This story is for the birthday comp about a guy called Nick |
Chapter One: Nick > > Nick felt the stares on his skin. He’d almost forgotten what school was and what it > was about. But he remembered now, all too clearly. It was about who you were. > Nick had jet-black skin and blue eyes, the combination clashed terribly he thought. But > people liked to stare at this, well girls anyway. His skin was frightfully pale, reading > inside with the curtains drawn shut hadn’t gotten him any sun. And he also knew how > frightfully out of place he was and would always be. > This was frightfully clear with the stares boring into him on his first day at Notting > Hill High. He’d been the library’s assistant for a whole year now and he would > never be known as a year 10 student at any high school. Nick was sixteen now and back at > school. His mother had hit the roof. > He hitched his shoulder bag higher up his shoulder, grimacing as he felt the heavy text > books tumbling around. He liked books but not heavy, information carrying books. He liked > books with stories that he could disappear in and never emerge until his mother stormed in > and shrieked at him. Nick was constantly causing his mother to hit the roof. > Besides his textbooks, his bag also carried his Stephen King novel to keep him company > if nobody else would. That was another reason his mother scolded him for, Nick was > intensely good-looking but as sociable as a doorknob. He just found someone else’s > story more interesting than his own. > The shadow of the administration building looming up in front him broke Nick at of his > daze. The building was made of brick and tall glass windows revealed a clean but small > reception area inside. He swung open the smudged glass doors and trudged in. His dark > boots made heavy, slapping noises against the white tiles as he strode towards the long > counter sitting against the opposite wall. > The counter held a small, purple vase of violets whose scent he smelled over the blowing > air-conditioning. A small but large woman stood behind the counter shuffling through a > pile of papers. Nick cleared his throat loudly enough to startle the woman and get her to > look at him. > “Oh, hi, how can I help you sweetheart?” She smiled largely, almost seeming > to inhale all the air from the room. Nick blushed at her calling him > “sweetheart” and hurriedly retrieved the form of his enrolment from his back. > She smiled even larger as he handed it to her. > “Oh, new student, how cute, just wait here for a sec while I get your > timetable.” Nick nodded flushing furiously again as she waddled off into her office. > He played with the strap of his bag and heard the glass doors swing open again. > Turning around he saw a flash of red hair and looked away again. The girl walked over to > him and stood waiting to the side of the counter. He heard humming and glanced over at her > again. > Beneath her hair she possessed eyes of green and scattered freckles. She looked up at > him then so he quickly glanced at the ground. Nick heard her gentle giggling and blushed, > again. > “Mary-anne!” She called and he looked up again. She was smiling at him. He > looked away. > “Just a second, sweet-pea.” Mary-anne called from her office and Nick looked > at the girl again. She was still smiling at him. She walked closer to Nick and stuck out > her hand. > “I’m Olivia.” > Olivia reminded me of a cold summer. She had a naturally bubbly personality that she struggled to reign in, sometimes. > |