I would first like to 'thank' all those who reviewed: Angelius Cullen, MoonlightKiss01, and xiomara209
Thank you so much!
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He began walking towards me. Why? Because the only seat provided just had to be the one next to mine. That usually was my luck. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having someone so attractive sitting next to me, but I hated the attention. This guy would definitely bring bundles of unwanted attention. Too late though. It was already happening. The girls were glaring at me.
It was sad though. As much as I hated flirty girls, I couldn't blink. I couldn't take my eyes of him. His beauty paralyzed me. I didn't like it. Luckily his eyes were facing the front board as he
walked towards the seat next to mine. Stop staring, stop staring, stop staring. Crap. He averted his gaze.
Unordinary, yet Ordinary Love
Chapter 2
How strange. Very strange, really. It soon became apparent to me. No wonder the professor couldn't stop staring at this guy, let alone the rest of the class. His eyes. I was in awe. It went against all that I had learned. Red eyes? Yes, red. A dark, crimson color which contrastingly stood out against his deep pupils, black hair, and pale skin. No, I wasn't swooning, or whatever it is love-struck girls called it. I was… curious?
Engaged?
Interested?
He has a down casted facial expression. No smile upon his thin lips. No animation in his flawless face. No expressed emotion. Yet he was staring at me. He seemed as deeply interested with me as I with him.
Slowly he continued towards the empty seat next to mine. It happened leisurely. Time seemed to stop as he gently placed his black back pack against his chair, gracefully sat down, and softly placed his arms on the long table. He never removed his sharp gaze on me.
"Here's the course syllabus" the professor interjected, "thank you for joining"
With his red eyes strictly glued on to me, he nodded his head to acknowledge the professor and took the papers from her hand.
I was beginning to feel awkward. Strange and unorthodox couldn't accurately describe the situation I was in. No guy pays this much attention to someone for this long. I had to look away. Difficult as it was, it had to be done.
I quickly, noticeably, and clumsily took a hold of my psychology class syllabus and ripped my eyes from his face.
I forcefully skimmed through the words as the professor explained the course objectives.
"Three tests…" sounds reasonable, "each worth 30 of your final grade"
Ok
"Class participation is highly regarded in this class" great, "class participation will be worth 5 of your daily class grade"
I could still feel him looking at me
"This means skipping class could significantly affect your final grade" should I look?—I question myself.
"Also, attending class will allow you to learn more deeply and thoroughly…"
At this point, the syllabus and the professor's voice became a minute factor. The temptation was too great. Overpowering. Consuming. I timidly, and very slightly, move my head towards his side. Just enough get a view of his euphoric face. Just enough to seem unsuspicious. To not let my actions be known and to unfortunately be caught.
I shift my eyes onto him quickly. His pale hands are holding his syllabus in the same manner as mine on the table. His head is facing forward towards the front of the class room. Appearing to skim over the words, too?
I look at his eyes. Those strange, yet hypnotizing eyes.
My heart stopped. A strange tingling sensation uncomfortably ran through my veins. I was caught. His gaze had moved from the syllabus to my face in less than a second catching me off guard. He still appeared emotionless, but his eyes had a flicker. A spark. I could almost notice the twitch at the very corner of his mouth. Hiding back a smile?
Perhaps. That, or he finds my actions amusing and, as a result, hides back a laugh. Mockery, I presume.
Nevertheless, I had to rip my eyes off his entrapping face, once again, and continued to skim through the syllabus in my hands.
Overall, the rest of this long and obnoxious morning class continued in this same manner. It was an upmost challenge to keep my eyes from leaving the syllabus. I forced myself, as much as I possibly could, to keep my attention on the monotonous voice of my professor while rereading the same words over and over again as a distraction.
"Alright class" I looked up at my professor, pulling me out of my distraction.
She shakes her head in utter shock as she rolls her sleeve to view her wrist watch. Her eyes widen.
"Well, it's eight fifty-six" she unrolls her sleeve, "I've kept you all for too long"
I can hear the class arise from its sleeping state. The sound of binders closing, papers crumpling, and zippers zipping was a warning call for me to do the same. And so I did. I placed the syllabus in my binder, slammed it shut, and in the back pack it went. I looked to my right. He was gone.
