- Chapter 2 The Chance -

“What are you laughing at!?” Jennie asked, smiling, when she noticed Austin was staring at her as he laughed. Austin didn’t reply but instead laughed even more. He couldn’t stop laughing because for some reason, there was always this urge to laugh whenever he looked at Jennie.

Jennie looked annoyed. Her best friends, Kelly, Phoebe and Shannon, were standing by the door beside her. They couldn’t helped but smile at Austin as they shook their heads. They had been best friends since their freshman years and they seemed to be inseparable. The four of them liked to be together all the time, having girl-to-girl talks. Shannon was the most attractive one in the group, because she had the dimples. She always made Austin smile because she always thought that she was a model. Heck, to Austin, she did had the potential to be one because she had the height. She was even a couple of inches taller than Austin! And Austin always teased the way she laughed. There was something different about it. A laugh that Austin never heard before. It was unique.

Kelly, on the other hand, was the moody type. Although she was not that pretty like Shannon, but Austin thought she was attractive, in a way. Maybe because she appealed to him. He liked her ways. Especially the way she talked. She was kinda cool. The same goes for Jennie and Phoebe. They were always laughing with her friends, especially with Austin for no particular reasons.

“Okay, okay… Sorry Jen!” Austin apologized, declining his laughter. Jennie laughed. Her friends beside her couldn’t resist but to laugh together.

“What?” Austin asked. He was sitting in the teacher’s chair. From there he could see the view of the whole class. He could see his three close friends, Kevin, Cory and Calvin, talking at one side of the classroom. They looked content.

“Nothing!” Jennie answered. She laughed again and then Austin joined her. Vivian who was observing Austin and Jennie’s strange behavior approached them.

“Why are you laughing?” She asked. She looked confused. Austin and Jennie laughed even harder. “Sheesh, you guys. You don’t even know why you’re laughing!”

“Well he started it!” Jennie confessed in between her laughter.

“Hey Vi! It’s just one way of exercising, you know. A TV show said that a hundred laughs is the same as 10 minutes of exercise. Well, I’d say it’s cool. I can exercise without even breaking a sweat.” Austin explained.

“So, could you explain how do you count your laughter?” Vivian asked. Austin hesitated and frowned, thinking what to answer her then.

"Well, who cares about counting. You just have to laugh a lot for at least ten minutes. Then it’s a hundred laughs!” Austin answered. That was the only logical answer he could give because he didn’t know how to count laughter. The TV show apparently didn’t tell him how to count it.

“Very funny. The only person I know who could laugh that long and more is you!” Vivian said.

“Why, thank you for noticing Vi!” Austin said. He laughed even more now. His face was all red. It was true though. Austin liked to laugh a lot. Breaking Cory’s record. Cory used to hold the longest laughing record for a year. At least, until Austin came and broke it.

Vivian couldn’t resist the lame joke, so she laughed along with Jennie and Austin. Their classmates around them just smiled and shook their heads. Vivian was also Austin’s classmate who could easily laugh. Austin always admired her because she was the brains of the class. They also had a lot of things in common, such as they were both bookworms and like entertainment so much.

Moments later, Justine, Melanie, Tori and Sara – the Fantastic Four, Austin called, stepped into the class.

“Hi guys!” they said. Jennie, Austin and Vivian slowed down their laughter when the four came. Their faces were red from laughing a lot, with Austin being the reddest among all three of them. Maybe it was because of his fair complexion. Same goes for Vivian. The four girls who just came stopped by the teacher’s table, surprised to see their red faces.

“What happened to your faces?” Justine asked, shaking her head. Laughter from the other side of the class could be heard. Definitely Cory’s.

“They were laughing.” Shannon answered.

“What were you laughing about anyway?” Justine questioned them again.

And again Shannon answered, “Absolutely nothing.”

Justine and the three girls just looked surprised, shaking their heads.

“You guys, I don’t know what happened to you. Laughing without any reason…” Justine said. “But I appreciate having you guys as my classmates because it would be boring without laughter in around here.” She began to smile. The other three girls didn’t seemed like they had anything to say so they just smiled. The four of them then began to return to their own seats.

“Hi Sara!” Austin said when she passed the teacher’s table.

“Hi!” Sara said. Austin didn’t know why he likes to say something to Sara. Maybe he likes her. Maybe more than that.

But he wasn’t sure if the feeling inside of him was true. Could he be having a crush on her? But what about Cher? Yeah, maybe it was true. He may have a crush on Sara too. He just didn’t realized it earlier. Austin hadn’t got the slightest idea why he have a crush on Sara. Most of the girls in his class are cute. Especially Justine. She was the cutest of all the nine girls in the class. And yet, he likes Sara.

Sara had a fair complexion on her face and whenever she blushed, her face would instantly turn pink. She was so cute. Although she was quiet when compared to the other girls but she was still out going. Austin liked that kind of girls. Melanie and Tory… well, they were just like Justine. Austin wasn’t really keen to ‘mess’ with them, the two of them were the serious kind, especially Melanie. Sara was the right one.

