Chapter Seven

"Are you cold?"

Alex knew exactly what his aunt meant. It was his first day at school and he was dressed in dark jeans and a dark colored oversized hoodie that literally covered half of his face. As if the hoodie hadn't done enough covering, he had a face cap on, totally covering his face.

If one didn’t know better, they’d suggest he was out on a mission to assasin a member of the high class society.

"No," he nervously replied then took off the face cap to drop it in his backpack while making a mental note to return it to his head the minute his aunt dropped him off. "Just a little."

"Alright," his aunt didn't stall on the topic. "I like your outfit though. It's cool and casual. I was afraid you'd put on a shirt and trousers and look all formal."

He could have if he was just going to a normal college to be a normal person but that wasn't the case. He was going to the same college as Sebastian and was going to be trying his best to stay as invisible as possible. It might be hard to avoid them totally not bumping into each other considering the fact that he coincidentally appeared in front of him even when he thought they were miles apart, but at least it'd be better if he wasn't recognizable. He barely recognized himself in the mirror anyways so there was no way a stranger he had barely spent 24 hours with would recognize him.

"Anyways, let's go. You don't want to be late on your first day."

He nodded and got into the car. His aunt was nice enough to offer to drive him to college and drive him back- either because the school she taught at was only a stone throw from his or simply because she knew he didn't know his way around. Whichever way it was, Alex was glad about it and didn't fail to show his gratitude.

He glanced at his wristwatch as they drove. His first class was by 8am and it was only half past seven. Mentally thanking his aunt for being a professor, he went through his backpack and took out his headphones to plug his ears.

The ride lasted for about another ten minutes and they finally got to his college. His aunt dropped him off, giving him a little pep talk about college and then promised to come pick him up later. He nodded, smiled and waved to her as she left, immediately plugging his ears back as he headed towards his class.

Luckily, he still remembered the way to his class thanks to the tour he had given himself the previous day. He adjusted his backpack and took out his face cap, placing it on his head to make sure his face was properly covered with it alongside his hoodie then replugged his headphones into his ears and continued walking. There was no way he was going to be recognizeable that way and even if he was, there was no way he was going to hear anyone call his name with his ears plugged.

His walk to the class was going peaceful and for a while, he forgot everything around him and began humming to the song he was listening to. He continued like that, taking his time to walk until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He literally froze. Then unfroze. Then cursed under his breath.

Just why couldn't he just have a peaceful day?

He remained in the position he was, contemplating on turning to face whoever had tapped him or just continue walking like he never felt the tap.

He quickly chose to ignore and in a few seconds, resumed walking. He had only walked for a very short while when he felt the tap on his shoulder, again.

He cursed under his breath, again. But this time, decided to turn.

"Wh- Oh, hi?"

In front of him was a girl with a very bright smile. She was dressed in a crop top with jeans and showed off waist beads around her flat stomach. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, leaving few strands to dangle all over her face. She had one hand on her bag, the other raised up as she waved at Alex in return. "Hi."

"Sorry," he bit his lip, realizing he had been ignoring her. "I didn't realize you were-"

"Headphones, right?" she pointed at his headphones and smiled. "It's okay. I use em too and whenever they're plugged, I literally do not hear or feel anything."

"Right," he said with a light chuckle. She seemed very comfortable as she spoke and Alex could bet she was a very lively and friendly person."

"I'm Tasha," she stretched her hands forward. "I'm guessing you're a freshman too?"

"Yes," he nodded then stretched his arm forward to shake her hand. "I'm Alex."

"Great, nice meeting you Alex," she shook his hand then quickly let go. "I thought as much. That's why I tapped you. I guess we both have classes together. I was directed in this direction but I don't know exactly where the class is. Do you know where it is?"

"Oh, yeah I do," he replied, watching her quickly move close to him. "We're actually almost there."

"Oh, thank goodness," she said, excitedly. "Let's go then. We don't want to be late."

He nodded and led the way as they walked to their class.

They luckily weren't late despite the delay they had thanks to their impromptu chatting. They opened the door to the class and to their surprise, the wide room barely had a dozen students in it. They exchanged glances and walked in, taking seats in the middle row.

"I don't think we're too early, are we?" Tasha said, dropping her bag on the empty seat next to her. "it's past eight already."

"I know right," Alex replied her. "I guess it's like this because it's just the first day."

"Ah," Tasha shook her head. "I heard this professor is quite strict though."

"Really?"

"Yeah,she- oh, shh. There she is."

The professor walked in and there was murmurs of greetings from the students in the class. She walked to the front of the class, ready to teach, a few students quickly rushing into the class as she did.

"See," Tasha leaned forward and snickered. "Watch them scurry in. She really is strict."

"I'm already dreading her class," Alex replied Tasha and she simply snickered in response.

"This might sound a bit weird but," she whispered to Alex. "Why is your face covered with a hoodie and face cap? I'll advice you to at least take off one if you don't want her noticing you and making you the topic of discussion for at least fifteen minutes."

