Since meeting Olly, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't have even if I wanted to. He had my body feeling like jelly and my insides a complete frothing mess. My brain wouldn't switch off and kept replaying our conversation. My ears were ringing with his deep yet tender tone, and all I saw when I closed my eyes was him and his cute smile. I wanted to see him again. And living next door, I knew I would see him again. I was just so nervous about how different it would be within those school walls. The walls where once I stepped past them, my invisibility cloak appeared.
Would he treat me like everyone else?
I woke up late and was rushing around like a lunatic. Usually, the mirror would see me at least twenty times before leaving the house. Phone calls back and forth with Lauren and Sophie would have been held, telling me what to wear. At Bailey, your day depended on how good you looked and how popular you were, and since I had no time to do my hair and couldn't find my skirt, I was already doomed.
I couldn't say the same for Olly. Good-looking and sporty, he would undoubtedly be one of the popular boys by lunchtime. In five minutes, he had me hooked, and Lauren and every other girl would be the same.
He was eye candy and would be raking in prom king votes by the end of the day.
I couldn't forget how I felt when his big brown doe eyes locked mine and how his freckles made me want to connect them, to find out what beautiful art they created. Art above art, well, he would be a masterpiece; he already was.
With how he was already sketched in my mind, after a five-minute conversation, I rang stalker alert. I barely knew him but could tell you he smelt how your skin smelled after too long in the sun, combined with fresh laundry powder and a hint of vanilla. He was already my new favourite scent. Imagine how I could describe him if I really got to know him. I could only dream of getting the chance to gain knowledge of the finer details.
I quickly threw my uniform on and ran down the stairs, raking my fingers through my hair, "See you later," I hollered as I opened the door.
"What about your breakfast?" Mum replied from the kitchen.
"I'm not hungry, and I'm going to be late." I had no appetite for the first time in forever, and it wasn't hard to see why with the butterflies swirling in my stomach.
I briskly walked to school, contemplating whether to mention Olly to Lauren and Sophie, changing my mind back and forth with every step. I'd never met a boy they didn't know before, and I wasn't sure how to deal with it. It shouldn't have mattered. It's not like I took a claim on him for meeting him first. That's just how messed up teenage crushes were, and the more I thought about it, the more stupid it made me feel.
I hated that my entire life revolved around boys. Why did it? What had I turned into?
Whatever it was, I hated it. It didn't feel like me. But then, the more I thought about that, I didn't know what being me felt like. Was I being me or playing the role of somebody else? After all this time, was I not being Ashley? Who the hell is Ashley Prince without Lauren and Sophie? What a scary thought. What a horrible idea.
"Ashley," I heard behind me. I turned, and Olly was there, slowly walking toward me. He looked stunning with his gorgeous face hidden under a black cap.
He swept me off my feet, and I nearly fell over and choked on my breath simultaneously. I didn't know what to do next, was I supposed to stop and wait for him, or was he just saying hello? I didn't want to seem rude, so I tinkered with my jacket, took my phone from my pocket, looked busy, and then put it back, frozen to the ground until he caught up with me.
When Olly reached me, he gave a flattering smile, and it had me swooning. Even the way he held onto his backpack strap hanging over one shoulder was faultless. His smooth style and charm intimidated me a little, and it was nothing like I had ever known. He was different to the other boys, and I couldn't figure out why. But I did know how he looked in his uniform was even better than I imagined.
He was wearing his sweatshirt despite the warmth of summer, though the sleeves were pushed back to his elbows, showing me the chord bracelets clinging to his wrists. I wondered what they meant and where they were from. They were enough to take my attention from his toned legs in his black pocketed shorts. Just a little bit, anyway.
I found myself chewing my lip as my eyes took in every detail of him, and when my gaze met his radiant stare, a lump formed in my throat. I was lost for words and looked down at the ground shyly, focusing on his black shoes, which could nearly pass for trainers. If I wore them, a pink slip would be instant. I had been on the uniform radar for years and had more detentions than lunch times. I was kissing prom goodbye one more step out of line.
I guess the benefit of sixth form was casual wear, but I was already dreading wearing my own clothes. There wasn't one piece of clothing in my wardrobe I would want to wear to school.
"Can I walk with you?" Olly asked.
"Me? Erm, yeah, okay," I stuttered with a nervous smile.
I moved my feet back in front of the other and walked next to him, waiting for the dream to end, blinking rapidly to ensure I was awake. I tucked my hair behind my ears and played with everything in sight. I pulled at my clothes, my bag straps, and my fingernails. My cheeks flushed, and I didn't want him to see. I panicked and didn't know why; we were only walking to school.
"So, what's Bailey high like?"
For a minute, I thought about it, but there was only one way to explain it, and I went with that. "It's all right if you're popular."
"Are you popular then?" Olly asked, making me laugh out loud. It was evident by looking at me that I was not popular.
My jumper wrapped around my waist, my denim jacket covered my baggy polo shirt, and my black flared trousers hid my chunky black school shoes. My fashion choice didn't come close to the other girls who wore short skirts with their shirts tucked in with colourful bras in clear sight.
"Well, I have popular friends. Yes, maybe, actually, no, just no. I hate school," I mumbled as I became tongue-tied.
"If your friends are popular, then you must be?" His assumption couldn't have been further from the truth. I didn't want to elaborate, so I brushed it off.
"Trust me. You won't have a problem making friends."
