Love in the classroom

Sat drumming his fingers on his knee, Chris waited. After a few minutes he heard his name called and as he stood, he turned his head and his eyes fell on his fellow student.

The young man stood in front of him was very similar in build and height to Chris although slightly thicker set with blonde hair instead of brown but the same colour eyes. He appeared a little tidier than Chris, a straighter back and a straighter nose that seemed to punctuate his overall look of class.

“Hello, my name is Callum, you must be Christopher?” said the boy in a light, friendly tone.

“That’s me” he replied trying to appear just as friendly “But it’s just Chris”.

“Sorry” said Callum “it’s just the name they gave me from the register. I’m here to take you to class”.

“No worries!”

Chris followed Callum’s lead and tailed him along the corridors, chatting as they went.

“So you’re from London?” Callum enquired.

“Blimey word travels fast!”

“Gossip tends to travel fast but it’s not too bad here. It’s like any school really. Everyone hangs around in their own little groups”.

“Yeah I know how it works. So which one do you fit into?”

“To be honest, I’m not too sure” chuckled Callum “So what’s London like?”

“It’s all concrete tower blocks and purpose built housing, it’s not like round here with all the scenery. It’s a bit posh here!”

“You’re joking right? You should see where I live; it’s more like London!” Callum retorted laughing.

“Really?” Chris asked surprised “I live up near the centre of town and it’s all big houses and river boats and swans and stuff. I mean I had the Thames running through my home town but it was full of shopping trolleys instead of wildlife”.

Both boys laughed. Chris had misjudged not only the town in which he was living but also the young man who he was now talking with. There seemed to be hidden similarities between them.

Their conversation was cut short as they entered the classroom where all heads seemed to snap in his direction.

His new tutor introduced herself and directed him into a seat next to Callum. He moved quickly across the room, eager to avoid attention.

It wasn’t easy being the new boy and he ducked his head low and focused on the teacher to take his mind off the feeling of a thousand eyes burning a hole in the back of his head.

It didn’t take long for the tutorial lesson to end and Callum kindly ushered Chris quickly out of the door and off to his next class.

The journey was an uncomfortable one, as they made their way across the other side of campus. Chris could feel everyone’s gazes and heard the constant whispering coming from the students standing around. A large group of students had gathered around the two boys and were asking constant, tiresome questions. Chris grew very uncomfortable with his new found popularity, having been away from people his own age for so long and he began to feel it was all getting a bit too much.

He was also getting a bit confused as despite Callum’s assurances that things were not all that different from London, every voice he seemed to hear sounded well-spoken.

“Why is everyone following us?” Chris whispered to Callum.

Speaking out of the side of his mouth while trying to fend off the group of students and their many questions, Callum replied....

“You’re the only new kid we’ve had for a while and apparently coming from London is a big deal”.

“You’re joking right?” Chris asked.

“Nah, apparently it’s like a status symbol or something, different worlds and all that”.

“What they think I’m some sort of hard nut, gangster or something?”

“Well you know what people are like. Like you said it’s quite posh in some parts around here and we hear all sorts of stories about gun and knife crime in London, so yeah maybe they think you’re a bit of a head case”.

Chris burst into laughter yet again and Callum threw him a smile and a sideways glance.

Chris was really glad it was Callum who had collected him from reception at the beginning of the day; he seemed to be a really nice guy. He had a similar sense of humour and wasn’t half as stuck up as Chris had first feared. He was also kind and considerate as he showed him around the school.

Chris also felt quite relieved; he had found someone incredibly similar to himself on his first day, if anything it could be said that Callum was a slightly more polished version of Chris himself. But what surprised Chris the most about his new found friendship and instant liking to Callum was the fact that it was with another boy. Usually he found it easier to strike a rapport with the opposite sex.

It was a beautiful summer’s day as the boys and the crowd loitered outside the school building.

 

After fending off yet more questions from many different strangers, Callum introduced Chris to a few of his friends, a young small boy named tony, a cheery red head girl named Penny, a tall blond haired girl named Louise and a short dark haired girl named Chloe.