"Oh?" he looked at Tasha and the professor and true to Tasha's words, she was already staring at him weirdly. "Damn, thanks for the tip."

It was literally his first day at school and he was already getting weird looks from his professor. He groaned internally, unable to stop himself but putting the blame all on Sebastian for already messing his day.

If only he could just change colleges or at least get a reassurance that he wouldn't show his face at all then he was sure his life would automatically become more peaceful.

He found himself quickly lost in thoughts until the professor's loud voice pulled him back into reality.

"Are you really this little taking this course?" she asked the class, peering through her thick framed glasses. As she got no response, she took out a file from her bag and flipped through the pages. "Of course not. Ah, I guess the rest of you are taking a break cause apparently college resumed a bit too early?"

All she got in response was murmurs.

"That's a disappointing attitude," she continued. "Especially for it to be coming from freshmen. But oh well, what can be done."

"Why do lecturers get bothered when students miss classes?" Tasha whispered to Alex. "Honestly as a lecturer I'd be thrilled if half the class skips. It just means less workload for me."

"Tell me about it."

"BUT!" her voice was even louder as she continued, Tasha quickly adjusting her sitting position to face her. "I understand them. They just probably got busy doing things more important than school and honestly, that's understandable."

"Why do I feel she's being sarcastic?"

"I honestly feel the same way."

"It's understandable to know that while you all here took out of your precious time to attend this class," she continued. "Some of your mates felt 'ah, my time's too precious to be spent in some boring 8am class'. Anyways, it's all good. Since their time is so precious to them, I shall be more than thrilled to assist in making it more precious."

"Why am I nervous?"

"Very well then," she clapped her hands. "You don't have a class rep yet, do you?"

There were negative replies from the crowd.

"Fine then," she continued. "Pick someone from one of you present and then take the attendance of every single person present here today and submit it to me."

"Don't you worry," she said as there was an uproar from the class as she said those words. "I have a little time consuming present for the ones who decided to be absent today and I believe you wouldn't want to be included."

"I just knew she was crazy," Tasha finally said to Alex. "Look at that! I bet it's some crazy project or something she's going to make them all do."

"Jeez," Alex raised his eyebrows. "Quite the way to start college."

"NOW, FOR OUR TOPIC OF THE DAY!"

The class started for another hour and they were finally done. Their next class was way better than the first, the professor being a nice man who simply loved peace and wanted to share it in every possible way. The class was entertaining and for the period it lasted, Alex was able to take his mind off all distractions and focus just on the lectures.

"I'm starving," Tasha groaned as she collected her books the minute the professor was out of class. "How am I going to survive a whole semester at this rate?"

"You'll do fine," Alex smiled at her in response. For the short time they'd spent together, he already found her as a cool person. She was outspoken, fun, cheerful and everything Alex was not. It was interesting to him and he totally didn't mind her company. At the end of their class for the day, he dared to say he had finally made a friend. "Want to grab lunch? I know where the cafeteria is and though I can't say the food would be amazing but I bet it'll be edible."

"Sure, I'd love to," she flashed him a smile in response. "You seem to know your way around well."

"Well I did give myself a little tour before resuming," he said as they walked to the cafeteria.

"Ah, great," she held onto him. "I have my personal tour guide then. How relieving."

"You're welcome then."

They both laughed lightly and walked to the cafeteria side by side. It wasn't the closest to their class which led to about ten minutes of them walking, bumping into strangers and passing the most random comments to each other.

The cafeteria was fairly crowded when they got there. They both ordered their averagely appetizing meals and found an empty seat as far away from the entrance as possible and sat there.

"Do you live on campus?" Tasha asked as they both began eating. "Or at one of those off campus dorms?"

"None actually," Alex replied her. "I actually stay with my aunt."

"Oh," she widened her eyes. "That's unusual. Why? Do you not want to move out?"

"I can't move out," he replied her. "I just moved to the U.S actually. I used to live in London."

"Oh wow," she seemed thrilled. "Did you move just for college? Or were you planning to move before?"

He bit his lip and took another bite of his sandwich. He already didn't like where the conversation was heading and just wanted it to be over.

"Actually, i-"

He suddenly stopped halfway as his eyes caught a now familiar face he had been dreading. Few seats away, was Sebastian walking into the cafeteria alongside some other kids Alex quickly concluded were his friends.

"Shit," he unconsciously let out as he immediately pulled his hood over his head uselessly trying to hide his face.

"What? What happened?" Tasha asked as she noticed his actions. "Ay, are you hiding from someone or what?"

Curiosity got the best of Tasha as she turned in the direction Alex was staring at. She looked at the gang as they walked in and looked at Alex again. "Is it Seb?"

"Wh- What?" Alex almost choked on his meal. "No. What?"

Tasha smirked, giving Seb one more glance. "Whoa. Do you guys know each other?"

"No, of course not," Alex looked away. "How- how about you? Do you know him?"

"Of course," she replied, Alex's stomach churning. "I mean, not personally but like who doesn't know Seb?"

