Found On the Sidewalk.

Nuiz woke up in her room the next day, the sunlight prying in through her curtains. She squinted her eyes and sat up on her bed, her head still aching a little. She groaned and asked herself, “What had happened last night?”

She looked down at herself and saw that she was still in attire from last night. She remembered what happened. She’d passed out on the sidewalk and a cute guy with brown messy hair and harry potter glasses had come to her rescue.

But wait, how did he know my name? Nuiz thought. She widened her eyes and thought, was that Git Gud? She got excited. She tried to figure out who he might really be but she couldn’t remember what he looked exactly like. Nuiz got out of her room in frustration and went into the living room where Zaid was reading a book on the couch.

Zaid heard her descending the stairs and glanced at her and back to the book. “You’re awake,” He said.

“Z, who brought me home last night?” Nuiz asked seriously, her eyes looking into her brother’s. Zaid got creeped out and scooched over a bit to make room for Nuiz to sit next to him.

“Some guy. You were lucky it was me who answered the doorbell,” Zaid told her instead.

“Did he tell you who he was? How did he look like exactly?” Nuiz bombed her brother with questions. Zaid put down the book he was reading and looked at her sister with an eyebrow raised.

“And what happened to me?” She asked another question.

“Stop, stop, stop and stop.” Zaid exclaimed in frustration. Nuiz shut up for a minute and was aching to hear everything. Zaid took a deep breath and started talking.

“Apparently you were drugged last night and the guy who brought you back said it was because some girl names Hailey gave you the drink that she was supposed to give to some other kid. That sounds incredibly evil, I know.

“Anyway, last night on your way home you passed out on the sidewalk and this guy found you on the sidewalk seconds before you blanked. He brought you home and thank god Mum and Dad were out seeing friends. I couldn’t really see his face though as he was facing down a lot. I asked his name and all he gave me was Git Gud.”

Nuiz was literally stumped. Her mouth hanged open and Zaid looked at her in an odd expression. He picked up his book, still looking at her.

“Damn it, if I didn’t pass out I could’ve seen who he was.” Nuiz yelled in frustration, making Zaid jump. He shook his head and continued reading. A long silence remained between them. Nuiz dug her hands in her pocket and found something in it. She took it out and saw that it was a note.

Nuiz,

Be careful of what you take, please. Take care of yourself. You’re lucky that I was nearby to see you pass out and bring you home.

Git Gud.

…

 Somebody was knocked on the door while Nuiz and Zaid were eating their breakfast in the dining room. It was a Monday morning and they were getting ready to go to school by foot.

“Must be James,” Zaid told Nuiz as he munched on his Captain Crunch cereal. It was Nuiz’s signal to go open the door and let James in.

“What’s he doing here though?” Nuiz asked as she walked over to the door.

“Probably to walk together with me to school,” Zaid replied. Nuiz nodded and opened the door. There stood James, in his green plaid shirt, black jeans and neatly combed black hair. He smiled at Nuiz and she smiled back.

“Do you always wear plaid?” She asked, tilting her head a little. James looked down at his shirt and smiled.

“I like plaid.” Was his answer. He looked over Nuiz’s shoulder.

“Where’s Zaid?” He finally asked. “Still eating,” Nuiz answered.

“James! Sorry bud but you might have to walk to school alone!” Zaid who had heard James question, yelled from the dining room.

“Seriously?”

“Hey, why don’t you go with Nuiz? Syazee’s home sick today so walk with her!”

Nuiz looked at her brother who was in the dining room and widened her eyes. ‘What?!’ She mouthed.

“Hey that’s not a bad idea. Wanna go now?” James asked. Nuiz turned back to him and grinned. “Yeah, why not?” She stammered. She went into the dining room and grabbed her back, Zaid grinning at her.

“What’re you smiling for?” Nuiz asked, glaring at her brother. Her brother just giggled and said, “Hey, you should be thanking me. I just got yourself a date. Well, a half an hour date so yeah.”

As Nuiz was getting out of the dining room, Zaid said, “Have fuuuuuun!”

Nuiz glanced back at her brother and managed to glare at him. Zaid just winked his left eye and grinned, his eyes flicking below his Harry Potter glasses.

James and Nuiz set out of the house, walking to school together. That must’ve been the earliest she’d ever set out for school.

“How was Lenni’s party last Saturday?” James asked like a mom. Nuiz rolled her eyes and smiled to the ground. “Drugged,” She said flatly, James widening his eyes at her. Nuiz looked at him and smiled even broader. “I was drugged. Hailey was supposed to drug some other kid but I got drugged instead. I was found on the sidewalk and found by some brown haired kid with Harry Potter glasses who I don’t even know.”

Nuiz sighed and James looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “You were drugged?” She nodded.

