HOPE
What could be better than skateboarding through the town on an early April morning filled with the fragrance of steamy coffee, pine trees and the raw spring breeze tickling against my skin?
Yeah, no. I missed my bed already.
When I arrived at the vast green building towering in front of me with the bold silver letters EverGreen High attached to the front, I wheeled inside and through the crowded corridors. I rode past the same old students chattering away by their lockers, some complaining, stressing, yawning and others laughing and chattering away.
Several months ago, I would've seen Nathan's arm around Maya by her locker, surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders, including Bree. Heaven and Owen would walk past them and just then, Maya would put her leg out, causing Heaven to trip over her shoe and go slamming down on the floor. She would sometimes get a nosebleed, other times a raging headache. Laughing, Bree would pull out her phone and snap pictures of Heaven's big butt and so would a bunch of other students.
Owen would get angry at Maya, but then Nathan would take a frightening step towards him. Owen would reluctantly back away and help Heaven up before walking away with her.
I saw situations like that with the school's kings and queens bullying the outcasts every day several months ago.
Now, I saw something completely different. I saw Maya, but a shockingly different one, a real one, smiling in a completely different way that made her face light up, wrap her arms around the town's bad boy's waist from behind. He was opening her locker that I had by now understood that they shared.
She would pull Cayden's hood down and he turned around, smiling warmly. And then he leaned down a little to kiss her before they started talking.
Moments later, Bree and Owen walked up to them. Bree bragged about something. Owen grinned at her, proudly. And then the four of them headed to class together.
I kicked my skateboard a few feet forward, past the school's king who stood leaned against his locker, his golden laugh leaving his mouth while his jock friends encircled him. I wondered if anybody else noticed the mask he wore. How he only showed what people wanted to see.
Then, on cue, the basketball team's coach would lock his dark brown eyes with me from the end of the hallway, his dark skin glowing under the fluorescent light and a faint smile tugging on his lips before he shouted. "No, skateboarding in the halls, Lance!"
I abruptly halted and offered him an apologetic smiled, holding my hands up in surrender. "Sorry."
He gave me a small smile and the moment he disappeared around the corner, I kicked the ground to wheel my skateboard forward even faster than before.
Today, in particular, something was different when I did that. I felt a pair of eyes boring into my back. When I reached my locker, I picked up my skateboard, glanced to the side and caught a pair of deep blue eyes gazing at me a few feet away.
Nathan Northwood was watching me.
I still hadn't figured out if he liked me or hated me. Maybe he was lost somewhere in the middle.
Tossing my arm up in the air, I waved at him and offered him a big smile.
He looked away.
I pulled out my phone and texted him.
Good morning Goldie😋
I saw him pull his phone out of his denim jeans and scan the enlightened screen. His brows got pulled together briefly.
He didn't reply. Just stared at me.
i must look beterr than i thought today U can't seem to take your eyes off me😌
Still no reply. More staring.
I typed him another message before opening my locker.
Btw, cool hoodie!! red looks nice on u😊
No reply. More staring.
Trent, one of the jocks and a friend of Nathan, noticed the little moment we were having and slapped a hand on Nathan's broad shoulder. "Dude, why is Hope Lance waving and smiling at you like a maniac? Did you two really hook up on your party?"
He shook his head in response and mumbled something to Trent, receiving a shrug from him.
It was when I was doodling little skateboards on a blank page in my notebook in the briefly empty classroom when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I secretly fished it out and saw the text from Goldie😋.
Thanks
My heart stopped for a moment.
You replied! what a Christmas miracle!!! last night was fun we should do it again tommorow😋
After my massage was sent, I noticed I had misspelled tomorrow. I groaned as I buried my nose in my phone. "Ugh. Screw you autocorrect."
Autocorrect didn't correct all my mistakes and it annoyed me. A lot.
I smiled when Nathan replied again, but it quickly dissolved into a frown when I read the reply.
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Dude stop flirting with me! !!
What??
HAHAHAHA
You're so weird.
I know. Thanks🦄
Just then, Nathan walked inside the classroom with his backpack over his shoulder while his head hung low, eyes fixated on the phone in his hand. The corner of his lips was pulled up.
Excitement beamed through me.
As students continued to fill up the classroom, Nathan looked up and scanned the room until his eyes swept past me. Suddenly, he froze and snapped his gaze back to me. His smile immediately faltered.
