'Don't judge a book by its cover'

As we start this new school year...

Some of us are here for the first time, trying to find their marks.

While some of us are already used to this place, trying to survive the High school years.

And some of us are starting their last year, making decisions that will shape their future.

In the end, all of us are just trying to discover who we are and what we want.

And since the start of a new year is synonymous with new beginnings, learning new things, and seeing things under new perspectives, we can maybe find out more about us by being more open-minded.

Let's see beyond the appearances, dig deeper under the covers of looks, gossips, labels... and take time to really know who and what is inside and around us.

Maybe you will be surprised...

The 'coolest' guy could turn out to be a science genius.

The crazy old lady next door may have been a glamorous actress in her young days.

The 'golden boy' could be more shallow and selfish than you think.

The shy quiet girl may surprise you with unexpected talents.

An 'uncool' activity could become your favorite hobby, or even your whole career.

A path you take every day will maybe amaze you by passing by a lovely flower, a dazzling smile, or a cute puppy.

An old enemy could turn into your new best friend – I'm not sure about this one, but you will never know if you never try!

Actually, you would probably not believe who I am behind my pen...

...

"Ah! The silent voice! It's good shit!"

I jump when a voice over my shoulder pulls me out of my reading. My eyes as wide as a deer caught in the headlights, I turn around to be met by Alex's smile. In front of my lost gaze, he nods to the newspaper in my hands: the school newspaper. I haven't had the time to read it since Monday, so when I've seen it, laying near the doorway, I've grabbed one to pass time until the teacher comes.

"You read it?" I ask surprised, talking about the school paper, but especially the 'Silent Voice' section.

"Yeah, of course! Everyone reads it! It's the only reason the school paper still works!" He shrugs.

I smile, glancing back at the words I've been lost in a few seconds ago and trying to picture him reading them.

"He or she – I don't know who this mysterious writer is – but he or she is really talented and talks about deep topics, but in an interesting way," he adds.

I nod as the teacher announces, "Okay, class, take your seats! We have a long practical work today, so let's not waste more time!"

I look at the board already covered with words and diagrams, which appear more like an impossible riddle than instructions for a lab work, and the fact than my attention is drawn toward Alex sitting at the lab bench just behind mine with one of his friends isn't helping.

The teacher starts to explain what we will do, and I quickly understand. Yet it doesn't stop the knot forming in my stomach... I don't like practicals, and practicals don't really like me either, since I'm really clumsy! Out of all the days, Lisa has had to be sick this Wednesday in particular?! She is usually my lab partner, and she does most of the practical stuff, while I do the calculations and reasonings. But, today I will have to do it all alone. Let's focus and hope I don't cause another disaster.

"No!! Don't do that!" A hand stops me – and my heart in the process – when I'm about to pour a blue substance in the beaker.

I don't even need to look to know it's Alex; I recognize the electric sparkles flying on my hand. He moves my hand softly and grabs the test tube to put it on its rack.

"You want to blow up everything?!" he asks, raising an eyebrow with an amused expression.

I gulp, knowing that sadly he's just half-joking and I could really have triggered a disaster, and I look down, biting my lip. "Practicals are not really my thing, since I—"

"Since you're Miss Clumsy Cookie!" he finishes for me, a sparkle shining in his tenebrous eyes.

I smile, shaking my head. "Yeah."

"Here, try this one. It'll be better." He hands me a tube with a transparent fluid in it.

I take it, my gaze flickering between the water-like substance and Alex's expectant eyes before I pour a few drops in the beaker. A white precipitate slowly forms inside the test tube like a gracious waltz of smoke.

I lift up my head to Alex. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" He shrugs, offering me one of his famous smirks. "If you need more help, just call me." He winks and turns back.

I swirl his words and their meaning in my head for barely a few seconds. "Er... actually...yes, maybe... for the distillation and titration... er... if you want..." I stutter, wringing my hands as I ponder again if he has just offered this out of courtesy and if I'm asking for too much.

"Yeah, of course." He smiles, answering my internal conflict easily.

He grabs his sheet of paper and sits on a stool, quickly starting to explain the experiment. His eyebrows are slightly furrowed, and his tone is serious and smooth as he explains with easy words what I already know. I can't help but smile at this sight.

"You see?" He glances back at me.

"Yeah, er... I already did the written parts." I show him my sheet, offering him a sheepish grin.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He frowns.

"Sorry, you didn't let me talk... and you looked so eager to explain. And it was kinda funny to see you so studious and serious," I admit, biting my lip. Now I kinda regret it, kinda not, yet I peer shyly at him from under my lashes to face his reaction.

He puts his hand on his chest, his eyes twinkling. "Okay, that's how you thank me for offering my help!"

"Sorry." I smile. "It's more on the practical part that I need help."

A wicked grin instantly forms on his lips. "I'm really good at practicals. I can teach you..."

I don't know if it's my nervous mind, but the innuendo dripping from his words seems pretty clear, and the blood is boiling up to my cheeks like a chemical reaction.

"Er... we should start," I suggest, avoiding his gaze.

I start to move some beakers on the table, busying my prickling hands, and, of course, I knock a phial over, the one with the skull and crossbones on it. All the blood that has rushed to my face leaves it even faster, yet thankfully, Alex catches the phial just in time.

I breathe again as he just looks at me with an unsettling twinkle in his eyes.

