The shrill ringing of my alarm clock pierced the dead quiet of my room. It lasted only a split second before my hand collided with the annoying electronic, silencing it immediately. Cold bit at my now exposed hand and I quickly returned it to the toasty safe haven of under my comforter.
After a few moments of silence I groaned to myself. Even though it was freezing in my room, I had to get up and get ready. No more dreaming about the handsome, mysterious man that I had dragged to my house the week before. I took a deep breath and counted to three before seizing the edge of my comforter and tossing it off of me. The frigid air tempted me into going back under the covers, but I fought it.
My bare feet touched the freezing floor and I padded over to the air vent. I stuck my foot in front of the airway and pulled it back with a frown. The air conditioner was on, not the heat. Had my mom mistakenly turned it on instead of the heat? I exhaled and treaded wearily out of my room and into the hallway, which was only a few degrees warmer than my bedroom.
"Mom?"
I waited for an answer, and after a few moments of silence I tried again, walking towards my mom's bedroom. I paused outside of the door and knocked gently. Still no answer. I opened it and peered inside to see my mom dead asleep on the bed, her clothes still on. I sighed to myself and walked over to her closet, grabbing an extra comforter and covering her.
"Geez," I muttered, frowning at her. "Don't overwork yourself this much."
I exited the room and made my way to the thermostat. My mom had indeed turned the air conditioning on instead of the heater. I turned the knob in the opposite direction and set it to a very warm temperature. After that I stumbled to the bathroom to take a shower.
The warm water felt relaxing on my back and I lingered a little longer than I should have. My thoughts were preoccupied about the umber haired man. Who was he? Would I be able to see him again? It was incredibly frustrating that he wouldn't at least tell me his name!
When I was done washing my hair, I hopped out of the shower and briskly dried off my body and towel-dried my hair as best as I could. I wrapped a towel around my head and body and made my way back to my bedroom. It was my last first day of school— and I wanted to look cute. Finally I decided on an outfit— a simple pair of washed jeans, a black tank top, and a light blue plaid shirt that I knew would bring out my eyes well.
When I was done getting dressed I went to my kitchen to eat a quick breakfast. After I finished I slipped on my low-top converse, and slung my backpack over my shoulders, stopping in the bathroom briefly to apply light make-up and brush my teeth. In the middle of rinsing, my phone started vibrating. I quickly swished the water in my mouth and spat it into the sink, wiping my mouth on a towel before answering the phone.
"Morning," I greeted, trying not to yawn.
"Morning, Holly!" my best friend of six years, Casey Rivers, returned sounding bright and chipper. "Are you almost ready? I'm outside your house now."
"Yep, I'll be out in a moment."
"Kay. See you soon," Casey responded and I heard a click.
I closed my cell phone and stuffed it in my pocket, hurrying out of the bathroom and down the hallway. I took the stairs two at a time and stopped in the kitchen quickly to write a note for my mom. Finally I snatched my house keys off the key hanger and flung on a jacket before I exited my house.
Casey was waiting on the steps. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back and blew gently in the breeze as she blew on her hands and rubbed them together to keep them warm. She turned when she heard the door open, her brown eyes lighting up excitedly. "Hi," she greeted me, the moisture of her exhale creating fog in the air, her cheeks a rosy red.
"It's cold," I commented, pulling my jacket tighter around me as the wind nipped at my face.
"Yeah," she responded, nodding her head vigorously. "Thank god this is our last year of walking to school."
I chuckled. "Agreed. But you know you don't have to walk with me. Don't you have a car?"
She shrugged. "I get more exercise this way and it's more fun."
I shrugged back at her. "Whatever, I guess, let's just go. It's too cold for September."
Together we set off down the sidewalk toward our school. It was only a ten-minute walk, but in the cold it seemed longer than that. I could feel goose bumps on the exposed part of my knee and wished I had worn a different pair of jeans.
"So," Casey started, turning to face me with a grin. "Any news about the mysterious stranger you saved?"
I shook my head. "I wish."
"That's too bad. I would have loved to meet him."
"I would love to see him again."
She suddenly smirked, an eager expression crossing her face. "You know what? There's a new biology teacher this year."
"Really? Male or female?"
"Male," she responded, stuffing her hands deeper into her pockets. "I don't know anything about him though, but I was thinking, what if he's your mystery man?"
I laughed. "No way. This guy was young."
"So?"
"Too young to be a teacher," I clarified.
Her expression dropped. "Bummer. Are you taking biology this year?"
I nodded, pushing my hair behind my ears. "Yeah. I took anatomy last year, so I was forced to take biology this year."
"I'm pretty sure everyone in our grade was forced to take anatomy last year and biology this year."
"Probably. I like biology though, so I don't mind."
"I wouldn't mind if this new biology teacher was young and handsome," she stated, a dreamy look coming onto her face.
I rolled my eyes. "There's no way. All science teachers are creepy. They are usually all old and bald. Or they have a lot of facial hair."
"Well, one can dream. But you're right."
"I'm always right," I told her with a wink. "I'm omniscient."
"Yeah, whatever," she responded, rolling her eyes.
We came to the gates of school and the building towered over us. It had been over two months since I had last been this close to it. I wasn't sure I was ready to be back.
Casey grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward a group of people. I recognized them as some of my school friends: Sadie, Lance, Danielle and Willis. They were all huddled together and I could hear them chattering excitedly.
