Zephyr
Him & Her
The fall semester had commenced about a week ago, but for Noah it was nothing to be excited about. He hadn't reunited with friends after the summer break and he hadn't been looking forward to meeting the one who would end up being his room mate for the entire year. Noah was just there to study and hope that this year would be different.
Despite the fact that he told himself this every year, he still had yet to make any such progress. The longer this went on, the more pessimistic he was becoming about the whole thing. Noah thought of himself as a painfully plain fellow. He believed that had the social skills of a penguin, though it really didn't make much sense to anyone else but him. He had a hard time fitting in and really connecting with people, so eventually he found sanctuary through the internet.
For some reason, that was the only place where he'd find people willing to talk to him and be interested. Some of them were even concerned with his sad life. But the problem was that they were elsewhere. And if they were here, it wasn't even a sure thing that they would even want to socialize with him after they met. Noah couldn't help but have his doubts, yet still he found comfort in knowing that in some way he wasn't completely a lost cause.
What's the deal? You haven't been replying to my texts lately.
Noah was sitting in the middle of a very dry lecture, but he still took the time to tap out a text message and send it out over the cellular network. His face must have been set into some sort of frown because when the professor called him out on it, he quickly shook his head and sat up in his seat. Few turned to look at him, but they immediately lost interest and looked forward again.
Noah slowly sank back into his seat again as he pat down the top of his tousled brown hair. The lecture was feeling especially long today, but there was only a few minutes left before he was free to go. His dark eyes watched the hands of the clock on his left wrist as he silently counted down the seconds left.
x x x
"Hey, do you mind telling me where a visitor can park around here?"
The dark skinned young man she prompted looked up at the compact yellow car stopped next to the bike rack. A small young woman with long black hair was hanging out the driver's side window, waving at him from behind a large pair of heart framed sunglasses. He straightened, making sure his bicycle was secure before walking up to her vehicle.
"There's a parking lot on the other side of campus, but its pretty far of a walk," he told her. "Where you trying to go?"
"I'm looking for Noah Worth," she said, peering at him from over her sunglasses. "You know where I can find him?"
"Depends," he said. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"Trouble?" She scoffed. "I'm about to save his depressing ass ."
He laughed. From one glance, it was apparent that she wasn't from around the area and there was something alluring about the mischievous smile tucked into the corner of her mouth. Whatever it was, he was charmed enough to do something he didn't normally do. "Well, look. I have this parking permit that I'm not using right now. I'll let you borrow it and you can park in that garage over there."
"Hm, what's the catch?" She asked with a cringe and a slight tilt of her head.
"Oh, there's a party tonight in Chesterfield. A friend of mine is desperate to make an impression," he told her, sifting through his book bag before offering the blue hang tag to her. "You should come along. Ask your friend about it."
"Deal," she said with a grin, taking it and hooking it onto her rear view mirror. "And you don't actually know Noah, do you?"
"How can you tell?" He asked, stepping back onto the sidewalk.
"If you knew anything about him, you'd know that Noah doesn't have any friends," she laughed. "What's your name, pal?"
"It's Max," he replied. "What about you?"
The young woman smiled mysteriously as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and shifted the car into gear.
"It's Zephyr," she offered in return with a casual salute. "Thanks, Max. See you tonight!"
Despite the fact that he told himself this every year, he still had yet to make any such progress. The longer this went on, the more pessimistic he was becoming about the whole thing. Noah thought of himself as a painfully plain fellow. He believed that had the social skills of a penguin, though it really didn't make much sense to anyone else but him. He had a hard time fitting in and really connecting with people, so eventually he found sanctuary through the internet.
For some reason, that was the only place where he'd find people willing to talk to him and be interested. Some of them were even concerned with his sad life. But the problem was that they were elsewhere. And if they were here, it wasn't even a sure thing that they would even want to socialize with him after they met. Noah couldn't help but have his doubts, yet still he found comfort in knowing that in some way he wasn't completely a lost cause.
What's the deal? You haven't been replying to my texts lately.
Noah was sitting in the middle of a very dry lecture, but he still took the time to tap out a text message and send it out over the cellular network. His face must have been set into some sort of frown because when the professor called him out on it, he quickly shook his head and sat up in his seat. Few turned to look at him, but they immediately lost interest and looked forward again.
Noah slowly sank back into his seat again as he pat down the top of his tousled brown hair. The lecture was feeling especially long today, but there was only a few minutes left before he was free to go. His dark eyes watched the hands of the clock on his left wrist as he silently counted down the seconds left.
x x x
"Hey, do you mind telling me where a visitor can park around here?"
The dark skinned young man she prompted looked up at the compact yellow car stopped next to the bike rack. A small young woman with long black hair was hanging out the driver's side window, waving at him from behind a large pair of heart framed sunglasses. He straightened, making sure his bicycle was secure before walking up to her vehicle.
"There's a parking lot on the other side of campus, but its pretty far of a walk," he told her. "Where you trying to go?"
"I'm looking for Noah Worth," she said, peering at him from over her sunglasses. "You know where I can find him?"
"Depends," he said. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"Trouble?" She scoffed. "I'm about to save his depressing ass ."
He laughed. From one glance, it was apparent that she wasn't from around the area and there was something alluring about the mischievous smile tucked into the corner of her mouth. Whatever it was, he was charmed enough to do something he didn't normally do. "Well, look. I have this parking permit that I'm not using right now. I'll let you borrow it and you can park in that garage over there."
"Hm, what's the catch?" She asked with a cringe and a slight tilt of her head.
"Oh, there's a party tonight in Chesterfield. A friend of mine is desperate to make an impression," he told her, sifting through his book bag before offering the blue hang tag to her. "You should come along. Ask your friend about it."
"Deal," she said with a grin, taking it and hooking it onto her rear view mirror. "And you don't actually know Noah, do you?"
"How can you tell?" He asked, stepping back onto the sidewalk.
"If you knew anything about him, you'd know that Noah doesn't have any friends," she laughed. "What's your name, pal?"
"It's Max," he replied. "What about you?"
The young woman smiled mysteriously as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and shifted the car into gear.
"It's Zephyr," she offered in return with a casual salute. "Thanks, Max. See you tonight!"