I woke up extra early the next day, unable to get back to sleep even though my alarm was set for another hour. I ended up listening to New Kids on the Block through my headphones connected to my cd player. I loved their slower songs the best, whether it was from their '88 album or '90 one. Any decade they sounded amazing to me. I glanced out my window into the blueish morning, catching sight of Leo taking out the trash. He lit a cigarette directly after, just blowing smoke beside his garage as I found myself daydreaming about him again. Baby, I Believe in You lyrics were filling my ears as I adored how exciting/mysterious the music sounded before becoming more mellow. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks when Leo caught me staring, since the lamp beside me illuminated my window. I shyly lifted my hand for a small wave, him merely raising his hand in response with his lips pressed together. I closed my curtains as I felt dizzy and my heart was pounding, yet I had never felt more alive and happy. I went ahead and switched the music to my stereo system, keeping it quiet so I wouldn't wake the whole house. I started rummaging through my closet as I tilted my head, picking out one of the new outfits I got recently at the mall. It was a lavender shirt with a matching, short jacket, along with a skirt with small, ovals all over it in a darker shade that made a cute pattern. I then finally pulled out my bright, purple combat boots, pairing those with yellow ankle socks. I almost squealed from how cute the ensemble turned out, feeling excited to show it off today in front of Leo. Since I had extra time I even curled my hair before pinning my side bangs straight up to the back of my head. I kept twirling in my skirt as I felt light as air, stopping when I realized I still needed to eat breakfast, then pick my choice of colored lip gloss. After settling for a natural looking red shade I headed out, grinning from ear to ear when I saw Clementine had her car back, waiting for me out front.
"Hey," I beamed.
"Hey," she reacted, giving me a knowing smile after I got on the passenger's side. "You do know you've only said 'hi' to Leo, right?"
"I know, but I wanted to impress him and I woke up early anyway, so I thought why not go all out?"
"You look amazing, Alyssa. I can't believe you're finally wearing those shoes. You're always so insistent on sticking to your old sneakers."
"What can I say? My sneakers are super comfy, but these go perfectly with this outfit."
In a matter of minutes were parking in front of the school, me seeing Leo another row of cars down getting out of his own vehicle.
"Come on, you wanted him to see you, didn't you," Clementine asked, linking her arm with mine to rush me towards the entrance. I gave Leo a small smile when he caught sight of me, him almost looking me up and down before a group of teenagers blocked us from each other.
"That felt good. I mean, I think he finds me attractive too," I gushed as we stepped through the halls.
"Well, of course he does. I mean, you're gorgeous, Alyssa, only a blind guy couldn't see that."
"Thanks. And thanks for always supporting me through my crushes. I know I go overboard every time. I mean, I curled my hair for a whole month for Dalton last year."
"I get it. Having crushes are fun, and they make everyone a little crazy. You should talk to Leo at his locker. We still have ten minutes before class." She checked her watch before giving me a nudge in the right direction.
"Hi," I said to him, keeping my hands joined behind my back as I tried standing up straight.
"Hi," he responded, looking at me from his side vision as he kept messing with books on his shelves.
"So... we're neighbors." I was horrible at small conversation, almost rocking on my heels.
"Yeah, I saw you this morning. What were you listening to?"
"Hm?"
"You had headphones on," he faintly smiled, causing my skin to turn warm.
"Oh yeah, I always listen to New Kids on the Block. They're kind of my favorite."
"You ever listened to Stevie Wonder? He's really good." He scratched the side of his nose with his forefinger as I shook my head.
"No, I haven't, but I'll check out his music next time I'm at the store."
"I'm Leo by the way. I mean, I know I already introduced myself, but it was more to your friend over there." He nodded to Clementine who was attempting to act casual as she waited on me.
"I'm Alyssa," I reacted, giving him a warm smile. "So, um, how did you like that movie Forever Young?"
"It was really good." He shut his locker's door before leaning his shoulder against it, biting his lower lip as he gazed at me.
"I... I like your jacket," I managed to get out, tugging on the sleeve a tiny bit. "Oooh... it's soft." My voice remained quiet as I looked at the hard floor.
"Yeah, it's a soft kind of leather. My dad got it for me for an early birthday present."
"Oh, when's your birthday?"
"November 11th."
"Oh, that's pretty early, isn't it?"
"Yeah, well, he wasn't sure if he would see me then. My parents just recently got divorced, so they avoid being near each other."
"I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," he shrugged but his entire demeanor had changed again. He seemed to be more closed off as he looked down at his books.
"I better get to class. Bye." I gave him a simple wave before rejoining my best friend, telling her everything I could in mere minutes.
I was miserable as we played tennis for gym class, feeling hot beneath the sun since summer was still lingering. I was horrible at this game to begin with, never able to hit the stupid ball when it bounced in my direction.
"Come on! I bet you'll be able to get this one," Clementine encouraged, since she was my partner on the court. "Wait, I accidentally hit it wrong."
I freaked out when it was coming straight for me, getting hit in the head before toppling over. Everyone instantly was whispering about if I was okay and rushing over.
"I am so sorry, Alyssa. I really messed up," Clementine apologized, standing over me as I squinted my eyes open.
"It's okay," I told her, but I winced horribly when I sat up. "I think I hit my head pretty hard on the ground."
"You should go see the school nurse. I'll tell our teacher about what happened. Maybe she'll let me escort you there."
I just sat there pathetically as I waited on her, wanting to die when I saw the boys playing football in the field beyond the wire fence. What made it worse was Leo was in the class and they had noticed the commotion over here.
"You can thank me later," Clementine told me before squeezing my shoulder. I gave her a confused look before Leo walked over.
"Hey, they said you needed help walking to the nurse's office," he asked.
I just nodded as he helped me to my feet, keeping my arm around his middle even if my legs were stable.
"I'm not good at sports, but I've never gotten hurt like that before," I shared, feeling I could die of embarrassment.
"Does your head hurt?"
"Yeah, I hope I didn't get a concussion. I had trouble sleeping last night, so I was hoping to catch up on that tonight."
"Maybe you can miss school tomorrow." He was attempting to lighten the mood as he cracked a smile.
"That is a nice thought, but I would rather miss for a different reason than this." We eventually stopped in the nurse's office, me told to sit on the bed when the nurse learned what happened.
"Do you want me to stay with you," Leo offered, chewing on his bottom lip as I shook my head.
"You don't have to. You probably want to get back to playing football."
"Nah, it was getting boring. I'm more into basketball."
"Are you going to be on the team this year?"
"I'm not sure yet. I haven't tried out yet, but I was on the basketball team at my old school."
Before I could speak, the nurse had rushed over to check on me, shining a light in my eyes as she made sure I was okay. "You don't have a concussion, but I'll give you some pain pills for your head."
I sighed in relief before she gave me a paper cup with the medicine inside. I took those with some water she handed me next, the bell ringing right after.
"Thank you for walking me here," I said to Leo as my cheeks reddened.
"No problem. Have a good rest of your day, Alyssa." I swear my stomach did multiple flip flops as I watched him leave, my heart joining in with fluttering.
A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I guess I can't plan how the relationship goes in stories. I feel like it might not end up being a slow burn. Lol, we'll see how things go. Anyway, please remember to comment, vote, and follow. Thank you so much! <3