6 comments/ 8241 views/ 16 favorites Unspoken Words Ch. 01 By: DomXian Chapter 1: Meeting ~*~Side A~*~ Alright. Morning. The sun is nice outside and I'm already dressed up 20 minutes before I need to leave my house to go to school. I picked a clean blue v-neck shirt with my varsity jacket over it, pairing it with dark blue straight cut jeans and my favorite sneakers. Simple, but not bad. So I slung my bag over my shoulder and make my way downstairs for breakfast. Dad's probably already at work so I went up and kissed my mom on her cheek. "Morning, mom", I signed then went to the fridge to get some orange juice. "Good morning, Christian dear. You're up early. Something happening at school today?" replied my mom with her soft morning smile as she hands me a plate with bacon and eggs. I held up my right hand and start signing to her, "Nothing really. Just woke up earlier than normal." "I see. Well don't rush and take your time eating, alright? By the way, Coach called and said that there's a quick meeting after class." Mom said as I take two slices of toast, putting in the bacon and eggs then munching it down as a sandwich. The thing about being mute is, speaking with your mouth full doesn't really apply to you. So while downing my food, I signaled to my mom, "Thanks, mom. I'm going with Ray and Nick to the mall. We'll go after the meeting. I'll be back before dinner." "Sure, dear. Don't wander off too far. I heard that there has been some hold-up on the downtown gas station so you're only allowed to go the mall near your school, alright? If you're going to go anywhere else, text me first. Don't forget your phone, OK?" my mom says with her hands on her hips, waving the spatula around as the pan sizzles with more bacon and eggs for my younger brother who's still sleeping and probably going to be late again. "OK, mom. Thanks for the food. Also, I think Jeff is still asleep." I signed as I pick up my plate with my left hand then leave it on the sink. "I'll go now. See you later! Love you, mom." "Really that kid. I'll go upstairs to wake him up so lock the door behind you. Be careful on your way. Love you too, dear." With that, I lock the front door then walk around the back through the kitchen, leaving from our backyard then out to the garage. Getting in my truck, I drove to school with my windows down, liking the gentle cold breeze of the morning. ~*~Side B~*~ To say that I'm nervous is an understatement. I'm shaking like a leaf during a storm and I couldn't eat my breakfast at all. My dad keeps reassuring me that I'll be alright but my anxiety keeps getting in the way of positive thinking. I woke up during dawn and couldn't fall asleep again so I've been awake more than 2 hours before school starts. It's too early but I'm glad I did because it took me at least half an hour before I could calm down enough to pick myself and take a warm shower. After almost an hour of pep talk with my parents and my sis driving me to the school, I was feeling a bit better. I was still scared out of my wits but at least I've stopped shaking and could breathe normally. I've still arrived at school 30 minutes earlier so I stayed in the car with my sis for a bit more. Giving a deep sigh, I looked at Sandra. "Can I really do this? What if it's a repeat of what primary and middle school was like? What should I do if some big guy shoves me and I get beat up?" "Sweetie, you can't say that it's going to happen when you haven't even gone inside. It can't be that bad alright? If anything happens, you can go to your teachers or call me. I'll keep my phone with me the whole day at work. Besides, no one should make fun with such a cute thing like you." Sandra said as she gave me a reassuring smile and caress on my cheek. She's 5 years older than me and currently under on-the-job-training in a pharmaceutical company. She's petite and about 4 inches smaller than me, but she's really confident, outgoing and head strong so no one ever belittled her. She always knows what to say to make me feel better and I've looked up to her for as long as I could remember. I take a deep breath, looking at the school building in front of me. "Alright, here goes." I muttered as I step out of the car and gave my sis a small smile. When I got to the first step just right outside the building's entrance, I looked back at my sis and she gave me a thumbs-up and a big smile, a wave of her hand then maneuvers her way out of the parking lot. "Better get this over with." I thought as I walk inside, following the directions to the faculty office. When I got there, I looked around and it seems like the school is still a bit empty, only seeing one or two people around. I knock on the door then let myself in and made my way to the nearest lady sitting on her desk. "Uh... Good morning, Ma'am. I'm Angelo Sy. I'm starting today as a senior." I tried to say as clearly as I could. I didn't stutter, but I think I talked a bit too fast. "Good morning, Angelo. I'm Mrs. Reese and I'll be your homeroom adviser. It's good that you're here early. I can give you a tour around then I'll lead you to your locker." she replied as she walks up to me then hands me a piece of paper that has my class schedules and locations. "Um... Yes... Thank you... It's nice to meet you Mrs. Reese." She nods as she leads the way to my first classroom. She seems like a nice person, almost the same as my height. She doesn't