A Second Chance At Love

I've Got My Eyes On You

*Madison was excited to go back to school after the Easter holidays to see her friends. She was also disappointed that she'd have to spend the week of her birthday doing tests. Nevertheless, Madison made plans to ace her tests and ignore her  broken family. She wanted to do better and feel better, but a cloud would hang over her head when she got home then disappeared the minute she got outside those four walls. Madison found it hard to concentrate and study for the tests. Despite this, she refused to let her fear of failure win. While everyone in the house was asleep, Madison burned the midnight oil to retain all the information. Shortly after she fell asleep, her alarm went off. She groaned at the thought of all the struggles it would take to get to school.At school, Madison sat with her friends in the cafeteria laughing. An unfamiliar face approached their table. Madison quickly noticed how the guy made eye contact with her and then smiled before greeting her friend Alana. She had gone through three years at the school and never saw him before. The subtle interaction replayed in her mind as he walked away from the table. She tried her best to hide the blush forming on her cheeks.*

Madison: Did he always go to this school?

Alana: *she laughed* Yeah. Do you not know him?

Madison: Well, I've lived under a rock so, I don't know him.

Alana: His name is Nathaniel. He's in our grade but has a different homeroom.

Madison: That makes sense.

Alana: Girl, you need to get out more. *they both laughed*

Brittany: *removed her earphones* What did I miss?

Madison: London Bridge fell. *she smirked after catching the glare Brittany threw at her from across the table*

Alana: Can we go to homeroom now?

Madison and Brittany: *in unison* Yes!

*They gathered their stuff and then headed towards their homeroom. Madison spotted Nathaniel walking down the hallways in the opposite direction. Their eyes met for a second. Madison quickly stepped into her homeroom and found her seat. After seeing this, Nathaniel walked into the class and began talking to a guy he knew in the homeroom. Madison turned to face her friends while trying to ignore him. She saw him walking out of the classroom from the corner of her eye. She then felt as though she could breathe normally once again and started to daydream.*

Brittany: Maddie! *she snapped a finger in front of her face*

Madison: *catching herself from the daze she was in* Um yeah. What's up?

Brittany: It's too early to be in la-la land.

Alana: Yeah, where the hell did you go?

Madison: To a place with rainbows, cookies, and friends who don't have anger issues.

Brittany: Why so shady?

Madison: Nah. Just giving pure love. *she smiled and held their hands in hers*

*Soon, they were interrupted by the bell and, they began preparing for their first class. They hugged each other goodbye before going in opposite directions. Madison stood outside her classroom and away from the rest of the bunch as they waited for their teacher. She had her head down until she felt eyes on her. When Madison looked up, she saw Nathaniel talking with a group of guys in her class as he was staring directly at her. She looked around in disbelief that he had been staring at her. Seeing this, he walked over to her. Her chest tightened as he got closer. She thought of making a run for it but, her body froze in shock at the inevitable*

Nathaniel: *he smiled* Hi.

Madison: Hey. *she smiled back timidly*

Nathaniel: Are you okay?

Madison: Um yeah. Why do you ask?

Nathaniel: You're standing all alone.

Madison: Nothing is wrong with that. How did you even see me in this crowd of people?

Nathaniel: Well, I've got eyes on you. *he smirked*

Madison: You're weird.

*Her teacher finally showed up*

Madison: Well, I gotta go. Bye.

Nathaniel: Bye Madison.

*In shock that he knew her name, Madison walked into her class without looking back. As she sat beside her lab partner, who she knew very well and vice versa, she looked at her before talking*

Olivia: What's wrong?

Madison: Nothing. *she kept her head down*

Olivia: You know I could tickle it out of you, right?

Madison: * she looked up at her while holding her pen firmly* I have a pen that I'm not afraid to use.

Olivia: You don't need to be so hostile. *they laughed* I saw you talking to Nathaniel earlier. What's going on there? *she smirked*

Madison: Absolutely nothing. I learned of his existence today. It's weird that he already knows my name. All I've said is "hi."

Olivia: Guess you're not so invisible after all.

Madison: I liked being invisible. I wouldn't have to worry about boys crushing on me and all that mushy stuff.

Olivia: Shut up. You know you're a baby who likes all that "mushy" stuff.

Madison: In private, I'm a baby. In these streets, I have to be a thug. *she made the peace sign*

Olivia: Thug my ass. Miss is about to start class.

Madison: *she laughed* That rhymed. Just try not to fall asleep in class today.

Olivia: I make no promises.

*Madison was thankful that she got through the rest of the day without running into Nathaniel. Immediately after school, she said goodbye to her friends then headed home. On the way home, it ran across her mind about how Nathaniel knew her name. She tried to remember if she had seen him any at all before but could not. The day replayed in her mind all the way home. She entered the house to hear her parents fighting. It was a typical day for her and, she grabbed her faithful headphones and laptop to begin doing homework.*

**END OF CHAPTER**