Another Jock Story

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Everyday starts the same.
The alarm would go off at 6:30 am and I would wake up to face another day. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to go on if life is so impossibly monotonous . But then again what else is a 16 year old adolescent supposed to do?
After a quick shower, I go down the stairs, dad is already there reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee. Mum looks at me quickly then goes back to eating her breakfast. Soon after Chris comes running down the stairs, talking about the game this afternoon, and how they have been waiting for this for a whole month. Dad puts down his newspaper and starts talking tactics with him while mum keeps looking at them with the adoring gaze of someone who doesn't have a clue what they are talking about, but is amazed nonetheless.

Don't get me wrong, I like my parents, they don't hate me or ignore me deliberately. It's just kind of hard to notice me when my brother is so ... overwhelming for lack of better words. Chris is everything boys want to be in high school. Smart enough to get good grades without passing for a nerd, an athletic body that makes every sports club want to get him, good looks that makes most girls in school want to come close to him, talk to him, and get a chance to go out with him, charisma that makes his friends look up to him, respect him and follow him if he ever decides to lead, a good sense of humour that makes teachers like him. He is perfect.

Now me, that's another story. Looking at us together, you'd never guess we were from the sale family. I am only a year younger and yet I can't even reach his shoulders, I'm skinny, I wear glasses, My hair is long enough to fall in my eyes, and I like this way so it can hide my face from the others and at the same time hides them from me and makes me feel like I am in my own world. So it won't be a surprise to anyone if I say that nobody looks at me at school, at least I don't get picked on. In the movies and the books, even a nerd gets a couple of friends to hang out with, have lunch with, etc. I don't. But it's more my fault than anything else.

Well enough talking about me, and let's get back to the story.
After the fascinating discussion about the game, Chris and I left for school. We don't really go together. Well, technically, we take the same bus, but once we get on, he always joins his friends, the team members and the rest of the jocks while I take a seat in the far end, by myself, not that I am complaining, I like it, I look through the window and I watch the trees passing by so quickly it makes me a bit dizzy, and I watch the cars driving by, sometimes it's funny to watch the inside the cars, especially when it's a family, to watch the interaction between the family members, the mother trying to keep the children from distracting their daddy while he is driving or the kids wrestling in the backseat.

Soon enough we reach the school and I head for my locker. First period is history with Professor Weatherly. You couldn't start your morning any worse, his voice is so dead it makes the lesson all the more boring. I guess I'll just read the book I didn't get to finish yesterday. My seat is always in the left corner in the back, teachers never go there, so I'm free to do whatever I want.

Actually the book is really interesting, it's about a prince who was leading a perfect life, until his kingdom went into war with another kingdom. With the war lost and his family dead, he set in a journey in his kingdom disguised in order to learn more about his people and to build a better kingdom. It was also a journey to discover a real purpose for his life. And that got me thinking about a purpose for my life too, if it was possible for me to undergo some kind of spiritual journey as well. I'd like that. I was so deep in thought that I was walking without really seeing where I was going, and I bumped into something huge. Fortunately it was softer than a wall so I didn't get hurt. The shock sent me backwards and two arms shot forward to steady me. That's when I looked up and saw who I bumped into. I though Chris was big, but boy, this guy is definitely huge, not in the so-tall-and-skinny-he-looks-awkward way, it's more in Adonis way, he was someone straight from the Greek mythology. I know I said I like my loneliness and all, but I appreciate beauty when I see it and this guy is way beyond beautiful. His body was perfect for whatever use he may deem fit to do, his features were sharp and strong, his eyes were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, they are big,but the right size, the manly size of big, his lashes were long without being girly long, and the colour of his eyes , I couldn't even begin to describe, blue? green? grey? all three of them? I only know that I liked looking at them and I would have kept looking if I didn't notice that the corners of his lips started twitching like he was fighting a smile or something, so I zoomed out of his eyes to look at the whole face and, yep, he was looking amused alright. That's when I realised that I've been staring at him for quite some time. I suppose I should have felt embarrassed but I wasn't, it's not like I did anything wrong, I was just admiring, who wouldn't.
So I stepped carefully out of his arms, hence his personal space, and I said : "Sorry about that, sometimes I zone out and time stops for me. Speaking of time," I look at my watch and I realise I'm almost late for class."Oups, I'm late for history class,Mr Weatherly won't be happy. I'd better go. Sorry again for bumping into you and zoning out on you and everything. Good Bye."
I move to leave and Adonis calls me again "Hey, wait."
I look at him quizzically , maybe he's lost and wants to ask for directions or something. But he says : "I have Mr Weatherly too. Let's go to class together."
I must have heard wrong because I heard him say that we have class together. My surprise must have shown because for a moment he seemed taken aback like I should have known he was with me in the same class, and he says "You really didn't see me in class before?"
I shake my head and he looks more amused than insulted so I say : "So you are new here?" This sends him in a fit of laughter and then he says "I was here since the beginning of the semester, about two months ago."
"Oh? That long? Sorry, I don't really notice changes or new people, sometimes I forget the faces of people I don't have any contact with. No offence."
"None taken, actually it's kinda refreshing to have someone not looking at me funny" he said smiling
I didn't know what to say to that, so I kept walking towards the classroom silently. Just before we reach the classroom I hear him say " My name is Adam" So Adonis is called Adam "I got the first two letters right" I said without realising that he heard me, when he looked at me asking about what I meant I only said "Never mind, It's nothing important."
"You're a strange guy, you know that?" He looked more amused than anything else, and I wondered why he kept getting amused since we first bumped into each other.
I must ,have spaced out because when I looked at him again he seemed like he was waiting for me to say something and I realised I didn't tell him my name so I said before entering the class and heading toward my desk "I am Gabriel."

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