seem that young or that old. Maybe she's in her early thirties and she has a kind smile. "This is my classroom. It's for homeroom and English. Down the hall you'll have three more classes but the rest of the laboratory and practical classes you have are at the next building." She motions over the exit and I could see another entrance pass it. "I understand. Thank you. Are there any requirements or rules I should keep myself in check about?" "Well, they're mostly all covered in the student handbook given to you. But if you have questions any time, just find me in my classroom or the faculty office. By the way, we have school clubs and if you're interested, I'm the advisor for the school's writing and composition club as well as the campus pride." She winks at me and I stared at her for a while then gulped. "Uhhh... Yeah... Thanks... I'm not really... Well..." I trailed off. I could barely think of a response. Wow. This teacher's sharp. I've known for a while now that I've been attracted to mostly guys, I haven't told anyone but it's still just the first day and a teacher already knows. "Don't worry too much, Angelo. You're a pretty kid so I bet everyone will welcome you with open arms. Anyway, let's head over your locker, shall we?" I nodded and followed her, still dumbfounded about our last conversation. As we reach my locker, it's two turns away from my homeroom classroom, near the exit that leads outside a garden with a greenhouse. It looks so quiet and peaceful and I'm starting to like the place. At least now if I have any trouble finding a place to eat in the cafeteria, I could use this place as my base. Mrs. Reese's voice broke me from my thoughts as she points at a locker door. "Locker 427, this will be yours for the year. So that's it. It's nice meeting you as well, Angelo. See you in homeroom." I opened the locker with the combination written on my admission slip. Studying it, I started putting in my things in the lockers that I won't need until after lunch break. I was so into organizing that I didn't notice someone walk up beside me until I heard a locker rattling then opening. Startled, I almost panicked when I saw a tall built jock putting his things in the locker then close it. He barely noticed me until I dropped my books into a mess on the floor. Smooth moves, Angelo, so smooth. Quietly cursing myself in my mind. The guy just stared at me and then smiled. Then starts picking up my books. He looks like he wants to ask me if I was alright, but he doesn't seem to know how. So as I collected my books from him, I relaxed a bit then gave a slight smile. "T-Thank you." Now this isn't really the time to stutter, man. Don't show weakness and provoke such a huge guy. His smile got bigger then he reaches inside his locker and took out a notepad then scribbles on it. I was slightly confused what that is about until he shows me the paper. [Are you new here? I'm Chris. Sorry I can't talk. Are you alright?] Oh. Uh. How do I respond to this... It took me a while until my mind processed it then I smiled at him again. "I'm Angelo. I'm new here. I just transferred. I'm alright. You?" He returns to writing then holds the paper up so I could read it. [I'm alright too. I assume you're senior as well since your locker's here. Whose class are you in?] "Oh... Well, Mrs. Reese's said that I'm in her class." He nods then writes something down. [Same class. Nice meeting you. Do you need a tour around? Class doesn't start for 10 more minutes.] "It's alright. Thanks. Mrs. Reese's brought me around already so there's no need." Chris seems to think for a bit while staring at me, then he suddenly grinned. Oh no. I didn't notice this before but this guy's so gorgeous. [How about the garden? There's a rose garden behind the greenhouse. I can show you a trick on how to get in.] Dumbly, I couldn't think of words at that moment so I just nodded and put the rest of my things inside my bag as I shut my locker. I wasn't scared as I would have expected when I meet some kind of jock. He makes me nervous, but not in a bad way. Even with how big the guy is, he seems really friendly, and that smile, it just tickles me in the inside. He gestured for me to follow as he walks towards the garden, walking through the grass beside the greenhouse until we're right outside a metal padlocked gate. "Is it alright for us to be here? Doesn't it mean that it's off limits if it's locked?" He seemed to snicker for a bit then shows me his note. [It's alright. No one's around at this time. Everyone arrives a minute before class starts. Besides, you'll know that it's worth the trouble when you see it.] Unsure if I should trust him. I just sighed and said, "OK. But if we do get in trouble, I'm blaming you." grinning at him as if teasing him. He winked then grinned at me. Oh my god. What is wrong with my chest!? My heart feels like it's going to leap out of it. And I couldn't believe that I'm talking to someone I just met so normally! I'm even joking with him! I don't even know if I should feel happy or scared! While I was occupied with talking silently in my mind, I saw him getting on a small chair, reaching high up with his long biceps then slide his hand in and took something from the inside by the small window. He then jumped down and puts the chair back from where he got it then shows me a key then grinned mischievously. I rolled my eyes and anticipated what I'm