But how?
He was sitting next to me a minute ago, right?
I didn't even hear him leave.
That thought was unsettling. Yet, as half the class emptied itself rather quickly, it supposedly made sense. At least, that's what I told myself.
I slowly stood up from my seat. Slowly. Very slowly since standing up seemed to cause extreme dizziness. I took a hold of my back pack, lazily slung it over my shoulders, and squeezed through the narrow space of the small class room. Finally, I made it to the door, opened it, and walked out into the bright hallway.
"Hey Emily!" a familiar boyish voice called me, "Hold up!"
I turned around, absolutely confused, yet stunned that someone in this college knows who I am. I couldn't believe who was standing in front of me. I was not expecting this.
"Hey, remember me?"
I nodded my head and smiled. Oh yes, do I remember him.
"Hi Brad" I said, "I'm surprised to find you here"
The word 'surprised' was such an understatement, and it was amazing how much his appearance had changed during the course of a year. He no longer wore those ridiculous glasses which concealed his amazing green eyes. His sandy brown hair was no longer unkempt and disgustingly long as it once was. It was now reasonably short and fashionably styled. Oh, and his attire had taken a complete turn for the better. No more plain t-shirts and tacky, ripped jeans. No, he wore a white buttoned down shirt and dark jeans which fitted his fit shape nicely. He is unmistakably handsome.
"Yeah" he said nervously as he slowly walked towards me while running his hand through his hair, "I'm even surprised"
I teasingly rolled my eyes. He smiled.
"So uh…" he started.
"What? What 'uh'?" I asked while raising a brow.
"What class do you have next?" he blurted out, his smile widening as he shifted his weight.
"Hold on, let me check my schedule…" I told him as I dropped my bag and reached for my binder.
"What, can't remember your own schedule?" he teased and let out a short, throaty laugh.
I couldn't help but let out a small laugh of my own as I pulled out my schedule. It was nice and relieving to find someone I know who also attends this small college, even it did happen to be Brad McMurphey 'the high school womanizer'.
"Ok" I scanned the schedule, "I have English 151 with Dr…"
I rescanned the schedule.
"Dr. Harris from…um"
I looked back again.
"Dr. Harris from ten fifteen to eleven"
There. Finally.
"You really need to study you schedule" he told me while laughing.
"Why?" I asked, "as the semester goes by, wouldn't I get used to my class schedule?"
I folded the paper into a small square and shoved it into my jean pocket. Brad, on the other hand, reached into his pocket to pull out a crinkled paper. He unfolded it. His smile widened.
"Hmmm" he taunted, "I'm in the same English class as you!"
He removed his face from his schedule to peer up at me in order to interpret my reaction.
"You know" I told him, "you didn't answer my question"
He smiled mischievously, "I thought it was rhetorical"
I rolled my eyes, folded my arms over my chest stubbornly, and smiled. Guys. How typical.
"Soooo…" he began as he shoved his schedule back into his pocket, "we have around an hour of free time. Do you want to head over to that crappy student lounge?"
I shrugged, "yeah sure, I don't mind. As long as we don't keep standing here like a bunch of idiots"
I narrowed my eyes teasingly, "like what we are doing now, I mean"
Brad dramatically threw his hands up into the air defensively.
"You're right! We've been standing here for a while! The other students are gonna tease us! Oh the humiliation!"
I frowned. He was confusing me.
"C'mon!" he said as he impulsively grabbed my back pack off from the floor, slung it over his shoulder, and began walking down the hall. I had no choice but to follow him. He had my belongings.
Luckily the student lounge was just to right of the hallway. It's a nice open space with comfortable sofas and low tables organized at the left hand side. On the right hand side, numerous tall round tables and tall chairs encompassed the space. It was very bright since the back wall was made of windows which provided a lovely view of the green athletics field.
