Unexpected

11. Helen

On Monday morning I take the theater class alone, Jade will only come to the music one.

Today the professor explains how to cry on command on stage. There are various methods, some absurd — like using chili, seriously? —, but the most frequently is to find the emotion within ourselves, to identify ourselves so much in the part that we feel the same feelings as the character. For the next time he asked us to choose a part of the script from those he gave us and to learn how to play it. I think I'll choose the La La Land scene — the "Maybe I'm Not Enough" scene — it's the coolest one and I think it suits me.

The class is over and I'm walking to the cafeteria to meet Jade before going to the other class.

"Hey!" she exclaims as soon as she sees me. "What did he explain today?"

I place a pad of paper on the coffee table. "Here's you are."

She reads the title of the assignment aloud, "How to Cry on Command. Learn to play a part of one of these scripts." She pauses and sighs. "Oh my God, that's just too much! Do you know we have a heavy week ahead, between Miss Wilson and Davis and the rest?"

I shrug. "I'm ahead of the program enough to survive."

"And what about the song?"

"Well, that's the thing that worries me the most. Not the song, but Henry Davis. He's stubborn as hell, he'll drive us crazy." I take a deep breath. "And I'm sorry you have to see him..."

She makes a gesture with her hand. "Oh, don't worry, I've already moved on. Evan is not like everyone says."

I smile at her. "I'm glad."

She rests her chin on her hand and giggles, then becomes serious. "I think you have a problem with Davis."

I wide my eyes involuntarily. "What... what do you mean?"

"You two hate each other. The other night I thought you liked him a little but then I realized you sat on him just to irritate him."

Why should I have? Usually when you want to irritate someone on purpose, isn't it because you have a certain interest in that person? But apparently for Jade this is not the case.

"I just needed to sit down and that bastard had stolen my seat," I say with a chuckle.

We get up and start walking towards the music room.

Oh no... Harry is sitting in the seat next to mine and Jade's.

"Good morning, girls," he tells us with a bright smile.

Jade nods at him.

"Hey, why are you on this side and not your usual side?" I ask him as I sit down and take the textbook.

He ignores my question and instead he says to me, "What is this stuff?" He takes the swag of paper from my hands and starts leafing through. "Titanic?"

I roll my eyes and take it back. "Yup. It's a task for the theater course."

He nods interested. "And what are you supposed to do?" Or maybe he's just trying to have a civil conversation?

I explain it to him and tell him that I have chosen La La Land.

"Who will make the other character?" he then asks.

I shake my head. "No one, I think."

"Helen! I forgot to ask you something!" Jade interrupts us. "How was your night with Daniel? Strange that you didn't tell me right away. I want the details."

We are early, Professor Turner is not even in the classroom, but anyway — since there was no night with Daniel — I try to avoid the discussion. "Cool, but the lesson is about to begin and I can't give you the kind of details you want right now."

"Oookay, then later!"

I take a quick look at Harry, his jaw is set and his eyes try to avoid mine. I know what he is thinking about, because my mind has also stopped to the other night for two days and I am going crazy.

He was nice, then we kissed and the same asshole was back, even though we slept hugged. He tried to be kind this morning.

"I really don't understand what your problem is..." I say in a low voice, and Harry immediately realizes that I'm referring to him.

"What?" he says confused.

Professor Turner has just arrived. "Good morning, dear students..."

"Forget it," I say, rolling my eyes.

I can't follow the lesson carefully. Everything I'm thinking about has to do only and only with the black-haired, blue-eyed boy next to me, who with that pencil between his teeth is so—

Shit, Helen! You are really...

Hey, I can't deny that he's not handsome, because he is, a lot too. Except that's one of the reasons he's slept with a lot of people. Ew.

Suddenly I feel a big hand on my thigh. "What are you thinking about? You are distracted, I can see it."

I sigh. "The same thing you're thinking about, for that matter."

"Guys, over there! What is all this whispering?" says the professor looking in our direction.

We shut up immediately, but after a few moments, Harry confirms, "I'm thinking about the other night. I'm thinking about you."

I arch my brows in surprise. These words spoken by him in his husky voice cause me chills all over my body. I have to respond with something, anything. "I'm thinking of you too." Oh shit, not this.

He immediately shows off a smirk and looks at me satisfied. "I knew it."

"No. Not in the sense that you think; I too was thinking about the other night."

The professor glares at us again. This time it's really time to stop.

"Can we talk about it later?" I open my mouth one last time.

"Better."