The Exchange Student // Camila Cabello

Chapter Five

Noah's POV
I followed Sofi around the fence and onto school grounds. She had run ahead of me and was cheering excitedly at Camila.

My cheeks flushed a dark red as all the cheerleaders stopped cheering and looked over at us. Camila's eyes met mine and they flickered with anger. It was clear she still wasn't happy about last night.

She walked away from her team and stormed up to us. Her hands on her hips, she hissed, "What are you doing here?"

"We-" I opened my mouth, but Sofi cut me off.

"We're going to the park!"

Camila nodded and looked at me. "You know there's a park like three minutes from our house."

I raised my eyebrows and nodded slowly. "I did not know that."

She rolled her eyes and looked down at Sofi who was focused on watching the cheerleaders practice their routine.

"What are you even doing with Sofi?" she asked in a quiet voice so Sofi couldn't hear us. "Why isn't she with my mom?"

I scrunched my eyebrows, sensing an accusation in her tone. "Your mom went to the store and needed someone to watch Sofi. I didn't have anything going on so I just thought we could hang out and-" I stopped talking when I saw the look on Camila's face. She couldn't care less about my reasoning. She was just upset that I was there. "Look, I'm sorry that we came here. If I had known it would be such a big deal then we wouldn't have come."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Just ask Sofi to take you to the park by our house."

She walked away before I could even respond. I watched her walk away, my eyes scrunched in anger. Who does she even think she is? Bossing me around like that.

Sofi looked up at me and tilted her head. "Where's Camila going?"

"She has to go finish practice," I said, still upset by the way Camila treats me. "Why don't you show me the park by your house?"

She nodded and got back on her bike. We backtracked a fair amount before arriving at a surprisingly nice neighborhood park.

There was a massive play place spread across the park. Tennis courts and basketball courts enclosed in a black chain-link fence sat close to the playground. A beautiful green lawn surrounded the playground, filling in the rest of the park. To top it off, a sidewalk wrapped around the park, with large leafy trees peppering the lawn.

Sofi dropped her bike and ran to the playground where a group of kids around her age were playing on the swings.

I watched her climb onto a swing and pump her legs, gradually getting higher and higher. A park bench with a view of the swings rested nearby. I walked over and planted myself at the end, taking a deep breath as I watched Sofi play.

"Oh, um, you're in my seat," a hesitant voice said from behind me.

I turned to see a tall boy with wild brown curls falling in his face. He gave me a small, somewhat awkward smile.

I responded with a questioning stare. "Your seat?"

"Well, not my seat." He chuckled quietly. "But that is my backpack on the ground next to it."

A grey backpack with a Harry Potter keychain rested against the park bench. My cheeks turned pink and I stood up. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." The boy smiled and sat down. "You don't have to leave, though."

I sat back down and watched as he pulled the third Harry Potter book from his bag. It was old and worn, and it looked like he had read the book hundreds of times.

"I'm Shawn," he said, extending his hand for me to shake.

"Noah." I nodded, taking his hand in mine.

"So, what brings you to the park?" he asked, looking back at the kids playing. He was awkward as hell but he seemed eager to make friends.

"Oh, I'm just babysitting," I said, unsure of what to call my relation to Sofi.

"Same with me." He smiled and pointed to twin boys playing on the slide. "They're my neighbors."

I pointed to Sofi as she went higher on the swing, the sound of her laughing made me smile. "She's my host-sister."

"Host-sister?" Shawn asked with a goofy grin. "What are you, an alien?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'm an exchange student, actually."

"Really?" he asked, setting down his book as a more interesting topic presented itself. "Where are you from?"

"Seattle," I said, accepting the fact that questions like these were going to follow me the entirety of the year. He furrowed his eyebrows, but I answered his question before he could even ask it. "It's a music exchange program for students in the US."

"Music?" He smiled. "I love music. What kind of music are you into?"

I grinned. "Well, there are the basics: pop, country, rock. Depending on my mood I'll go old school and listen to some MJ or Hendrix. But when it comes to playing, I am all about the classics. Beethoven, Bach, Haydn, though I do know some modern songs, too."

"Wow, you really know your stuff." He laughed.

"I guess I kind of have to." I shrugged. "My parents can't afford the program so I had to earn a scholarship."

"You know, I feel like I could earn a scholarship for my extensive knowledge on Harry Potter trivia." He patted his book again.

I laughed and looked out at Sofi, making sure she was okay. She was laughing as she chased the twin boys Shawn babysits.

My phone buzzed and I looked at who was texting.

Sinuhe Cabello (host-mom)
Hey Noah, I just got back from the store.
Where are you?

I looked at Shawn and nodded to my phone. "It's my host-mom. I better . . . I'm gonna reply really quick."

Me
At the park. We'll be back in a couple minutes.

I turned off my phone and nodded. "I better get going. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, uh, nice meeting you, Noah." He smiled, giving me a small wave.

I grinned and jumped to my feet, calling out to Sofi as she played with her friends. She came running over and got back on her bike.

We made our way out of the park and I looked back, wondering if I'd see Shawn again. He actually seemed kind of cool, even if he was a little goofy.