Brad and I took a seat on one of the far end sofas. I enjoyed talking to him. He told me about all his horrible dating experiences, and how each one of them ended up with him having to buy new clothing. How his summer vacation with his father went as they enjoyed their mutual time in Ocean City for a few days. He told me about how he lost his mother when he was only three years old due to a car crash. How his father raised him alone.
We also compared schedules, and I was lucky to find that we both were in the same psychology and English class. Perhaps my college career won't be so lonely after all. With Brad by my side, I wouldn't doubt an exciting school life.
"It's ten-ten you know" I told him after reading the clock on the wall, "we have five minutes to get to class"
He pursed his lips in deep thought, and then shrugged his shoulders as he stood up from the sofa.
"Alright, let's go" he said as he smiled.
I stood up and followed him. We leisurely walked side by side to our English class room, which, thank god, was located in this same building.
"So" he started, "I couldn't help but notice pretty boy staring at you all throughout psychology class"
I turned my head swiftly towards him.
"Pretty boy?" I asked.
"Yeah, you know…" he paused, "that pale guy with the black hair who couldn't keep his eyes off you"
"Wait a minute" I said, "so you were staring at 'pretty boy' all throughout psychology as he was staring at me?"
I had to laugh at that, and it was too much of a temptation not to tease Brad and his silly antics. He was obviously embarrassed. He looked down, his face red.
"Brad, I'm teasing you" I told him. He looked up and smiled at me.
"Let's go!" I grabbed his wrist, "I wouldn't be surprised if class already started without us"
I pulled him towards the class room and opened the heavy door. The room looked exactly like our psychology class room. All the seats were the same. The elongated tables were the same. A wall with aligned windows allowed the sun to light up the room. The same. Unfortunately, there were many students. Seats were, therefore, rare.
Quickly, though, Brad squeezed between a few seated students as he skipped towards two empty seats by the large windows. He flung his large back pack onto the table in a loud thump.
"Em! I found us seats!" he announced.
Great. Just great. I looked around. Everyone was staring at me. Everyone. Brad was standing there with his arms wide open, a solicit grin on his boyish face. I had no choice but to accompany and sit next to him. He had provided a seat with my name on it.
"Thanks a lot Brady" I whispered angrily as I dropped my bag on the floor next to my seat.
"You're welcome" he happily replied, oblivious to his newfound nickname as he scavenged for something in his book bag.
I threw my arms on the table and sighed. I was getting exhausted. Mornings were my absolute worst enemies. Nights however, nights were my favorite. Around eightish or nineish pm were the times my energy levels reached their high peaks. I was always hyper around those times. Mornings were weird, though. I'd be groggy an hour after waking, then hyper, then I'd become a zombie around early…noonish? Or was it…no, I'm right. It's noonish.
"Oh great" Brad said, interrupting my pointless thoughts.
"What now?" I asked him, turning my head to see his tense facial features.
His lips tightened and his eyes unconsciously narrowed.
"Pretty boy is in this class too"
I followed his gaze to find him standing near the entrance door.
My heart stopped. A strange chilling, yet electrical, feeling spread from the very pit of my stomach to the outer extremities of my petite body. I was already embarrassed at what this guy most likely thinks of me. The girl who couldn't keep her eyes of me. Yeah. I was that girl.
Again, almost instantly, I was pulled by this invisible force. Those eyes. They were on fire. They appeared to blaze brighter once they stared directly into my brown pools. He then did something I had not expected him to do. He smiled.
He was gorgeous. Stunning. Almost inhuman. The smile made his angular, yet sharp features soften as he walked towards me.
With each one of his long steps, my heart rate increased drastically.
Oh no, he's walking towards me.
Each pump of my minute organ seemed to justify itself to another, more intense pump. Yet he surprised me by halting a few seats in the row in front of me, softly placed his bag on the floor, and gracefully took a seat between two other guys. He faced the front of the class room, ignoring my gaze.
"Em. Emily, hello" Brad said while he tapped my foot from under the table, pulling me out of my trance.
"What?" I whispered back angrily, having to unwillingly tear my eyes from that mysterious classmate and face Brad.
He frowned.
"Did you hear what I said?" he asked.
