Semester break was over, and we were back to our college routine. I parked my car and made my way toward my friends.
Some whispers were going on normally; somehow, they would always be linked to me, but recently, there was nothing new going on—same old shit—no brand-new car, no costly items purchased, no gossip with any girls or guys. My name was cleared from every gossip column, so I was kind of curious about what was going on.
After reaching out, I inquired with my friends regarding the same. Christian was the one to speak; he was so hyper, and I didn't know why.
"You know what? There is a new transferee in the middle of the semester from a different country. There is so much gossip going on about him. Highlights: He is rich and dashing, and two entrance tests were given to him just to test his worth in the middle of the semester, and he bloody cleared both, concluding that he is a damn genius. Not to forget, he is good at sports too. He was able to win so many matches in his previous college. Trust me, I am so excited; in the first place, he is not even a girl. I can't control this urge to meet him. Strange, right?"
He didn't stop his ramble for another few minutes. For the first time, I was on the safe side because gossip was not about me; someone replaced me. I was fed up with giving my clearance certificate to everyone and convincing them that it was not what they thought, that it was fake, and that it was not me. I didn't do it; this was all made-up trash, and they are just using my name, etc., which is giving me a severe headache. Someone else sharing or trying to take this baggage, at least for a few days, was such a relief. I was also kind of curious about this whole package guy; it seems he is one hell of a package. No wonder everyone was fucking curious, including my friends.
He has not stepped in yet; he has become famous. Everyone is so curious; it's kind of good and also bad. Always being in the spotlight was a headache, and after entering this college, he had to go through a hell of a lot of things. According to rumors, he was famous at his previous college, so I guess this was nothing for him. Whatever, someone was sharing my burden; I should enjoy this interval period.
There were 10 minutes to go, and everyone was giving up and making their way towards their respective classes. Then two brand-new cars entered our campus, which made everyone halt in their spot and simultaneously turn their heads towards the entrance. They were waiting for this moment. God knows from how many minutes or hours. From the car, an elderly person came out, followed by a young one, and our waiting period came to an end.
The transferee came out of the car with his sunglasses on and was surveying campus. Everyone, including me, was in shock, stuck in our spot, and we were captured just by his single glance. He is damn fucking handsome, and it proved it was damn worth their waiting if they waited for hours together. Also, it was damn worth it just to get one glimpse of this guy: lean figure, blonde look, long curly hair tied into a pony, damn good height, at least 5.10; I couldn't find his eye color as he was wearing shades; it would definitely match his physique.
Both of them started walking, for sure to meet the principal; no one was even trying to make a move. This guy has chanted some spells, and our group was no less captivated; we were glued to our spot. He was not giving a fucking glance to anyone but definitely knew the result of his appearance before entering the building. He just turned towards our group. Our eyes met for a few seconds, and I was the one to avert it soon. As he wore his shade, I couldn't exactly make out who he was watching, but as I averted my eyes, a smile formed on his face, so now my question was, was he staring at me?
Wow, that smile—this was odd. How can a person, in a few minutes, have such an effect on everyone? And why the hell was I including myself? I couldn't help but think of the same smile that made me feel something inside me. Was it 'warmness'? No, no, definitely not. I am trying to find meaning in pointless things. He was just too handsome to handle, so he just made me think too much, and that's it.
After getting his glimpse, everyone finally made their way toward the building. I couldn't help but be curious about his courses. We had separate buildings for science, commerce, and the arts, so if he were a science or art student, meeting him would be very rare, only at a college party or sports if we shared the same sports, or else it would be once in a while. I took a business course, and my friends did too, so we shared most of the classes. It was the business period, so we made our way toward class.
After entering class, I always prefer to sit at the end of the row, in the corner seat, just to get lost in the music.
Our professor entered, and after a few seconds of chatting and asking what we did in our break, he was about to start the class when he entered. New bee. Our professor talked with him for a few minutes and told him to introduce himself. He was giving a quick look to the class and was not wearing any shades. While he was surveying, our eyes met. He held my gaze for a few seconds, and I couldn't help but once again avert my eyes. Goddammit.
He cleared his throat and gave a brief introduction; the professor told him to take a seat. There were so many empty seats around the room, I couldn't believe it when he started walking directly toward me and took a seat beside me. Just what I needed right now. His eyes—I couldn't make out his eye color this morning; it was brown and captivating, not to forget his intense gaze. I am not able to hold for a few seconds; it always makes me feel so many things: 'uff,' something is not right; maybe I am getting a fever or already got one; why the hell did he sit beside me? How the hell am I going to concentrate on anything?
I was on high alert, trying my best to listen or act like I was concentrating solely on the lecture going on. I never give any damn to any lecture, as I always prepare myself not to forget the coaching classes I was taking. Today, it's not the same. I don't want to turn my head from the blackboard, no matter what. I didn't want my eyes to roam here and there, especially on the person who was sitting beside me. It's been only an hour, already I have faced two awkward moments, and I don't want to add one more.
We were in the middle of the lecture when he came near me and said, "Hi, I am Joshua Winfield." Ok, suck this. Not adding one more awkward moment for the day, "Hi, nice to meet you." I replied in a monotone. He smiled and spoke, "I bet you have a name, right?" How the hell could I forget basic thing? So much for being cautious. "Sorry, Grayson Russell" He grinned at that. "Nice to meet you, Gray," and I got a nickname. By turning my gaze once again, I tried my best to concentrate on the lecture. I want to run once this class finishes.
I and my friends made our way to the cafeteria, and whispers could be heard at every table related to Joshua; he had successfully captured everyone's attention. Not to forget, it's just been a half day.
After collecting our meal, we sat at our usual spot. My friends started asking about Joshua as he was sitting beside me, so it was inevitable for them to ask, to which I replied. We introduced ourselves and nothing else. With that, I tried to close the topic. I was affected so much without any reason, and I don't want to add up more. I was so done for the day.
I should try my best to interact less with Joshua, as he opted for the same course. It's quite impossible, but I could try my best; less interaction would be worth it for my own sanity. We ended our day with no football practice. We didn't see Joshua after our first class; he had just vanished for the rest of the day. I bid goodbyes and parted ways.