" Chemistry sucks," sighed Anza as they walked through the halls, " I want it to be lunch time already."
" Dude, it's only like nine thirty," Cody said as he rolled his eyes, " you always want it to be lunch. How big did they make this school." They had just turned down another hall and started up a staircase.
" X is one of the biggest middle schools," Ingrid said as she glanced at Cody, " we have almost five thousand students, I think and we have every club and team known to mankind. We even have compost hills." Cody glanced at her and saw her wrinkle her nose at the last comment, grinning he turned back to watching the lockers again. Last time he had walked through X's hallways before he left he had felt empty and cold like there was a hole in him that just kept growing and growing, he had just lost his world and had to start again, but now he felt happy and that hole, maybe it was starting to get smaller. Ever since I came back to X I have felt happier and better than I ever felt at those other schools, he thought, maybe it's because here I have friends that I've know since, like forever. Or maybe it's because now I've met Ingrid…. new that can't be it….it just can't be. Looking up he saw the door marked Chemistry, reaching out and opening the door, he stood back and motioned Ingrid to go in first. Pleased with the result of her smiling at him again he walked in with a slight grin on his face too. Anza walked over to a table and sat down motioning for him to sit beside him, so Cody walked over and sat beside him, looking to his right he saw that Ingrid had sat down at the table beside them, shooting her another grin he turned to the front where the teacher had just walked in.
Walking through the halls was fine, she didn't have to talk at all Anza and Cody did all the talking until they started on how big the school was, she had to jump in and was glad that she did because it gave her an excuse to look at him for a second. He's so cute… she thought as they were walking, I wonder if he would ever like me…no don't start thinking like that…you'll only be hurt when he starts dating someone else also you barely even know him, don't just jump in or you will be hurt…like last time, concentrating on what you do have is going to be just fine, you and him will just be friends… even though I think that I want to be more than that. Shaking her head to try and rid herself of those thoughts she realized that they had reached the classroom. Cody opened the door and then stood back and motioned for her to go through first. As she walked past him, she caught the scent of his cologne; trying not to look stupid she simply smiled at him and continued walking. She stopped at the front of the class to check the board for any homework that she didn't do, noticing that they hadn't had any she turned in time to see Cody sit down beside Anza, walking down the aisle she sat at the table next to theirs. Glancing at Cody just in time to see him glance at her, he grinned at her again and then turned to the front of the class. She looked up and saw the teacher starting to take attendance.
" Anza?" barked the teacher Mrs. Dustrong.
" Here!" he called out lazily glancing up and then immediately glancing down again.
" Blackstock?" Mrs. Dustrong barked out in her annoying old croaky voice.
" Here!" the boy sitting at the very front of the class called out. This continued slowly and a couple of people had put their heads in their arms.
" Hunter?" she barked scanning the room with her beady bird like eyes.
" Here!" he called out lazily looking up and then down, he and Anza were playing hangman on a piece of paper, he was going to win Anza had no idea what his word was. He continued to play not noticing any of the names being called out until; he heard a name that sounded familiar.
" Madrid?" shouted Mrs. Dustrong.
" Here!" called out an equally familiar voice. Spinning around in his chair he looked around until his eyes settled on one of the girls sitting at the back table. It was her, one of the reasons that made leaving X so hard, leaving her was one of the reasons his heart had ripped apart when he left. Seeing her again was painful, he could feel his hastily mended heart starting to rip again as her name came to mind, the name that went to the girl that had haunted his dreams for two years. Penny. She hadn't seen him, and even if she did there was no guarantee that she'd even recognize him he had changed a lot since they had said good-bye, under that big tree on the south side of the school, overlooking the town. He needed to look away, looking at her was hurting him, forcing himself to look at something else was harder than he expected though, turning his head he found Ingrid looking at him curiously. He tried smiling and figured that it turned out okay, because she smiled back, looking forward he pretended to pay attention, but was actually having a silent argument with himself. Penny…. I've missed you, but just because I came back doesn't change what I told you that day. Nothing can happen now, not after…. what happened everything's different now. He was trying to convince himself that he couldn't be with Penny anymore, but it was difficult when he started to remember all the fun that they had, had together. You were perfect for each other, remember you could always make her laugh or smile, you could always tell what she was thinking without her having to say a word. Seeing her again hurt, that proves that you still have feelings for her.