"Why? I'm starting school with a few weeks left of the year; there is no point in me even going. It's summer soon." Olly sounded worried, and his wry smile caught me off guard; it stunned me a little. His words were honest and genuine, and I had never heard a boy of our age talk in such a manner. At school, the boys were immature and vulgar. Though he was right, I would have hated starting school so late too.
"Because, well, just because." I blushed. I wanted to tell him it was because he was breathtakingly stunning and sporty, and that's all he needed to be to fit in at Bailey. A stereotypical school with every clique under its umbrella.
"Okay. So if you hate school, tell me, what do you like?"
"Erm." Talking about myself was not the norm; nobody had really asked before, and it took more thought than it should have. "The usual, music, films, magazines," I rolled off. "I'm not that exciting." I shrugged, swallowing hard as Olly glanced at me with curious eyes.
"I don't believe that," he said, tightening his grip on his strap.
"Why?"
"I just don't." The way he looked at me with a Cheshire smile made me feel not quite normal. The interest in his eyes was something of a rarity in my life, and I didn't know whether to trust it.
"Well, what are you into then, Olly?" I asked, using emphasis on his name.
"Oh, the usual," he laughed, making me nervous as I rolled my eyes away with a coy grin. "Nah, I'm massively into sports, all of it, playing, watching, reading, you name it, I do it. I play football a lot and enjoy surfing, though since moving here, I doubt I'll be doing much of that anymore."
"Surfing? Wow. Did you live near a beach then?"
Olly nodded and held out his arm, touching the bands wrapping his wrist. "You see these. These are souvenirs from every surfing competition I have won or participated in. I grew up in Newquay and have spent nearly every day on a beach or in the sea since I can remember."
I didn't know what to say. Olly's life sounded like a dream I would undoubtedly have swapped mine for any day.
"Your childhood must have been amazing, growing up so free," I replied, ignoring how I wanted to ask if it was why he had such bronzed skin and sun-bleached hair. Not mentioning his gorgeous body was the safest bet, seeing how red hot my cheeks already were.
"Yeah, I can't complain." He beamed.
"Well, you will be now you have moved here. It's the furthest away from any beach. If I hate it, you certainly will. Why do such a thing?"
I watched Olly's Adam's apple tighten and then relax as if he was struggling for a reason. It had me reeling with wonder. "We have family up here; my parents fancied a change."
I can't say I was disappointed in the answer; it was a fair enough reason. But even family wouldn't have been a good enough reason for me. Waking up beside the ocean sounded ideal. Even with a fear of open water, I imagined it to be serene and calming, unlike here, where you're surrounded by scaffolding and upcoming housing estates everywhere you look.
"I bet it was hard leaving your life behind."
He glanced at me, and his stare glistened into mine like a starry night. With a smile, Olly said, "It was, but it wasn't. I have no doubt it was a bad decision."
My fists tightened as my nerves started flowing all over the place. I suddenly felt vulnerable. This was the most intense conversation I had ever had, and I didn't know if I was making up the connection I felt between us. Olly was so easy for me to talk to; it was like I already knew him, and I was fascinated by it.
"You can't say that after only one day," I replied. "I would hate my parents if they moved me away from the beach to here."
He clicked his tongue and tightened his lips. "We'll see, but the neighbourhood looks alright so far." He smirked. I bit the inside of my mouth, my hands went clammy, and I couldn't say anything else.
*
"I'll see you around then," Olly said as we walked through the front gate, and my heart sank. The last half-hour was the most pleasant walk since starting Bailey. I enjoyed the conversation and the company. Definitely the company.
During the brief moment when Olly asked me about myself, he made me feel important. He didn't make me feel invisible like everyone else. It was new, different, and I liked it. But with how I struggled to answer simple questions about myself, I kept steering the conversation back to him.
Besides surfing, I listened to him tell me about his passion for football, his brother, Nate, and how they travelled every summer in their camper van.
Olly was not only charmingly handsome, but his personality was refreshing. He was different and relaxed; if I could manage a full-blown conversation with him, that was saying something.
If walking into school with him lifted my spirits, knowing him for the past three years could have made my high school life entirely different. And with school ending soon, it made me sad that I had only just met him.
I watched him walk away and read the signs as we passed the gates. He looked anxious but at ease as he spoke to a group of lads nearby; I knew it wouldn't take him long, yet still, I hoped he would get on okay.
His life at Bailey had started, and when he disappeared out of sight, I already missed him. If my past was anything to go by, our school friendship was now over.
"There she is," Lauren shouted, hurtling towards me with Sophie. They gave me their usual exaggerated morning hug and toyed with my hair. "Where have you been? We haven't heard from you all morning, and what are you wearing? Where is your skirt?"
I looked at them both, pulled at my bag and grounded my feet so harshly into the floor that my sole hurt. "I woke up late."
"Oops, well, we can sort you out," Lauren said as I nodded warily. She pulled a hairbrush out of her shoulder bag and started raking it through my hair.
"Tell her," Sophie nudged Lauren, giggling.
"Tell me what?" I said, wincing as she made her way through the knots.
I knew Sophie and Lauren were closer to each other than I was with them. They were so much similar to each other. They gossiped daily about boys they had chatted to all night, and I didn't. But for once, I did, yet I didn't feel like giving them the pleasure of gossiping about the new boy. It's not that I wanted to keep him to myself; I had grown tired of their little secrets. And with the way Lauren stood there looking like she wasn't going to tell me anyway, the bell saved me from being the third wheel for a second longer. I brushed Lauren off me and said nothing.
They walked off together, arm in arm, chatting, and left me behind. I walked straight to an English taster class, sat in the corner window seat on my own, and buried my head in a book.