4 Chapter 4: New Guy

Chapter 4: New Guy

I looked up to the foreign guy I bumped into. I was aware that my cheeks are blushing and my fingers are shaking. But there I am, staring into the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. They were eerily cold but inviting at the same time. They weren’t angry, but surprisingly calm. I blushed even more.

He has jet-black hair and thin lips that fitted his serene disposition. I scanned him from head to toe in an instant. He is the typical brooding type with chiseled chin, high cheekbones, and a wide forehead. His eyes are sharp, deep set, and as green as emerald.

He is also wearing a leather jacket with a white shirt underneath it, faded jeans, and white rubber shoes. Guess, his uniform is still at the tailor’s.

He awkwardly checked the peanuts scattered around and then scratched his head saying, “I’m sorry, I must not have been looking.” His strong British accent stunned me.

“Might I buy you peanuts again?” He asked.

I am momentarily stunned, and I couldn’t speak a word. The ground beneath me begins shaking. I dropped the wrapper to the floor for an added impact.

My feet couldn’t move with my heartbeats pounding in my head. The two of us could have been a scene in the middle of this noisy canteen.

I am aware of the silence, as if our accidental acquaintance is magnified by spectators.

I figured it out later in our lives that the silence was the beginning of everything between us.

“Wow, free peanuts!” A guy from the side screamed.

I can feel my cheeks burning even more as I scan the proximate people and realize that eyes are waiting to see how I will respond. He walks away when I didn’t say anything.

“No, I mean, it’s okay, really, uh, you know I’m just really clumsy,” I said while moving my hands around while my lips are trembling.

“It is my fault. I was in a hurry. Forgive me,” he said while nodding.

He extends his hand, and I awkwardly shake it. How formal could he be! What part of medieval Europe did he come from?

“I’ll see you around. I’m sorry again.” He nodded again. A second later, he started walking away.

I hit my head by my head for being stupid enough to stutter the whole time. I walked away fast without looking at everyone who were the spectators of the scene. I caught the eyes of my friends who stopped eating when I am approaching our table.

“You don’t have any idea about what just happened!” I exclaimed.

“Of course we do! We were like watching a movie!” Christine exclaimed back. I turned to see anyone looking at me and thankfully they weren’t anymore, or they weren’t because I was watching them.

“I think he’s British.” I still couldn’t believe that the entire moment just happened. I paused for a bit, trying to conceal the bewilderment of my pent-up enthusiasm by taking a deep breath and closing my eyes.

“We’re talking about you talking to Susan Pacheco,” Elaine said, flashing a question mark look. I opened my eyes. How could Elaine and Christine not notice the impossible moment that made my heart beat and froze my feet?

“Didn’t you just see me bumped into my prince––that dude––that sent my peanuts into the air?” I flash back the same question mark look.

“Oh, yeah. I think he’s cute. I saw him this morning looking for his Homeroom class, and he was speaking with his dreamy accent.” Christine finally got it and scrutinized my burning cheeks and trembling fingers.

“Hmm. I think I just missed that embarrassing moment, but I might see him around next time!” Elaine exclaimed. She then burst out chuckling. “Flying peanuts into the air, huh? How, how clumsy you could be, Hailey!”

I blush even more. Now, the whole school will start calling me “flying peanuts.” Christine hid her laughter behind her palm.

Elaine stopped chuckling. She calmed down and then changed the subject by asking, “But what did Susan Pacheco want from you?”

“Why are you two so curious about her?” I asked while taking a bite from my hamburger, my cheeks are still burning.

“She’s just like the most popular cheerleader in school!” Christine gave me the information as if I came from a hundred-of-years-ago-and-I-don’t-know-what’s-hot-right-now. “Not to mention really beautiful!”

“She just asked me a favor if I could tell Trevor that she would want to be his partner for some report,” I answered. “As usual, girls around here just talk to me about my brothers.”

Christine swallowed a lump in her throat because she knows that she usually talks to me about Greg. She patted my back. “Don’t think about that! Your brothers are just icing on your cake. It just means that you are approachable, Hailey. You’ll never know that you might get a great sister here because of your brothers.”

I almost choke. “Not you, I hope.”

Christine chuckled again despite the painful mockery. You see how close we really are to each other? She just responds, “Trust me, I wouldn’t wish for a sister like you either.”

I got a taste of my own medicine as I roll my eyes and replies, “I do hate you, Chris.”

Elaine laughed again, and we joined her.

The bell rang again to signify that we only got a few minutes more before the next break, and everyone started getting up while clumsily finishing their lunches at the last minute.

