The John Hughes Club

Chapter Forty Two

I usually have my head well wrapped around science, but being as my thoughts are too wrapped up in inevitably bumping into Chas, my brain has refused to cooperate with learning about Cytoplasm, Nucleus, Mitochondria, Ribosomes and Cell Membrane, this morning.

"I think my own cells have imploded in on themselves," groans a lad called Steven from behind me. Obviously, I've seen him around during my time at Archleigh. We have previously been in a couple of classes together, but he's never actually spoken to me before.

"I know what you mean. They're not exactly easing us back in, are they?" I smile, lifting my bag onto my one shoulder as I head out of class.

"Nope!" He laughs, short and light, holding the classroom door open for me to walk on through.

With thanks, I smile at him again, wondering why he's chosen today to talk to me for the very first time. "I'm liking your new look, Mindy...it really suits you," Steven eagerly remarks.

This boy has never even looked at me for longer than half a second, and now he's not only talking to me, he's paying me a compliment. Aware of that, a knowing smirk comes to play on my mouth. "It's kind of my old look, actually...but thanks anyway."

With my knowing smirk still there on my face, and his interested stare still on me, we both aren't really paying attention to where we are walking. Before I even know what's happening, I nearly face plant into someone's chest. Stepping back a couple of stunned paces, my eyes start focusing on the chest I have stupidly just collided with. I know that chest, I know it well. My thoughts now yell at me, causing my gaze to notice the battered old leather jacket that perfectly rests against the chest that I know so well. In one giddy moment, my eyes drift upwards to the brown ones who have now captured my drifting gaze.

"Mindy?" Chas mumbles, "you okay?" the warmth of his smile echoing in his voice.

Struck with a rush of emotions that at first, I don't actually know what to do with, I can only accept the smile and the steady hand he kindly now offers my arm. "Chas?" I dumbly blurt, my stare getting caught up in his, "are you okay?" After crashing into him, I feel I should check whether I have caused any damage.

The smile in his eyes now contain a sensuous flame. "I'll live," he softly says, his spheres sweeping over my face approvingly.

"Anyway, I'll catch you later, Mindy," Steven tonelessly states, making his presence become awkwardly known.

To be honest, I was so lost to all that Chas is, I completely forgot he was there. "Uh...yeah...see you," I babble, not wanting anymore interruptions with my getting lost in the unexpected company of Chas.

Watching Steven skulk away from us, Chas's eyes narrow slightly, a suspicious line forming at the corners of his lips. Not wanting him to have that suspicious line on his lips, and not wanting his eyes to narrow on a boy who is of no interest to me whatsoever, I want Chas to see that my only interest is in him. "How are you?" I ask, an eager smile overtaking my features.

His expression relaxes, at the same time as he removes the hand that had just wanted to make sure I didn't lose my footing on account of our colliding into one another. "I'm good...you?" he bats my question back to me.

Nodding, I now present to him a depth of my smile that has been missing for so long...the depth of happiness. "I'm doing okay. Much better," my words too, now need to present more depth to him, "it's so good to see you, Chas."

In an instant, his face mingles with both eagerness and tenderness. "It's better than good to see you, Mindy Diaz." His attention then gets dragged away from me, becoming aware of all the pupils who are hurrying around us to get to their next lesson. "We had better go. We'll be late for class," he lightly says with a gentle drop of his head.

"Citizenship?" I just as lightly ask him, a buoyancy in my feet as we begin to walk along the corridor.

"Yeah," is his happy reply, one corner of his mouth now pulling into an attractive smile.

Side by side, we head to class.
Side by side, his eyes dart to mine and mine to his.
Whatever existed between us before, I can feel it warming the parts of me that have been miserably missing Chas all this time. Our feelings have always been pure and clear, warm and true.
Side by side, I believe those feelings still exist...at least they do for me.