In Spite Of...

Chapter 3

"Good morning class."
Another second led to another minute. Those minutes built up into hours. All those hours compiled into days. And after about seven of them Monday morning appeared.
It was a bright and early morning too. One for which Blair felt fatigued though from he moment she awoke.
"...And then Chai bit my nose! I just wanted to see if he was a skinwaker." Michelle chattered. "I decided to look it up after we watched Courage the Cowardly Dog the other day Hal. Did you know skin walkers are--"
Blair yawned which made her friends stop talking. Halle patted her arm. "Girl I feel you."
More yawns emitter from he chattering students. Once the room was filled, Clark stepped in last. He was carrying a briefcase and wearing a blazer. Blair pictures his younger self dawning a little suit that looked the same.
She couldn't help seeing he child in him these days.
After running into him at he grocery store she made no effort to speak to him. She assumed he must have understood why she was distant because he didn't talk to her either. Instead they moved along with their lives.
For Blair, sh only focused on him at specific times. And seeing as he was her professor now, she had plenty of time to look at him.
"Good morning class, it sure is getting cold huh?" Clark said pulling some papers from his briefcase. "I was doing some serious thinking the other day while watching Friends and thought of free will."
He swiveled around and turns on the projector above his desk. In a matter of minutes a display of a presentation was on the wall in front of everyone.
"Can anyone give me a concrete example of free will? No wrong answers." Clark said with a polite smile. His voice held a strong tone and it made it easy to tell he knew how to read the room.
"Uhm.." Michelle raised her hand. "Well there's like...You can choose to do things right? Like I chose to go and eat lunch with you?"
Clark nodded. "Correct.
His tone and demeanour reminded Blair of an adult lecturing his child in the classroom. She leaned forward slightly in her seat and listened intently as he began talking again.
"I have the right to choose the things I do and think about my life." Clark begins, "I can decide which part I will play in history and if I will have to follow the rules. I can change myself based on my personal opinion on something. I'm allowed to express my own thoughts."
Blair yawned again and put her head down. There was a time when she used to believe that herself but her views had changed. There was really no such thing as free will when she had to grow up and be an adult.
All the childish whims and fantasies she had about being anything and everything were a delusion. And she wants to say this to Clark but couldn't. He'd made up his mind before and so had she. It was better to leave meaningless talk in her head.
Soon class ended and Blair rounded up her things. As her and hr friends started to leave Clark stopped them.
"Blair Be--I mean Blair." he called out.
Blair kept walking but her friends stopped. She heard him laugh.
"I swear you're so mean to me lately."
She turned and rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"
Halle and Michelle have each other look before staring at Blair.
"Um, what's you guys relationship?" Halle asked pointing between Clark an Blair.
"Friends--"
"Classmates." Blair blurted. Clark gave her a funny look to which she ignored. "We were classmates back in middle school. Anyways I'd like to get home now."
She started to walk away again.
"Blair Bear." Clark said seriously.
If her friends weren't suspicious before they were now. It was the way Blair was obviously disinterested in talking to him. The way Clark kept looking at her knowingly. Whatever their relationship, whatever their past was, the first wanted to know.
"Don't. Please don't call me that."
"Blair come on, could we please hang out?"
Michelle rushed forward and grabbed Blaire's arm. "Yeah let's hang out with him!" she said excitedly.
"A few students from another one of my classes are having a get together. The invited me and I wanted you to come with me." Clark said to Blair. He walked back to his desk to pack up. With his back turned he continued speaking. "I won't push it but I'd like to catch up and talk. And your friends can come along if they want too."
"No."
The words came out harsher than she meant them to and Clark froze with his papers halfway to his bag. His shoulders stiffened as he turned around. For several seconds neither girl moved. Neither spoke. Finally Clark exhaled sharply.
"I guess it's just gonna be us then?" he chuckled wrapping his arms around each girl.
Michelle grinned at him whilst Halle caught Blair's eye. It felt tense between the four of them. Blair smiled after a moment before shrugging.
"Have fun then."
And she turned around and walked away.
The air was left pretty thick. Hall didn't know what it was but there was a sense of sadness radiating from Blair. She was no psychic but just the tone in her voice was enough to give i away.
"Blair wai--"
"Let's partayyyy!" Michelle squeled instantly.
As Blair walks away she heard their banter and grimaced. She sure did hope they would have fun.