Movie || Noah Centineo

-8-

[UNEDITED]

Nathan Trinidad comes to class nearly 20 minutes late and practically breathless. When he enters the classroom, the door behind him squeaks noisily and shuts close with a loud 'thud'. He winces. Needless to say, he captured the class' attention. Mr. Coleman stops lecturing at his just-arrived presence.

Luna, like everyone else, pauses from scribbling notes and looks at the flustered and slightly panting boy. His wavy hair was wind blown, disheveled, and his tan skin was rosy. Conscious, his tall figure slumps.

Mr. Coleman gives him a distasteful look, turning his body so that it faces Nathan's, and crosses his arms against his chest. "And you still decided to show up, Mr. Trinidad?" He asks with unpleasant sarcasm, the class snickering. The younger boy scratches his neck, "Sorry, sir. Lacrosse practice ended late this morning," He tries to reason.

"So am I supposed to adjust to your schedule?" Mr Coleman shoots back. "History class begins at 8, and I expect everyone to be here by then - athlete or not." He says pointedly before returning to blackboard. As if in a comedy skit, Nathan, facing the class now, gives the balding teacher the middle finger behind his back. It makes the class laugh, except Luna who inwardly rolls her eyes.

Mr. Coleman whips around before his beady eyes land on Nathan, Nathan who just shrugs comically with half a smirk plastered on his face. He makes his way down the isle of the classroom.

As he does, he gets dozens of high-fives and fist bumps from other jocks from different sports, like Aaron Jenkins from basketball, Calum Clifford from soccer, Michael Hood from football, and flirty waves and greetings from girls Luna used to be acquainted with. Athena Lane touches his arm with a small 'hi' as he passes by her, Asia Evans gives him a charming smile, and Aurora Hawthorne sends him a redolent wave.

He looked like he really wanted to spend the next half hour of class just standing over Aurora - he lingered beside her table and she was the only girl who greeted him that he really acknowledged. And that's when Luna's memory hits her like a bolt of lightning. If rumors prove to be true, Nathan and Aurora had something going on. That news had only been going around recently which is probably why she didn't remember, but now it'll be hard to forget.

Unfortunately for Nathan, he'd have to sit beside Luna instead at the back of the class. The only available seat left was to her right. He sees this but makes no face, only a small smile; a small enough smile to pass as polite, a small enough smile no one else will see, before he makes his way over. She notices how slow his pace got.

When he plops onto the seat beside her, she tries to make no mind to him. She pretends to look as interested and as focused in the lesson, renaissance art, as she can. She even feigns jotting down additional 'notes' just so she's writing something.

Thankfully, Nathan doesn't try to start a conversation. He was talking to Ashton Hemmings and Luke Irwin who were beside him, two boys from Track and Field.

She takes his inattentiveness as an opportunity to steal a glance. He was wearing a light grey shirt that hung loosely over his body, some tight black jeans with slits at the knees, and white Nike Cortez shoes.

A basic white boy.

Luna couldn't explain why but she had a small pang of resentment towards Nathan at the moment; she wasn't sure if it's his asshole move towards the teacher or something else - she just knew that the feeling was there. It's probably not her place to cast judgement since she was merely acquaintances with him before, but he just seems so different. Like a whole other person. She's more than sure that his popularity status got in his head, so she felt a little heavy-hearted with the thought.