Hidden Layers

Chapter 2

I should've stayed in bed.

The minute I entered the building, I was met with a stern talking to about skipping school for no good reason, and twice the homework from each of my hours. The day went by in a blur, with lunch being eaten outside on the bleachers with Zayn as he talked about the grueling track practice he had later on.

My last hour, History, apparently had a project mentioned yesterday and today was the day we got assigned partners. The project was about your choice of a society that was a part of history. Whether it was the Greeks, the Chinese Dynasty, or the Mesopotamian Civilization, it didn't matter. You just had to write a long ass essay with a matching presentation over it.

I internally groaned at the thought of having a partner and I immediately knew that I was going to do this all by myself and let them have half the credit.

Well, that couldn't have been more cemented in my mind than when she announced who our partners were.

"Amber Haze and Adriana Vasquez."

Adriana Vasquez. Yes, the most beautiful and one of the most popular girls in school who is straighter than anyone I know. She's the one that pries at my Pandora's box. The one that sends my heart into full throttle.

It was the most random thing. I mean, I knew of her, everyone in the school does, but as my antisocial reputation requires, I never took the time to learn more. Like everybody else, she was just another body in these overly axed and Ariana Grande-perfumed hallways.

But one accidental connection of the eyes and I was hooked.

Did I forget to mention that she was in this class? Yea, I try my best to forget.

Immediately, a large rock dropped into my stomach, pinning me to my chair as everyone moved around to find their partners and discuss what to do. I kept my head down, staring dead at the project outline. My heart was beating hard against my chest and I heard the chair next to me screech against the floor as it moved out so someone could sit down.

That someone was wearing a perfume that made her smell like an acre full of fresh strawberries, and it made my head swoon.

I didn't dare look up, not even when they started talking with that voice that made my knees weak. I instead kept quiet and once that bell rang, I immediately stood up.

"It's ok, I'll handle it. You don't have to worry about anything, bye!"

Let's just say I got plenty yelled at by teachers by how fast I was running through those halls.

I got in my car and just sat there for a moment trying to catch my breath. Out of 14 others, I just had to get a death sentence. I banged my head against the steering wheel until I was sure a bruise was going to form. Focusing on the consistent throbbing gave me a delightful distraction from my constant life-given punishments.

The wind gave me soft kisses as I swung in the hammock. It was a bit chilly, but in this city, there's never really a winter, more like an extended fall. I wasn't complaining. I can't stand the dead cold. No matter how much you layer up, it still creeps underneath, seeping inside your skin.

Shaking my head, I turned onto my back and looked up at the sky. The clouds were a beautiful white, configured into shapes that one could interpret into many things.

The autumn leaves fell from the waving branches and I watched as one slowly swooped down; the light casting different shades of red and orange with the middle vein still a shade of green.

A deep sigh escaped from my lips as my history assignment slipped into my mind and the vibe of basking in autumn beauty plummeted more into the vibe of anxiety mixed with despair.