The Things We Notice
1228 Words
Darren barely made it to his seat before he heard, “Perfect timing, Mr. Cole.” Professor Bennett looked up from the attendance register with a small smile on his face. “Take your seat, Mr. Cole.”
Darren offered a small apologetic nod as he slid into his chair. The professor closed the register.
“As you all know, today is presentation day.” He glanced down at the list in his hand. “We’ll begin with Mr. Darren Cole.”
Darren’s stomach sank. Of course. He picked up his notebook and made his way to the front of the classroom. Standing behind the lectern felt very different from rehearsing alone in his room the night before. He looked out at the class. Rows of faces stared back at him. Some interested. Some distracted. Others simply waiting for him to begin. He swallowed.
“Good morning. Today I’ll be discussing…” Nothing. The words disappeared. His mind went completely blank. The silence stretched just long enough to make his heartbeat thunder in his ears.
Professor Bennett folded his arms, waiting patiently. “Take your time, Mr. Cole…” He glanced briefly toward the clock. “…just don’t keep us here until graduation.” The room erupted in laughter. Heat crept up Darren’s neck. He gripped the edges of the lectern, willing himself to remember the first sentence he’d practiced over and over. Come on. You know this. His eyes drifted across the room. Almost by accident, they settled on Olivia Reyes. She wasn’t laughing. Unlike everyone else, she simply sat there with her notebook open, her attention fixed on him. No smirk. No whisper to the person beside her. Just quiet attention.
For some reason, that was enough. He took a slow breath. Then another. When he spoke again, the words came naturally. “Good morning. Today, I’ll be comparing the perspectives of Carl Rogers and B. F. Skinner and discussing why I believe empathy plays a greater role in long-term personal growth than reinforcement alone.” The rest of the presentation unfolded more smoothly than Darren could have imagined. Instead of clinging to his notes, he spoke with confidence, explaining each theory before defending his own conclusion with examples that drew several thoughtful nods from around the room. When he finished, the classroom fell silent. Professor Bennett gave an approving nod.
“Excellent work, Mr. Cole.” Relief settled over Darren as he returned to his seat. Maybe today wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
The rest of the presentations passed in a blur.
When the final presentation ended, Professor Bennett dismissed the class and handed each student their graded rubric as they filed out of the room.
Darren accepted his with a quiet, "Thank you."
He didn't look at it immediately. Not until he stepped into the hallway.
Curiosity got the better of him. He flipped the page over.
A+
For a second, he simply stared.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he tucked the paper safely inside his notebook.
"Hey, Darren."
He looked up.
Louisa Brooks stood a few feet away, with a warm smile as always.
"Hi."
"I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Not at all."
She hesitated, as though rehearsing her next words in her head.
"I just wanted to apologize."
Darren frowned.
"For what?"
"For yesterday."
She offered an awkward smile.
"Olivia's my best friend, but... she can be a bit intense sometimes."
"A bit?"
The words escaped before he could stop them.
Louisa laughed softly.
"Okay... maybe more than that."
Darren couldn't help smiling.
It was the first genuine smile he'd managed since yesterday's accident.
"I'm sorry she spoke to you like that," Louisa continued. "You were trying to apologize."
"It's okay."
"No," she said gently. "It isn't."
A brief silence settled between them.
Then she brightened.
"For what it's worth, your presentation was really good."
"Thanks."
"I mean it."
She smiled.
" I'll see you around."
"You too."
Louisa disappeared into the flow of students moving through the hallway.
Darren watched her leave.
Then something made him glance farther down the corridor.
Julian Sterling.
His roommate stood near one of the windows, one hand tucked into the pocket of his hoodie.
He wasn't looking out the window.
He was looking at Louisa.
Or rather...
At both of them. Their eyes met.
Julian looked away first.
Darren adjusted the strap of his backpack and walked over, but before he got to him, he had disappeared in the crowd.
For someone he shared an apartment with...
Julian Sterling was still a complete mystery.
The apartment was dead quiet.
Darren pushed open the door, his backpack slung over his shoulder as he walked in.
The familiar silence greeted him.
Or so he thought.
A faint aroma of takeout wafted from the dining area.
He frowned.
Someone was home.
He rounded the corner and stopped.
Julian sat at the small dining table, absentmindedly picking at a carton of noodles. His dark hair fell over his forehead, and the sleeves of his charcoal hoodie were pushed to his elbows. He looked up briefly before returning his attention to his food.
For the first time since they’d been assigned the apartment together, Darren realized just how different Julian looked up close. There was nothing flashy about him despite the expensive watch on his wrist or the neatly tailored clothes he wore. He simply looked… tired.
“You’re home,” Darren said, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
Julian glanced up.
“So it seems.”
Darren laughed awkwardly.
“I was starting to think you only came here to sleep.”
Julian gave the slightest shrug.
“Sometimes.”
Darren dropped his backpack beside the couch.
A brief silence settled between them.
Julian set down his fork.
“How do you know Louisa?”
The question caught Darren off guard.
“Louisa?”
“Brooks.”
“Oh.”
Darren leaned against the kitchen counter.
“I don’t really know her.”
Julian’s eyes lifted.
“She stopped me after class.”
“Why?”
Darren scratched the back of his neck.
“There was… an incident yesterday. My football rolled into the cheer practice and knocked Olivia over.”
Julian listened without interrupting.
“I apologized,” Darren continued. “She wasn’t exactly interested in hearing it.”
“And Louisa?”
“She came to apologize for her friend.”
Julian looked down at the carton in front of him.
His grip tightened almost imperceptibly around the plastic fork.
Darren hesitated before asking,
“So…”
“How do you know her?”
For a long moment, Julian didn’t answer.
The apartment fell silent except for the hum of the refrigerator.
Finally, he spoke.
“We were together.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Darren blinked.
“Oh.”
Another silence.
It felt heavier this time.
Julian closed the carton and stood.
“I’ve got some things to take care of.”
Without another word, he picked up his keys and walked toward the door.
The lock clicked softly behind him.
Darren remained where he was, staring at the now empty apartment.
We were together.
The words lingered in his mind.
He wasn’t sure why.
But somehow…
They sounded less like the end of a story
and more like the beginning of one.
- Writer
