If there's one thing I don't like, it's being crept up on.
I have earphones in as I'm listening to a podcast about the latest pop culture drama while rummaging around in my locker for Dale's calculator. It's not an educational podcast by any means but it's more interesting than school gossip and the rowdy crowd of students loitering by the entrance of Mary Madison High.
As I rifle through textbooks, notepads and loose bits of paper, I discover an old foundation palette, two unopened bags of skittles and finally, all the way at the bottom, Dale's calculator. I turn it over and yes, there's his name written in black sharpie. Satisfied, I swing the door shut and suddenly find myself face-to-face with a green-eyed boy in a beige baseball cap.
"Jesus, how long have you been there?" My body jerks away automatically and I take a step back, startled by Aaron's presence. I pull out my earphones and pause the podcast on my mobile before tucking both into the front pocket of my trousers.
Aaron half smiles and the scar at the left corner of his lips moves up. "Not long," he says, leaning his shoulder against the locker next to mine. He doesn't have a rucksack on him, not like I do, but he's carrying a plastic water bottle and a pencil so maybe that's all he needs. There are faint circles under his eyes and he's wearing a slightly wrinkled black t-shirt which makes me think he slept in it last night. He seems relaxed but I'm not sure if he is. Unlike Dale, whose face is an open book, Aaron is difficult to read.
"Everything good?" I don't know if he's in the mood to discuss yesterday's events but the question is vague enough for him to dodge talking about his break up if he wants to.
"Never been better," he replies and he sounds like he means it. Aaron takes off his cap, letting loose his brown hair. In the light, it's almost blond.
"Cool." I slip Dale's calculator into my bag and tighten the straps. I don't know him as well as I know Dale so we rarely have serious conversations. Before he dated Lindsey, he'd say hi to me in the mornings and we'd chat about random things. He stopped doing that when his relationship with Lindsey took off, but I suppose now they're over, I might see him around school more often.
"You know you don't have to tiptoe around the subject, Frey," Aaron says before we lapse into awkward silence. "You saw the break up. Say what you want about it."
There isn't much I'd like to comment on. Apart from what Dale said about Aaron and Lindsey fighting, I'm oblivious to the details of their romance. There's just one moment which comes to mind that I think is worth asking him about. "Did you knock over something when you guys were upstairs? We heard a noise before you both came down."
"Oh." Aaron puts his cap on again but backwards. "Lindsey kicked my guitar and it fell. The guitar's fine." He says this in a matter-of-fact way, like it's no big deal. His tone stops me from asking why she did it.
"Okay. And you're not...sad?"
He shakes his head, his expression neutral. "No. I thought about it and I'm glad it's over."
"Really?" He seemed shocked when she said they were done. He's calm now but he could be putting on a front.
"Really," he says firmly. "She was too clingy and jealous. I'm happy I don't have to deal with that anymore."
I simply nod, unable to confirm or deny the clingy part but understanding the jealousy. I caught her glaring at me sometimes when I spoke to Aaron in front of her. I can't say if she was like that with other girls but I think she had a problem with me acknowledging his existence.
"What about you?" Aaron says out of the blue, smiling.
"What about me?"
"You're still single." The statement is true but the subject change is unexpected.
I cross my arms and tilt my head. "So?"
"How come you haven't had a boyfriend this whole time you've been here?"
I shrug and glance at the ground. My slip on trainers are creased, showing signs of old age. When I look back up, Aaron is staring at me, waiting for my response. I answer, "There's no point."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I could leave any day," I reply, although I have no idea what day that would be.
Staying in Lockton, California, for nearly three years was not the original plan. My parents said they wanted to travel for eleven months but they didn't jet off straight away. They made sure I didn't hate living with my aunt and cousin, Jemma, and that the people in Lockton didn't hate me before going on their adventure. While they've flown home twice to check that nobody has burgled our house, they're working and holidaying in Spain at the moment. My own return is pending.
"You don't want to have some fun before you go?" Aaron winks at me and I roll my eyes at the gesture.
"It's not a priority," I say and I'm being honest. I don't really care about getting a boyfriend or hooking up with a random just because I can. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person at this school who's not invested in the world of romance. There are so many couples in junior year and Dale's love life is a like a never-ending contemporary drama; it's hard to escape. "Besides, I'm not into anyone and I don't want to be set up so if you have someone in mind, forget them."
"I don't, I promise." Aaron puts his hands up, water bottle and all, as if to say he's innocent.
The bell goes and that's when I realise Brittany Castle is hovering nearby, wanting to access the locker Aaron is blocking. I almost didn't recognise her because she's dyed her chin-length bob blue but her hooded eyes and cleft chin are familiar features, as are the freckles and the sharp angles of her face.