I turn to Elaine. “Elaine, I think we also have the same class for Arts.”

I drank the rest of my milk in one gulp and at the same time, I looked around to check if that British guy was around.

My neck is somehow stretching like a Giraffe’s while my two friends continued talking about Susan again, despite the lack of time. I almost got ready to go to class when I just saw her, the least person I wanted to see.

Dana Fernandez.

She’s the same age as us and went to the same middle school. Walking behind her are her same old friends.

First day of school, and her traditional entourage of parading her looks started again. She thinks she is the queen when we were in middle school and now, I’m anticipating that she’s trying to take the throne in high school again.

She got copper-dyed hair, which she ties high in a ponytail, cold light brown eyes, tall, fair in complexion, and got the body that’s of a model. She looks too perfect for school.

As I’ve mentioned before, movies are really derived from reality. I felt like being a hopeless pauper around her, but what can I do? I’m just some girl-next-door in blue jeans while she catches every guy’s attention whenever she bats her fake eyelashes.

I straightened my back and announce in a low tone, “She’s here.”

My chitchatting friends stopped talking as they follow the direction of my gaze. Their jaws dropped the moment they saw her.

“Ms. Adele? The teacher who always want ‘proper decorum’?” Elaine imitated the last two words on how Ms. Adele mentioned it. She’s the school disciplinarian who was the speaker in the orientation last summer.

I gave myself a virtual face palm to realize how oblivious Elaine is. I couldn’t blame her either.

Ms. Adele was walking behind the entourage of Dana. Ms. Adele, looking as fierce as she ever is, held her head high up in the air.

“It’s Dana Fernandez,” Christine revealed while she’s rolling her eyes.

“Oh, the queen’s back,” Elaine said in a low tone.

“You mean the witch,” Christine and I chorused while we gave each other high fives.

We watched Dana and her friends pick an empty table in the center. Woah, aren’t they aware that they’re going to be late for the next period? As if Dana cares about her education, anyways.

One girl from her new friends took their lunch orders then walked away. I pity that timid-looking girl. She might have been accepted into the group, so that they could have someone to push around like taking orders whenever they eat out. We watched Dana as she showed off her newly bleached teeth and newly painted fingernails to her friends.

I watched a group of guys who dropped by their table and introduced themselves to her. Of course, she’s enjoying the attention. Even some girls were looking at her. And seriously, the computer geek with weird hair and who was eating alone is somehow drooling while watching her. I flashed a disgusted look at Elaine who copied my look.

“Oh, dear. That guy I bumped into a while ago might like her,” I said while looking away. I could not believe that I suddenly connected two different people out of my sheer jealousy and paranoia.

“C’mon, they don’t even know each other!” Christine rolled her eyes.

“But she’s beautiful,” I said. “And I’m way too simple. It’s a small school. He would surely get to know her. Cute boys only notice popular girls.”

“Another’s beauty does not make you less pretty,” Christine said while patting on my shoulder, but I don’t know what to say, or if to believe it.

Dana will be popular, and he’ll know her then they’ll date. The ending will be expected .I’ll be just some girl, watching by the sidelines.

“What are you thinking?” Christine asked when she noticed me brooding. “I can’t believe you’re going through your senseless paranoia again!”

“Well, I’m sorry. It’s just the way I am,” I said.

“But he told me that he’ll see me around.” I smiled at the thought, still remembering the light from his smile when he said that.

“Guess our friend here’s love drunk.” Elaine sighed then adds, “What’s his name by the way?”

“I-I don’t know but I’ll find a way to know it, I guess.” I sighed and stared at Dana again.

Right now, the girl who took orders came back with each tray in her hands. It’s filled with French fries, sundae, chocolate, and drinks of all kinds. It was kind of heavy, I think. She gave tissues to each one of her friends. “I don’t know that girl. She might have come from other middle schools,” I pointed at her.

“It’s rude to stare and point at people,” Christine said out loud.

“Well, I’m just saying.” I rolled my eyes.

“Probably she met them in summer camps,” Elaine concluded while drinking her soda.

“I wish he’s in freshman too,” I wish as I entered into my dreamlike state again, signifying that I could not move on from that dreamlike encounter.

“You can’t like someone just because you bumped into him, and he tells you that he’ll see you around!” I think Elaine is getting annoyed, but she’s smiling when she is saying it.

“We’ll see each other around,” I repeated silently. In the back of my mind, I thought of his smile and the way he looked at me.

The bell rang again for the next class, and everyone started getting up.

“Hailey, don’t forget to send Greg my regards!” Christine reminded me when the three of us were separating ways for our next classes.

I rolled my eyes back at her.