Before I Forget

Verona

When Sky walked into the English classroom, Hawk was already there. He was sitting in the back row, the seat next to him empty and waiting for Sky. He was wearing a bright yellow hoodie, the red of his mohawk was a sharp cry against the white wall behind him and everything in him was so fierce and beautiful to look at that it ripped Sky's heart out.

A shiver went through her spine, as she wrapped her arms around her body. The cast had finally come off yesterday, but it didn't make her feel any more confident or comfortable. Under Kat's old Children of Bodom T-shirt and a long-sleeve flannel, the arm was still thin and strengthless, just like everything else in her.

When Hawk looked up and their eyes met, Sky turned away. Looking at him hurt too much - it made her chest ache, it turned her legs weak. He wasn't hers anymore, he wasn't hers even to look at, and the pain that thought caused was almost enough to make her turn on her heels and run away.

Enough, enough already. I'm not here for him, am I?

Straightening her back she flipped her hair behind her shoulder and walked to the teacher's desk, where Ms. Hardinge was already organizing her papers and lesson plans.

"Ms. Hardinge, can I have a word?"

Ms. Hardinge looked up from her papers and noticing Sky, she stood up. A warm smile lit up her beautiful, heart-shaped face. "Sky, you're back! How are you? And your arm— you finally got the cast off?"

"Yes, yesterday. And I'm fine, thank you, Ms," Sky replied, trying to force a smile on her face. "I'm just sorry I missed more school. I feel like I'm falling behind on every subject."

"Don't worry about that. You're here now and that's what matters, we can talk about the things you missed later. Today, we're starting Shakespeare."

"Oh? Please, tell me we're reading Othello." Sky didn't have to fake her interest. She had loved Shakespeare since forever and read through the large, leather-covered volume of his complete works they had in the bookshelf, several times.

"Othello? Interesting. But I'm sorry to disappoint you - we're going to work on Macbeth this time," Ms. Hardinge replied with a smile and picked up the book from the desk to show the cover to Sky.

"Macbeth is alright. Anything as long as it's not Romeo and Juliet."

All things considered, Sky was pretty sure it wouldn't be the best idea to start reading a play where heartbroken teenagers commit suicides. It might have hit a bit too close to home.

"No, no Romeo and Juliet this year. But Sky, just let me know if there is something I can do to help you with your studies," Ms. Hardinge said, "I know this fall has been hard for you, and I want to help you any way I can."

Her throat tightening, Sky glanced at the back row, at Hawk who was still looking at her, his eyes wide and blue and full of unnamed emotion.

"Actually, there is one thing—" she said and turned her eyes back at Ms. Hardinge. "I... sitting in the back row isn't really working for me. I was wondering if we could change seats?"

"Oh," Ms. Hardinge replied, clearly surprised. "I wasn't planning on making a new seating chart quite yet—"

"I understand, it's just... with my head injury it's really hard for me to concentrate, and—" that was a half-truth at best and Sky hated lying to one of her favorite teachers. But what was there to do? She couldn't tell the truth - she was pretty sure that Ms. Hardinge wouldn't grant her a new seat just because of some teenage break-up.

"Oh, okay. I see." A faint blush rose to Ms. Hardinge's cheeks at the mention of Sky's head injury. "Let me see what I can do, but today you'll have to sit in your old seat. I'll make a new seating chart as soon as I have time."