Enchanted by him, p.1
Enchanted By Him, page 1
ENCHANTED BY HIM
F. S. Hendricks
.
Enchanted By Him
Copyright © 2021 by F. S. Hendricks.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organiza- tions, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact :
AuthorFSHendricks@gmail.com
ISBN : 9798503445367
First Edition: August 2021
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to Samantha and R.J. Hendricks the best parents a girl could ask for.
CONTENTS
ENCHANTED BY HIM
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 1
The term “friend” is the root of great confusion in human relationships. You can meet someone once and from the start consider them your friend. Someone you meet in school, but never hang out with. Someone who you have minimal contact with but are always nice to. Someone you follow on social media. Someone who is your lifeline and knows every one of your secrets, and vice versa. “Friend” is too vague and leaves many questions unanswered. Are you always going to have my back? Do I really mean something to you, or am I simply just helping you waste spare time? Are we going to have a bond for life, a year, a month?
I think the term acquaintance is better. It shows we are civil, yet kind. This is the term I would use to describe my relationships in school. I have never been close with anyone, and yet it seems as though I have a lot of friends. I would honestly prefer to have a few good friends than a million friends who do not care about me. I often feel lost in a sea of people; as if I am a single speck of sand on a beach, invisible and unappreciated.
But my future depends on it, so I dive again into this massive sea, every weekday.
High school has been painful for me, not in a being mocked and embarrassed type of way; believe me, I know how much I must be grateful for. My pain stems from how uneventful these three and a half years have been. It seems as though I am just going through the motions with nothing to look forward to every morning. No exciting new adventures coming up. I don’t really feel any motivation to come to school whatsoever. Most girls my age have people to look forward to seeing when going to school. Maybe it is a boyfriend they are madly in love with, or maybe it is their best friend who just makes the school day more enjoyable. This isn’t the case for me, and I am constantly watching the clock waiting for the bell to ring and grant me freedom.
I stepped out of my car and locked my doors, thinking to myself, Just a few more months and then I am off to college!
I opened the doors to the main hallway and was immediately blinded by the bright fluorescent lights. I quickly made my way to my first period, just as the bell rang.
I shuffled into AP Calculus and took my seat. This class is the dread of my day. Math is just not my forte. Mr. Brown was walking down the row of seats, passing something around, which is odd because most of the time he is glued to his desk chair. He passed me a sheet with a smile that I meekly returned.
I stared down at the sheet, which turns out to be my second semester schedule. I had not given it much thought as it was going to remain the same; just like everything else in my life.
I quickly reread the schedule, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me.
My teachers and classes are all the same, but they are all out of order. Instead of being in Mr. Brown’s calculus class, I should be in Mrs. Daniel’s creative writing class.
“What the hell? What is the point of changing around my schedule if none of my classes are changing?”
“Wow, Aubree! Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Sam replied from across the row.
I liked Samantha and I would consider her one of my finer acquaintances, one I may even consider a friend, but she got it wrong. It is not that I woke up on the wrong side, it’s that I woke up at all. I feel trapped here, and this schedule change was not good news. Although I long for my life to be spontaneous, I just want to finish high school smoothly, so that I can move on to the rest of my life. I have gotten into a routine with this schedule, and that was not one of the things that I longed to change. I can barely motivate myself to step inside this place, and now my schedule is all messed up.
“I’m sorry. I honestly did not think anything would be changing for me. Do we at least still have a couple of classes together?” I asked as I passed her my schedule to compare.
“Yup, we have psych and history together.”
“Thank goodness! I can’t lose you!” I said with a big smile on my face, which caused her to roll her eyes and laugh.
The door to the classroom burst open, clattering against the wall with a bang and causing me to jump. Goosebumps pebbled my skin and a tingling skittered along the back of my neck, making me shudder. Strange.
I looked up to see a guy and girl enter the classroom. The girl looked like a model. She was a little taller than me with gorgeous, tan skin, and long, blonde hair that was curled to perfection. She was unrealistically pretty and looked like she was cut and pasted from a fashion magazine.
On one arm, a purse was in the crook of her elbow, no backpack in sight. Her heels clicked as she walked into the classroom.
But what really took my breath away was who she was standing next to. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. He was tall, around 6’3, with curly and short, dark brown hair that framed his chiseled face. His jaw ticked and his sensual mouth was pursed in displeasure. His nose was almost too perfect, but it was his eyes that were the most magnificent piece of him. Cast in a shade of sea green they sparkled with a heat that made something in me stand at attention.
As if sensing my gaze, his eyes homed in on me. We locked eyes. I quickly looked down at my desk, cheeks burning.
