He was the boy that no one noticed. He was quiet, bland to the naked eye, a total wallflower who sat on the sidelines and lacked in eye contact with those around him though he had the type of eyes that made you feel like you could drown. He tried hi...
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As I make my way to where Nathaniel is sitting, my flight or fight is in full power. I push it down because I know I am being silly. He doesn't even know I had anything to do with his accident. He didn't even know I was the one who got ahold of the dispatcher first.
I sit in the empty desk to his right and hold my breath as I lower myself down.
Nathaniel fumbles with his paper which sits in front of him at his desk. When he remains silent, I know I am going to have to be the one to strike up conversation.
"Hi, there," I say. I clear my throat when my voice comes out sounding like I am being strangled. I watch his face as he taps his pencil on the wood of the desk. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. "I am Kelly."
"I k-know who you are," he stutters back.
My heart momentarily stops at his words. Oh God, he knows.
"You do?"
Nathaniel bitterly laughs which catches me off guard. He shakes his head when he catches himself. The snicker of a smile leaves his lips and instead, he clamps his teeth down. "We've been in the same school since kindergarden. Of, um, course I k-know who you are."
I don't know why but his nervousness calms me down a bit. Maybe it is the thought that he is just as uncomfortable around me as I am him. But I have to admit that it bothered me some that he is nervous. Everyone loves me.
"Oh."
Nathaniel continues to tap his pencil. My heart echoes the panging on the table, quick and profound.
"Would you like to begin?" He asks, shifting in his seat like I did not too long ago.
"Yeah!" I chirp up before closing my eyes and gathering myself. With a quieter, less falsetto voice I continue. "You can start."
Nathaniel goes still along with the tapping of his pencil. His head angles slightly towards me but the eeriness that I still haven't seen his face eats at my curiousity. In fact, the last time I saw his face was in the yearbook which happened to show his sophomore picture. Back then he was extremely skinny and gangly, his limbs growing faster than the rest of his body. Now, he sits here, even taller but more filled out. I soon catch onto my mistake.
"Right, of course, um--" I finally gather my wits and focus on the task at hand. Opening the packet, I navigate the first question. "What are you most likely looking forward to in this course?"
Nate has taken out an iPad from his backpack and set it down on his desk. He sets a small keyboard in front of him and feels the little black keys for a few seconds all while picking up the headphones that are hanging around his neck. He pops one earbud in and begins typing out my question.
I watch, curious as to what is being done. Nathaniel must have felt my eyes on him because he clears his throat uncomfortably. I jump in my seat.
"Human Anatomy and DNA structure," is all that my partner says. I narrow my eyes at my paper before writing it down. Questions soar through my mind about Nathaniel's ability to actually participate in the class.
