the locker room

chapter three

Ever had that moment in your life where you're utterly shocked?

It's kind of like the time when you know you're going to fail a test, and you mope around, questioning your existence. And then you get the paper back and you end up getting an A instead of an F.

Or maybe it's when you reach out to favorite celebrity and they actually notice you.

Perhaps even when you're watching the Vampire Diaries and basically any boy comes on the screen because they're all smoking hot. And at that point you're so amazed you go into cardiac arrest. 

Okay maybe I'm exaggerating but you get my point.

I don't know whether I should cry or laugh. I might just do both for the sake of making sure I can breathe, because right now, I don't think I am. And I seriously need to check.

All I know is that I've been standing in the same position for about three minutes, paralyzed. My jaw is on the ground and my heart is beating out of my chest, probably because of how tired I am, or could it be the fact that there's a really hot guy standing behind me wearing absolutely nothing?

It's most likely the latter.

"You can turn around now." He laughs a bit, casually as if this happens all the time.  

Reluctantly, I shift my body and notice that he was wearing a pair of plain black boxers. Thank God, I was finally taking in decent breaths. Instant relief washes over me, but my cheeks are still tinted with a light shade of crimson. 

I zone out for so long that I don't notice him move inch closer and closer to my face. He takes his index finger and thumb using them to tip my chin up. "Close your mouth, love. Don't want you to catch any flies now do we?" 

His accent reeks of an italian background. To be honest, the difference is refreshing from all the boring American accents I hear at school.

I would reply but he's hovering over me, half-naked, and smelling of cigarettes with a hint of mint. Which doesn't sound appealing, but I can't get enough of the smell. It's easily addictive and I felt myself wanting to inhale him.

My mouth just keeps opening and closing, reminiscent of a confused fish who got lost on the way to school. Holy s**t, am I Nemo? 

This was a new low. Seven minutes of pure embarrassment and I'm somehow still lost in his eyes. They're a mixture of browns, as if they couldn't decide on hazel, auburn, or warm chocolate. I could seem my own shade in the mix, but my crappy ones didn't compare to his.  

At last, I'm able to get control over my senses enough to clear my throat. "I, uh, just came to get Noah's bag. Yeah, you probably don't know Noah, or maybe you do, I don't know. It is your first day, after all so even though- Alright, I'm going to go now."

I'm a stuttering mess but it's so far beyond my control that at this point. I grab the bag from the bench and scramble out the door, not missing his booming chuckles behind me. 

Fantastic. I just made a total fool of myself in front of the new kid. I mentally curse myself for boosting his ego and scurry away to the parking lot.

Noah and Ainsley are sitting by the gates when I run up to them. 

"Hey what took you so long?" Noah asks as I hand him his bag which he thanks me for.

"Umm I got lost?" My answer comes out as a question. How do I explain what just happened? I mean, I want to tell them, but what would I say? 

Sorry I took so long, got flashed by Damon and left my brain in the locker room?

"In a school you've been going to for six years?" Ainsley questions.

With a shrug of my shoulders, I nod and although they clearly aren't convinced, they don't don't dwell on it. 

Ainsley and I have been best friends for what seemed like forever. She was the one person I knew I could trust without it coming back to bite me. We met Noah just three years ago; he fit in from the start and we've made up an odd, yet perfect trio since then. We do everything together and no matter what, they seem to always make my life change for the better. 

"Well that wasn't suspicious at all! I'm too hungry to interrogate you so let's go please," Ainsley declares, running to the car to take shotgun. Of course this annoys me because we all know the car is going to stop at least six times so they can aggressively make out in front of my eyes.

The love I have for the pair is neverending, but it really does piss me off when they disregard me to smash their lips together in a fit of passion every time the car comes to a stop. One time we almost rolled down the hill. If I hadn't stopped them, who knows where we'd be today. 

I jump in the back seat and buckle up. Not even seconds later they are declaring their love for each other. Thank goodness for earbuds. I plug them in and close my eyes, relishing in the melodic beats. Why expose myself to animalistic behavior, when I could let the music take me anywhere I wanted to go? 

It takes us around forty minutes instead of the usual twenty to get to a diner called Placebo. Why? Because Noah and Ainsley just had to stop and lock lips twice, which I guess isn't bad. It's probably a new record, a product of their apparent generosity.

