“You better have a good reason for not meeting us before homeroom- it’s our first day as seniors and you broke the tradition of meeting before homeroom on the first day of the school year!” Feliz (Felicity, really) one of my best friends, pounced on me the second I walked into Mr Grahams’ room (our homeroom). I never understood how someone could have this much energy at this inhuman hour, or at any time really. Feliz was just that sort of person. I kinda learnt to go along with it, but bring her down to Earth when her ideas got too crazy (which was often).
“Yeah, I know. I was just chatting to that new kid,” I explained and felt proud that I’d started a conversation by myself- especially with someone as good looking as Noah.
“New kid? Honey, there tons of new Freshmen.”
“No,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He’s in our year- has homeroom with Ms Philipson. His name is Noah.”
“So it’s a he?”
Trust Feliz to make such a big thing about me talking to a boy, “I talk to tons of boys- tons!”
“Oh yeah? Like who?” Before I could reply to Feliz’s mockery, she added, “Josh and Nathan don’t count.”
Silence.
Okay, okay. So I don’t really talk to boys who aren’t my friends or family. So what?
OMG! I talked to a (gorgeous) boy who I didn’t even know! Round of applause for Isi please.
“You’re smiling! You think he’s fit, don’t you?” Feliz said as she smiled knowingly. Feliz always smiled; maybe that’s why everyone nicknamed her Feliz, which was ‘happy’ in Spanish (according to Google Translate). Feliz was the most optimistic of all my friends whilst I was the most pessimistic by far. To her, every cloud had a silver lining; to me, every sliver lining had a cloud. I just didn’t see the point in getting your hopes up for nothing, or pretending that everything was okay when it wasn’t. Which was why Feliz was so great to hang around with- she was a motivator who always saw the best in you.
However, she wasn’t always the best secret keeper- which was why I wasn’t going to admit to her that I thought Noah was gorgeous.
“No I don’t!” I lied. I’m a crap liar.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course you don’t,” Feliz smirked.
“Who doesn’t what?” Josh, my nosy Aussie friend asked as he swung his muscly arms around Feliz and I’s necks.
“Nothing,” I said, promptly, “nobody likes anyone.”
Josh looked at Feliz and raised his eyebrows; she nodded in return. Josh smirked and wolf-whistled.
“Aww, did somebody have a Summer love?” Josh cooed.
Did he really think that’s what the situation was? I thought to myself as Feliz rolled her eyes.
“No, idiot,” we said in unison, our eyebrows raised. “She never does anything in Summer! But she has the hots for this new boy, Noah!” Feliz added, excitedly.
“No I don’t!!” I huffed, annoyed not only by the fact that Feliz had read my mind and blabbed, but how Josh and Feliz had brought up Summer. In fairness, they didn’t what had happened to me- I couldn’t bring myself to tell them (or any of my other friends, for that matter) what had happened. Despite this, I was annoyed with them.
“Well, it’s somebody’s time of the month,” Josh joked, which made me smile in a eye rolling sort of way. BAM! My usual mood had returned, which wasn’t the most positive at the best of times- but still.
“So, would you care to tell us about this Noah, or do we have to wait?” Josh asked.
“Well,” I started, “he’s quite tall and has this brown hair that has these shaggy brown waves on top but he doesn’t have one of those stupid island haircuts.” In mock horror, Josh protected his ‘island hair’ from my dissing comments.
“Also, he has these eyes that are a nice, medium brown, and his nose is a little crooked.”
"In the cutest way possible," I silently added.
Feliz’s eyes suddenly lit up and she started to bombard me with questions.
“A crooked nose, huh. Is he a fighter?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does he have a six pack?”
“I don’t know.”
“What would you rate his ass?”
“I don’t know!”
“Oh. My. Gosh! You don’t know anything. It’s quite warm, surely you could’ve seen muscle through his shirt?” Feliz asked hopefully.
“He was wearing a jumper.”
“You could’ve at least rated his ass! Didn’t you even take a sneaky peak?”
“I was in too much of a daze to even think about it, Feliz,” I sighed, as I secretly wondered what I would’ve rated his bum if I had looked. Not that it would’ve mattered, I personally preferred to judge someone on their character.
“So you do like him? I was too dazed!” Feliz incorrectly mimicked me, giggling.
“Not like you think I do,” I said, not sure whether I was telling the truth or not.
Did I like Noah? I didn’t know! I’d only just met the guy. The people of the popular clique may have found ‘love’ after five minutes but it didn’t really work like that, not real love anyway.
*
After homeroom, I made my way to chemistry, my first lesson of the day. I’ve always loved chemistry; I loved the experiments, the explosions, the reactions and how you could use what you knew to learn something. I even loved memorizing the periodic timetable, it’s like your times tables (but with elements rather than numbers)- once you know it it’ll stick in your brain.
In fact, when you’ve learnt something- anything, really- it’s almost impossible to unlearn it. You cannot forget; you just can’t. No matter how hard you push it to the back of your mind, it comes back, it’s part of your infinite cycle. It won’t go away. Which is why I wouldn’t be able to forget what happened during Summer.