going to see behind the gate. What I saw when we got in was more than I was expecting. There are hedges lined up that seem to be a maze, with roses wet with morning dew from the sky roof, the scent of roses gives off a calming effect, and I could hear a faint sound of birds chirping around. "Wow." I stand there open-mouthed, taking in the beautiful view in front of me. I didn't notice Chris moving until he's right in front of me. I wasn't sure then but it felt romantic that I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me. Instead, he smiled then pats my head softly then hesitantly takes his hand away when I jumped as I hear the school bell ring. "Uh... Thanks for bringing me here. It's amazing. But I think we should go to class now, wouldn't want to be late for my first day." My heart was pounding so loudly that I think it could be heard all over the school. I couldn't stop my face from burning into a blush and I couldn't look at Chris' face. Then suddenly, while I'm looking down my shoes, he takes my hand then pulls me out the rose garden, then as he was locking the gate again and putting back the key, I noticed that there's a note slipped in my palms. [You're welcome and I hope we get to know each other more this year. Let's get to class.] Awwwhhhh- That smiley is so adorable. Wait what. Oh. Wait. Class! I looked up and see him in front of me, smiling as he walks towards the school entrance. I followed while sliding my hands inside the pockets of my jacket, forgetting that I slipped the note with it. Unspoken Words Ch. 02 ~*~Side A~*~ As we make our way into the class, I take my seat in the last row, just beside the window, with Angelo following right behind me. He stopped right in front of the door. At first, I was confused, but then I realized that of course, he's new and he still doesn't know where to sit and stuff. I was going to motion him to sit at the empty desk in front of me, but our teacher, Mrs. Reese, notices him and starts introducing him to the class. "Good morning, everyone. This is Angelo. He'll be your classmate for the remaining year so please make him welcome." She smiled then looks at him. "Would you like to introduce yourself?" "Uh. Yeah. Well, I'm Angelo Sy. It's been a while since I've been in school. Um. That's it. Nice to meet you all." He seemed to held his breath as he looked around, waiting for the reactions he's about to get. When no one spoke up and some gave friendly smiles to him, I beamed and gave him a little wave. "Alright, how about you take the seat in front of Chris there? You can get to know some friends after class alright?" Our teacher said as she gave me a smile, giving Angelo a little nudge to my direction. This morning has been really nice. Something about the kid makes me feel like I've known him for a long time and I feel at ease with him. He didn't really looked at me with pity, or worse disgusted, when he found out that I was mute. I really wanted to be his friend. His shy smile seems to make the morning brighter. I would really like to see more of that. He was so pale and nervous when I met him earlier. I thought he was going to pass out. I'm glad I managed to get him uncomfortable when I brought him to the rose garden. I haven't brought my friends there since it's my place of escape, but I felt like I had to share it to Angelo. Speaking of the rose garden... What was I doing? Did I just try to kiss him? His lips looked so soft and it glistened under the morning light, just like sparkling morning dew falling off the petals of roses. I'd really like to feel those lips with mine and make it puffy and red. And then touch the nape of his milky white neck with the palm of my hand- Wait. Was I just fantasizing about a guy? Huh? This feels weird. I've never thought about guys that way. I mean, Angelo is too pretty for a guy so I guess it's not bad. But still, he's a guy. Does that mean I'm gay? But I've liked girls a lot before. Though right now, I'd rather be with Angelo than any girl. Oh shit. So I do admit that I like Angelo than girls. What does this mean?? " - would you pay attention to class?" Mrs. Reese clears her throat then snaps her fingers in front of my face that I was pulled out of my daydream, refocusing my vision in front of me, seeing pass our teacher's fingers, but looking straight at Angelo, who was staring at me, and realizing that the rest of the class are doing so as well. "Sorry." I signaled then looked down on my desk as I feel my face flush. "Are you feeling okay, Chris? Would you like to go to the infirmary?" Mrs. Reese looked at me with concern. I shook my head then gave her a thumbs-up, letting her know that I'm okay. "Alright then. Pay more attention please." She said as she walks pass me then goes back in front of the class. After the lesson starts, there wasn't much happening except for my friend Ray giving me a look that asks if there's anything wrong. I shrugged then returned to taking notes for class. Afterwards, the bell rings and Mrs. Reese reminds us not to forget our homework for tomorrow as she dismissed the class. I stood up just as my friends walk up beside my seat. Ray, is about 6 ft tall, with reddish brown hair, and brown eyes, while Nick is around my height but about an inch smaller so maybe around 6"2' or 6"1, his platinum blond hair gives contrast to his really dark blue eyes, which almost look black in comparison. They're