He hadn't been paying attention. Why did he suddenly start paying attention when the teacher called Penny's name? Why does this even bother me? I shouldn't care if he knows her, why am I getting jealous? I shouldn't even be thinking about this…. but why do I feel a pain in my heart when I see him look at her…could this be…no it couldn't be that…. could it? Ingrid said to herself as she watched Cody out of the corner of her eye, he was staring at the board with a bored expression and glazed eyes, he was thinking about something else she could tell. I wonder what he's thinking about right now…. probably about lunch, all guys are like that. Pulling herself out of her own thoughts she realized that the teacher was putting notes on the board. Pulling out a pen she started to copy them down.
" QUEIT," shouted Mrs. Dustrong, everybody winced and shut up, " now I want you all to copy down the homework and make sure that it is done for next class! Understood?"
" Yes ma'm" came the chorused mumbling from the class.
" Hey bro, you think that you can find your way back to the Safety Patrol office?" asked Anza, " I've got to run to my locker."
" Uhhh I'm not to sure about that, this school is fricken huge," Cody said slowly, " I'll try though, if I'm not there when you get there you might want to send a search party." Anza laughed, turned and walked away. Cody was gathering up his books, and trying to remember how they had gotten here.
" Hey Cody," Ingrid started after working up the courage to do so.
" Yeah?" he said while looking up.
" I can take you back to the Safety Patrol office if you want," she said while looking down to pick up her books, " just so you don't get lost you know." He laughed lightly and she joined in.
" Cool," he said with a grin, " thanks."
" No problem," she said while smiling back, " anytime." Oh my gosh she thought excitedly, I get to walk all the way to the safety patrol office alone with Cody…. I hope that I look okay…. hey hey hey not supposed to think about that remember, not jumping in right? But he's so cute….
Awesome walking all the way back to the safety patrol office alone with Ingrid, I hope my hair is okay, maybe we'll become close friends and then… no no no can't think like that not right now…. not with what's going down…. and yet I can't get her out of my mind…. I think that I actually do…no I can't…but she is so beautiful…
After gathering all of their books they walked out of the classroom together, Cody having resisted the urge to ask her if he could carry her books. He asked her what cases the Safety Patrol were currently working on, as she got into a long explanation he smiled. This is nice I never did this with Penny, it was mostly just…. well kissing really. That's actually all that we ever did…we never really talked at all. Wow why did I stay in that relationship for so long? Seeing Penny walking down the hall ahead of him, oh right that's why, she is so beautiful…but if Penny is right there why am I walking with Ingrid…. this must mean that I like Ingrid…. smiling to himself and looking out the window that they were passing he silently thought sadly, that's just not possible…. even if I really do want it to be. Looking up he noticed that Penny had just stopped at her locker, as Cody and Ingrid walked by her she shut her locker door and turned around, right into him. Looking down he felt himself tense up, this was the most contact they had had in two years, and she still made his stomach do a back flip.
" Oh sorry," Penny said as she looked up to see whom she had hit, " I wasn't looking."
" No problem" he said softly, he felt like an icy knife had just gone through his heart, she didn't even know it was him, or maybe she did but just chose not to say anything. Although when she first looked up he could have sworn that he saw something flicker behind her eyes, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. As he and Ingrid walked on continuing to talk about the Safety Patrol, he pushed all thoughts about Penny out of his mind and focused on Ingrid. But unknown to him, behind him Penny who had been talking to a friend had stopped in mid sentence.
" Cody…?" she said softly while looking down the hall at his retreating back.
Ok I know that it appears to be turning into a drama, but this is just leading up to the end few chapters. So please bear with me and I promise that the next chapter will have a lot more action. Thank you to Bluie for telling me Penny's last name. Thanks and please review.