"Hi guys!" Casey greeted them, catching Danielle in a hug.
"Holly!" Lance cried, pulling me into a tight hug.
I laughed, hugging him back. "Lance! Man have I missed you and your sexy British accent!"
"So I'm sexy now?" he asked, pulling away from me and winking.
"You wish," I retorted, shaking my head. "I know I just got here, but can we move this little shindig inside? It's freezing."
The six of us trooped our way inside the school building, the welcoming warm air defrosting our frozen bodies. Students filled the entrance hall, chattering with friends; some were walking around with schedules in their hands, comparing theirs' to others'.
"Let's meet up in the hall after we get our schedules," I suggested, wanting to drop my jacket off in my locker.
"Sounds good to me," Casey agreed, pulling off her hat and running a hand through her hair. "See you in a bit."
The six of us split up, heading to our assigned homeroom. Lance and I were in the same homeroom, so we went off together. He babbled on about his summer and how he visited his friends back in England. He had moved here to Massachusetts a few years back, when we were freshman, and we had been best friends since.
I entered my homeroom and walked to where my seat was for the past three years and wasn't surprised to find my schedule on the desk. I picked it up and scanned it quickly. The only name that stood out from the rest and that I didn't recognize was Chris Heywood. He must be the new Biology teacher, I thought.
"What periods do you have double biology?" Lance called from across the room.
"Fourth and fifth," I returned, scanning down the sheet of paper for my locker combination. I located it and read it a few times to memorize it.
"So do I!"
"Awesome," I responded, stuffing my schedule into my pocket. "I'm going to my locker to put away my coat."
I left Lance in the classroom and headed out into the now jammed hallway. A few of my friends called out greetings to me as I passed by them. Maneuvering around the crowds of students, I finally managed to make it to the senior hall where my locker was located. It was right on the corner. I spun the combo slowly and surprisingly opened it on my first try. A little laugh left my lips when I noticed the small drawing off a muffin I had drawn back in ninth grade was still on the door. The janitors still couldn't get it off. I let go of the locker door and began to pull my arms out of my jacket, only having a little difficulty. Suddenly, there was a quiet thud and my locker banged shut, catching the edge of my nose. "Ow!" I cried, pulling away from my now shut locker and slapping a hand to my nose.
There was quick intake of air from beside me and I twirled around to come face-to-chest with someone. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a young man with messy brown hair... I gasped when my eyes landed on the familiar, attractive grey eyes of my mystery man. He looked just as surprised, if not more, to see me. My mouth went dry and my mind blank. I definitely was not expecting to see him here.
We continued our mini staring contest for a few more moments. Once again my eyes were glued to his, unable to look away. Eventually the came out of his shock and his lips curved up. "Don't go falling for my good looks already," he commented, flicking my forehead.
I winced from the sudden contact and rubbed my forehead, glaring at the man while a light blush spread to my cheeks. "I—I'm not. I just wasn't expecting to see you here."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Neither was I."
I frowned at his annoyed expression. Why was this guy at my school? Was he a transfer student? There was no way he could be a freshman. He looked way too old. Definitely not a sophomore. Maybe a junior, but most likely a senior like me. Maybe he was a transfer student!
"Hey."
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked back up at handsome transfer student. "Yeah?"
"Can you tell me how to get to room 1054?" he requested, his eyes never leaving my face. They held some kind of emotion I couldn't recognize in them.
I tried not to think about it. Room 1054? The room number corresponded with my locker number. Smiling slightly, I nodded to him and pointed the way he had just come. "You go down this hallway, and take a right into the hallway that's painted blue. It'll be the last door at the end of the hallway before the stairs."
He clicked his tongue and frowned. "I must have passed it. Oh well. Thanks."
"Sure thing," I responded, peeling my eyes away from his face, remembering it was rude to stare.
After a few seconds I heard him start walking away and I spun the combo to my locker and opened it again. I stuffed my jacket inside and bit my lip, wondering about my mystery man. We didn't usually get transfer students. The school was small and not many people lived around here. What were the odds of him showing up?
"Holly!" someone cried and I turned to see Casey running towards me. "Holly, oh my god!"
"What?"
"I just saw the new biology teacher!" she exclaimed, looking excited. "He is hot!"
"Eh? Where'd you see him?" I asked, looking down the hall. "Is he still there?"
"No! He walked this way. Didn't you see him?"
"No, but listen—" I started, but she cut me off.
"Oh boy. Your thoughts about science teachers will be changing now. Wait until you see him. He looks so young!" She gushed, her eyes wide with excitement. "What period do you have bio?"
I laughed at her excitement. "Fourth and fifth."
She groaned, hanging her head. "You have to wait that long to see him?"
"Apparently so," I responded, more interested in telling her about my mystery man. "Listen to this—"
The homeroom bell rang and I scowled. Now I had to wait. If she was that excited over a teacher, I could just imagine her excitement over a new hot transfer student. Transfer students were datable, unlike teachers.
I sighed and started off towards my homeroom. I had to admit I was kind of excited to see the new biology teacher and that it was disappointing how I had to wait until fourth period, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. He was just a teacher.
When I entered my homeroom and searched for the mysterious, hoping to see him in my homeroom. A frown spread across my face when I couldn't locate him. Hopefully I'd at least be able to see him again today. It's be great if I had some classes with him too... The announcements came on and I quickly hurried towards my seat next to Lance. He grinned up at me and I smiled back. I just had to wait and find out.