Noah- Once Again

It's been a few days since I arrived here in Boston and moved into my uncle's place. Life always seemed to settle down at first, but time dragged on whenever I found myself in a new place. The minutes crawl by, teasingly extending their reach, as if they too are curious about the new environment and wish to unravel its mysteries. I thought I would get used to it eventually, but perhaps that day would never come.

Yet, despite this elongated perception, time also possesses a paradoxical nature. It slips away unnoticed, like sand through clenched fingers, leaving behind a sense of fleeting transience. That was how my time in Camden felt like.

Today was the first day in my new class, a part of this whole moving process that I dreaded the most. It meant facing a new classroom, unfamiliar faces, and a different atmosphere, all serving as constant reminders of the temporary nature of my stay. It's something that I've always known—I would have to pack up and move once again.

As I stood before the classroom doors, those all-too-familiar thoughts flooded my mind. I had been through this countless times before, enduring numerous introductions. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to get it just right. Should I try to make a great first impression? Or should I just make myself seem like a dull guy? I had pondered these questions many times before, but in the end, I always ended up stumbling through my introduction. But did it even matter though in the first place? After all, my time with this class would be fleeting— less than a year.

While standing there, I could hear faint whispers from inside the classroom. Then, I caught my name being called by the teacher. I pushed open the door, and all eyes turned to me. The first thing I noticed was a subtle disappointment in all the boys' eyes. Well, that's obvious, especially when you have too high hopes. Mr. Blair, my new homeroom teacher, began introducing me.

"So he's Noah Aubrey. He's moved here from Camden. From today, he will be a part of our class."

As he continued, I walked to the front of the class. "It's nice to meet you, everyone. I'm Noah Aubrey."

I looked around the classroom for a brief moment. Just like any other classroom I'd faced before. But among the students, one boy stood out—the kind who would undoubtedly get on my nerves. Deep black hair, and amber brown eyes piercing right towards me. But it's not about the appearance though, there was something else unnerving that struck me. There's always one in every class, and based on my experience, it was best for me to avoid any unnecessary contact with him.

"Okay, everyone, I know you'll say that it's an odd time to transferring schools, specially right at the end of the semester. But become friends with him, ok."

Throughout the class, almost everyone came to me asking various questions, and I made an effort to answer each one of them. Among the students, there was a boy named Michael, who also happened to be the captain of the school basketball team. He was the first to approach me.

"Hey, Noah, are you interested in basketball?"

"Not really, I'm not particularly interested in sports," I replied.

"Ah, that's a bit unexpected. I thought you might be, considering your height."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you..."

"No worries!" Michael chuckled, while I noticed that the boy from before was staring right towards me. But as soon as I turned my gaze toward him, his eyes frisked away. Michael followed my line of sight, "Is anything the matter?"

"No, not really..."

"Are you thinking about Kyle?"

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah, we're childhood friends. He's kind of an oddball, but after getting to know him better, you'll learn that actually he's a really kind person. I can bet on that."

"I'll pass on that." I hope Michael's right, because I really didn't want to involve myself with anyone with more than just introductions. Before the swarm of classmates could approach me again during recess, I managed to slip out of the classroom. Aimlessly, I wandered through the corridors, exploring the campus and immersing myself in the surroundings. Eventually, I reached the end of a corridor, where I found the gates to the rooftop just around the corner. And luckily, the gates here aren't locked either.

I made my way up, hoping for a quiet spot to escape the noises below. But to my surprise, there were already two students there—a boy and a girl. They were sitting on a bench, enjoying their meals. I tried to walk away, not wanting to intrude on their private time, but the boy caught a glimpse of me just before I could leave. I guess I'm really bad at slipping away without getting never getting noticed.

Our eyes met, and to my dismay, it was the same person who had been intently observing me in the classroom. Talk about unfortunate timing.

And then he called. "Hey, you," If I remember correctly, his name was Kyle. "Come over here."

Now there was no going out from here. I hesitated for a moment, not having the luxury to think anymore, and then walked up to them.

"You're Noah, right? I'm Kyle. Nice to meet you." he said, gesturing towards the girl, "She's Callie. She's also a senior, but in a different class."