They all seemed very friendly and did not push for any answers to any questions; they left that to the rest of the crowd. Chris felt quite comfortable around these select few and they helped fill him in on who’s who, even stopping to make jokes about the intrusive crowd which he found hilarious.

With the pips mere minutes from sounding, the group made their way up the stairs towards classes with Chris nestled safely at the centre. It became quite congested at the turn in the stairs and for a moment the group where temporarily stuck. Out of curiosity Chris peered over the banister to see what was happening.

Just like the stairs, the floor below was heavily crowded with students trying to bustle their way through to class. Chris surveyed the chaos beneath him, his eyes wandering over the mass of bodies. All of a sudden his eyes fixed on one specific spot.

Amongst the many bodies stood the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen.

 

With hair of the darkest brown that shimmered like silk and eyes that sparkled like stars with a centre of the smoothest chocolate brown. Her smile illuminated the room, a dazzling white protected by silver braces.  Her skin was clear and smooth like a porcelain doll although lightly tanned and her lips were supple and red as a summers rose. He was besotted by this vision of beauty.

“An English rose” he muttered quietly.

“What?” Callum interrupted, appearing at his side.

“Who’s that?” he asked in a whisper.

“Who’s who?” said Callum trying to follow Chris’ line of sight.

Chris discreetly raised his hand and pointed down in to the crowed. Callum followed his finger.

“The one with the dark hair?” he asked.

“Yeah” Chris replied rapidly waving his finger to emphasise who he was pointing at.

“That’s Amanda, now get a move on or we’ll be late for class”.

After a brief goodbye to the rest of the group, the two boys ran quickly up the now empty staircase and off down the corridor towards class.

Arriving a few minutes late, they hurried into the classroom and took their seats at the front of the class. It wasn’t until Chris looked ahead at the black board that he realised that his first proper lesson was French.

Chris hated French, he had taken it at his previous school in London but much preferred Italian which he had also taken. This presented a big problem for Chris as both languages were fairly similar and he feared being called upon by the teacher, as he didn’t want to use the wrong language and appear foolish. So he sat quietly next to Callum facing forwards, praying he wouldn’t be noticed.

Everyone quickly set about getting down to work and Callum once again proved helpful in trying to help Chris get up to speed. He was also kind enough to point out when he was speaking Italian instead of French. But hating the subject as fiercely as he did, it didn’t take long for his mind to wander and he gazed longingly out of the nearest window, day dreaming of the captivating Amanda.

“You still in there mate?” whispered Callum, bringing Chris abruptly back to the classroom.

“What.... Er.... yeah I’m still here!” came his semi vacant response.

“Thinking about Amanda where you?” Callum enquired.

“Yeah. So what do you know about her anyway?”

“To be honest mate, not a whole lot, I know her name and her tutor group but that’s about it. Why are you interested in her?”

“Who wouldn’t be?” replied Chris.

“Well she isn’t my cup of tea but I can see why other guys would be interested, but it’s going to be hard though mate!”

“Tell me about it, if you don’t know much about her. I guess I’ll just have to leave it for now and see what happens!”

“It’s all you can do for now mate, but I will say this, you move quickly don’t you!” Callum replied with a cheeky grin.

Both boys broke into laughter at Callum’s last line and after a stern look from the teacher at her desk, they stuck their heads back into Callum’s text book.

Trying his hardest to regain his focus he plunged himself back into his work but he couldn’t help but be interrupted by a constant whispering coming from behind him.

“How long is this going to last?” he asked trying to hide his irritation.

“I don’t know mate” replied Callum in a low voice “but you better get used to it, it’s only your first day”.

“Great” said Chris in a rather sarcastic tone and he stuck his head back into his work.

Chris was doing his best but after a while he admitted defeat and gave up on his work. Without turning his head he looked up to survey the room in greater detail. After seeing all the usual stuff that adorned the walls, maps of France and common phrases posted on coloured paper, he grabbed the text book and made one final effort to grasp the French language.

