Mr. Hatchel was still talking when the bell rung, but I didn't care. I was the first person to stand up and start packing up. Well, actually, I was the ONLY person to stand up. What wrong with these people? Don't they know what a bell means? "Oh, Miss Drake. The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do," Mr. Hatchel said as he turned away from the chalkboard. Seriously? He's one of those teachers? "Well, then what's the point of the bell?" I challenged, putting my bag over one of my shoulders. I heard a few people snicker, including Lauren, and a couple of "amen"s were said. I could tell they came from the group of guys that whistled at me. Mr. Hatchel, however, was not amused. "I only need a moment more of your time, so have a seat, Miss Drake," he said as he pulled down his outdated glasses so they were at the tip of his nose. Why do people do that? It just makes them look stupid, not intimidating. I rolled my eyes as I sat back down, but I made a mental note that Mr. Hatchel sucked. After talking for another three minutes, he finally dismissed us, and I was beyond irritated. I only had five minutes left, out of the original ten that I had, to find my next class. I was one of the first out the door, and I heard Lauren yell a "bye" out to me. I gave her a small wave as I entered the hall, but then I stopped. "Hey, Lauren! Could you show me where room 404 is?" I asked, running back into the room. She looked up from her desk, still packing up. Her perfect eyebrows scrunched up as her face turned into a small frown. "I wish I could, but that's on the other side of school, and my next class is just next door," she said. I could tell she didn't want to disappoint me, even though we just met. Yeah, I like this girl. I shot her a smile before letting her know it was okay. It wasn't her fault I'm clueless. She shouldn't have to be late just to help me out. I wouldn't want her to be. As I turned back around, I almost walked right into a wall. Well, I thought it was a wall, until I realized I was looking at a white t-shirt. But, I'm sure walking into it, it would have felt like a wall. "Oh, my bad," I said, looking up at the curly blonde boy looking down at me. He had a small grin on his face that made me smile back at him. "I could show you where room 404 is if you want," he offered. "Really?! That'd be great! Thanks!" As we walked down the halls, I couldn't help but notice a few stares, but I knew it was just because I was new; or maybe it was because of who I was walking with. Feeling a need to boost my ego, I settled on the former. But it was fine because in a couple of days, no one would even care. Looking at my watch, I saw that I had a little more than three minutes before I'd be late. "Hey, you're not going to be late to class because of this, are you?" I wondered. I hated inconveniencing people. He just smiled, a small laugh escaping his mouth. "I'll be fine. I'm headed this direction anyway," he stated. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get in trouble or something." "I won't. I promise," he laughed, grinning at me. He had perfect white teeth, and I wasn't sure how I didn't notice that he was incredibly attractive. His dark brown eyes were so friendly and inviting. I wished I was taller, so I didn't have to rely on him looking at me to see his face clearly. But, looking around, I could tell I wasn't the only girl who thought so. I was getting shot daggers by quite a few girls as we walked past them. Luckily, I didn't really care, but I did make a mental note to focus on friendship. Besides, this guy probably wasn't even interested in me like that. This guy? I should probably learn his name. "Hey, you know my name, right?" I asked, watching him, but remembering to look back in front of me every few seconds to make sure I didn't walk into anything. "Now, Natalie, don't you think it's a little conceited to assume I'd know your name? I mean, we just met!" he joked, chuckling as I rolled my eyes, although I wasn't at all annoyed. He had a cute laugh, and face, and sense of style, and...I was literally rambling in my mind; I didn't know I could do that. "Haha, very funny. Don't you think I should know your name?" I pressed, crossing my arms as he stopped in front of a door. "I'm Riley," he answered. "And this is room 404." I looked at the number over the door, and sure enough, it said, "404." I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed to say goodbye to Riley, but I was sure I'd see him in the halls or in homeroom. "Thanks. It was nice meeting you!" I said as I waved him goodbye. He nodded his head at me as I opened the door. Walking into the classroom, I saw a few faces I recognized from Homeroom, but I also saw a face that made my fists ball up. Sitting at the table in the far right corner of the room was the egghead that stole my parking spot. He made eye contact with me, and then looked forward at the chalkboard, his expression just as emotionless as before. Is he trying to act like he doesn't recognize me?! Because I sure as heck recognize him, with his stupid face. I started walking to the only other table that was empty...the one in front of him. It was just my luck that nobody wanted to sit infront of that green-eyed jerk, but I couldn't blame them. Taking my seat, my eyes locked onto who was walking past me.