Leo P.O.V
I sat there in my usual seat by the window wishing I could be anywhere else but here. The teacher was rambling on about the quadratic formula for probably the fifth time today and I was slowly getting tired of it. For whatever reason, they had decided to place me in a class with- how do I put this? Not the brightest students.
"Leo, can you please tell me what x is in the equation?" The teacher asked.
"X equals 6 or -3 Miss Jones." I said, refusing to look up from my page. Miss Jones sighed obviously frustrated but I didn't care. When the bell finally rang, I jolted up from my seat and ran to the door grateful that this lesson was over. It was one of those days where all you do is fake a smile and force a laugh until you can hope to feel better. Looking down, I dragged my feet to where I meet my friends until I collided with something that sent me crashing to the floor.
I looked up to see him. Dressed mostly in black he scrambled to collect his books and his bag. Slowly, I picked up a textbook and stood, ready to hand it to him.
"Here you go." I said with a laugh.
"Thanks dickhead. Watch where you're going next time." He retorted, a slight accent on his voice. The boy was about the same height as me with a messy mop of black hair and pale skin. His deep brown eyes shifted up and down my form as if he were examining my soul. Before I had a chance to ask his name, he left knocking my shoulder as he went. Jason came running up to me when he left.
"Hey man, what was that about?"
"I… don't know. You know him?"
"Yeah," Jason said, "Well no but I know who he is. He moved here from New York. His family's Italian. His name's Nico."
I tried to shake off the feeling that I knew him. Jason interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey lover boy, you got class next? Cause me and Perce were going to blow off school if you wanna come with."
I laughed, "Oh shut up Grace, just cause you're not good enough for this ass. Yeah, I'll come with."
I walked with him still with Nico in my mind.
I had to come back to the place I know as hell for Biology that afternoon. At lunch, I strolled to the back of school hoping there would be someone I could talk to who I didn't have to impress. Turning the corner, I stopped when I saw him taking a long drag out of a cigarette and then releasing the smoke in a cascade of white air.
"Are you going to stand there and stare or do you want one?" Nico spitted out although I doubted I really meant it.
"That's bad for your health you know" I retorted.
He plucked the cigarette end from between his teeth and flicked it onto the ground before stubbing it out with his black and white Converse.
"Oh really. It never occurred to me. Yeah, I do it for the taste." He said, sarcasm dripping from his words.
I sighed and moved towards him despite his words. So what if I was an idiot, if anything, he was interesting.
"I'd never seen you in the halls before. How recently did you move?"
"Why do you assume I had moved here? Maybe you were just too stupid to notice."
"Wow, you sure are a bundle of fun aren't you? And anyway, word gets around. So before you start preaching to me about how clearly stupid and self-absorbed I am, shut the fuck up and wait a damned second."
Nico pulled out another cigarette and placed it between his teeth clearly amused.
"I moved about a week ago. And I've seen you. Oh and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. I'm in your History class tomorrow. Oh I think you need to watch your language."
He knew that what he was saying made me angry. I swallowed and tried to regain myself. "How could you possibly know that I have History tomorrow?"
A grin spread onto his lips, "Word gets around."
Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet. He walked over to me and pulled the cigarette firm between his teeth and placed it in the pocket of my shirt.
"You'll need this. See you later Valdez" Nico winked at me and left with a spring in his step. I stood confused and wondering who I was really dealing with.