"Oh?" Alex couldn't contain his curiosity. "Why though? I mean, its not like he's a celebrity or something?"

"Well around here you can say he's a celebrity," Tasha nodded.

"And how do you know that? We're both freshmen."

"True," she faced Alex. "But unlike you, I've always lived around here plus my brother is a senior here. So well I know everything going on around here."

"Ohh," Alex stole a glance from Seb before continuing his discussion with Tasha. "So like, who's he?"

"Sebastian Keates or Seb as everyone around here calls him," Tasha seemed very excited to talk about him. "Is a second year student and honestly one of the most popular students here for quite obvious reasons. I mean, he's hot, a member of the college soccer team, has obviously rich parents and is dating the college's hottest girl-"

Alex finally choked on his food.

"Whoa, easy there," Tasha offered him water. "Is it the food? Are you okay?"

"He has a girlfriend?" he asked, ignoring all Tasha's previous questions. He suddenly wasn't sure how that newly discovered piece of information made him feel.

"Yes," she nodded. "Maddisson Rivers. She's pretty popular herself. Other than being just a second year student, she is a part time model herself. Yeah, she's that hot."

"Oh, is she?" Alex had finally lost his appetite. "I see."

"Yeah," Tasha continued. "Oh, look. There she is. Walking towards him. And yeah those are his friends. They're all just as popular and cool as him so it just makes sense their whole gang is really popular."

As much as he didn't want to, he found himself looking up to see who the Maddisson Rivers was. Almost as he looked up, his eyes caught a girl and he didn't need to be told that she was the girlfriend.

Saying she looked drop dead gorgeous wasn't an exaggeration. She was tall and had long beautiful legs that she showed off with the short skirt she had on. She was slim and had the typical model body, the bodycon blouse she had on doing justice to her figure. She had long black hair that had a silver accessory in it as it laid on her shoulders.

"Now," Tasha spoke up, Alex realizing he had been staring. "Why were you hiding from Seb."

"I wasn't," Alex immediately denied.

"I bet you were," she fired back. "Come on, I saw you. You literally hung your head and tried to cover it with your hoodie the moment he stepped in."

"No."

"Liar!"

"I'm being for real," he found himself giving him one quick glance again. "I wasn't avoiding him per se. You can say I just didn't want to be seen."

"Why?"

He exhaled. "Can I not answer?"

She looked taken aback by his response. "Yeah of course. Come on, I was just kidding. You don't have to look so serious."

"Right?" he stared at his unfinished meal in front of him. For someone who barely had breakfast and had tiring classes, he was surprised at how quickly he lost his appetite.

He exhaled, watching Tasha eat in silence. Groaning internally, he wondered if he had probably made his chance of finally making a friend an awkward one.

Again, he had no one to blame but Sebastian.

"Um, Tasha," he finally said after watching her eat for a while. He couldn't bring himself to sit in the cafeteria any longer as it was really getting suffocating for him. "I have to go now."

"Oh," she looked up at him. "I-"

"It's fine. Take your time to eat your meal," he got up and grabbed his bag. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Oh," she had an unreadable expression on her face.

"Try not to be late in case we have another crazy professor in the morning," he quickly lightened the mood with a smile. "Alright? I'm off then."

The smile disappeared from his face as he walked away. He hung his head low as he walked past Seb's table hoping he wouldn't notice him.

He let out a deep exhale as he managed to walk out of the cafeteria without getting noticed. As far as possible from the cafeteria, he then took out his phone to check the time. He was done with classes for the day but knew he still had a couple of hours to go before he would have his aunt come pick him up. He was still contemplating on how to spend his day when he unconsciously let out a groan as he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Blue?"

Letting out an exhale for the millionth time, he turned to face him.

"We finally meet again," Seb smiled at him. "Hi."

"Hi," he couldn't even fake a smile in return.

"How are you?" Seb asked, still smiling. "So you school here? That's cool. You're a freshman, right?"

Alex sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"What?" the smile quickly faded from Seb's face. "What do you mean? I just want to- I'm just glad I got to see you again so-"

"You know," Alex interrupted, staring directly at him. "I spent my years in high school as nothing more than a shadow. I was pretty much invisible to a lot of people and you know what, I loved it. People barely knew me and I barely associated with anyone."

"So-"

"So," Alex cut him off. "I'd really like to live my college life just like that."

"That's almost impossible, Blue," Seb laughed lightly. "There's like a thousand people here so there's no way you'd be invisible to them all."

"I know right?" Alex voice dripped in sarcasm. "Especially when about half of them are interested in you and your business."

"Wh- What is that supposed to mean?"

"That is supposed to mean that," Alex exhaled. "Stay away from me, don't try to associate with me and simply pretend I do not exist. That's just what I mean."

Alex exhaled one more time then broke eye contact with him and turned to leave.

"What? Blue-"

"And," Alex turned and yanked his arm off Seb's grip. "For heavens sake, please stop calling me Blue. My name isn't Blue. It's Alex. Alexander."