𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐆 ➪ 𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑵𝑬, 𝑴𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑼𝑳𝑶𝑼𝑺, & 𝑰𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑿𝑿 | ✔︎

1.0

Monday

I got a text from Will saying he was gonna miss one more day just to improve himself. I guess I need to find someone new to sit next today. A great chance to meet new friends. Hopefully. I enter the lecture hall and look around for someone to sit with.

Then someone catches my eye. A guy with light, brown hair that was neatly done, dark brown eyes and a red hoodie. The seat next to him is empty so I walk over to him, "Is this seat taken?" I ask.

He looks up at me and smiles, "No it's free. You can sit here if you'd like.." he answers. I return the smile and set my bag down. I sit in my chair with all my materials out, "Hi. I'm Charlie, Charlie Beckett." I say, holding my hand out.

"Jayden. Jayden Adams." he replies, shaking my hand.

"Jayden? Sounds pretty American." I chuckle. "Actually, I'm half British and half Canadian." he sheepishly smiles. "Woah, never heard of that mix before." I say, interested in his backstory.

"My mother's British, father's Canadian." he replies, his dark eyes shining somehow. He's kind of cute. "Ah, well. I'm fully British. But it's nice to see some unique people." I smile warmly. Jayden smiles back and then the lesson begins.

Throughout the lesson, I frequently ask Jayden questions, "How is Canada?" "You ever tried poutine?" "Is it good??". I was probably being so nosey. I felt so bad after the lecture. Once literature finishes, I walk out with Jayden, talking and chuckling about how he can switch from a standard British accent to a Canadian one.

This was one of the first times I left literature laughing with a friend. It felt nice. "Oi, Charlie!" a voice calls out, and both Jayden and I turn. Standing there is both Alex and George.

"Oh! Guys!" I smile. "Jayden, this is Alex and George. They're my roommates, they're great lads. Alex, George, meet Jayden! My new friend I made in literature."

Alex's eyes scan Jayden up and down whilst George kind of waves. "Hiya." Jayden smiles, waving back. "Jayden! Come on!" someone from behind shouts.

"Oh! Sorry Charlie, I've got PE now! Catch you later?" he asks. "Oh, yeah! It's grand. I've got your number anyways." I smile. "Right! Anyways, I'll see you." Jayden shouts while running. I wave him off and then turn to George and Alex.

"Charlie, be careful around him." George hisses. I blink, a bit taken aback by what he said. "Why? He's nice." I ask while walking with them through the halls.

"Yeah he may seem nice, but he's a popular kid! He could be befriending you to take advantage of you!" George exclaims, Alex follows up with a nod.

"Charlie, he's one of 'em guys who play basketball, and flex, and brag and just do shitty things!" Alex sighs, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Calm down. Jayden isn't like that. He's nice and funny and respectful. He's a cool kid - sure - but he's a 'nice cool kid'. Why are you guys saying shit like this?" I frown slightly. The two of them sigh and look at each other.

"We just..don't want you to get hurt or anything like that." they sigh. I wrap my arms around the two of them, "Aww, you two are so sweet." I chuckle. Alex grins and laughs slightly, while George looks away and smiles. "Right, well, after school we're gonna head to Will's place to check on him. Wanna come with?" Alex asks.

"Ah, sorry lads. Can't. Got a shift today at the café. Karen's called in sick again." I sigh, rolling my eyes, "God dammit, Karen!" I shout, which earns a few weird looks from students in the hallway. I can hear Alex and George snickering in the back and I laugh and smile. Ah, today's going great.

*****

I hum as I sit in the café taking my break. The door opens and the bell on top rings, signalling the arrival of a new customer. I look up and, to my surprise, I see Jayden. He's by himself and wearing the school's basketball team tracksuit. He really does play basketball.

I wave to try and get his attention and he comes over. "Charlie? What're you doing here?"he asks with a smile. "Ah, I work here." I chuckle. "Really? I frequently come here after my training. I love this café." Jayden cheers, sitting down in the seat in front of me.

"Oh? What do you like ordering?" I ask him, "Iced coffee with a blueberry muffin." he answers quickly.

"Sounds like a snack," I laugh, "here, I'll make you an iced coffee." I say, getting up.

"Serious? Thanks a million!" he excitedly says, joy filling his eyes. I blush slightly and chuckle, the go to make him his iced coffee.

I return after a bit and hand him his iced coffee and a blueberry muffin. He takes a sip and sighs in content. "Thanks Charlie. You're the best." he grins at me. I grin back and rest my cheek in the palm of my hand.

Once he finishes, I throw his coffee container and the muffin wrapper away. "I'll see you guys!" I say to my co-workers and leave with Jayden. We stop at a crossway and I remember my incident with Will.

Without realising it, I start smiling at the thought of him.

"What're you smiling aboutt~" Jayden teases, poking my cheek. I laugh and try to push his hand away, "Shut up, Jayden!" I smile. We really became close in one day, huh? Jayden puts an arm around me and pulls me close to him. "Best buds." he grins

I nod back with a smile. Then Will's voice from behind me stops me in my tracks.

"Yeah Charlie. What were you smiling about?"

*****

☁︎ Ah, school is staring to pile up. But finally I managed to finish this chapter ☁︎

☀︎ Jayden. Jayden, Jayden, Jayden. Already a threat to all 3 boys. I love it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you in the next one! ☀︎

- Val