“Hello. Who are you two?” Mr. Brown asked the handsome stranger.
“Noah Foster, and this is Paige Bellows. Just transferred. This AP Calc?” His voice was sexy and deep and brought on another round of goosebumps.
“Yes, but we only have one empty desk so there is not enough room for both of you. Maybe there was a mistake with your schedule. I can contact the office for you, if you would like?”
Am I sitting in a desk that is now available? They sure replaced me fast. I guess they were in need of my seat, so I raised my hand.
“Mr. Brown,” I spoke up, my voice more shaky than normal. “I think I got transferred out and am now in a later period.”
“Figures, I heard the principal would be making arrangements for us,” the model said, haughtily.
My gaze quickly shot to her. Arrangements? Who does she think she is?
“What do you mean by arrangements?” I asked her as I stood up and started collecting my stuff.
Her scowl deepened as if she could not believe I had the audacity to speak to her. “Well, Miss Can’t Keep Her Nose In Her Own Business, she said they would be removing one of you so we can be in here.”
I stood in shock. I did not think I was being rude; I was just asking a question. What the hell did I do? I’d just learned of her existence ten seconds ago, and she already seemed to irrationally hate me with a passion. I looked toward Noah for help, but he was too busy observing the posters on the wall, not looking at all fazed. His bored attitude as she told me off made my heartrate rise.
“Oh. So, everyone just drops everything for you, huh? My schedule is worth alternating completely just so you can be in this class for first period?”
“Pretty much,” she sneered, and then smacked her gum, tossing her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. I just wanted to smack the sneer right off her face. I looked toward Mr. Brown for help, but Paige was suddenly in my face.
“I believe this is my seat now,” she said as she slid all my books from the desk to the floor with a loud smack and sat down.
I was seeing red, and it looked as if Mr. Perfect couldn’t be bothered to tell his little girlfriend how much of a bitch she was being. He sauntered over to the empty desk at the back and took a seat. I turned my attention back to Paige.
“Bye. There’s the door,” she said pointing a polished finger.
What an ass. I picked up my books, with as much dignity as I could muster and rushed for the doors. I would deal with her later; show her I am not the type of person to be pushed around, but for the next few minutes, I was a woman on a mission as I headed toward the main office. I may not have many friends, but I certainly have an en
Chapter 2
I pushed open the dark green office door and made my way to the counter where the receptionist sat. My breathing was ragged, and my cheeks were flushed from the jog.
“Hello. How can I help you?” asked the 40-something receptionist who wore far too much makeup.
“Hi. There seems to be an issue with my schedule. It seems I was sacrificed so a jerk could be fit in to Mr. Brown’s AP Calculus class. My entire schedule got changed around, all for her, and I think it is completely unfair.” I held out my schedule to her.
She took the paper and glanced at it. Her brows rose, emphasizing the mass of eyeshadow. She looked at me as if I were a fly that could not be caught.
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry that happened to you. But unfortunately, Ms. Dominique, who oversees schedules, is out at the moment.”
“Well, that’s just great.”
“You can fill out a schedule change form, but I am not sure they will have the time to get to you, with it being a new semester and all. They are over there,” she pointed in the vague direction of the stacks of papers that lay on a desk. “You can either fill one out, or just adapt to your new schedule, honey.”
That sure sounded like a dismissal, and I was done trying to get through to her. I had been through a lot today, and it was only 7:45am.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I walked towards the doors extremely fed up with the ways of the public school system. How could the principal be allowed to make arrangements for those two clowns if it meant sacrificing another student?
I had to be positive though, maybe this was a blessing in disguise. I would go to my classes, make it through the day, and pray I never lay my eyes on the super models again.
I was 10 minutes late to my second period and marked tardy, as the receptionist also forgot to give me a pass. Two more tardies and I would have a detention. More good news.
My usual seat I sit in when I have this class during 6th period was available, so I went ahead and sat down. Thankfully, an acquaintance of mine named Sylvia was in the next row over.
“No way! You are in this class now! I might not be so tempted to fall asleep anymore,” Sylvia said.
She was one of the prettiest girls that went to my school. She had curly blonde hair that fell in ringlets around her heart-shaped face. She had a smile that made boys instantly fall in love with her, and to top it all off she was… wait for it… nice. Compared with my wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin, she looked like a model. Her eyes were electric blue, and she always had guys following her everywhere.
“Yup! Two new students got me kicked out of my calculus class. At least you are here though. I don’t think I could make it through another semester of physics if you weren’t.”
“Oh! Are they the ones who look like they just got here straight off a plane from New York’s Fashion Week?”
