02- What the F is String Theory!?




My first few weeks at school Aurora was everyone's favorite pastime. She was a high school soap that all the students were obsessively tuned into. There wasn't a day she didn't make an appearance on The Dirty. The post ranged from conversations she'd said, her Instagram photos, to more scandalous photos of her flirting with a rival school's football player. There were photos of her playing soccer, lifeguarding, or reading a freakin' book. Eventually, I gave in to the madness. I couldn't help it. When in Rome does as the Romans do.


The Dirty was Kris and Katie's favorite, and I'd grown close to them. Because of the new school, I had time to hang out with my new friends. We ate out together, went to the movies and the mall. People couldn't say one of our names without the other two. That's inaccurate, they said Kris and Katie's names, they called me Kris and Katie's friend.


They had this whole soulmate-best-friends-forever type deal. I was happy to feel included, even as the third wheel. One of Katie's and Kris's favorite topics to talk about was James—when her boyfriend wasn't around of course.


They were always scheming on ways to get his attention. I couldn't help but get a caught up in their scheming and I started to vie for this attention as well. We'd do things like "accidentally" bump into him the halls. Or maneuver him as class partners or try to sit next to him at school assemblies. We even went to his games and made posters.


As a result of Katie's major crush on him, I would have to listen to Katie rant on her dislike for Aurora, the roadblock in her path to James. I didn't join in on these hate rants. It wasn't my style, but listening is like a slow killing poison. It turns your opinion towards someone toxic. You don't realize it's happening until it's too late.


I didn't hate Aurora, but I didn't like her either. I believed most, if not all the rumors about her. And I began to idealize her like the rest of the school. It wasn't until I met her that everything changed.


The second semester of my junior year is already two weeks in. I'm sitting alone at a black-topped science table in the far back of my AP Physics I class. I'm trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, which isn't hard for me to do.


I'm silently praying the teacher won't call on me or ask me a question. Science isn't my subject and always took extra effort. I'm barely passing by with a B and my grades were dangerously dropping close to a C. You might be thinking sarcastically OMG a C, but my grades are my everything. I couldn't get an academic scholarship with a C. Getting a C meant no college and the end of my world.


I attempt to be as invisible as possible, I slump in my seat and try not to make any fast movements. The door opens behind me. Mr. Smith, my physics teacher, announces a class transfer student. I don't look up to see who it is. It's odd for someone to transfer mid-semester into an AP class. How would they be able to keep up? I'm still not curious enough to look, I'm still pretending to be invisible.


If you don't move they won't call on you, it's a hard fact. Then to my dismay, I feel the chair next to me pull out. I groan internally I do not want a lab partner. Sitting next to me automatically assigned the newcomer as my lab partner for the rest of the semester. I don't feel like having someone asking me questions while I'm trying to concentrate. And I definitely don't want this person taking credit for my work in the so-called "lab partner" projects.


The first thing I notice is the smell. Fresh strawberries and flowers on a spring day; clean and delicious. A bit like opening the shampoo bottle before washing your hair. It's strong at first but eventually fades to a subdued aroma. My new partner is a girl and smells amazing, but I have yet to look at her.


It's not until I notice my classmates making furtive glances towards me that I realize something is terribly wrong. It's not me they are staring at but my new physics partner.


It's like a horror movie. The one where the girl is showering and is oblivious to the silhouetted psycho holding a bloody knife behind the curtain. She is washing her hair, eyes closed and enjoying herself. Then she shuts the shower off and turns to open the curtain. Boo! She dies a screaming horrific stabby death.


I feel like I'm apart of the audience watching the unsuspecting girl slowly pull back the shower curtain. I can tell where this scene is leading and I don't want to look. My heart starts to race in panic. Suddenly, it occurs to me that I'm not in the audience, I am the shower girl.


First, I gaze down at her notebook, she doesn't have a laptop. There are equations scribbled along the pages. If it's physics, it's not something we've gone over in class. It looks like an alien language.


I think she notices my ogling because she turns her notebook to a blank page and jots the date at the top. I take a deep breath and decide to take the plunge. I look at my new physics partner and smile like a goofball. It's this sweetly obnoxious grin the comes out when I'm nervous or think I might be in trouble. It's awkward but I physically can't help it; it's a defense mechanism. It's all teeth and no smize.


She stares at me. Her on-fleek eyebrows pinch together in the middle of her forehead in either confusion or curiosity; I'm not sure which. Then Aurora smiles back. It's casual and slow; a creeper. Starting off on the left side of her mouth first and then her lips gradually even out to reveal a set of straight pearly whites. It brightens her face making her even more gorgeous.