both in my basketball team and we've been friends for as long as I could remember. They've been my neighbors since 2nd grade, when they both moved to our town around the same time. Ray is very loud and outgoing, although he's like the older brother to us, being overprotective and making us depend on him whenever we need to or not. Although he's very emotional and could easily be provoked. In the other hand, Nick is mellow. He's usually very calm and rational. Stepping in whenever Ray is too emotional to handle situations. Although he's very kind and forgiving, he treats us both as brothers and will always help us with any problems. They balance out each other perfectly and I feel really fortunate to have them both as my best friends. Over the years, they've learned how to understand sign language, although sometimes I wonder if I need to do it because they can already guess whenever I need to say something. - I met Ray and Nick at the same time. During the summer before 2nd grade, I was outside our lawn, playing with myself with a little rubber ball. While kicking, it shoots out to the neighbor's lawn and I heard someone curse. I was petrified thinking that I might have broken something or hit someone. I gathered up my courage and walk to their lawn and there I see a dark redhead kid who's a bit taller than I am, rubbing his head while holding my ball in his other hand. It was what I feared and I was about to bolt when he walks over to me and grabs the back of my shirt. "Did you just hit me with a ball!?" He stares me down without giving up his grip. I wanted to scream my apologies but I couldn't do that so I just shook my head frantically. "What's wrong with you? Can you talk?" Again, shaking my head, his grip starts to loosen up. "Hey kid. You look like you're going to shit your pants. I'm not going to beat you up ok. It must be an accident." I looked down on my feet then nods. "I see. I'm Ray. We moved in just yesterday. You really can't talk?" He looks at me with confusion as he returns the ball to me. I nod then gave him a time-out gesture with my hand, crossing them to form a "T". I ran back inside then grab a pencil and some paper then quickly run back to our neighbor's lawn. [My name is Christian. I can't talk.] I held it up to him and he nods. "Aw. That sucks kid. How old are you?" [8. I'm going to be in 2nd grade.] "Oh. You don't look like you're older than me by a year. I'm 7 and I'll be in 2nd grade as well. You're going to Valley?" I nod at the mention of the school I'm going. "Cool. Let's be friends since we're going to be classmates and neighbors!" He takes my hand and shakes it. I smiled then scribble something. [Is it alright for you to be using bad words? My mom's gonna kill me if she found out I use those words.] He laughs loudly while holding his stomach. "My mom's gonna kill me too. So keep it a secret, will you?" He snickers then taps my shoulder. As I nod, he says "I'll go ask Dad if I could go by your house to play then!" Before I could agree or protest, he runs to their garage to find his Dad. I shrugged then waited at the front steps of my house. Did Ray just invite himself over? Wow. I just made my first friend. How am I going to tell Mom? Do I have to tell her or does that go without saying? Before I could finish my thoughts, I see Ray running to me with a bunch of snacks and junk food in his arms. "I snuck this over from our kitchen. Hurry up and let me in before Mom sees me." I shook my head in amusement then open the door to invite him in. I went straight to the kitchen as Ray makes himself at home on our couch. As I walk up to my Mom, I write down on the paper then tugs on her skirt. [Friend.] She gave me a really wide smile then said, "Wow! Really! Where's your friend? I'm glad you finally made one. I'm proud of you, baby." I tugged her skirt then drags her to the living room then points Ray to her. He grins to her then straightens up. "Hi ma'am. Nice to meet you. I'm Ray McKen. We moved next door yesterday." "It's nice to meet you too, Ray. I'm Sandra Matthews. Be a good friend to my Christian here okay?" "Sure Mrs. M. I'm even about to teach Chris here about the joys of junk food." He grinned mischievously then winks. I just shook my head at him amusingly. "Don't eat too much because dinner's starting soon. Would you like to stay for dinner, Ray?" "Thanks Mrs. M. I'll ask my Mom." With that, he runs full speed back to their house. "Interesting child." Mom smiles at me then caress my hair. He returns several minutes later then goes straight to the kitchen and gives my mom a heads-up that he's staying for dinner. After that, we played the whole afternoon while munching on potato chips and some M&M. Just before dinner, our doorbell rang and when I opened it, a kid with pale hair is nervously smiling, holding a covered platter, was standing in front of our door. "Hello. I'm from the house across the street. We just moved this morning and my parents told me to greet our neighbors." He smiled kindly then holds up the platter. "Hey! Another kid! Hey neighbor! I'm Ray. This isn't my house but anyway, come in!" We slightly moved to the sides to let him inside. Seriously, this guy's too comfortable. He didn't just invite himself in, but also invited someone else. I thought as I tried to hide a smirk while I went further inside to grab my mom. When my mom and I returned from the kitchen, Ray and