"Aaron?" I say.
"Yeah?"
"You're in Brittany's way."
He looks over his shoulder and moves immediately. "My bad," he says, extending his arm towards the locker.
She glances at me as she grabs a folder but doesn't say a word, not even when she goes. It's kind of cold but that's her usual style. Unless Dale's here.
"We better go to class," I tell Aaron. "I'll see you around."
"You will." Aaron salutes me as he walks away. "You look nice today, by the way," he adds before disappearing round the corner.
I look down at myself. Is that a joke disguised as a compliment? Jemma rushed me this morning because I overslept and she didn't want us to miss the bus so I had no time to brush the knots out of my hair, conceal the spot on my chin or pick a decent outfit. I threw on the first sweatshirt I saw—a grey one that shrunk in the wash—and wore the black trousers I had hanging over the back of my chair in my bedroom. 'Nice' is not the word I would use to describe my appearance right now.
My biology class is on the second floor so I turn and head in the opposite direction. Just as I reach the stairs, somebody calls my name and I see Dale running down the near empty hallway with the biggest grin on his face.
"Where have you been?" I say. I thought he would already be in the lab since's never late to a lesson. "Why are you so happy?"
"Tracey dumped me." He jumps up the stairs, two at a time and I follow, allowing the information to sink in. "That's the important thing she wanted to tell me."
He gets to the top, not the slightest bit out of breath, and continues to beam likes he's sunshine on a cloudy day. I've never seen someone so ecstatic about a break up.
"Well, congratulations," is all I can think of saying as we walk towards the lab. "Your problems are over."
He nods but then stops all of a sudden. He turns to face me.
"What?" I say. Students side-eye us as they pass; we're the only two people not moving anymore.
"I've been thinking about what Max said yesterday. About someone else sorting out my dating life."
"Okay..."
"And I think you're the right person to do it. To help me find my soulmate," Dale says quickly.
I frown. How did he come to that conclusion?
As if reading my mind, he adds, "You're good at judging people. And Max said you know someone who likes me."
I sigh. I really wish Max hadn't let that slip because Dale is great at making something out of nothing and I don't want him to get his hopes up. "You've literally been single for five minutes, Dale. Take a break. Have a Kit Kat."
Leaving him with that, I stroll ahead and enter the lab which is full except for the two vacant seats that belong to Dale and I. Our teacher is already here, scribbling on the whiteboard and all I hear is the squeak of her pen as I make my way to the third row back with my head bowed. Dale sits directly behind me, despite being a much more studious person than I am.
I slide him his calculator as I unpack my bag and as I'm arranging my stuff on the table, it hits me that the girl beside me is someone I don't know.
She's in a floral dress that shows off her tanned skin and even though her dark hair is in a low ponytail, it falls all the way down to her waist. Based on her side profile, I can tell she has a bit of a baby face. The girl looks up from her open notebook and our eyes meet briefly. She smiles a genuine smile, revealing a dimple, but remains silent as the teacher begins the class. She's on the first page of her book and it's blank, bar the date in the right-hand corner and the name she's written on the left: Natasha Rodriguez. I haven't memorised every person in eleventh grade but I'm pretty sure that this girl is new.
Once I'm settled, I try to focus on the words coming out of my teacher's mouth while simultaneously copying her notes on the board. It's hard; I sink into boredom and soon enough, I'm tuning her monotone out and writing on autopilot.
I don't know how much time passes. I'm thinking about whether I should introduce myself to Natasha at the end of the lesson when I feel something scratch the back of my neck and I shudder, imagining a bug stinging me. My hand flies to my neck and lands on a square piece of paper. I exhale, relieved but also annoyed.
Is this really how we're passing notes these days?
I unfold the paper and my eyes narrow.
An arrow pointing left and a question mark is all there is.
My head whips round and I try to convey what's this supposed to mean? to Dale without speaking. He points an index finger at Natasha. Oh. I get it. He has no idea who she is either but wants to know more. Typical.
If he was anyone else, I would say he's indicating platonic interest. But I know Dale and I know he thinks she's pretty. I think so too. He's not exactly superficial; it's not like he wouldn't get to know her if he thought she was unattractive. But he's not a time waster. He moves a little too quickly in my opinion. But I also know for a fact that he'll say this is the universe telling me that I should help him like he's asked and apart from logic, as in the universe isn't saying anything, I don't have a counter argument.
A/N
Hi! Thank you for reading this chapter. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments section and if you enjoyed what you've read so far, please give it a vote.
See you next week!