Chapter 2
Subtitle: Dumb and Smart
_Freda_
The boy standing in front of me towered over my height, as if I were short. I'm 5'7", which is a pretty decent height for a girl, but when I tell you I stood just below his shoulder, I mean it in a serious way. He's probably more than six feet tall, and his build was magnificent. He wasn't just tall; he was muscular in a way that balanced his proportions. His face looked really sleek and chiseled, as if someone had sat down and sculpted it. Instead of the usual, convenient hairstyles boys in my school carried around, his own hairstyle was a buzz cut; it looked very flattering and made his face more concentrated. His eyebrows looked bushy but in a cute way, and he had a piercing on his lower lip – a very small gold ring adorned it.
I didn't realize I had been staring at him for too long until Cindy pushed me from behind in a light way. I coughed loudly and looked elsewhere. I heard him chuckle slightly as he looked at my reaction.
"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded my head nervously as I clutched my bag like someone might steal it from me. I glanced at my sandwich, now scattered on the ground.
"Sorry about your breakfast," he apologized.
"It's okay," I replied.
"I'm Tyrone," he introduced himself, stretching out his muscular hand for a handshake. But instead, I turned around and walked away with my head bowed. I had been so lost looking at him that I didn't notice the number of students who had gathered and were looking at us. It was kind of scary, and I didn't like the fact that he had drawn too much attention towards me. I am used to being invisible, and I like it that way. Talking to this strange, hot guy seemed like an undeniably bad idea, and I wouldn't want to even get involved with him. I'd rather just ignore him.
Cindy quickly caught up with me, but so did the new, strange boy. Now I was just holding onto my bag nervously and walking towards my classroom with Cindy on my left and the new guy, Tyrone, on my right, while people murmured and gossiped.
"Hey... I didn't quite get your name. Let me make it up to you and buy you lunch later, then maybe you can show me around school," he tried to start another conversation with me. It felt weird, and I didn't like it.
"I'd appreciate it if you left me alone. I can buy lunch for myself," I muttered almost inaudibly, but I'm sure he got what I was trying to say.
"Freda!"
I froze as soon as I heard my name being called by a familiar feminine voice. The two people I was walking with also froze, as if I controlled them or something. Trisha waltzed her way towards us and stood in front of me. What does she want with me? It's absolutely rare for Trisha to talk to me, especially in school. "Where's Jeremy?" she asked. "I don't know... at home?" I answered her question in a sarcastic way; it was weird. Why was she asking me where to find her twin when she could just call him? And since when does she go around looking for Jeremy? "Hi. You must be new here." Her eyes trailed off towards Tyrone. I rolled my eyes. Of course, she's only here to speak to the new guy; it all makes sense now. "Yeah. I'm Tyrone." The new guy said with a smile as he stretched out his hand and shook Trisha's hand. "I'm Trisha. It's weird that you're transferring to our school when the term is far gone." She said as she gave him one of her sweet smiles. "Well, I couldn't just sit around and wait for a new term, now could I?" He laughed nervously. "Of course not." Trisha said. "You look like you hit the gym frequently." She said as she linked her arm with his, as if she'd known him her whole life. "Yes, I love going to the gym, and I play football as well." He tried; they began to walk off as if he wasn't trying to talk to me just seconds ago. I shrugged it off and trailed behind with Cindy. "Then you and my twin brother Jeremy would probably be good friends. He's a gym rat as well, and he loves sports. I'll introduce you two later, and I could also show you around school." Trisha offered. I could hear Cindy scoff beside me in an annoyed voice. "What's her deal?" She whispered. I just shrugged as we continued to tag along with them. For a moment, Tyrone turned to spare me a glance, and his eyes had this look I couldn't quite explain. I felt butterflies in my stomach in an instant.
***
The history teacher had just written down the topic for the day on the board when Jeremy walked into the class, his boots making gentle sounds against the floor. "Mr. Penny, you're late for my class again." The teacher grumbled with an annoyed look on her face. Yes, Penny. It still sounds funny to me anytime someone calls any of my cousins by their surname. They hate it, and it's so hilarious I always laugh. I mean, what were their ancestors thinking? Penny? Seriously? "I'm sorry, ma'am," he grumbled as he walked towards his girlfriend, Abby, and sat down. He gave her a quick peck before taking his eyes back to the board. Trisha had managed to find a chair for Tyrone right beside hers on the row next to Jeremy's. I stared at them for a moment before concentrating on the history teacher. Throughout the class, my mind was not in one place, as I just kept staring at the teacher blankly. It didn't help when she called out my name all of a sudden and asked me a question I couldn't answer. I just stared at her stupidly without saying anything. As if that wasn't enough, the new guy, Tyrone, ended up answering the question that was meant for me so effortlessly that everyone in the class was impressed. So what if I'm dumb, and he's smart? I felt violated.
This is not the right time to rub it in everyone's face that I'm not smart, especially not in front of the new student. For the rest of the class, my mood was down. Cindy passed me a note, although she was sitting right beside me. I opened it quietly, and it read, "I think the new boy likes you. He wouldn't stop staring." I just rolled my eyes; I didn't want to reply to her or think about her ridiculous comment at all. Immediately after class, I grabbed my backpack and ran to my locker. I opened it and dropped my stuff inside before heading to another class, and soon enough, it was time for lunch. Everyone in school usually had their lunch in the school's dining hall, but I don't like eating in crowded places; I'd rather have mine outside. There's a garden just behind the school building, and it provides nice shade, so that's where I usually have my lunch.
After I was done, I took out my phone and began to scroll through my gallery, looking at all my old selfies; it had been a while since I took a photo. I turned on my camera and positioned my phone in such a way that I could take a nice selfie. However, when I snapped the first and then the second picture, I noticed someone standing behind me through the camera. I jerked and turned abruptly to catch a glimpse of Tyrone's smug face; he burst out laughing as if he was in a circus, and I found his laugh annoying. I felt insecure in an instant and stood up. "What do you want?" I snarled as I picked up my backpack and began to walk away.
"Hey, hey, hey... slow down, smug face. I didn't mean to laugh at you," he said as he tried to catch up with me. I hastened my steps. "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry about what happened today. It was a mistake; let me buy you lunch," he apologized as he cut in front of me and blocked my way. "I've had lunch already, so please just leave me alone. Go hang out with Trisha or something," I said. I was being a complete and unreasonable snob, and it was obvious, but I didn't care. Who does he think he is? The fact that he's all handsome, hot, and smart doesn't mean every girl should crawl at his feet.
I glanced around in frustration and then spotted one of my friends. "But..." Tyrone was going to say something, but I cut him off. "Hey, Clement! Wait for me!" I waved at my friend Clement and then took off immediately, not sparing Tyrone any more of my attention.