I shook my head, "no, I didn't. What did you say?"
"Geez you're so absentminded" he teased, "look at our English professor. Doesn't he remind you of a skinny Kentucky fried chicken guy?"
"Wait" I said in shock, "the professor is in the class?"
Brad let out a frustrated huff and shook his head, "well" his eyes narrowed, "if you haven't been staring at pretty boy this whole time, then you might have noticed. Plus, where else should the professor be?"
It was my turn to frown.
"How are all of you today?" our professor asked.
No one responded.
I looked away from Brad's indigenous expression in order to face the front of the class room. There in front of me, a few rows ahead, was our professor. Brad was absolutely right. It took a lot of energy and strength not to laugh out loud, so I stifled my giggles to the best of my power and ability. I could see Brad smiling to my side from the corner of my eye.
"Quite the lively bunch, eh?" the professor continued, "well, I figure you all had an enjoyable summer break"
A few students nodded their heads, some shook their heads, some groaned, while Brad coughed 'yeah right' causing a few other students to laugh as a result of his clownish personality. He was such an embarrassment, and he would always say what came to mind without a second thought.
The class progressed similarly as any other typical class during your first day back from summer break. Within five minutes of the class, Brad had pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began doodling strange shapes with his blue pen. I, on the other hand, couldn't bear to read another syllabus, so I allowed my temptations to overpower my reasonable thoughts. After all, he wasn't seated next to me. He sat in front of me. Perfect since he wouldn't have a clue as to whether or not I was staring at him.
I couldn't believe I had allowed myself to lose myself to another person's appearance. I felt stupid, immature, and absolutely ridiculous. Never in my life had I been this entranced by the opposite sex. Never. Yet, there was something about him. Something I couldn't quite put a finger on. It made staring that much more exciting and enthralling. A puzzle to be solved.
Even from behind he was beautiful. He sat up straight, perfect posture, while most of the class relied on the table for head and upper body support. His dark hair shimmered in the provided sunlight as his skin seemed to glow unnaturally. It was a sight to see.
Out of nowhere, Brad's left arm gently elbowed my side in order to grab my attention. He slid a piece of paper in front of me along with his blue pen.
I eyed him, "what now?" I hissed.
He had, once again, interrupted my much enjoyed trance.
Brad grinned, "You're supposed to write your name down…" he pointed his finger on the provided space, "right here"
I looked at the sheet in front of me, picked up the blue pen, and scribbled my name down in an uncaring manner.
"Why am I signing this?" I asked Brad.
He let out a deep laugh and shook his head.
"You are completely spacey today, you know that?" he teased, "you're signing your life away. That's what"
"Very funny" I replied, losing patience. He was annoying me on purpose.
"I know" he smirked, "it's hilarious"
"Excuse me, but could you please pass down our row attendance sheet?" the girl sitting next to me asked, "everyone else is leaving and I would also like to leave this classroom"
Brad laughed as I slid the attendance sheet down towards the girl on my left. She quickly scribbled her name on the provided space, passed it down the next person, impatiently shoved her school belongings into her pink back pack, stood up, and hurriedly left the classroom in speeds I couldn't process. All the while, Brad was still laughing.
"Brad" I said, "it's really not that funny. You can stop laughing now "
Brad slowly controlled his giggles, shook his head, and placed all his school belongings into his bag.
"It was funny Em" he said, "you should have seen your face when that girl ran out of the room!"
He was laughing again.
"Priceless!" he blurted.
I decided that the best thing to do was to ignore his childish antics. He would quiet down sooner or later. Until then, I took advantage of his distraction. I was surprised to find the class empty except for Brad and me.
A strange falling feeling encompassed my stomach as a thought came to mind. He left. Again. I promised myself that I would watch him leave. To see how someone so beautiful could gracefully rise from the school chair, perfectly squeeze past the many students, and leave the room without the slightest sound made. It was impossible.
I blamed Brad for the interruption, and I felt a wave of anger sweep through me.
"Brad, shut your pain in the ass mouth and let's go" I told him as I stood up and marched towards the door.
