I walked into fourth-period chemistry. I knew none of my few friends were in the class, so I started toward the back. No desks, just those four-person chemistry stations with black worktops and a sink. Great.
There he was. Sitting alone. Straight black hair, blue eyes, pale complexion, button nose, red lips, round face. Button-front dress shirt, black slacks.
I felt my guts twist up. I'm pretty sure I came to a dead stop for a heartbeat and stared at him. I know he looked up and saw me. I saw him blush. His cheeks went patchy red. His red lips curled up in a quick, small little grin before he looked back down at his desk. He glanced up again once I'd managed to actually start walking again.
I almost went to a different workstation, but I had to be near him so I could see him every day. I just fucking had to! I walked to the empty workstation across from his. Not the same one, an aisle away. I sat down. I glanced his way. He glanced mine. Fuck, he was so cute!
Other kids came in, some in pairs. They began filling the empty stations. There weren't too many empty places left when two girls sat down on the opposite side of the station I was sitting at. They were pretty, and obviously not in my clique. They eyed me quickly and then dismissed me. As usual. Two guys who knew each other sat at the opposite side of that cute guy's workstation. Clearly they didn't know him.
The teacher, a really old guy with a paunch, was walking around, taking names and marking them down in his attendance book. He began moving people around. When he came to our station, he took the girl's names, then mine. He moved on. The bell rang. The teacher moved some kids around so everyone had a partner, including that cute guy, whom he moved to sit next to me.
The teacher said, "Thomas, this is Michael, Michael, this is Thomas. You'll be partners," then moved on to arrange other kids.
The girls snickered, and one said, "Yeah, partners!"
Thomas and I ignored them. Something I think we both knew we'd be doing all year long.
I saw his blotchy blush grow darker. I felt mine grow as well.
"Hi," we said to each other.
By the end of the class, we knew what junior highs we'd come from, what suburb we lived in, our full names, and a lot of other things about each other.
And I was entirely aware that I felt something really powerful for him.
And I was immensely glad we'd gotten partnered up. And I was already hoping we'd be more than just lab partners and friends.
Then we had sixth-period English together too! I was already sitting near the back when he walked in. He smiled so cutely when he saw me, and walked right toward me. I must have grinned like a rodeo clown.
"Hey, dude!" he said, sitting next to me.
"Hey!"
We became instant friends.
It was an awesome day!
He was so cute, and nice. I could tell he wasn't quite as shy as I was, but he wasn't very outgoing or daring or anything. He was smart and quick-witted. And he had the cutest habit of rubbing his lower lip with the knuckle of his first finger when he was thinking hard. Small feet. Like, size seven shoes. Big ears, though. His hair was just long enough to cover them. Such straight, glossy, black hair. Clean, not greasy like some of the real dorks' or geeks' hair. He was very clean and tidy. And he smelled like Old Spice. Not a single zit or blackhead. His complexion was fair and pale, but not pasty. And that cute little button-nose! And those red, full lips.
A few guys our age had that fuzz above their lips. I just barely did, not enough to see unless you were looking up real close. He didn't. Not even sideburns or arm hair or anything. I figured he didn't have any hair down there, since he seemed so hairless. But he sure had a nice package. Nothing huge or anything, but clearly more than the guys who didn't. I knew from two years of showering in gym class that guys with hair down there had bigger packages, and guys who were bald down there had small packages. Thomas had a package, so he must have something down there.
He also had a nice butt, and a nice package. He was just one inch shorter than me and slightly leaner. Not skinny, but not as solid or average as I was.
By the end of that first week, I was so close to asking him if he wanted to do something over the weekend. He beat me to it.
As our English class ended and we were walking out, he asked, "You doing anything this weekend?"
I had plans with a friend to see a movie.
"Not really. Why?"
"Wanna go see The Blob?"
"When?"
"Saturday. It's on at seven."
Same show and time Berry and I were going to go see it.