the new kid were on the living room floor doing some kind of tangling or wrestling. It's hard to tell with all the twisted limbs and stuff. "Oh my. Boys are you alright?" Ray smirks then replied, "Yes Mrs. M! I'm demonstrating some awesome wrestling moves I saw last night on TV. I'm going to tighten my grip Nick! You better tap out now before I break your bones!" He laughs as he squeezes the other kid in his grip and the kid starts tapping at the floor with uncontrollable laugh. "I give! I give!" As Ray let him go, the kid stands up and straightens himself as he collected his breath. "Good evening, ma'am. I'm Nick Richards. I'm from the house across the street. We moved in this morning." "Hello dear. What a polite kid. I'm Sandra Matthews. This is my son, Christian. He's a bit shy and he can't really talk but be friends with him alright?" "No problem ma'am!" Nick smiles then tap my shoulder. "Hah! You're not shy at all, man!" Ray blurts out while standing beside me, putting his arms over my shoulder as I elbowed his side. "Ouch. See. He's not shy at all! He's beating me up!" He proclaims in mock drama then he lay down on the floor acting out pain as he keeps laughing. With that, we've been together ever since then. Some small normal fights here and there, but we stayed the best of friends. We understood each other more than anyone. As years went by, Nick and I grew a lot more than Ray and we would sometimes tease him about it. Knowing how he used to tell us that he's the boss since he's taller than both of us. We're all pass the 6 ft mark but I ended up getting taller than both of them. As much as Ray hated being smaller than us, he'll let it go and act like a proud father and say things like "I'm so proud of you guys. You're all such big boys now." And we'd end up laughing in stitches. - Back to the present time, Ray and Nick are standing beside my sit as I collect my books and stuff them into my bag. I wasn't really about to talk about anything but Ray decided to talk anyway. "So... What was that this morning? You're acting like a lovesick girl, man." "It's nothing. I just made another friend." I signed then shrug my shoulder. "A friend, huh. Why don't you introduce us then? We would like to be friends with him too." Nick said. "Sure." I motioned. But I wasn't really sure how I should do so. Instead, I look around to the room then bolted to catch Angelo as he stands up from his seat seeming oblivious to the stares he's getting from my friends. I tapped his shoulder and he jumped a bit in surprise. He sees me then smiles. "Hey Chris. Everything ok?" He asked. I nodded then pointed my friends. He looked a bit nervous or maybe scared when he saw them. Well, considering how small he is and how big and intimidating my friends look, I'm not surprised to see that reaction from him. "Hey man. I'm the awesome Ray McKen. I'm also the basketball team's captain and this awkward guy's friend." He points at me with his thumb as he grabs Angelo's hand and shakes it hard. "Oh please. Keep that ego in check, dude. Nice to meet you, I'm Nick Richards. I regret to inform you that I'm unfortunately this guy's friend. Please forgive his big head and be careful not to bump into it since it's always seems to occupy the whole room." He snickers as he gives a pointed look to Ray. Ray just responds by rolling his eyes. "Hi. I'm Angelo Sy. It's nice to meet you two." I noticed that he seems to be trying hard not to laugh out loud about the banter between Ray and Nick. "Just relax, man. We don't bite. I mean, not usually. So, I heard you've become friends with our boy Chris here." Ray grins as he slung his arms over Angelo's shoulders. "Uh. Yeah. We met this morning. What class are you guys going to next?" Angelo answered. "It's Physics next. So, anything else you learned about our Chris here?" Ray smirks with a raised brow. Shit. This guy has no delicacy. Please don't embarrass me, man. I glared at him and he just continues smirking and teasing me. "Ray c'mon. Don't pry on their business. We should get going if we want to make it to our next class you know. It's in the other building." Nick sighs, noting at my flushed face. Thank you, Nick. Thank you for saving me from further embarrassment. "What? I'm just getting to know our new friend." Ray grins as we get out of the room. Nick rolls his eyes and pulls on Ray's ear. "Ow! Ow! Alright! Alright! Sorry mom!" Ray says with a snicker that earned him a slap behind the head from Nick. Angelo just stared at them, smiling. I can't stop looking at him. That smile is just so cute. I could stare at him all day watching him smile. Sigh. I haven't even settled what this means, but I'm starting not to care whatever it is and just let it happen. But I still don't know what will happen. I mean what if this is a one-sided thing. I couldn't stop thinking as my mind is swarmed with those thoughts. We arrived at our science class; we take the seat around a table for four, with me sitting opposite of Angelo. I couldn't stop staring at him that he would catch me most of the time and we'll make eye contact. But after each one, it just gets me more and more confused at what is happening. Unspoken Words Ch. 03 Chapter 3: Chatting ~*~Side B~*~ My first day at school was really great. I wasn't really expecting to make friends or even get welcomed this nicely and everyone's cool. There are some stupid guys here and there