"So we're just posted, waiting on Julian's love."
"SHUT UP!"
Julian jumped in front of his friend, shaking his hand and trying to get him to stop talking.
"Man, I'm just saying."
The younger of the two said as he laughed, turning to catch up with his group of friends,
"Why are you acting like we aren't? Isn't that what we're doing?"
He asked a bit louder for the group to answer, and when no one did, he just continued walking silently.
They always do that to me.
He thought as he crossed the street to their school.
They were leaning against their usual spot.
Posted once again.
"Ooh, excuse me. Oh, Good Morning, Langston."
It happened so quickly that he couldn't even comprehend what was going on until after it was all over.
He knew it was officially over when he was hemmed up by his jilted friend on the opposite side of the school building against the stone wall.
"What the fuck was that?"
He was asked as his friend breathed heavily into his face, his face red with anger.
"Julian, cool down. All she said was Good Morning to me, that's all."
With an irritated growl, he shoveled him further into the wall, his fall jacket ruffling in his hands,
"What else?"
Grasping at his fingers as he spoke,
"Nothing else. Honestly."
Julian looked at his friend one last time before backing away from him, grabbing his bag off the ground, and leaving back around the corner without another word, the group following closely behind just as the bell rang in the distance.
"Fuck it."
Here goes nothing,
The classroom door opening went unnoticed by the occupant inside. This gave the nervous boy time to collect himself before speaking.
Though he cleared his throat quietly, he hadn't, and the beauty at the front of the room, closer to the corner, turned briefly before turning back around,
"Hi, Julian."
The man stopped in his tracks a little bit because he didn't expect to hear her say his name, especially since she'd never said it in such a joyous tone before. Usually, he would listen to his name from her in reference because they were in the same class, but never just because. It took him for a bit of a loop.
He walked in further, allowing the door to close back into place, setting his bag on his side of the four-person seated desk near his name.
Edging closer to her, speaking up,
"I thought you were supposed to do the boards after school?"
He asked as he slid the erasers off the silver holder, grabbing an extra sponge silently as the two worked on washing the boards. Meeting in the middle, Julian smiled at her as he finished his half, stepping back as she ran the final stripe down her half, inexplicably standing chest to back, he allowed his sponge to drop as he wrapped his arms around her midsection holding her closely,
Jumping away from him and grabbing the discarded sponge from the classroom floor, she skirted out of the room, the door slamming against the hallway wall as she ran off.
Damp fingertips and a broken heart remained in her wake.