“That, was supposed to be for me then,” James said, his gaze downcast. Nuiz stopped in her tracks and James stopped with her. Her eyes widened as she raised an eyebrow. James shrugged tentatively and ruffled his hair with his fingers.

“You? Were the kid?” James nodded a yes and Nuiz’s mouth gaped open. “Stop you look like a whale,” James tittered. Nuiz asked why he was supposed to be drugged and he sighed.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard this over the weekend but I was the one who broke it off with Layla, not her. I couldn’t stand her. She was always not around and made empty promises, yah know? So, I found out that Layla had Hailey ask Lenni to invite me to her party so that Hailey could drug me there and Layla could do some, I don’t know, messed up stuff?” James ended his story with a shrug as Nuiz took this all in. He paused for a minute to take a breath.

“Then, I also found out that different kid had gotten drugged and I felt really guilty for whoever got drugged instead of me,” James looked at Nuiz. “Didn’t know the kid was actually the person I sat next to on a swing and looked at the stars with that night.”

Nuiz ran a finger through her hair and smirked. “It’s nothing really,” What are you saying, it is something.

“Sorry, though.” James said anyway, swinging his bag on his back. Nuiz smiled and said it was okay.

There was silence between them before James spoke. “Layla has found somebody new by the way.” He said it in an awkward tone as he rubbed his neck. Nuiz, who actually couldn’t careless, thought it would’ve been mean to just say ‘whatever’, asked in surprise, “Really? When?”

“At the party. Some guy named Lewis. He isn’t in my class, though. He’s a year or two younger.”

Nuiz whistled and glanced at James. “That was quick.”

“Guess I didn’t mean anything to her,” He shrugged. “Your first love isn’t the person that you love first, Nuiz. It’s the first person that breaks your heart.” Nuiz nodded at his words and took note. “Did she ever break your heart?”

James was quiet for a second before shrugging and saying, “You know what, I don’t know. We were bound to break it off sooner or later. She’d been hooking up with other people before me.”

Nuiz didn’t know what to say so she kept her mouth shut. “Nobody wants to be with somebody who’s been with everybody,” She said.

James looked at her and smiled, “I guess I have a junior who knows a lot more things than I do.”

…

The two of them reached school half an hour before the bell rang which was pretty good timing for Nuiz. The two of them walked into school as if it was Nuiz and her brother. The whole hall looked at them with eyebrows raised.

James and Nuiz stopped talking and walking. They looked at each other and blushed red. “I-I’m going now. Walk with you after school?”  He stammered as he blushed harder. Nuiz covered her face with her hair and stammered back, “Y-yeah. I’ll text you.”

And with that, James walked over to his locker and Nuiz walked over to hers. Luna, another friend of hers, was at her locker with a mischievous grin. “What?” Nuiz asked, not looking at her friend. The hall went back to normal but Luna was still keeping that annoying grin. She leaned on the locker next to Nuiz’s and Nuiz shut hers and raised an eyebrow.

“So,” Luna finally spoke. “You dating Miller now?”  Nuiz rolled her eyes and said, “I’m so not dating James Miller. He’s my senior, he’s my brother’s friend. In fact, the only reason I walked with him today was because Zaid asked me to!”

Luna did an irritating slow nod and Nuiz groaned in annoyance. “That’s what they all say.” Luna jumped off the locker she was leaning on and walked away, her voice trailing. “See you in the cafeteria for breakfast! Syazee's home sick today so I'll be your breakfast person." 

Sooo skipping breakfast today. 

Nuiz rolled her eyes and suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She took out her phone and saw a text from James.

Sorry. It said.

Don’t sweat it. She texted back. She held her chemistry book to her chest and walked to class.

As she walked, she bumped into somebody. It was one of her seniors. His glasses fell and so did the books they both were carrying. Nuiz gasped and got on the floor to help him.

“I’m so sorry,” She said, picking up his books for him. He got on the floor as well and started picking up his things. Nuiz saw his glasses and her heart skipped a beat.

Harry Potter glasses.

She looked at the guy she bumped into and saw that he had messy brown hair. He deliberately combed his hair to his face so that Nuiz couldn’t see it. Without thinking twice, Nuiz pushed his hair away.

She saw a freckled face under that lock of messy hair and hazel eyes. The two locked eyes for a second before he picked up his glasses and ran away.

“Hey!” Nuiz yelled, trying to catch up with him. She swiftly picked up her books and ran to find him. But it was too late. He’d gone out of sight and the bells rung. Nuiz walked to her classroom in the empty halls.

“A minute early and I could’ve found Git Gud.” She mumbled to herself, looking down at her thick chemistry books. She saw something sticking out of it. It was a note.

That was close.

Git Gud.

…

To be continued in: James Miller?