who tried to tease me, but as soon as Ray steps in, the jerks stop bothering me, and it all ends up as playful teasing. Chris and his friends are really amazing. They're all in the basketball club and, I think, even being one of the popular kids, they're really kind to everyone, humble (excluding Ray) and they're well-liked. Nick is probably the most level-headed high school guy I've ever met. He talks like an adult and the teachers love talking to him. He's currently the student president too while Ray is his vice president. Ray always insists that he would have been the president if he didn't have too much work to do with being the basketball club captain, and that usually warrants some ear-pulling from Nick. With such great friends, Chris' would have probably been the more 'normal' one of the three, but he's exceptional in his own way. He stands his ground well and people respect him and like him as he is. He's really nice though he usually prefers to keep himself to some corner. It feels like he's trying not to have anyone notice him. It was fun hanging out with the three of them, but there are times when I just couldn't keep my eyes off Chris. After all, he's the one that made me feel so comfortable about everything here. Although I still don't know him for that long, I want to get to know him more. As soon as our last class ended, I was exhausted but I felt good about it. I never remembered school being this fun and laid-back. I was expecting hell considering how busy we're supposed to be as seniors, but the teachers insist that it's our last year of high school and we should make something out of it than just a stepping stone into college. This is a really great school, I must say. Nothing much happened that day except being the new guy; I made some more friends during 4th period art class too. A couple of girls named Jess and April are twins and they really like the same music as I do. They even invited me if I would like to try out for the glee club with them but I thought that it would be too much for me right now so I'll just check it out sometime soon. I was considering going to the Campus Pride to register but that felt like it would be stupid coz I'll definitely be giving bullies actual reasons to make my life hell so I held it off. After all the classes for the day ended, I just bid my goodbyes to Chris, Ray and Nick as I pass by them from my locker then head home. When I got home, I found my mom watching TV on the couch while reading a book. I don't know how she's doing both of those at the same time, but it's always nice to see her relaxing. "Hi mom, I'm home." I said as I make my way to her side to kiss her cheek. "Angelo! It's good that you're home! How was your day? Is my baby alright?" She jumped up from her seat and fuss around to make sure I was still in one piece. "Yes mom. Geez. I'm not a baby. I'm ok. The whole school was great." I responded as I rub my right hand up and down my left arm and kick off imaginary dirt on the floor. "You are forever my baby, alright? Your sister will be back soon. We ordered your favorite food so we could celebrate your first day back to school! Your dad should be finishing up work by now so he'll be here by dinner too." "Sure mom. I'll help you prepare the table then." "No, it's alright dear. Just change out of your clothes and do some homework until dinner ok?" "Oh. Ok. Thanks mom." I didn't really have homework or anything to do but I know my mom's just trying to spoil me again so I let her do what she wants since I wouldn't want her to fuss even more. And so, I went to my room and threw my bag on the bed. I was changing out of my clothes when I heard something crumple in my jacket so I took it out and found the note that Chris gave me. He seemed really friendly like a big teddy bear that I couldn't even help but laugh when I remembered him. I stick the note on the wall over my desk and went to boot up my computer. Oh geez. I forgot to ask if any of them have Facebook. I really want to add them. I thought as I opened my account then realize that I suddenly have 4 friend requests and 1 friend recommendation. "Woah. How did they find my account so fast? They didn't even need to ask!" I thought out loud as I accepted my friend requests from Ray McKen, Nick Richards, Jess and April Jackson. Then when I got to the friend recommendation by Ray, I saw that it was someone named Christian Edward Matthews. I decided to check his profile and browsed through his pictures. "Oh. So it was Chris after all!" I snickered when I saw that he really used his full name on his Facebook, he seemed to fill in everything seriously too and his statuses are like news updates. I finished checking his account and added him, while saving some of the pictures that I thought were cute. I returned to my feed before leaving my account online and starting up an online game. I've been gaming for around 45 minutes when I heard the notification ping from facebook. Christian Edward Matthews has added you as a friend. Post a message to his wall? I clicked the notification then posted thanks on his wall then I opened the chat box to read his message. Chris: Hey. Hmm. I was thinking how I should reply but then again, I'm thinking too much. So I just quit it then replied. Me: Hey yourself. Chris: Ok? Hey me? Me: LOL! I meant it as a 'hey' back! Chris: Oh! Sorry. What u doin ryt now? Me: Nothing really. Just