In the mean time of trying to get Cher to notice him, he had also tried to approach Sara. And unfortunately, everytime he tried to do that, there would always be some ‘obstructions’. Like every time he tried to talk to her, Jeff, another classmate would interfere. It was like Sara was his girlfriend, as if he owned her and won’t allow her to talk to any guys. Especially Austin.

Austin had a hunch that Jeff might knew Austin had a crush on her. That made Austin wondered whether Sara was really his girlfriend. Once, Austin asked Kelly for the truth, and fortunately, his assumptions weren’t true. But he still didn’t believe it because by the looks of their ‘relationship', they looked so friendly.

But Jeff had a girlfriend already. Justine! Everyone knows that. Why would he want another one? Austin wondered.

He never like Jeff ever since he came to the school. He hated his attitude, the playboy type, as if he owned every cute girl he can get his hands on, without giving any chance to any guys.

How many more does he wants? He already had Justine. She’s cute. Isn’t that enough?

Few minutes later, the bell rang and Mr. Peters, their homeroom and English teacher soon entered the classroom. Everyone was already ready in their seats. Mr. Peters was an Englishman with a great sense of humour. He was hilariously funny, telling every wacky stories and jokes he know to the whole class. To his favorite class. He was the one responsible in making Austin felt like he belonged in that school. Austin felt like he owed him.

Mr. Peters came to the class just to take their attendance and informed them there would be a photography exhibition in another town, fifty miles from their town. He wanted to them earlier since his class with them wasn’t till the end of the day.

“I am hereby informing you lads and lassies, that there would be a photography and art exhibition and competition next month." He said in a typical English accent. “The school would like to bring you there. A senior class would be coming as well since one of them is participating. He’s an amateur photographer.” The class instantly turned noisy. Every started to talk about it.

“Any questions?” Mr. Peters asked, ignoring the noise.

“Sir, can I participate in the photography competition since you said one of the seniors is participating as well?” Justine asked. Everyone stared at her. “What?” She asked – “Well I’m good in photography, you know!”

Everyone laughed. Even Mr. Peters.

“Of course, my dear! You most certainly can. That’s the reason why I’m telling you this.” Mr. Peters answered. Justine’s face brightened. After ten minutes of discussion, Mr. Peter went out of the class. The class was as usual noisy with laughter. Shannon even proposed herself for being Justine’s model. Everyone laughed even more.

“I wonder who could it be…” Justin asked.

“Who?” Melanie asked back.

“You know, the senior that’s participating!”

“Oh yeah…”

“I bet he’s a handsome guy. It would be great.”

Jeff looked annoyed. And Justine noticed that - “Okay… sorry! I was just kidding. Come on!” she apologized. “I don’t care who it is. But I bet he’s as handsome as you.”

Austin just managed to smile at the both of them.

Jeff? Handsome?? She’s got to be kidding! Wonder what she sees in Jeff…

It wasn’t an insult. It was the truth. Sure, Jeff was tall and fit but that is as far as it goes. There’s nothing special about him. But above all, Austin didn’t have the right to judge on people he hadn’t known very well yet though.

Maybe he was special to her. Who knows…

And at that moment, he was glad that humans can have thoughts, because he can say anything he wanted without the fear of being heard.

. . . . . . . . . .

As usual, like everyday, the five of them, Austin, Cory, Mikey, Calvin and Kevin, sat at their ‘official meeting table’ in the cafeteria. The place wasn’t as crowded as usual though.

“Guess what?” We’ll be having a trip next month for an exhibition.” Cory told Mikey, thinking it was the latest news. Everyone tried to make a straight face. Mikey looked slightly unamused and then said -

“I know. I know everything about it already. We’re going as well, unfortunately…” He gave a stern look at Cory,

“Wow, that’s great.” Cory said excitedly.

“Johnny’s participating in the competition.” Mikey informed. Austin stayed quiet.

Johnny? Yeah! That’s awesome. I should have known that it’s going to be him. This is a big chance for me to…

“Really?” Cory asked. It was like Cory and Mikey were the only ones who were there talking. The both of them kept on talking, same with Kevin and Calvin while Austin was looking around the cafeteria to ,by any chance, catch a glimpse of Cher like always. Or even Sara. Or maybe Johnny…

Then, he say the two girls he admired, Cher and Sara. With Justine, Tori and Melanie of course. They seemed to know each other and Austin just realised something.

Yes, of course! Melanie and Cher were cousins.

Then moments later, Johnny approached them and… hugged Cher.

What the…?

Austin couldn’t believe what he just saw. Johnny hugged Cher… But it could mean anything. They could be relatives, close friends or… maybe lovers!? That could be possible. Then Austin saw he shook Sara’s hand first. Then Justine’s, Tori’s and finally Melanie’s. They were smiling. They looked really friendly. They were laughing.

No, it couldn’t be. No, it means nothing. I’m not jealous. No, it’s normal. That’s okay…

Austin tried to reassure himself.

- Chapter End -

Okay so that’s the second chapter of the story The Lost Boy. Hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be up soon. Till next time then.

P/S sorry for the confusing content. Bear in mind that i was still in primary six when I first wrote this story. Which made me… 11 years old? Yup. I was still a kid so be kind please. I’m just rewriting the story I wrote a long time ago.

Don’t like it, then don’t read it. Have a nice day, you guys. XP