I quickly shot him another text.
Caught u redhanded hahaha
Rolling his eyes, Nathan took the front seat next to the window beside Cody. I liked Cody. He was cool and kind. Plus, he was dating that small, half-Korean, cheerleader, Grace who stood up for Bree by slapping Connor during the drama around that stupid group chat between some of the jocks.
Students rushed inside after the teacher and filled up the seats, except for the one next to me. Guess, nobody wanted to sit next to failures with tragic stories. People found it hard to approach someone like that. They didn't do anything except giving them their sympathy.
However, I didn't care if someone sat next to me or not. Even though I was lucky in the parent lottery, I was unfortunately not lucky in the friendship lottery. The only friends I knew were my swimming mates from the school's swim team, but they left me behind after the car accident.
It was their loss though. I was glad I didn't have to change myself to fit in with their circle. I related to Maya and Nathan when it came to changing yourself to fit in with a group of people in order to not be left behind.
If this world only gave me those type of friends, then I was better off friendless. Without them, life was so much easier and relaxing.
During the whole geography class, I continued to annoy Nathan through text messages while Mrs. Jamison went on and on about the world's map displayed on the SmartBoard.
I can't really figure out what India looks like on the map. Kind of like a broken samosa🤔
He replied to my texts when the teacher wasn't looking.
It's a distorted quadrilateral
I blinked down at the screen.
Wha??
You're too smart for my fried brain.🙀
Nah. U overestimate me
Sometimes people should be allowed to feel more special than they already are💕
That made Nathan glance behind his shoulder and lock eyes with me for a small moment. I couldn't read his eyes from the back of the classroom. But I knew they always said something else than what his mouth said. Either way, I gave him my best smile. He turned back around.
~
"You're failing math. Again." Jonah Standall, the school counselor and the most caring adult I knew (besides my mom and dad) looked rather worried than disappointed.
In his peaceful office, I was seated in the comfy chair that all the students sat in when they came to see this humble guy. I managed to dwarf it effortlessly with my height.
One of the things I had picked up about this guy, was that he always wore the same sweaters just in different colors. Today, it was maroon red.
I smiled. "I'm always failing math. It's what I do best. Aside from being a super cool skateboarder."
Mr. Standall rested his warm honey brown eyes on me. "Hope, we've talked about this. It's good that you're giving your hobbies so much time, but your grades have been like this for two years now. I know you're still emotionally disturbed over the accident, but if you want to graduate in three months, you really need to step up. If you need more arranges made to the 504 plan the teachers have made for you, I can-"
"-What if I don't want to?" I interrupted him, quietly. "What if I don't want to graduate?"
"Why don't you want to graduate?"
I shrugged. "Because it seems pointless. I don't want to go to college anyway."
My gaze slipped to a poster hanging on the wall. It said, crying is OKAY here in bold red letters.
"Do you still have nightmares?" He questioned, meekly.
The memory of the accident creeping up on me every night left shivers crawling down my spine. I clenched my fists. "Yeah."
"Have you tried driving a car or sat in one?"
"No, I haven't."
"Have you thought about the scholarship and the surgery?"
"I don't want to do it."
"Well, then what do you want to do?" He seemed concerned.
"I just want to work at the diner, skateboard, play soccer with my brothers, bake with mom and work on reconnecting with a childhood friend."
Curiosity appeared across his features. "Childhood friend? Does he or she go to this school?"
I nodded. "Take a guess. He uses his good looks, popularity, wealth, and perfect smile to mask his emotions."
He didn't even waste a second before saying, "Wait a second. Nathan?"
I smiled. "Yep. I want to help him."
"Help him?"
"Oh, come on. Don't act like you don't know. There's a reason to why he visits you so often, just like there's a reason to why I talk to you often. Why Maya, Cayden, Bree and Owen come to you often. People who struggle more than most people here, talk to you more. Nathan is struggling and I want to help him. He is surrounded by toxic people just like I was two years ago and I hate seeing him like that."
"I'm not saying he needs fixing or saving or anything. He just needs someone who genuinely cares."
Mr. Standall smiled with ambition sparking in his eyes. "I know. You should go for it. He could use someone like you in his life."
***
Author's note: Hi, guys! I hope you liked this chapter! Lots of exciting chapters are coming up.
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