Pins and Needles

Chapter 2

History class dragged on as per usual. Mr. Peters' monotone voice did not aid the situation, and I found myself continuously getting lost in thought. I decided to refrain from taking notes and instead kept myself busy with doodling. I was not artistically inclined in the least, but it proved to be an easy escape from the most dreadful lesson. The hard-to-pass-for-a-crow drawing sat on my notes page as I cleaned it up with some sloppy shading. The bird's peg legs and oval-shaped body hardly resembled its model, but it was the thought that counted.

I looked up from the sheet and immediately shot my eyes at Mr. Peters. Much like every other day, he was droning on about some useless history trivia while scribbling nonsense onto the whiteboard. In addition to this action, Mr. Peters' eyes would occasionally jolt over to a certain female student sitting in the first row. He would do this every so often, only looking when the girl was checking her paper. The male teacher's eyes burned so evidently, regarding her in a manner not appropriate for a teacher-student relationship.

I curled my right hand into my coat pocket, pulling out the dull pin that laid there. I hid my hands under the old school desk, only glancing down occasionally to check the positioning. Then, I dug the pin into my pointer finger, continuing the pressure until I felt a bubble of warm blood cover the pin. Prick. I retracted the metal, keeping my eyes trained on Mr. Peters as I quickly slipped the thin piece into my mouth. It was a swift movement meant to just clear the pin of any residue; no need to drag out the process at the risk of being seen. After that, I placed the pin back into my pocket and raised the affected finger to my lips, sucking and biting at the raw wound.

Looking back down at the paper in front of me, I traced my good finger over the crow drawing. Its lopsided eye and flustered wings added some character to the drawing, but the picture itself still failed to impress. Feeling a gaze fixate on me, I peeked up and was dulled to find Mr. Peters as the culprit. I challenged his stare by narrowing my eyes and downcasting my eyebrows. Mr. Peters' talk faltered, but his expression remained; he simply turned his head away from me and picked up where he left off. I sat back in my chair, slamming into it a little harder than necessary as my mood had suddenly become sour.

The bell had rung a few minutes after, and I instantly sprung up from my desk. I gathered my loose papers and supplies and weaved around the room to Maeve's desk. Maeve was my one good friend at school and also the girl that fell victim to Mr. Peters' suggestive gaze. I resented our teacher heavily for displaying such acts of passion so obviously. However, I really could not blame the man for being attracted to her, for Maeve was gorgeous.

She had long dirty blonde hair that hung right below her chest and stayed straight no matter the travesty. Her eyes were a deep and ardent blue that stood out like sore thumbs on her pinkish-pale skin. She had a wonderful nose, wonderful eyebrows, and wonderful cheeks that all accented her wonderfully carved bone structure. The most impressive feature of all, however, was her lips. Maeve's lips could easily be compared to those of a Greek goddess'. Her mouth spanned a great portion of her face, but not too much where she looked like a titan each time she opened it. Her upper and lower lips were equally full and held a soft rosy color. They were never chapped or broken; they were, in fact, perfect.

"I'm almost ready, just give me like 5 minutes," Maeve piped up, taking me out of my mind as I watched her struggle with the bag.

"Do you need any help?" I offered.

"No," she said, blowing some stray hairs out of her eyes in the process, "I got it. It just needs a good push."

I was all too familiar with Maeve's troublesome backpack and failed to understand why Maeve still had it. After all, the thing was seven years old. Nevertheless, I stepped back from the scene, putting my hands up in defeat as I watched Maeve attempt to pound the stubborn binder into the already too small bag. Eventually, Maeve had gotten it in, breaking a sweat in the process.

She huffed, "See? Easy as pie, AND I did it in under two minutes. That's gotta be a new record."

"Was I supposed to be timing you? That's a little late notice, doncha think?" I scoffed as we headed out the door and down the hall.

"Oh boy, pardon me, Miss. Am I not allowed to be excited over this endearing achievement?"

"I don't understand, why can't you just get a new backpack already? It'll save you so much hardship," I inquired.

Maeve rolled her eyes and looked at me with a seriously? expression, "As if I haven't told you a million times. This backpack has been with me since the beginning of time, I can't just part ways with it willy nilly!"

As Maeve continued to justify her point, I began to get lost in thought as I examined all the girls passing us in the halls. One girl had long, tan legs that protruded out of her short skirt. Another had a short nose that rounded at the nostrils and extended to the forehead. One more had full cheeks that radiated with a nice flushed pink. Granted, she most likely had blush on, but it was still fun to hope. Then, as we turned the corner, I was struck still for a moment when I saw Ruby Garrison. Her light brunette hair was styled up into dual buns, both allowing for some stray hairs to fall. The look was so effortless that it became stunning. The hair being paired with Ruby's diamond face shape just screamed beauty. It was mesmerizing.

"Angel?"

I was jolted back to reality when Maeve called my name. I shook my head slightly, breaking eye contact with Ruby's hair in the process.

"Sorry, I suddenly felt light-headed," I lied.

Maeve drew her eyebrows together in a concerned manner, "Oh, are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

I shook my head, "No, I should be fine, but I do have to go to the bathroom real quick, so you can head to PE without me."

"Can't you use the bathrooms in the locker room?"

I shook my head again, "I would, but going to the one here just saves me so much trouble. I'll see you at class, though."

"Whatever, drama queen," Maeve said as she rolled her eyes and waved me off.

I kept myself placed in the hallway, watching Maeve stroll around the corner and eventually leave my sight. As soon as that happened, I sprung into action, not wasting a single second before bolting down the hall. I sprinted to the back stairwell and almost broke my ankle in the process, but I paid no mind to the fault. There was a certain itching at the back of my mind that kept telling me to go faster, so I complied. Naturally, it did not take long before I got to the bathroom. Technically, that bathroom was even further than the PE bathroom, but that's what made it the best. No one ever came down this hallway for there were no classes in it. It was primarily used for collecting dust, that's how barren the hall was. That factor was what I liked about it the most.

I walked into the bathroom, tracing my hand over the old tile as I stepped further into the carelessly dressed lavatory. There was one stall that drew my attention, for it was the only one I ever stepped into. Once I was inside the stall, I closed the door and examined the walls. Many annotations laid on them, most to all of them created by me. I caressed the many words that were now engraved into the plastic walls. One block read 'Amanda: slim forehead'. Another said 'Daina - chin, no acne'. The next: 'Maeve - lips, eyes, cheeks....nice bone structure', and so on.

Slipping my hand into my coat pocket, I gripped the pin again and scoured the stall surface for an empty space. Finding one near the middle, I scratched various letters into the top layer and formed a sloppy statement. I stepped back and examined my work, periodically scolding myself for the poorly written y's. I exited the bathroom after making a few last-minute touch-ups, watching the halls more cautiously than before to make sure I didn't run into any teachers. After deeming the area safe to travel, I cruised over to PE, slipping in without a single person's attention.

Ruby - brown hair styled gorgeously