First sight

The first chapter

Chapter One

      My name is Riley Melbourne and I live in Griswold, Connecticut. I am currently a senior in high school. I am not the prom queen, but just an average student. Everything about me is average my grades, the way I look, how I act and even my friends. I am average height with straight brown hair and brown eyes, like I said average.  I don’t go parties or go out much I pretty much just stay at home. This is the year that I come out of my shell….

      The day started as any other day. I got up and got ready for school. I had a feeling of dread that I had never experience before. I knew things would be different today as walked through the school doors.  I knew everyone that goes to school here since we have a little over 700 members at our high school. We all basically grew up together.

      When I pulled up in the school parking lot I was met by my lifelong friends Sarah and Beth. Sarah who is shorter than average has bright red curly hair and blue eyes. She has always been the hyper, talkative friend. While Beth is tall and slim with a dark complexion, everyone says she could be a model. Sarah was going on about her summer, where her and her folks visited and what they done. All the while Beth was leaning against my bright red Pontiac Grand Prix.

      We could hear the other students talking about the new kids. About how different they were. That is when I saw them. Tall, dark and handsome. The guy was tall, athletic build and dark hair. And other one was a small build dark hair girl. She didn’t even look like she belonged in High School. That was all that I could of them from where I was at in the parking lot. Maybe we would have a class together or something and I could get to know them.

      First period I was on my own, AP English. AP English was taught by Mrs. Black. I walked to the back of the class and took my sit next to a few students I had known last year. Mrs. Black started talking and seemed as if she would never quit. A whole hour of sitting in her class and listening to her rambling on about what AP English is and the assignments. Finally the bell rings and we are released to head to the next class. Sarah was leaning against my locker and bouncing up and down. I knew she had something to tell me.

      “The guy from this morning, he was in my PE class”

      “Tell me everything.” I demanded

      “Well, he just moved here from New York, I think.” Sarah told me. I knew there was more to come.

      “He has an accent, that seemed liked he should had moved from Europe….and his clothes they were Armani...he is definitely not from around here.” Right then he walked by and he was amused. Surely he didn’t over hear us there is no way I was thinking, but he still looked amused.

      “I will see you at lunch and find out what you can about both of them” I told Sarah.

      My second period was Algebra. I took my normal place in the back of the class but this time I was surprised to see the new girl from this morning sitting next to me.

      “Hi, my name is Jane Price” she said as she leaned in to talk low. The way she talked made it seemed as if she did not want to draw attention to herself.

      “Hello, welcome to Griswold. My name is Riley Melbourne.” I told her.

      “Me and my brother just moved here from New York.” Jane was telling me.

       “How do you like it here?” I asked

      “I miss my apartment in New York…and the city”

      Then the bell rang…time for class to start. Mr. Whitman start his lectures early on equations.  It seemed like the bell would never ring. “After this class I can leave, being a senior has it perks...only a half day of classes. I wonder if Jane has the same schedule.”  I thought to myself as the last few minutes of the class was ticking by. Then the bell rings everyone shot up out their seats and headed for the door…everyone except Jane. She was standing by her desk looking like she wanted to say something.

So I started talking first, “Do you have the rest of the day free?” Jane answered shyly with one word “Yes”…

      “a few friends and I are going back to my house to hang out would you like to join us?” Jane started smiling and answered “yes”

      I told her “that we could meet up in the parking lot and we can take my car.”

      As I was walking out the doors I noticed that we might have a tag a long, her brother. I approached my car with I started to smile.

      “Hello” the boy said while reaching out to shake my hand “My name is Chris Price. I wanted to meet the girl the befriended my sister on her first day”…

      I reached out and took his hand and said, “How do you do? My name is Riley and I have algebra with Jane.”

      Chris smiled at me and said, “I am just fine, but with you taking Jane to your house I am at a loss on what to do for the rest of the day.”

      I told him “if it was fine with Jane then you could tag along and hang with us.” Chris looked at Jane, but to an outsider it looked as if they are having a conversation but without words. Finally Jane shook her yes. Then we all piled into my car and headed out the parking lot. I turn towards town to head home. Sarah and Beth had things to do so it was just the three of us.

