The Reclamation

10

I've been dreading my last class all day. I want to leave this school as soon as humanly possible, but I'd rather sit on a cactus than have to deal with this particular class right now. It's not because I have a terrible teacher, or because I hate the subject... it's because Nick sits two desks down from me. I stand outside the door to the classroom, waiting until the last second to make it on time. If he looks at me, do I look at him? Do I ignore him? Should I say something? I want to make up with him so badly, but I don't know where to start.

I step into the classroom. Sure enough, I see Nick sitting in his desk looking at his phone. I take my seat, and immediately feel his eyes on me. I turn to look at him, and we make eye contact. I give him a weak smile and a small wave. He simply returns his eyes to his phone as a bothered look creeps onto his face and he shakes his head. My smile drops immediately and my hands turn to ice.

He's ignoring me. I'm trying to make things better, trying to make an effort, and he can't even look at me. My jaw clenches. Oh well, at least Quinton and I are okay again. One friendship at a time, Vada.

Once again, my focus is drawn from our lesson. All I can think about is what I can say to Nick to make the situation better. I think of the things I should have said when we fought. I find myself glancing at him through my peripherals, and he's following along with everything the teacher is saying. He takes notes, keeps his eyes up front, and completely ignores my presence.

I should tell him that I'm sorry for getting mad at him after he called my parents when they didn't know where I was. He was genuinely worried about me, and it's not like I didn't give him a reason to be scared. I was living in a bubble with Mia, and we secluded ourselves from our friends and family so we didn't have to deal with what happened. I'm going to try moving forward, but I want to take Mia with me. We only started hanging out because we understood each other's pain and experiences, and now we are a big part of each other's lives. We were brought together by something terrible, and we're using that experience to lean on each other. That's something that I just couldn't rely on Nick for. I love him dearly, but we process things differently. So no matter what, Mia will continue to be a part of my life. I just hope Nick can make peace with that and will still be my friend.

Because I don't want to have to choose.

I'm deep in thought when I feel a buzz coming from my pocket. I discreetly pull my phone out and see that it's 2:58. There are two minutes until the final bell rings.

Mia:
Where's your last class

Me:
Rm 136

Mia:
I'll meet you there

Me:
Kk

The last two minutes tick by slowly. I was pulled out of my trance and I'm trying to focus in on what our lesson was about. Im failing miserably. Zoning back in two minutes before the class ends isn't ideal. I am lucky enough to catch what homework we are being assigned before the bell rings and the students practically jump out of their seats.

I join the crowd, doing my best to be one of the first people out the door. I stop outside the room watching my classmates push around each other in attempt to leave school faster. I wait for Nick, but as the crowding around the door dissipates, I realize he hasn't left yet. I peek my head in and see him talking to the teacher. Great. I wait patiently for him to finish. After a minute Nick wraps up, grabs his backpack, and heads for the door. Here we go.

Nick exits the classroom and sees me standing by the lockers. He looks like he is about to walk around me when I say, "Hey." This stops him. He looks stand-offish. At least he's listening. Now that I have his attention, what am I going to say? I have no clue where to go from 'hey', and my mouth starts moving without making noise. But before I can make myself look even more like an idiot, his eyes flick from me to a spot over my shoulder.