"Nice to meet you."

I was sleeping. Actually, I was dreaming but an annoying shrill sound seems to echo around the room, disturbing the peace of my sleep.

"What the hell is making that noise?" I muttered to myself.

Then, I heard it again – that sound. It was my alarm clock beeping.

I groaned. The smell of freshly laundered sheets wafted up to my nostrils as I sat up in bed, still half-asleep. I had completely forgotten that I had set my alarm clock for this early in the morning.

It was 6 AM, and I had to get up and get ready for school.

The sound of birds chirping outside my window added to the peaceful atmosphere of my bedroom.

I stretched my hand to the bedside table and hit the snooze button on the alarm clock.

'Just 10 minutes and I should be fine.'

I went back to bed and tried to get a few more minutes.

The shrill ringing of the alarm clock jolted me out of my sleep again.

'Oh…..not again. Is it 10 minutes already?' I asked myself.

I opened my eyes and looked around my bedroom. The sun was streaming in through my window.

'Wait…. Sun? What's the time?' I asked myself as realization dawned on me.

7:30 AM.

'Oh shit! I'm gonna be late.'

I cursed no one or nothing in particular as I hurried out of bed to get ready. I quickly did my morning workout routine, the cool tile floor sent shivers up my spine, and then hit the bathroom.

As I was brushing my teeth, I heard the alarm clock beeping again. I was annoyed. I thought I had silenced the alarm. It felt like my day was starting on the wrong foot and I was already feeling grumpy and tired.

This is my last year in high school and today is the first day of resumption.

'How did I wake up late? Arrrgh!!!!!!'

The sound of water rushing over my body drowned out all other noises as I took a quick shower. I hurriedly got dressed.

Looking in the mirror, a young man in blue jeans with a white polo shirt and a blue jacket stared back.

'That should do.'

I took my bag I had packed the day before and hurried downstairs.

As I walked into the kitchen, I was greeted by the sight of a steaming plate of pancakes topped with melting butter and syrup. The aroma of maple syrup and crispy bacon filled the air, making my stomach growl with hunger.

My mother was busy at the stove, flipping eggs, and sausage patties and humming a tune under her breath.

My father isn't around anymore. Died 3 years ago and that's part of the reason we moved to Los Angeles, to take over his business here. So it's just two of us.

"Morning Mom." I greeted her cheerfully as I entered the dining room.

"Good morning honey," she replied with a warming smile that reminded me of her love.

"How come you didn't wake me up, mom? I'm late."

She smiled and said, "You are all grown up now. You'll get used to it." Then, she added, "You're lucky that I had more time to prepare breakfast before you woke up!"

Now my mom has been very adamant. I had told her to get a chef to handle the cooking, after all there's more than enough money than she can spend - perks of being married to a billionaire. But she said she prefers doing it herself.

I finished my breakfast as quickly as I could. Once finished, I didn't have the time to start looking for my mom.

"I'm off mum," I shouted and she suddenly emerged from the dining room.

I quickly placed a kiss on her cheeks and took off immediately but not before catching a glimpse of her smile. 

"Take care of yourself." She said aloud so I can hear her. 

"And you too, mum," I shouted back as I closed the front door. I went to the garage and climbed on my bike.

I took off down the street, the cool morning air rushing past me as I accelerated faster. The smell of exhaust fumes from passing cars filled my nostrils, and the sound of my tires on the road drowned out all other sounds.

I leaned into the turns, feeling the wind in my hair and the exhilaration of the ride. As I flew down the road, the world around me became a blur, and all that mattered was the rush of the ride.

After a few close calls, I got to school and it was really a typical 1st day after the summer break.

Everybody wanted to catch up on what happened over the break and everybody talked about how much fun they had during vacation.

After parking my bike, I closed my eyes for a split second to enjoy the breeze blowing on my face.  The sun was shining, not too bright, the atmosphere was lively, a bit loud, and I could tell this year is going to be great. 

"Feels good, uhn?"