"You see, I'm really clumsy and that's not really a good thing near dangerous products... That's why I don't like lab works and chemistry," I explain, smiling shyly under his penetrating gaze.

He chuckles. "That's one of the reasons I love chemistry. It can be fun to play with danger." He spins the phial in his hands, while my eyes follow anxiously the twists of the bottle.

"I'm not sure... It's not really my thing. I like to play safe." I give him a half-smile.

He moves closer. "Life is boring without danger. It's more fun to flirt a little with danger. You should give it a try..." He rasps, and I don't know what catches my breath more: his devious smirk, or the intensity in his dark eyes. Anyway, my breath seems lost forever, and his hoarse words travel in a shiver down my spine.

I instinctively take a step backward to be able to breathe again.

We do the distillation pretty quickly. With someone, it's easier, and by a miracle, I don't do more disasters. Besides, once again, I notice that when we work together, it's easy and smooth. It's like we've always known each other. We don't need to talk much, just the right words to understand each other, and my nervousness disappears. Well, at least when he is not too close to me because when we are close, I feel electricity around us. It's like a chemical reaction that I can't explain through any formula or diagram. It makes all my senses awaken, my mind dizzy, and my balance point tilt towards him.

That's exactly what I feel right now, since he is standing close to me, our hands brushing, as we are doing the titration. He regulates the buret, and I watch the pHmeter. But the installation not allowing us much movement and space, my nervousness is skyrocketing. With my shaky hands and fuzzy mind, it's hard to not cause another disaster. I try to breathe slowly and silently to calm down my jumpy nerves. While, he, he looks so chill, so calm. His movements are precise as his strong arm slowly turns the tap to let the drops fall in the flask. It's actually an amazing contrast: the white of his lab coat contrasting with his dark aura, yet clearly not taking anything away from his dark, dangerous charms, as it is hugging his strong form, and his sleeves rolled up are revealing the tattoo on his forearm.

I try to focus on the pHmeter, tearing my gaze away from him.

"Stop!" I let him know when the pH soars, and he shuts the tap.

I get closer to read the graduation on the buret. "32?" I ask, always unsure of myself.

He moves closer to check, and I can feel his breath raising goosebumps on my neck. My heart leaps like the pH has done seconds ago, while my cheeks change color, and I feel like a precipitate is forming in my stomach. I don't even dare to move, engulfed by his warmth and trapped against the desk.

"Yeah, that's what I see too." His raspy voice echoes near my ear.

I turn slightly my head, glancing at him, and he is even closer than what I've imagined. I can't breathe; I can't move, yet he doesn't either, and I'm like hypnotized, under a spell, under the influence of a chemical product... Chemical product, that's the word, and that's what rings in my hazy brain. I realize we are in front of our chemical reaction, in the chemistry class, so I quickly move away.

He straightens and clears his throat, while I try to clear what feels like a chemical drug in my veins.

"Er... thank you..." I say, looking everywhere but not in his eyes. "I think I'll manage for the report... if you want to do your experiment, I don't want to waste you more time," I add.

"Don't worry, I still have time!" He glances at the clock. "Um, but I better get going!"

Once my report is clear, completed, and well finished, I glance behind. Alex is writing his, and from what I can see, he is almost done too. I stare in awe at his strong hand moving rapidly on the paper; he has done everything in almost no time, and he's doing the calculations and reasonings so fast. It looks like the baddest bad boy is really a science genius, 'never judge a book by its cover'... The more I spend time with Alex, the more I think this saying turns out to be so true, even though I've already known it from past experiences, and I'm a proof of it myself.

"No! Don't do that!" I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the same words and the same voice pronouncing them as earlier.

I turn around, except this time Alex hasn't said it to me, but to his friend Logan, who is also holding a phial to pour it in a beaker. He takes the phial from his hand, shaking his head, while Logan is just gaping at him.

"I can't leave you alone two seconds?!"

I smile amused. It's less stressful when I'm not the one risking to cause a disaster, and I know that with Alex around, we're safe.

"What am I gonna do between you two?! You're gonna make everything explode?!" he adds, catching my stare with his playful look.

I laugh lightly in reply.

"Hey! Not everyone can be an expert in chemistry and explosion!" Logan retorts, a hand over his chest.

"I thought you liked to live dangerously!" I add, with a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, luckily! Or else I would sit at another table!" Alex replies, his eyes twinkling as he keeps his gaze on me.

When I notice the time, I make my way to the back of the classroom to wash out and put away the equipment because there are only a few minutes left before the end of the class.

As I'm washing some beakers in the sink, an inked arm with a pattern I could now recognize between a thousand appears beside me.

"I reassure you, you're way better than Logan in chemistry," Alex whispers as he catches my gaze from the side. "And in everything," he adds, with a smirk.

"Er... thanks, I guess." I keep my eyes and my slippy grip on the beakers to not cause another disaster and hide my burning cheeks at the same time. "But you're even better in chemistry. I'm actually impressed," I tell him, sincere, as I watch his strong hands, beside my petite ones, quickly washing his test tubes.

"You're not the only one who's full of surprises..." He leans closer with a sly smile flashing on his lips. "And you haven't seen everything..." he adds, quoting my words from the other day, and he gives me a wink before going back to his seat.

I hope you like the chemistry forming between these two! ;)

Also, what do you think of the 'Silent Voice' article at the beginning? :)

Let me know what you think in the comments, vote, add to your library...

I'm new here, so your help and feedbacks are always more than welcome! :)