      “What do you two want to do?” I asked them. It was Sarah that answered me with “anything” and they laughed, like there was some type of secret joke between them.

      “I have movies, games or we can go do something…but there is not much around here to do during the day” I told them.

      Chris asked me. “Can we just hang out at your house and watch some TV?”

      That was when we pulled into the driveway. I was glad that mom had to work today and that we would have the house to our self. We walked in and as they made their self-comfortable I round of some snacks and drinks. Chris was scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch when he settled on some movie. I wasn’t even paying attention to the name of it when he chose it. Not even ten minutes into the movie the phone rang, picking it up I looked at the caller “damn it” I said under my breath. I thought I said it quiet enough to where no one could hear me but Chris looked up at me and quizzical look on his face. I shook my head and answered the phone. “Hello”…”no James I am busy”… “I know I had only a half day today”…”I have company over”… “it does not matter who it is we are not together any more”… “whatever, I will talk to you later” and then I hung up without even a bye. I looked up and Chris was looking at me like he wanted to say something. But I excused myself from the room with the excuses of more snacks. But honestly I just wanted to be alone for second, to collect my thought. I was sitting at the kitchen table when Chris entered the room. “Are you okay?” he asked

      “I am fine, it was just my ex we broke up a couple of weeks ago but he cannot get that through his thick skull” and Chris laughed at that but he walked over and put his arm around me. We sit like that for a few minutes and I did not want him to move but Jane was sitting in the living room all by herself. Stood up a grabbed a bag of chips and smiled at Chris as walked from the kitchen. I do not even think Jane noticed we were gone she was into the movie. I sit the bag of chips down on the table and sit on the empty couch. I figured that Chris would sit next to Jane or in the recliner, but instead he sit next to me. Chris then put his arm around me and held me like that until the movie was over.

      We still had some time to kill until it got late. Jane decided to play on her laptop with the excuse of homework but I know she seen how Chris and I was sitting and she probably figured we would want to do something or just talk. She was right, I wanted to talk to someone anyone but should lay everything out on the table for Chris, I just met him today. That was when I decided I would answer questions but I would offer nothing more about the James subject. I wanted to know more about him.

      “Why did you and Jane move to Griswold?” I asked. “Our dad died about 6 months ago and our mother knew people that lived around here, so she decided we needed a change of scenery.” “I am so sorry for your loss, my dad died too when I was young but I barely remember him.” I told Chris. “Can I ask you about James, why did you get upset when he called? Chris asked. “I told him to leave me alone after he...after we broke up. That I could not be around him after what he did.” I looked over to see that Jane had put on her headphones listening to the lecture she recorded from her first class. Chris looked like he wanted to say something or ask about it but I shook my head and told “I might tell you, but not know it is still painful.” With those words tears began to fill my eyes. And Chris leaned over to wipe one away that escaped. I looked at the clock and it was going on 8 pm, if Chris and Jane wanted their care we would have to be going to get it before the school locks the parking lot gates.

      “Are you all ready to head back to get your car, the high school locks the parking lot gates in less than 30 minutes?” Chris answer with a quick nod and right on cue Jane closed her laptop and said “let’s go”.

      The car ride back to school was different, Jane sit in the back and Chris sit next to me. It seemed as if he could not take his eyes off of me, but there is a hint of sadness on his face when he looked at me. It was the same look that all my friends and family had for after the incident with James. James got drunk one night while he was over at my house. I said something and did like it so he punched me. One thing led to another thing and I ended up having to go to the ER, The bruises had just faded away today and everything is still fresh in my mind. I realized I was staring at him at the stop light and my face got bright red. A few minutes later we arrived back at school and I parked next to their car. Jane climbed out of the backset and headed to the car. Chris just sits there. He reached over and put his hand on top of my and said, “It is not your fault” He slid of the seat and where his hand was now lays a piece of paper with his phone number on it. I did not know what he meant by those words or why he gave me his number. But I sent him a text: I had fun tonight hanging out we should do it again.