Page 4 of Our Forever Starts Tonight

“Oh, yeah.” I pulled out my phone and navigated to the school’s official app. That was a far cry from the ‘we’d rather not know cell phones were invented’ rules at my old school. I opened it and it loaded up all my information, including my schedule and an electronic version of my student ID.

The girl clicked a few buttons and brought up locker information along with a giant ‘unlock’ button. There was a ‘381’ number on top. “381, so you’ll be on the right. It’s easy to remember because 300 to 350 is on the left, 350 to 400 on the right.”

“That is easy,” I said with a smile.

“Just press the unlock button when you’re in front of your locker,” she said, then started off with her friends. “Bye.”

“Thanks! Bye!”

Okay, so notallbad at least.

Despite feeling like there was a good possibility that the girl was hazing me, I made my way to the right and followed the locker numbers until I got to 381. There was no lock on the front of the locker, no place for a lock even to hang, so following my aid’s instructions, I set my phone a little closer to the locker and hit the unlock button. I heard a mechanical unlatching noise and then the locker popped open.

“Holy shit!” I screeched. Several kids near me stopped and turned and I just waved with an awkward laugh. “Sorry. Technology. What a marvel, huh?”

I got a few laughs, but otherwise they ignored me in interest of returning to their conversations, so I opened my locker door and started stuffing all of my things inside. There was a little shelf inside with a raised circular pad. I set my phone there mostly out of impulse and it started charging. My jaw dropped. Being in a technologically-advanced school was insane.

My first few classes only required one big text book, then a small journal-sized book, and I’d invested in a multi-subject notebook to cut down on my carrying. I grabbed the three items, my pencil case, cell phone, and headphones, then closed my locker. To be sure that I’d be able to get my backpack again—and partially for the hell of it—I clicked the unlock button on the app again and my locker popped right open.

I snickered and a few kids next to me watched me with amused smiles. I looked at them. “Long way from combination locks, eh?”

One of the guys raised an eyebrow. “You must be from one of the southern schools, huh?”

“Am I not hiding it well?” I asked. “Don’t worry. I won’t be this irritating all year, just maybe the first week or two.”

The guy shook his head. “Nah, it’s cool. It’s kind of adorable.”

One of the girls standing with him squealed. “Jeez, just go for it, why don’t you Yunmir?”

I could feel the heat rising to my face, so I waved goodbye and turned my back to them. Everything in me was inclined to think that guywasn’thitting on me, but that was kind of what it seemed like. I’d have to run it by Lucky later for his expert male opinion.

My first class was down on the second floor, so I started back towards the stairs when I felt the intense looming of a gaze on me. People had been watching me all along, but no one had been full-fledged staring, but now I felt like someone was about to cut me open. I looked slowly to my right and there was a guy peeking around the lockers at me. My heart sank when I focused on him. He was the typical jock type—tall, with short, swooping brown hair, alluring hazel eyes, and even in his shocked expression he had one deep dimple on his left cheek. He was fit and wearing official NWE gear; there was no doubt in my mind he was a football player or something.

The exact type of guy that loved to torment me.

I locked eyes with him briefly so he knew I was looking, but that didn’t seem to make a difference, so I just kept walking. I passed the next block of lockers at the exact same time that he did, almost anticipatory as he came around the block, staring right at me. I swallowed hard, certain he was just biding his time until he came up with the perfect insult to hurl at me. I took a deep breath and kept walking. If I didn’t acknowledge him, he’d leave me alone.

But I passed the next set, and he was there again, staring over at me.

For the nice girl that helped me find my locker and the flirtatious guy, I was hoping I’d get a little further in before bumping into one oftheseguys, but luck was something that rarely roosted near me. Instead of continuing on, I turned around entirely, planning to hopefully lose him in the crowd and take the long way around to get back to the stairs. Moving a little faster, I passed the block of lockers back towards mine, but one block shy of my own, the guy stepped through the gap and right into my path. I froze, staring up at him, knowing he was about to make his move.

“Can I help you?” I snapped. “Yeah, I get it. I’m the ne—”

“Aria?” he said.

I recoiled a little. How did he know my name? “Uh… yeah? How did you know that?”

A smile rose to his face that set my heart to racing. It was stunning. He held out his arms as his eyes widened with joy. “It’s me. Tristan.”

My speeding heart stopped and went clattering up into my throat. Flashes of a little boy—tall, lanky, awkward looking—went across my brain and didn’t mesh with the man I was looking at now. I’d been friends with a kid who fell victim to bullying himself back in elementary school, until his family moved away and I never saw him again.

“Tristan?” I said. “Like…”

“From the news?” he responded with a raised eyebrow. “I’d show you the scar on my pec from that stick, but that’d be a little inappropriate.”

“Oh my god!” I screeched. “Tris!”

I was jumping up into a hug before I could stop myself, but thankfully he was lowering himself into one already. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, feeling how broad they’d gotten. He was just a knee-high stick bug last time I’d seen him. How was he this super-hunky jock man?

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