Mine

Oh Brother

Chapter 12.

"Therefore, knowing that sin x is equal to..."

Trigonometry, I have decided, is my enemy of the day.

Not only is it confusing to apply, but, unlike usual, there's nothing to distract me from it except my thoughts.

Meta Knight isn't in class.

I keep glancing at his desk as if he'll appear, and can't help the uneasiness in my gut. Any time he had to take care of club activities during the school day, he'd always wait until I arrived to tell me. I even came earlier than usual today, and there was no sign of him or his bag.

I sigh and look back at the board.

He could be sick.

But he didn't message me. And I'd never seen him miss school.

I frown, glancing up at the teacher before pulling out my phone. Still no texts.

Maybe he has a fever or is incapacitated or lost his phone or moved across the entire country to-

"Kirbiscan. What's the answer?"

I tear my eyes from my screen, pretending to look at the answer in my journal before throwing out a guess.

"One?" It's more of a question than an answer.

"Are you sure?" She raises an eyebrow.

My heart pounds quickly from nerves, and I lick my lips, glancing around the room at the staring eyes of my peers.

"Yes?"

The teacher seems almost unhappy as she turns and writes on the board again. "That is correct. Now, who can tell me the next step I should complete?"

I can't help sinking into my chair. I'd rather her have thought I misunderstood than that I wasn't paying attention (even though I definitely wasn't). I brush my bangs back from my eyes, deciding then to text Meta Knight.

hey<
are you at school?<

I stare at the sent message for a moment before clicking my phone shut and looking back at the white board. No matter how boring it was, I swore to diligently take notes in case Meta Knight needed them.

☆♡☆♡☆

My notes are far from spectacular, and I look at my phone for the umpteenth time within the hour as I sit in mine and Meta Knight's shared third class: english.

We're ten minutes into the lesson when the door opens and quiet footsteps move to near me.

I look up from my worksheet for a moment, noting the wet, dark blue hair and stormy yellow eyes before looking back down.

Wet hair?

"Thank you for joining us, Mr. Knight. Please make sure to check your notes with your partner."

A backpack is dropped to the floor beside me. I almost snap my neck as I turn to Meta Knight, mouth agape.

His dark hair is shimmering with water, the ends curling as they dry. There's a small wet patch on the back of his light brown sweater where his hair meets the cloth, and I watch as he wastes no time in laying his head down on the desk. He doesn't look at me throughout the entire class, and barely glances to the teacher's board for the notes.