Brad shook his head, stood up, and lifted my bag along with his as he walked towards me.
"You forgot this" he told me, a smile on his face.
Glaring, I snatched my back pack from his hands and swung it carelessly over my shoulder. He frowned.
"Did something crawl up your ass?" he questioned, "what's with the sudden change in mood?"
"You" I muttered, "you crawled up my ass and hit a nerve"
Brad's green eyes widened and an immature smirk replaced his serious expression. He was going to tease me for my unintelligent choice of words.
I huffed and escaped the room before Brad could respond.
"Wait! Wait!" Brad yelled while running down the hall to catch up with me.
I stopped, turned around, and gave him one of my most atrocious expressions. I wasn't in the mood for his teasing and his jokes at the moment.
He skidded to a stop at my side, bending down, panting, catching breath while he raised his head to look at me.
"I'm sorry" he breathed and I raised my brow, "I'm sorry that I found your expression funny when that girl left"
He smiled teasingly, "I'm also sorry for crawling up your ass and hitting one of your delicate nerves"
I frowned. I should have expected him to apologize in such a selfish way, so I rolled my eyes and continued my walk down the hall. Brad annoyingly followed.
"Okay, okay" he said, exasperated, "I'm sorry for making you angry"
I stopped and faced him.
"You mean you're sorry for being a dumbass?" I asked him.
He stared at me, a smile playing around the corner of his lips.
"Yes Emily" he started, "I'm sorry for being an immature dumbass"
I smiled. This was the best apology I would receive from him, I figured. The guy never took anything seriously. A boy at heart. His excuse.
"Apology accepted" I told him.
He grinned triumphantly.
"For now" I added.
Brad still held his grin, relieved that I wasn't angry with him anymore.
We both continued to enjoy each other's company for the remainder of the day. Until our one O'clock sociology class, we relaxed in the provided student lounge. The sofas were unfortunately taken by exhausted students. Each was occupied by someone sleeping. Even the short sofa chairs were occupied by someone sleeping. Instead, Brad and I took our seating to the provided wooden chairs.
Sociology class was in the same room as our psychology class. It was a relief to have all of our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes here in the same building. A relief that I wouldn't have to walk up and down that large hill between classes. We sat in the back row since Brad hated sitting near the front.
The class went by smoothly, but I was disappointed. I had developed an expectation. An expectation that I would see him again in class. The thought was ridiculous. I felt ridiculous. I've only seen him twice in my life, but seeing someone so different places a mark in one's mind. It's as if I'd known this person for much longer. As if we'd gone through an entire school year together.
"Are you hungry?" Brad asked with hopeful eyes.
We had spent our entire time reading the chapters required for next class. Looking at the clock on the far wall in the student lounge, it was seven O'clock pm. Late. Brad had a difficult time reading. He couldn't focus, and each sentence was torture. Restless as he was, Brad was hoping I was hungry so that he could get away from the tormenting reading.
"Yeah, I am" I told him, feeling my stomach growl.
Brad immediately slammed his psychology text book, shoved it in his bag, and removed himself from the sofa. I, on the other hand, gently closed my sociology text book, placed it in my back pack, and slowly stood up from the sofa.
"So" I started, "where should we eat?"
Brad smiled and began walking towards the exit.
"Come on" he beckoned, "I know a restaurant down the street"
"Why not eat at the school diner?" I asked, "we have a ton of meal plans to use up"
Brad shrugged nonchalantly and walked out the building's glass doors. I followed suit, allowing the cool summer air to fill my lungs. It felt nice being outside, and the sun had an orange glow since it was setting. Quickly, I met up with Brad at the nearby parking lot.
He was holding the passenger door open for me, a large grin plastered on his face.
"After you, madam" he joked.
"Way to be the gentleman" I teased as I took my seat in his black Toyota Camry. He gently closed the door.
Brad walked around the front of his car, sat in the driver's seat, placed the key into the ignition, and roared the car into life. He backed out of the parking lot.
After driving for two minutes, a Pizza Hut came into view. Brad slowly turned the car into the restaurant's parking lot, found a space, and parked the car.
