My head throbbed with the clatter of early morning chatter that filled the bus. Monday's were not my specialty. The bus lurched to a halt and Elise boarded, slamming down beside me.
"Are you alright?" I asked, brushing her hair away from her face to examine her more closely. Her makeup had ran down her face in her tears.
"Ricky..." she sniffled.
"Don't you give that piece of crap any satisfaction. He didn't deserve you anywa--"
"He's dead. " She cut me off quickly. I felt my jaw drop. Ricky and her had been crushing on each other since the third grade and dating since the beginning of Highschool.
"I'm sorry I didn't... I didn't know." I scrambled to apologize.
"How could you have known?" She sympathized. I wrapped my arms around her in an attempt to comfort her but I knew there was nothing I could do to mend the pain of her loss.
"How?" I choked.
"Car accident." She replied shortly.
"Why are your parents even making you come today?" I asked angrily, how did they expect her to cope through a day of school feeling like this.
**
It was A1, first class of the day. I should hate this class the most, first period on a monday. but I don't. it's the only A day class I have with him. His name is Jc, or something like that. He has been here a week now and I have caught his state a total of four times.
"Ms. Cameron? How do you feel about this?" My chemistry teacher pointed her yardstick to the formula written into the dusty blackboard.
"Um I--"
"Exactly, and that Ms. Cameron is why you are failing this class." Mr. Mridangam sneered at me as the class erupted in laughter. Except for him.
"Now let's continue on." Mr. Mridangam concluded, turning back towards the board and writing again. I glanced over at Jc, only to find his eyes already focused on my own. I jerked my head away, my cheeks already flushing. This time he had caught me.
I began to take notes, like what we were supposed to be doing but me mind wandered at lightning speed, trying to connect the dots. Maybe I did have a chance with him.
"Do I dare do this again?" I heard Mr. Mridangam ask irritably. "Mr. Castillio, how do you think we should solve this problem?"
I glanced upward to find him still gazing at me.
"This is not tinder, you two. Leave it somewhere else." He screeched over the laughter that flowed throughout the room in constant waves of humiliation. I could feel my cheeks burning, I pulled my hoodie collar up to my lips to hide myself. The smell of my home and the warmth of its fleece calmed me more than I'd like to admit. Jc remained unfazed, I wondered how many years of toleration it took to build up a wall like that. I knew I was far from that point, and quite frankly, I envied him for that.
"Is it a part of your job description to embarrass teenagers?" I heard an unfamiliar voice chime. The room became silent, waiting for what Mr. Mridangam's response to this act of pure insubordination.
"Well Castillio, I'm glad you finally spoke up, not in the way that I would have liked you to but hey." His voice was eerily calm.
Jc rose from his desk, "I'd like an apology to me and Sophie."
Mr. Mridangam darted back towards his desk, pulled out a red form and began to write sloppily. "Here's your 'apology' Mr. Castillio." He dangled the detention slip from his desks smirk dances across his features. Jc jumped from his desk took the slip and gave us the hunger games salute while whistling the theme song as he slammed the door behind us.
**