“I’ll be fine, Dora, I promise,” half of his face smiled as he signed, trying to reassure me, but the other half of his face, the chewed skin, told me otherwise. He would not be ok. He would never be ok…
“Mitford, are you going to sit down?” Mr Parks, my chemistry teacher,raised his bushy, grey, eyebrows and knocked me out of my daydream.
I quickly took a seat at the front, earning a few sniggers from the people who had also made it to class on time.
“Now, this class is quite small this year, I’m not sure why,” Mr Parks said, whilst we rolled our eyes. Throughout our time in high school, Mr Parks had slowly scared most of the year from taking chemistry. The only senior pupils he had were those who needed to take chemistry for their future. Though I’m sure there were some weirdos like myself who took chemistry because they genuinely enjoyed the subject, there has to be! Though the bored (and slightly scared) faces around the room told me otherwise. Yup. I was the only chemistry lover in this classroom- there weren’t even any nerds! Oh well, maybe I’d end up being the top of the class.
A few more people drifted into class. All of them were nerds. Bam! There went my chance of being the top student. That, mon freres, was why I was not optimistic.
“Okay class, settle,” the quiet chatter immediately stopped, “we’re only waiting on one more pupil so he shall have to copy up.” Mr Parks threw a handful of exercise books onto the first few rows of workbenches, “write your name on the first line, new line, science, colon, chemistry, new line, Mr Parks,” Mr Parks spoke quickly as our hands moved at one hundred miles an hour to copy down what he said. However, only a few of us actually had a book because we were on the first few rows of workbenches. Anyone who sat on the back row (which was most of the class) looked at each other cluelessly. One brave girl slowly raised her hand.
“You don’t have a book, do you,” Mr Parks stated rather than questioned. The back row shook their heads. They looked genuinely scared.
“I’m sorry,” Mr Parks’ eyes glinted evilly and his lips smirked, “there aren’t any books for the back row…but there are lots of spares near the front.” The back row groaned.
“What? Don’t you want to learn? Now, those who want to learn shall take notes.”
As quickly as Mr Parks had spoken, those on the back row scrambled to the second row- obviously the nerds and I weren’t cool enough for them.
*
Twenty minutes later, our arms moved less frantically as we read over the questions on the board. When the scratch of pen on paper started again, it was half as quite, due to the fact that only half of the class were bothered enough to answer the questions- they’d regret it later.
Suddenly, the door opened and Noah Van Valkenburgh stumbled in and slammed the door behind him. Upon seeing Mr Parks’ face change to a disturbing shade of purple, Noah’s cheeked flushed as he ducked his head. Immediately, Mr Parks marched over to Noah, his anger evident on his oily face.
“What time do you call this, boy? How dare you be late for my lesson! You’re a disgrace- I wouldn’t expect this from a Freshmen- let alone a senior! Go and sit down, now!” Mr Parks roared. However, he never once looked Noah in the eyes.
“I’m sorry I’m late, sir. I’m new and I got lost. It won’t happen again,” Noah apologized politely, he even gave Mr Parks a smile. This only aggravated the fuming man more.
“Enough of your cheek. Sit down!” Yet again, Mr Parks failed to look at Noah. The class tittered at Noah’s obliviousness to our teacher’s chastising tone, but I felt sorry for him. Being deaf must suck.
“Sit down! Are you deaf?!” It was then when Mr Parks looked at Noah.
“Yes.”
Noah’s one word answer left everyone shocked as a wave of silence swept across the classroom.
Well, that was awkward.
Mr Parks sighed, but he looked less angry than before, “go and sit down. Most of the class were stupid enough to do nothing, so you can join them in detention to copy up.”
Those who hadn’t done any work groaned, yet, rather idiotically, didn’t even attempt to catch up. They did, however, beckon Noah to sit by them; he had obviously gained their 'oh so important respect'. He didn’t sit by them, though. He sat by me.
As a sign of thanks for earlier (and for remembering me), I slid my book to him so that he could copy up my notes; he gave me a small nod in return. I spent the rest of the lesson watching the blue slanted loops form scientific equations and notes on chemical reactions. Damn, he had good handwriting.
Towards the end of the lesson, Noah slid my book back to me.
"Thanks," he murmured softly
"You're welcome," I whispered back, hoping not to catch Mr Parks' attention.
"Quiet at the front!"
No such luck.
I smiled at Noah as we tried not to laugh. As he looked up, our eyes caught, just for a second but, it felt almost infinite.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Hello!
How are you enjoying the story so far? I'd love to hear what you have to say! (*cough* comment *cough*!)
I'll be updating again on Friday and since I'll be going away soon I might do two updates. Maybe.
Remember to vote and comment if you're enjoying 'Infinite Cycles'- it'd mean so much if had a mere 5 votes on a chapter (I have just under 10 readers- I think- so I know that this could be possible).
Until next time,
Bye!!
Emily x