playing a game. Chris: Online? Me: Yep. Do u play some? Chris: Nah. Not good w/ it. I cud try tho. What game is it? Me: Brb. I'll link it to u. I typed it in the browser to search for the download link of the game then copy-pasted it to our chat box. Me: Here it is: www.talesfromthesevenworlds.com/download Chris: Looks cool. I'll download it in a min. then u can help me with the basics of the game, 'k? Me: Sure, I'll make a new account so we can start out together! Chris: Cool. Seems like a pretty big game. Think it will be done by late tonight. Eaten dinner yet? Me: Will be in a bit. U? Chris: Done. What r u having? Me: I think it's going to be lasagna or ice cream/brownies. My mom said they ordered my faves. Chris: What else do u like? Do u like movies? Me: mostly like comedy ones. Fine with any kind of movie tho. I don't have any other hobby except singing. Chris: U sing? Really? U've got to let me hear u sumtimes! Me: >////> no that wud be embarrassing. not used to letting people hear me sing, k. Chris: Pls? Then an attached photo of a labrador pup making puppy dog eyes was sent right after. Me: HEY! NOT FAIR! Chris: Pretty please? Then another photo of a dachshund with cuter puppy dog eyes. Me: Ughhhh ok ok next time! Chris: How 'bout tmr? Me: So soon!?? Chris: Tomorrow morning then. : ) C u @ the rose garden @ 8:30am. Me: R u always like this? Chris: Like what? Me: Forcibly making people do stuff? Chris: That's Ray. Not me. I asked beforehand after all. ; ) Me: U DIDN'T LET ME ANSWERRRR Chris: u answered & u looked excited enough. ; ) Me: Ughh I didn'ttttt *sigh* ok u win Chris: Woohoo! So what's my prize? Me: NOTHING Chris: How about u go with me 2 lunch tomorrow? Just us? Me: Don't push your luck buddy. Chris: My treat. Me: Hmm. Free food. Ok. Where? Chris: Do you like surprises? Me: Not rlly. Where? Chris: Geez. Ok I still don't have any idea where. Haven't thought about it yet. Me: LOL just text me ok? Chris: Sure. Can I hav ur number? Me: it's +16xxxxxxxxxx Chris: I rang your phone. That's my number. Me: Got it. I gtg for dinner now. Heard my sis' car outside. Bye. C u tmr. Chris: K. C u. Then before I logged out, Chris seemed to be typing something so I waited for a minute to see if he forgot to say something. Then he suddenly stopped. Me:? Chris: Why r u still here Me: thought you were gonna say something else? Chris: it's nothing. Go get dinner! Me: K I shrugged then logged out before going downstairs for dinner. "Hey sis. How was work?" I greeted my older sister as I walk down the stairs. "Tiring, but good. How about you? How was school?" "Same. I made some friends." I smiled as she pulled me in for a hug. "That's really nice. Bring them home sometimes so we can meet them ok?" "I'll ask them. I'm sure you'll all like them." ~*~Side A~*~ Morning arrived and I feel really excited and nervous about today. Last night, I ask Angelo to sing for me and go out with me to lunch. I almost even told him something I'm sure I'm not prepared to admit. Anyway, I really need to get advice on where I could take Angelo for our lunch date. Wait. Is it a date? Well, it seems like it, right? Maybe. Can two guys going out to eat be considered a date? Damn. This is racking my brains. I'll need to ask Ray and Nick because I don't have a single idea about restaurants or diners around the area. The only places I eat are home, the school cafeteria, and the stalls at the mall. And all of those times, it was my friends who brought me there. I can already feel them bombarding me with questions about me and Angelo. I'm not even sure yet what this is. The more I think about it, the more it gets me confused. Maybe I can talk about it with Ray and Nick, but I'm still not sure about it. In the end, I thought I'll ask them about eating places first just before going to school. Switching my phone on, I just noticed that I got a message about 5am today. That was really early. Who would even be texting at that time?? I was out jogging that early to get rid of extra energy from my excitement. Explains why I didn't see it. From: Nick Received: 05:17 AM Subject: [no subject] Hey man. U coming l8ter to play @ d court? Bill is bringing some guys to play w/ us. Hmm. I think I can join if it's after school. Don't really have any plans anyway. To: Nick Sent: 07:42 AM Subject: re:[no subject] If it's after skul then yea sure. Btw, know any gud resto or diner that has good lasagna around? I was already all dressed up for school so I slung my bag over my shoulders as I go to the kitchen to get some orange juice. I quickly got a reply from Nick. He's really fast at replying on texts, which Ray should really learn from him. That guy always forgets to check his phone. From: Nick Received: 07:48 AM Subject: re:[no subject] Tilly's is pretty gud. The fish and chips r nice too. There's also an Italian resto just down d block from d mall if u want sumthing posh. ; ) Oh no. Should have known. Nick's really perceptive and fast. Shit. I hope he doesn't tell Ray whatever this is yet. Heck, I don't even know what this is yet. All that I know is that I want to know more about Angelo. Hence, spending time with him today! Thinking about that made my excitement and happiness well up in me again. I was grinning as I tapped a thank you-reply to Nick and down the rest of my juice. Just as I leave my glass on the sink, my younger brother enters the kitchen looking