While my smile is too big and toothy, her smile is relaxed and confident. Oh, and she is smiling with her eyes. Tyra Banks would be proud. Aurora's eyes are grey and stormy, a striking contrast to her dark hair and olive skin. And despite their icy color her eyes are both inviting and warm. Light laughter lines trace the corner of her almond eyes and a small dimple sits on her right cheek. If I had thought she was beautiful from afar, up close there were no words to describe her now.


I continue to stare into her face. You know the feeling when a cute guy walks past and your eyes momentarily meet. Your heart starts to flutter in your chest and you feel like your heat is rising. If I didn't know any better, the feelings I'm having are suspiciously close to that. I've never questioned my sexuality before but suddenly...She could ask me for my laptop and I gladly hand it over and then ask if she wanted anything else.


To say I can be socially awkward at times is an understatement. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize I'm still smiling at her. I decide to make conversation if only to remove the grin off my face. I motion to her notebook and whisper.


"What are you a rocket scientist? That didn't look like physics." The moment I say it I want to pull it back but it's too late. Why am I such a dork? Rocket scientist, really?


She lets out a quiet nervous laugh and covers her notebook with her hand. Then she tucks some hair behind her ear to hide the motion.


"It's Organic Chem....it's the worst." Aurora smiles and whispers back. She reaches her hand out for me to shake, "My names Aurora. I don't think we've met."


I look down at her still waiting hand, I'm going to have to shake it. I do a mental sweaty palm check, they are damper then I would like. I discretely wipe my hands on my jeans and shake hers. Her hand is cold and not in the least bit sweaty.


I promptly let go and whisper, "No, we haven't. Nice to meet you."


I turn back to the teacher who is lecturing on Newton's First Law. I mentally facepalm. I am awkward AF, I forgot to give her my name. As if she knows who I am. Feeling rather clever, I type my name out on my laptop, as if I'd planned too all along. I scoot the computers towards her for her to see. She nods then writes down on her notebook.


"I know. You're Kris and Katie's friend, right?"


Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. Aurora knows who I am, in what universe does a girl like her know about me. And I can't help but ask more.


I type out, "You know them?"


She surprises me. Instead of writing on her notepad, she leans against me. Aurora is close enough that I can smell her sweet aroma again and I notice it's coming from her hair. Her left arm presses against my arm and with the other she reaches over to type on my laptop keyboard.


I'm not used to people getting in my personal space. If I wasn't already having a mild panic attack, it's full-blown now. She'd broken my bubble so deliberately I wonder if she is doing it on purpose. Aurora pulls back and I read what she has typed.


"Kris is hilarious, I wish I could get to know him better. He seems interesting. I've seen his acapella group, they're amazing."


Then below that, five words, part of an incomplete sentence. "Katie on my track team"


I almost burst out in laughter. She clearly knew what was up. I pointed to the small blurb about Katie on my screen. I look at her and I can't help but smile. A real one this time. She looks at me with mock surprise and shrugs her shoulders. I know, that she knows, that I knew what was up with Katie. And she'd indicated so without saying a single negative word or bad mouthing my friend.


She lifts one eyebrow and wiggles it suggestively. That does it, the dam breaks and we both burst out into uncontrollable laughter. I'm not sure why it's not that funny. I think it was because we are on the same wavelength. I couldn't even be embarrassed when everyone turned to look at us, including the teacher.


"Alright, ladies keep it down or I'll move you two. Is there something humorous you want to share with the class?"


His comment was like experiencing the ice bucket challenge all over again and shuts me up quick. Not Aurora she continues to snicker.


"Apologizes, Mr. Smith. We were discussing Murphy's Law for string theory. Isn't it funny how if you manage to make a mistake in a mathematical superstring calculation, another one will show up somewhere else?"


I look at Aurora in confusion along with the rest of the class, not understanding the joke in the least bit. I don't know if it was the exact joke. I might be missing the punch line. Who knows? Either way, Mr. Smith snorts and begins to chuckle and Aurora joins him in what appears to be genuine laughter. I glance over at Aurora in surprise. She turns and slyly winks at me. Who was this girl? And how did she effortlessly pull off a wink, I always looked like I was having a mini-seizure when I attempted it. And what the fork is string theory?


Mr. Smith clears his throat. "I'm sure that's exactly what you ladies were discussing. Next time..." I tune him out as questions about the anomaly of the girl sitting next me fill my head. This couldn't be the same girl who was always on The Dirty, the girl who Katie was always complaining about. This girl was friendly and well...funny.



TBC....thanks for reading, Lovelies. Please leave feedback and vote.

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