Grab N' Go [Robin Arellano]

4: Us Beaners Got to Stick Together

With relief, Valentina walks into her last period of the day. There are a few people already in there, but only one catches her eye.

Again, it's Robin Arellano.

He's sat at a lab desk beside the blond girl from the bathroom earlier, aka Lillian Baker. She seems to be talking his ear off, though he doesn't appear to be listening at all. Instead, he is silently staring out the window with a neutral, slightly annoyed, expression.

She takes this opportunity to quickly take her own seat towards the back of the classroom before he can notice her. Not that he would notice her.

After a few more minutes, more and more students file in, and someone random reluctantly takes a seat beside her on the partnered desks. She shifts uncomfortably by their clear distaste for her as a partner, and doesn't even bother to try and learn his name.

Finally, the teacher walks in, giving her something to focus on other than the awkwardness of her situation.

"Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to Chemistry. My name is Mrs. Scott," The women introduces with a kind smile.

She seems nice enough, but after she goes over the main details of the class, Valentina drifts into her own world as per usual. She just sits there doodling flowers and other basic objects or symbols.

Then, she hears something that immediately catches her attention again.

"...now, you may choose your partners. Remember, this will be your partner for the rest of the year, so choose wisely! You're lucky I'm letting you guys pick at all," Mrs. Scott states as she goes to silently sit at her desk.

Valentina stays seated, watching as her previous desk partner bolts away in a hurry. Everyone is rushing around the classroom, and she completely expects to be outcast and embarrassed. No one would ever choose her.

Or so she thought.

The chair beside her squeaks as it is pushed back, and Robin takes the seat while offering her a smile.

"...us beaners got to stick together, right?" He jokes.

She only blinks back in surprise, not really laughing at his comment.

He awkwardly chuckles, trying to cover up the tension, "you don't mind, do you?"

She shakes her head, cracking a polite smile, "no, sorry! I'm just...a little surprised you chose me to be your partner...I mean...wouldn't you have rather stayed with Lillian?"

The two glance towards the blond who is evidently fuming at her current partner- the boy who was previously sat by Valentina. Robin's expression shifts to distaste at the sight of her, while Valentina is just confused by Lillian's sudden glare shot towards her.

She shakes it off as Robin begins to reply, "that gringa? Hell no. She almost made me deaf with how much she talks. I swear she sounds like a chipmunk with how high her voice is."

Valentina giggles lightly at this, something that makes Robin light up immediately.

"Oh, Robin! Do you think I smell nice? Oh, Robin! We would make such a cute couple!" He begins to mimic in a high-pitched voice, flicking his hair over his shoulders in a girly manner.

She can't help but snicker at him, shaking her head lightly.

"Well, ok. Are you any good at science?" She asks hopefully. "I kind of...suck at it. It's just so boring."

He gives her an apologetic smile, "honestly, not really. But...we can get better together! Help each other study, ya know?"

She nods in agreement.

A comfortable silence falls over the two, and Valentina goes back to doodling in her journal while Robin taps his pencil against the desk. He does his best to hide his glances towards her, but he struggles to simply keeps his eyes to himself.

Finally, he speaks up.

"Hey...about earlier, I saw you at the fight," he sputters out, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I'm not like that. I mean, like an asshole, or something. Moose is just always running his mouth and I wanted to prove a point, so he'll leave me the fuck alone."

Her pencil stops moving and she looks up at him slightly taken aback by his sudden explanation. Why did he feel the need to explain himself to her of all people?

"Oh...Um, yeah. Ok," she nods lightly, glancing to his knuckles.

He mimics her, nodding as well, "yeah it's just...I saw you, and it kind of looked like you were grossed out or something."

"It's just...you took it kind of far, don't you think?" She squeaks out, shrinking into herself and bracing to be argued with.

He remains calm though, shaking his head and repeating what he explained to Finn just this morning, "nah. I was just gonna punch him and well on him a bit at first, but in a situation like that, you've got to draw blood to prove your point."

She frowns, "I guess we just don't agree. Or maybe I just don't understand the way fights work. I've never got into one before. My boyfriend use to fight all the time though, and he said something similar. I just never liked it. I just don't think it solves anything, but maybe I'm wrong."

He looks up suddenly, trying to hide his vague disappointment, "...your boyfriend?"

Her eyes widen.

"...well, ex-boyfriend, I guess," she corrects, frowning deeply. "You know what I meant."

He's relieved, but even more confused now.

"...I do?"

"Well, yeah...I just don't know if I should say he's my boyfriend still or not. We never got to properly break up...Vance....went missing before we could," she elaborates while growing visibly more and more uncomfortable.

As her grip tightens around her pencil, the dots seem to connect in his head, and he quickly straightens up and turns towards her.

"You were dating Vance? Like, pinball Vance?" He sputters out in disbelief.

She nods softly. "He didn't really like to be called that."

"I'm so sorry," he quickly apologizes. "I didn't know you were dating him...you don't...seem like his type? Fuck, that sounded rude. I.......sorry."

He awkwardly sits there as she looks at him curiously.

"You really didn't know? Almost everyone in the school did?" She questions with disbelief.

He shrugs, "I guess I never really paid attention to what he was doing. Just sorta minding my own business."

She nods, going back to silently doodling.

"I..uh, I like your earrings," he compliments mindlessly, trying to make up for the previous tension he created.

For whatever reason, that compliment makes her stomach twist uncomfortably. She isn't sure if it's out of flattery or the fact that Vance had said the same thing once.

Either way, she stops her doodling and gives him a strained smile.

"Thanks. I like your bandanna," she replies, packing her things into her bag.

The bell rings, and just like earlier, she scurries out of the class before he can say anything else. He's left to simply gather his things and rush out the door to look after her, but she's already all the way down the hallway and soon blurs into the rest of the crowd.

He sighs deeply, feeling unsatisfied by their short and strained conversation.

"Nice job, Robin. Scared her away again, pendejo," he grumbles to himself.

From there, he heads home quickly. Finn would be coming over to help him with math later, and he didn't want his house to look like the wreck it normally did.