"Stay put" he told me as he killed the engine, walked around the back of his car, and opened my door.
"How's this for being the gentleman?" he asked me, a teasing smirk upon his lips.
I furrowed my brow and released a nervous laugh.
"Yeah" I said, "the perfect gentleman"
Laughing along with me, Brad took a hold of my hand and gently pulled me out the car. After, he let go of my hand and hooked his elbow around my arm. Over exaggerating as usual.
Quickly, Brad opened the restaurant's wooded doors, bowing his head.
"After you" he raised his head, a twinkle in his eye, "my lady"
"Pfff" I laughed, "Brad, you're ridiculous"
He grinned at my reaction, "ridiculously handsome and gentlemanly" he added.
"Whatever" I jokingly scoffed, lightly punching him in the shoulder as I walked into the restaurant.
I had a great time with Brad, I'll admit. Eating pizza never felt this fun. He had a horrible habit of teasing the waiters and those eating around us. He seemed to always find something funny in everything. In the end, we ended up staying in Pizza Hut for two full hours. It was now nine pm, and I could feel the 'first-day-of-school' exhaustion seeping in. Luckily tomorrow I wouldn't have to wake up so early.
Brad placed twenty dollars down on the table, gently hooked my arm as before, and escorted me to the passenger seat of his car. I was honestly too tired to feel flattered.
The drive back to dorms couldn't feel longer. The passing lights were hypnotizing. I was slowly lulled to sleep.
"Emily" Brad gently shook my shoulder, "wake up, we're here"
I slowly fluttered my eyes open, taking in the dim moonlight.
"Huh?" I asked, slightly disoriented and confused.
Brad laughed.
"Oh!" I realized, "how long was I asleep for?"
He shook his head while grinning.
"Well" he started, "seeing as the drive only lasted for two minutes, you fell asleep a minute ago"
I frowned and opened the passenger door to free myself from his car. He followed my actions and met up with me on the passenger's side.
"Do you need someone to walk you to your dorm?" he asked.
I looked up at him.
"By someone, do you mean you?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
He smiled and extended his arms outwards.
"Who else!" he replied, full of himself.
"Thanks" I replied, "but no thanks"
Brad's arms disappointingly fell back to his sides. He was expecting another answer.
"Brad, it's nothing personal" I said, "I just feel like I need some time alone as I head to bed"
He nodded his head understandingly and pulled me into his friendly hug.
"Alright" he said as he gently released me from his embrace, "be careful walking to your dorm. The lights aren't working like they should"
I looked around. He was right. It was extremely dark.
"Thanks, but I'll be fine" I smiled, reassuring him.
Again, he nodded his head and smiled. He turned around and began walking towards his dorm building located at the opposite direction from my dorm building.
I took this as my cue to do the same, so I began walking towards my own building.
I had a strange feeling while walking alone in the dark. Something didn't feel right. A cold chill suddenly bolted down my spine. Goose bumps encompassed my skin. Is there someone behind me?
I stopped and turned around.
Nothing.
I was utterly and completely alone. An uncomforting feeling indeed.
I looked more around my dark surroundings hoping to find Brad playing a stupid trick on me. Still nothing.
"Weird" I muttered under my breath as I quickly jogged to the entrance of my dorm building while rubbing my arms roughly with my hands.
Once inside, I impatiently walked into my dorm room. I quickly locked the heavy door, hurriedly changed into my sweats, and jumped into my soft bed.
Turning off my lamp, the night welcomed me. I still felt uneasy. It was if something, or someone, was watching me. Not in the room, but from the window by my bed. I was too petrified to turn my body around towards the window. I felt like those kids who feared to sleep on their sides, exposing their backs to whatever horror stood before them.
Luckily, I fell asleep despite my paranoid ideations. Peaceful and warm dreams soon replaced my fear.
--
Sorry it took some time for me to update. I apologize.
It will probably take a few weeks for the next chapter to come out. College sucks.
OH! And guess what... Villa Julie College is real! I go there!
Check it out: /
Please review! I greatly appreciate all of you for reading my boring story :D