“Yeah, they are alright, I guess. Their names are Paige Bellows and Noah Foster.”
“Noah; that is such a good name! Man, he is a looker! Do you think Paige is his girlfriend, or is he still single?”
“I don’t know, they looked pretty close, but I’m sure if he is available, he will be all over you by the end of the week.”
She laughed off my comment but pulled out her phone to check her hair and makeup. I turned and focused on the teacher up front. We would be taking notes and then doing a lab. It was the perfect distraction to get my thoughts off the school’s new hottest couple.
Chapter 3
Two more periods and then I would be free.
I walked into the cafeteria with Samantha by my side. I was hungry, but if the food was as disgusting as normal, I wasn’t sure I’d be eating.
“What do they have today?” Samantha asked as she handed me a tray and moved up in the line. “Maybe meatless meat? I’m going to stick with the salad.”
She picked up a salad, a water, and slid her tray over on the metal counter to the cashier.
“I’m sticking with prepackaged PB&J, and chocolate milk. It’s the only thing here that they didn’t get their hands on,” I said, and Samantha giggled, but the cashier gave me a side eye look.
I gave her a meek smile, paid, then walked over to our usual table.
Samantha and I typically sat with Jessica, Carly, and Kristy. I didn’t really talk much to any of the other girls, since they were mainly Samantha’s friends, not mine. I did chip in every now and then, and I liked all of them.
Samantha and I set our trays down on the lunch table and were greeted by the girls as we sat down.
“Hey guys! How’s your first day back?” Kristy asked.
“Absolutely fantastic!” Samantha replied, chipper as ever.
“It’s been ok. I got a schedule change for no reason, and this bitch ruined my morning,” I replied.
Samantha perked up, “Oh, come on! Ignore her and tell them about the piece of eye candy we were blessed enough to witness.”
I just rolled my eyes as all the girls tuned in to hear about this new hot guy. Our school was in a small town in North Carolina. All of us have pretty much grown up together. So, if there was a change in the daily routine everyone was intrigued.
“A newbie, Noah Foster,” Samantha told them.
She had a sparkle in her eye when she spoke his name and I stopped myself from laughing. She rattled off a description of him, spending way too much time talking about his plump lips and hypnotizing eyes.
“Oh! I think I heard about him! My friend Jasmine said that he walked in and instantly became Ms. Lola’s new favorite student. She even blushed when he looked at her!” Kristy eagerly stated.
“What? She is like 40!” I shouted out.
This guy really knew how to get on everyone’s good side, besides mine. He didn’t even bat an eyelash at the way Paige was treating me. Almost as if I weren’t worth a lick of his time.
“Yeah,” Kristy continued, “she even asked him where he wanted to sit, and you know how she is with assigned seats.”
It’s true. I once got a detention because I was not in my assigned seat when we were working on a partner project. Apparently, to communicate we had to shout across the room. Pointless.
“He’s in my 4th period!” Jessica piped in. “We were supposed to be taking a test, and then Noah recommended we watch a movie instead. The teacher said, ‘No test this week,’ but popped in Sky High for us to watch instead! It was amazing! I could have kissed him. I didn’t study at all!”
The girls began laughing and stated all the other things they would do to Noah. I wanted nothing to do with their discussion. I turned as the lunch doors opened, and in came Noah with the group of “it” boys. The back of my neck began to tingle. I rubbed it a few times, anxious to make the feeling go away.
“Speak of the devil,” I murmured.
“Oh my gosh! There he is!” Jessica said in a stage-whisper.
I was observing him as he interacted with Jackson and his crew as if they had known each other for a lifetime. He was hot; I would have to give him that. He was tall, strong, and lean. He would be my exact type if it were not for his personality. He had this air about him that made him seem like he wanted everyone to bow down to him.
I wondered where Paige was, probably off tormenting another innocent student.
Kristy openly gawked at him, pulling a laugh from me and Jessica. “He’s just so hot! How is that humanly possible?” Kristy asked.
When I looked back at Noah, we locked eyes again and his carefree smile disappeared, replaced instead with a smug smirk, and a harsh stare. He winked at me, and then began talking to Jackson, without taking his eyes of me. I quickly looked away and busied myself by playing with my carton of chocolate milk. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and awareness was stirring in every part of me.
“Wow. He is beautiful,” Jessica stated.
“I don’t even understand how a human can look that perfect! Maybe he’s a vampire and that is how he keeps his skin looking the way it is,” I announced, and distracted them for a moment from the eye candy.
A few minutes later, when I braced myself to look up, Noah and his group went to go sit down at a table and I noticed an ice cream sandwich in his left hand.