Even their names are alike, what an odd couple. "Nice to meet you both."

Callie looked at me, "Is he the new student in your class you were talking about?"

"Yeah, that's him, Noah."

As I stood there, our eyes locked, and I found myself ensnared by the allure of her buttercream-blonde eyes. They held a warmth and depth that seemed to draw me in, as if I were falling into a sea of liquid honey. Her hair, a striking contrast to her light eyes, flowed freely in the wind. Each ebony strand danced and swirled like the wings of a raven, and shimmered when touched by sunlight.

If I had to condense all of it into a single word, it would be "beautiful." I couldn't find any other word to describe her.

Kyle let out a chuckle, looking back towards Callie, "See, I told you he seemed interesting."

"You're right, he does seem interesting?"

What did they find interesting about me? It's just the first time we're even talking, and I was right, he's really the type to get on my nerves. The situation couldn't get any worse than I could've expected. Trying to break the ice, I blurted out, "You two seem to be having a good time. Am I interrupting?"

"You're interrupting? Don't worry, take a seat." Kyle grabbed my hand, pulling me right beside him. "Why're you looking so embarrassed? It's just us!"

"I mean, you two-"

Kyle's laughed again, refusing to let me finish. "Noah, my friend..." And just like that, we officially became friends. Not that I wanted it.

He leaned back on the bench, looking at the view in front of us—the towering buildings, the vibrant greenery of the trees, and the expanse of the cerulean sky. "You know, Noah, this is the best view you can get in Boston."

"The best view?"

"Yeah, the best view!" Callie joined him.

"I'm not lying, my friend!"

"Best view..." I replied, my eyes drifting from the captivating skyline to the serene ambiance of the rooftop. "I guess you can say that. It's not bad..."

"Really, just that. You could've praised it a little bit more..."

"Well, it's only my first week here in Boston. But I'm not lying, it's still wonderful."

"Not just wonderful. The best. I'll say it for the last time, it's the best." He leaned back, letting the stray rays of light caress all over his face. As if his eyes were seeping in the light before turning towards me again, a mischievous glimmer danced in them. "So, Noah, do you have a girlfriend?" he inquired, a playful undertone in his voice.

I don't know why, but the way he spoke... it was like waves flowing over the water. With deep undercurrents. Well, I still don't know anything about him.

"You can bring her here whenever you want. But only when no one's around. The view here is really quite romantic after all."

The first thing that floated in my mind was a picture of Iva. She would be really happy to see this. Well, in Camden you don't get to see scenery like this, it's only the large ocean staring back at you.

"So? Do you have one?"

Suddenly, my mind went blank before I could give him an answer. "Ah, no, I don't have a girlfriend. Like I said, it hasn't even been a week yet after I arrived here." I abruptly answered afterward.

"Well, don't worry. Maybe you'll find one soon. And when you do, you know where to bring her." A broad grin spread across his face.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

"So, why did you come here again?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow. "To catch some breath?"

"Actually, I was just passing by," I replied casually. "Nothing else."

"Oh, then stay with us here," Kyle said warmly, placing his hand on my shoulder. "If you don't have anything to do."

I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. His girlfriend was sitting right next to him, and his carefree attitude seemed a bit inappropriate. I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I hesitated, "Um, maybe I should really go... I don't want to disturb you two..."

Kyle looked genuinely puzzled. "Huh? You aren't disturbing us..."

I could feel my frustration building up. Couldn't he read the situation? "I mean, aren't you two... you know..."

Just get the hint, you air-head. "I mean, aren't you two like..."

"We two? What about it?"

"Aren't you here enjoying the time with your girlfriend?" I blurted out, "I shouldn't have even come here in the first place."

"My girlfriend... Callie?" Saying that, Kyle burst into laughter, causing me to feel even more mortified. I cleared my throat nervously, hoping for the awkwardness to dissipate. Once... twice... thrice... until he finally stopped laughing.

"Kyle was right." Callie joins him with a chuckle. "Noah, you're really quite interesting."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

Kyle was finally back to being able to speak again. "Noah, just to let you know, Callie is actually my twin sister..." And then he started laughing again.

Man... I'd like to die now! I was so embarrassed that I couldn't even look up at them in the eyes afterward.