messy from bed. I pass by him and ruffle his hair to mess it up more, grinning as I give my mom a kiss on my way out. "He's in such a good mood. Wonder what's with him today?" Mrs. Matthews said as she hands over a plate of food to her younger son. "Maybe he got laid." Jeff, Chris' ever cheeky younger brother, replied as he tried to smirk with a mouth full of food. Mrs. Matthews slaps Jeff's shoulder. "Don't speak when your mouth's full." *** As I park my truck on the school's parking lot, I was getting nervous as hell and my palms just wouldn't stop sweating. I mean, last night was just an innocent conversation right. Nothing to be nervous about. We're just going to spend some time on the garden and Angelo would sing for me. Oh wow... Angelo's going to sing... FOR ME!! His talking voice already sounds so angelic; I can't wait to hear how he would sound like singing! I excitedly ran to my locker, finding Angelo looking every bit of a shy nervous angel he is. I took out my phone then typed to him one-handed as I put my books in my locker. [Morning! Let's go?] I smiled as I held up my phone to him. He gave me an equally bright smile as we walk towards the garden. I would occasionally steal glances, but we mostly walk in comfortable silence until we reach the gate. He then broke the silence by asking, "Would it be alright if I try to get the key this time?" He looked like an eager little kid who's about to solve some amazing adventure puzzle. It's adorable. I nodded and he moved the stool by the window, but it was too high above that he still can't reach inside, so I grabbed his hips all of a sudden and raised him higher, he flinched a bit, which ended to us losing our footing and he fell in my arms. I was about to raise his head to see if he was ok, but he looked up with a grin and jingled the keys to my face. I smirked as I shook my head at him then straighten him up by the gate. He really is too adorable. When we got in, we walked around the rose bushes; Angelo telling me a story about how he and his sister got picked up when out shopping together, he was mistaken as a girl while the guy mainly flirted with him and ignored his sister, she laughed hysterically about it until she 'accidentally' threw her avocado shake at the guy and dragged Angelo away. I'm sort of laughing to him - soundless laughing - but I guess he understood that at least I got the story when he saw me awkwardly smiling open mouthed, which made him laugh at the look of my face. He told me some more things like what to expect on the game he was talking about, how to get started with it and some rants about several bad games he played a long time ago. He's pretty talkative and seems to like telling stories, and I definitely enjoy listening to him, letting him know by brushing the back of his hand with mine and nodding a smile in response. When we got to the middle of the rose garden, we sat by the little fountain in it. We stayed there for a while in silence, appreciating the early morning peace. After several minutes, I noticed Angelo glancing at me nervously, seemingly not knowing what to do next. I took my phone and start typing away on it. [Are you ok?] "Um... Yeah, I am. It's just that, about last night... Do I really have to sing? It's not that I don't want to sing for you or anything. I'm just embarrassed. I've never sang in front of anyone before. My family would hear me sometimes when they pass by my room and I was really embarrassed getting caught doing that the first time around. I still don't sing much when there are people in the house until now. I was thinking of trying out at the glee club but I don't think I'm good enough. I usually sing varying genres of songs too depending on my mood but I think my favorites are ballads. Do you like ballads? What kind of songs do you like? Oh. Wait, am I talking too much?" he starts babbling animatedly with his hands, with his eyes darting around the room, trying to avoid my eyes in nervous energy. I snickered as I showed him the phone screen and held his hand tightly. [Please let me hear you sing? I know you'd sound amazing.] He visibly relaxed and gave a bashful smile. He then slightly cleared his throat then swallowed a few times. I continued holding his hand, interlocking my fingers around his. I knew I would really like his voice, but I wasn't prepared about how much, and as soon as he started singing, a soft slow melody of a ballad; I knew I have never heard such a beautiful sound my whole life and I would just love to hear that forever. We were alone; all of the other sounds from the wind or chirping birds all disappeared. Angelo's voice filled my ears, my mind, my heart, my body and the air around me. He sang to me the whole time until we were interrupted of the school bell ringing, transporting us back from our own private world. I slowly withdrew my hand away and we walked back side by side to the school building after locking the garden's gate. We were both relaxed and happy when we got to class and we slightly 'talked' through text whenever the teacher wasn't looking. Just before the class ended, I took out my note pad and wrote a quick note to him. [Your voice was beautiful. Thank you for letting me hear it. I wish you'd let me listen again next time.] As soon as he got the note, he looked down to hide his face and I saw his blush through his reddening ears; making me blush slightly as well.