Even Angels Fall (C. Stewart) ✔️

-5-

The rest of their first day at school is pleasantly dull. Something that Chris is relieved about. After the drama he went through last year he can deal with dull.

Surprisingly, this new girl, his locker buddy / lab partner Nat, she's actually pretty cool. And unlike anything that went down with 'she who shall not be named', Natalie actually enjoyed hanging out with his friends.

And they liked hanging out with her too. Once the initial shock wore off that is. It turns out that what her and Cam were so heatedly discussing while he and Matt were getting their ice cream cookie sandwiches was some new video game they then tried to convince him to buy. Something about cars or wizards. Chris isn't really sure. He kind of tuned out what they were saying because he was just so enamored by her smile.

And the way she looked so excited by the topic. So happy.

He felt like he was flying because her good mood was honestly contagious.

So Chris is practically bouncing through the rest of his first day back. Smiling and talking to people more than he has in months.

They don't share anymore classes together after lunch, so the next time Chris and Natalie run into each other is at the very end of the day at their lockers. Because they are 'locker buddies' as she so cleverly put it when explaining things to Cam and Matt earlier. It would be pretty hard NOT to run into each other since they need to get their things to go home.

Natalie is already at her locker by the time Chris breezes by, a lightness in his step. She smiles to herself as she places a few books inside and grabs out some others, stuffing them in her backpack, swinging it onto her shoulder before she turns to face the tall, green eyed boy.

He looks so cute when he smiles to himself like that...

Steadying her breathe she decides that she needs to say something to the sweet boy who is now rooting through his own locker.

"Hey Chris..."

Chris hums to himself, seemingly in response yet does not change his focus from the back of his locker.

Natalie sighs as she closes her locker, leaning her back against it as she tries again.

"Chris, I was thinking...."

"Wha?  What was that??  Sorry Nat, I wasn't really paying attention."

Chris finally turns to her, one hand still inside of his locker, placing a book back on the shelf.  Natalie laughs at his absolute cluelessness, he's so delightfully precious and adorable.

She pulls her cellphone out of her pocket, fingers toying with it as she weighs her options, now not so certain about her initial plan. By this point Chris is fully focused on the girl standing beside him.

Natalie nibbles on her lip as she shakes her head. Whispering back a soft, never mind it was a stupid idea as she pushes off her locker. He reaches out to stop her before she can turn away fully, one hand on her arm as the other reaches out to turn her face back towards his. His fingers linger on her cheek before moving to push a wayward lock of hair behind her ear.

Green eyes meet brown as a blush colors both of their cheeks.  "No I'm listening now Nat, what did you want to talk about?"

She sighs again, cellphone clutched tightly in her hand.  "Well...  I was thinking...  since we're lab partners and we're going to be working together...  that maybe..."

Chris smiles as she hesitates some in her line of questioning.  His eyes sparkling playfully as he swings his own backpack onto his shoulder.  "You were thinking??"

She nods solemnly.  "Yeah.....  I was wondering if you wanted to, like, exchange numbers or something.  You know, in case we need to set up study sessions or something."

The smile Chris gives in return is bright enough that it could shine the way through the darkest night and densest fog. He pulls his own phone out of the front pocket of his jeans, unlocking the screen. "I think that is a wonderful idea. Did you want just tell me or??"

She holds her phone out to him, "Actually it might be easier if I just put mine in myself.  It's hard to explain, since I still have my Tulsa phone number and all."

Chris accepts this explanation with a shrug as he passes his cellphone to her and in return takes hers.  She already had a new contact screen open up so he starts inputting his information as he follows her slowly out of the school, glancing up from the screen every so often as to not trip over his own feet.  Which has happened before if he is totally honest with himself.

Content in the screen name he thought of for himself (Chris S 😎) he passes her phone back to her.

Natalie smiles to herself once more as they reach the edge of the parking lot, finally handing Chris his phone back.  She turns to head towards her car, leaving him on the sidewalk.  Calling back over her shoulder, "See you tomorrow Stewart.  And don't forget to watch my dad on the news, remember new sports reporter and all."

Chris gives a faux salute before he turns away to head towards his Subaru.  "Sure thing Morales.  See you bright and early at our lockers."

He hears her laughter as she walks away, and then he heads to his car.  Finally getting a chance to look at his phone after he tosses his backpack in the back seat.  And the entry she made for her number just makes him blush once again.

Nat Morales 🌸😍