The Everblooming Flower [Book One of The Dreamers Series]

Chapter Seven

I sat in the back of the Math classroom, watching as Mr Dulman went on about indices. This was stuff we had all learnt the year prior, but revision was always key according to teachers. A few minutes after the class started and we had all chosen our seats, there was a knock on the door.

Mr Dulman waddled towards the door and pulled it open it be met with a boy with brown hair and tan skin.

"Gabe," Mr Dulman drawled in his thick Scottish accent, "you finally decided to join us."

Gabe looked down slightly embarrassed. "I'm still more used to last years' timetable," he mumbled, only just loud enough for the class to hear in the silence.

"Right, well you best be happy I didn't mark the role yet," Mr Dulman stepped aside. "You can sit next to Flora."

Gabe pulled a face of confusion, looking around the classroom. He eventually found me. I was clearly Flora. The only student he probably didn't recognise. The fact that I was the only one with an empty seat next to me may have also been a big give away.

He walked towards me, dropping his bag on the floor next to the desk before taking his seat. He glanced towards me timidly and pulled his book, pencil case and planner – as I learnt it was named – out. He was one of those students, that thought a multisubject book was a good idea. These people were also the same people that typically ran out of space by the second semester.

Now that I got a closer look at Gabe, I could see that he had blue eyes and an average height with an average build. Everything about him screamed average. Hell, he was in the worst Math class along with myself and my fellow idiots.

One of the eshay's leaned back on their chair and the other eshay behind them wrapped their arms around him. That was the thing about eshay's. They were quite clearly straight – most of the time – but the way they interacted with each other wasn't so straight. But that detail wasn't what made them eshay's, and not all eshay's – but still a large percentage of them – were like that. What truly tipped me off was the faded hoodie, chain necklaces, and cigarette smell radiating off of them.

The teacher yelled at them to pay attention but anyone with a brain knew to not interrupt eshay's when they were cuddling.

"That's homophobic Uncle!" The one leaning back on his chair called out.

"I am not your Uncle, William," Mr Dulman said in an angry voice. "Stop disrupting the class!"

A few students chuckled, knowing full well that to teachers, it didn't matter who you were, there was to be no PDA during class time. Eshay's just like causing scenes for attention. The lesson paused as the entire class tried not to laugh at Mr Dulman, Will, and Fundo's – Connor F's nickname so that people didn't confuse him with Connor A – argument. I rolled my eyes at it.

I glanced next to me to see Gabe hurriedly writing everything on the board into his book. He didn't seem to pay the commotion much mind, taking the opportunity to catch up before the teacher returned to the lesson.

"If you don't manage to get it all down you can copy my notes," I offered. "Sorry if you can't read cursive."

Gabe looked at me a moment before answering, "That's very nice of you," he continued to copy the board, glancing my way every few seconds. It didn't bother me really, I assumed he was probably weirded out by the new girl. Eventually, however, I got tired of it and returned his gaze.

"Take a picture," I said, "it'll last longer."

Gabe flushed slightly before returning to his work. Please no, I thought. I had really been hoping that it was people supressing their hormones that lead to so much attention at Sacredooka. I had always assumed that at public schools the teenagers weren't as hormonal because they had actual sex ed lessons. Although, I knew almost nothing about the sex lives of my classmates.