"Hey."

I turned around to see a brooding guy, as tall as a coconut tree poking my shoulder to get my attention. I don't know his name but I have seen him in my classes. His small pebble eyes, which almost seem like they don't get enough sleep, are always glaring at the clock to tick to the end of the lecture. 

"Hi." I smiled.

"I'm Matthew." He offered the most amiable smile he could. "You live in the fifty-two downtown street right?"

"Ya, I do. By the way, I'm Ian."

The students flocked in the corridors to exit their classes as fast as they could. After all, one week of freshman year was enough to make the students realize that high school isn't all glamour and sex as they portray in TV shows and movies. Heck, the actors who play high schoolers in those series aren't even teenagers.

"Nice to meet you," Matthew said as we were pushed along with the crowd toward the exit gates. "Actually, I realized we live in the same neighborhood. I saw you a few weeks ago shifting into Mrs. Baker's house."

"Oh ya. But you live there too? I never saw you around." I searched my brain if I had seen his grumpy fox face anywhere outside the high school. 

He laughs, scratching his thin eyebrow. "You will never see me when the sun shines. I'm mostly out after ten. It's when my friends are mostly available."

"For what? To suck blood?" I threw a wild ball, uncertain if Matthew would catch it. Most people can't keep up with my humor.

"No, no, I'm certainly not a vampire nor in any cult." We laughed. 

He caught the ball with precision.

"Anyways, I actually wanted a favor from you. If you don't mind..." Matthew trailed off.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Um, you know that bridge? The Wilson Bridge?"

"Yeah. I always take that bridge."

"Same. Because it's the only way to school."

I nod. Matthew looked agitated, not meeting my eye. However, I was not sure about that as our eye levels had a huge gap between them. My direct vision was his chest. I don't know how a fourteen-year-old kid could be this tall. On my part, I believed I have more years to increase my growth and height and I certainly will.

"So can we, from now on, go together? Like go to school and come back together?" Matthew asked and I raised a brow. "I-I-I'm just you know... I just don't like that bridge."

"So you're scared of the bridge?"

He sighed. "In better words, yeah."

I bit my inner cheeks. I shouldn't laugh. The poor boy came to me for some help and the last thing I wanted to do was laugh in his face about his fears. 

I turned around to suppress my tickling laughter as I said, "Sure, c'mon."

At that time, I thought we would be just acquaintances who cycle to school and back home together. But who knew, it would just take days before we become inseparable and soon, oxygen to each other.

***