What he had failed to notice when perusing the room was two young girls sat at the very back in the left hand corner.

Still hearing the distant whispers, Chris gave up on his work again and trained his ear to try and catch what was being said. He struggled to hear until the voices began to rise.

“Go on, do it” came the first, slightly deeper feminine voice.

“Ok, ok just give me a minute” came the second, softer one.

The second voice seemed to catch his imagination, soft and smooth and incredibly inviting. Chris was slightly confused as to what was going on but did not turn his head to find out.

A few minutes later, to Chris’ utter astonishment Amanda breezed smoothly past him flashing her million dollar smile, heading towards the teacher’s desk.

“Excuse me miss but can I borrow a pencil sharpener, I seem to have lost mine?” Amanda asked.

 

Chris’ heart skipped a beat; her voice was the soft and inviting tone he had heard before. She was even more stunning up close than she had been when he saw her earlier that morning. She was tall yet elegant, slender yet curvaceous. He was captivated.

She duly collected the pencil sharpener and headed back to her desk, throwing a casual glance and that smile Chris’ way as she went. As she passed his table he felt a surge of warmth rush through him.

Chris sat utterly dumbfounded completely taken by the beautiful young woman he had seen. He was no stranger to dating, he’d had a few girlfriends during his time in London but without being unkind; none as gorgeous as Amanda. Picture perfect .He thought to himself.

He tried desperately to concentrate on his work but couldn’t resist glancing over his shoulder for a quick peak at her. Every time he looked back he could have sworn he saw her turn away. Chris wondered if she was just trying to get a good look at the new boy or whether she had felt the initial attraction that he felt.

As time went on, Chris’ hopes continued to grow as Amanda continually used the broken pencil excuse.

He really did start to wonder if she was just as desperate for his attention as he was for hers.

Eventually the class came to an end and the two boys were one of the first few out of the door. Chris was far too nervous to hang around to talk to Amanda. Although he desired this young goddess more than he had any other, his confidence was still very low and he didn’t think he would be able to utter a single word.

The rest of the day passed without another sighting of the object of his desire, so he tried to put her to the back of his mind and focus on the rest of his first day at school. Callum helped him through all of his classes, chatting during their free time. They also enjoyed chatting with the others he had been introduced too earlier and Chris started to feel comfortable in his new surroundings.

Whether it had been planned so or just by sheer luck, Chris shared all of his classes with Callum as well as some of the others. As the day came to an end, Chris felt relieved that his day was over.

He had quickly made several new friends and was finding the work not as hard as he thought it would be.

But as the boys headed towards the main gates to head home, a troubling thought struck him. Chris froze.

“You ok mate?” Callum asked looking slightly concerned.

 

“What.... Er.... yeah sorry I’ve just realised I don’t know my way home. My parent’s brought me in the car this morning and I don’t know how to get back!”

“Do you know the name of your road?” asked Callum.

“Yeah, I think it’s bridge street”.

“Not to worry, I know where that is. I’ll walk you back!”

The two boys set off along the long road from school to town, discussing everything that had happened on their first day together and how Chris felt about his new school.

Inevitably Amanda kept cropping up in conversation but they also found a common interest in football. Although they both supported different teams, both challenging for the big footballing honours, it added a friendly banter to their growing friendship.

The walk was pleasurable but Chris was relieved when Callum dropped him off at his front door, it had indeed been a long one.

“Thanks again mate; you’ve been a real life saver today!”

“Not a problem, If you like I could meet you here tomorrow?” said Callum.

“Really? That would be great, you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all, I’ll see you tomorrow” and with a cheery wave Callum headed home.

Chris climbed the stairs and once he was through the front door he headed straight into his bedroom, quickly ripped off his tie and blazer and collapsed exhausted on his bed. His day had been a hectic one and he was quite relieved that it was over.

After cooking his dinner and taking a long hot bath, he climbed wearily into bed hoping for a good night’s sleep. As he nestled his head on his pillow, his mind wandered back to Amanda and a huge smile spread across his face.