair. I smiled again at him and tried to pay attention to the lesson.