 I heard that all familiar voice say. I slowly opened my eyes to see who it was, and there he was- standing in front of me with that same crooked smile.

"Hello, buddy," Sam said, pulling me into a tight hug.

Sam has been my best friend since I moved to Los Angeles and I was more than glad to see him. It had been a while since I'd seen him as he had to travel 2 weeks ago before the summer break ended. And I have really missed his company.

'Not that I'm gonna tell him that anyways.'

We started walking around the school, having no destination in mind while we caught up on activities we did during the summer vacation. It was good to have him around again. 

"Ray, check out that girl," Sam said, giving me a small nudge and nodding in her direction.  I followed his eye movement and standing alone on the lawn was a beauty.

She should be around 5 ft 6 inches tall, give or take. She had jet-black hair that cascaded down her back, piercing blue eyes like the oceans, and a smile that would make the sun jealous.

Sam elbowed me in the ribs. "Seems someone has found a girlfriend, you're drooling." He said while grinning sheepishly. 

"Shut up. " I said, playfully punching him in the arm. "I was just looking."

"Uh-huh, sure you are. " He said, winking at me.

"Moreover, you know I don't do relationships," I added.

"Yeah, yeah. But you'll not end up a priest. Not on my watch." Sam said patting me on my shoulder.

There's no arguing with Sam, he always has a response waiting. Instead, I watched as the girl looked around for a while. Seems she's lost or needs direction.

"She looks like someone who might need our help. Come on, let's go" Sam said and before I had the time to argue, he was already pulling me as we approached the new girl.

"Hi, my name is Sam and this is my best friend, Ray. Are you okay? Do you need our help? " He asked her in that sweet voice of his which made me hate him even more for doing this to me.

My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears but then again maybe it was just because the girl's eyes were as blue as the ocean and I could feel myself drowning in them.

 "Um, no I'm okay. Thank you though. Just a little lost, that's all. " she said with a shy smile and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Well, let us help you then. Where are you trying to go? " Sam asked her and she replied. "The Principal's Office. I'm a transfer student and need to drop some documents."

"Oh. Ray would really love to help. I would have loved to but I suddenly need to visit the gents. See you around" He said running off.

Before I could mutter any form of protest, Sam was gone, leaving me alone with her. 'She's just a girl,' I told myself.

"So, what's your name? " I asked her. "My name is Mia. Mia Anderson. What's yours? " she said and smiled at me again and I felt my heart beat even faster than before if that was possible.

"Um, Ray. Ray Scott. Nice to meet you, Mia, " I stammered but managed to say as calmly as possible while shaking her hand.

It was only a few seconds but I can tell it lasted more than that, sending a weird sensation through my body that made me shiver slightly.

'Weird sensation? That's new.'

"Nice to meet you too, Ray. " She smiled at me again and I felt my heart skip a beat yet again.

"Come on, let's get moving before class starts," I said, leading the way.

"Thanks." She said softly

I knew what Sam had in mind and I'm gonna disappoint him. I smiled to myself.

Not to come off as being rude, I decided to engage her in small talk

"So, how long have you been in town?".

"Oh, about two weeks." She replied.

"Cool, so what do you think of the place so far?".

"It's alright. Everyone seems nice, I haven't really been around. It's totally different from the quiet town I'm used but I'm getting used to it." She said.

We arrived at the Principal's Office and I knocked on the door.

"Come in." Mr . Blaise called.

I opened the door and we stepped in. The Principal was seated behind his desk. He was a funny-looking man and most students love to joke about how he's namesake with the famous Blaise Pascal but have no affinity for anything electronic. Except for his mobile phone though.

The bell rang and before I could say anything, Mia already knew.

"Don't worry. I've got it from here. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate your help." She smiled and nodded assuring me she'll be fine.

"I guess I'll see you around then., I  replied.

"Sure."

I greeted Mr . Blaise and left the office. Immediately I got to the hallway I sprinted to my first class of the day, Physics.