We get out of the car and walk inside, claiming a booth at the far end of the restaurant. Ainsley sits next to me with Noah on the opposite side, surprising seeing as how they couldn't keep their hands off each other half the time.

A guy with green hair and a rather sketchy looking tattoo came up to us, a waiter I presume.

"Hey, what can I get you guys?" he asks with a wide smile that flashes stained yellow teeth. 

Once we place our orders, he leaves with a promise to bring us our food in a matter of minutes.

"So you guys know how class orientation is coming up in a couple of days, Right? Mrs. Darlene is putting us into groups. But how many?" Ainsley questions. 

"I don't know Ains; she's a cruel person. She could very well force us to do it ourselves," Noah replies. He was probably thinking back to last year when she made us run the entire orientation on our own.

I nod in silent agreement and stare at the salt and pepper shakers.

Mrs. Darlene is our chemistry teacher. She has to be one of the worst people I've ever met. If there was a way to describe the epitome of a cat lady, she would fit the description to a tee. She had large round eyes, the kind that had the capacity to watch everyone at once. It wouldn't have shocked anyone if her head started spinning in circles all owl-like. Not to mention, she hands out detentions like grandma's hand out hard candy. 

All in all, she enjoys torturing her students whenever the opportunity arrives. I had no clue why she hadn't been fired yet, especially with the amount of complaints that had been filed against her. The woman also emitted a strange odor which only added to her poor reputation in the eyes of her students.

Class orientation is all about getting us to bond with different people and become one big group of 'friends'. Except it never worked that way.

We usually go off to some far away campground filled with bugs and an array of other pesky insects. At least two people got poison ivy each time we went, but the retreat seemed nonnegotiable. I don't know how it would benefit us in life. We all go back to our old ways after it's done anyway, finding comfort within our cliques.

Did I mention how much I hate compulsory activities? How were we supposed to enjoy something we didn't volunteer for?

I guess tomorrow we'd find out our finalized groups. The only reason to be excited for the event was the free ticket out of school for a few days. If everyone behaves, that is.

"I really hope the three of us can be together," Noah pipes in again.

"Same here. Let's just hope Zoe doesn't rig the set-up so she can be with David." 

Every high school has a high class snob who thinks they rule the school. Our 'Queen B' goes by the name of Zoe Anderson. She's been tormenting us since the beginning of time.

Although we don't let her push us around, I've had my fair share of torturous experiences with her. 

David is among the schools' undeclared bad boy posse. His picture had to be under the definition of asshole in the dictionary. But some people seem to look up to him and his caveman ways. Granted, they were mostly jealous of his achievements in life, which were all granted to him by his father, principal of Lightenburg High. 

Finding out who his father is made a lot of sense; he manages to always be on the football team, despite not attending tryouts. Lord knows he wasn't making it on talent alone.

Zoe is in love with the guy, yet he barely knows she exists. But I guess trash attracts trash.

And just then the waiter returns with trays full of our food. Excitement rushes through my veins and I can't wait to stuff my face with food for the fourth time today.

My thoughts when our food is brought to the table. Excitement fills me as I can't wait to stuff my face with food for the fourth time today. 

Ainsley and Noah start up a conversation on where they should have one of their dates. My friends aren't excluding me from the debate, they just know better than to talk to me when I'm eating. I hate being interrupted.

Before I realize it, my mind wanders back to my encounter with Damon earlier this afternoon. I noticed a bunch of peculiar bruises littering his abdomen. I was too frazzled to say anything about them, but it's not like it was my business anyway.

It's the first day of school and he's already been declared popular. He just had to be skilled enough to repeatedly invade my mind. 

For some reason I feel intrigued by Damon. An unexplainable need to get to know him was making me question my entire existence.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice someone jump out of a familiar red mustang outside the diner. 

"Guys is that.." Ainsley and Noah follow my line of vision and soon curse words are leaving both their mouths. 

"It can't be," Noah grumbles. 

I sighed and leaned my head against the table, banging it repeatedly.

There goes my pleasant dinner. My hunger dissipates with every passing second.

The door chimes as soon as they walk in, making everyone aware of the new presence in the warm diner. His eyes travel back and forth until they zoom in on us in the back booth. My eyes instinctively roll as he smirks and makes his way to us. 

"Hey guys. Miss me?" he asks, grinning like the imbecile he is.