For You

1. The Stalker Being Stalked

Chapter 1

I wipe the sweat off my face and try to fan myself with the papers on my desk. The air conditioner in the class is broken so we're using a fan but it doesn't reach the back of the room where I'm sitting. All the sweating, odorous bodies near me makes the heat worse. My hair feels a damp despite only being long enough to comb to the side. Sweat constantly rolls across my face and down into my lap which dampens the fabric of my jeans. I reach for my water bottle, which I haven't opened yet. Its coldness cools my warm hand, and I only plan on taking a sip but end up drinking the whole thing. I'm feeling dizzy and I can barely pay any attention to what's on the board. As if Calculus isn't already as confusing as it is.

The bell rings and everyone runs out of the classroom in a rush since it's time for lunch. I decide to wait for everyone else since I don't want to rub against other warm, sweaty, smelly bodies. When I walk out of the classroom, it's complete chaos since everyone is rushing to their cars since we only have forty minutes for lunch. I don't get why people leave for lunch, it's not like there's many places to go in a small town. Then again I probably have that mentality since I don't have a car. I walk to my regular lunch spot, which is outside, and the air cools me down. I reach my table, which is covered by the shade of a tree and two of my friends are already there.

I try to tune out the noises of everyone passing by taking out my phone and turning up the volume on my headphones. Right now, I really don't feel the need to be listening to other people's problems. The rest of my friends arrive and they start talking loudly but I keep ignoring them. I listen to my music for a few minutes and when I look through the window to the cafeteria, my eyes stop on one person. I casually stare at her, but I try not to make it obvious. I check to make sure no one's looking and the coast seems clear so I keep staring at April Thompson. There's no friendship at risk or anything if she learns how I feel about her, but I don't want her to be creeped out by me. Time seems to slow down as she walks towards the doors and I swear this moment goes perfectly with the song playing on my phone.

She walks out of the cafeteria to her car with her friends when I feel someone tapping my shoulder. At first I'm afraid someone's caught me looking at her, but it's just a teacher who's expectantly holding out her hand for me to hand over my headphones. I sigh and when I put them in her hand, she's still holding them out. I hand over my phone too, which seems to satisfy her and she tells me to pick it up at the office. I sigh even louder because it's going to cost me fifteen bucks and a parent's signature to get that phone back.

"Nice one, Caleb. Real nice," jokes one of my friends after the teacher walks away.

"Fuck off Toby," I snap but jokingly.

"Serves you right. Looked like like you were to snap a picture of April to save for later," my best friend, Alex, says as he sits down next to me, "I could see you staring at her from, like, a mile away."

"Jealous?" I say, teasing him.

"You wish," he says as he wipes his right eyebrow.

It's a bad habit he has. He accidently knocks off his glasses but he catches them before they hit the ground. He sets them on the table but doesn't put them back on since they have thick plastic black frames that make him sweat more.

"Are you talking about April again?" another friend, Emily, says as she sets her tray to my right and sits down, "'Cause if you are, get over her Caleb. She's never gonna for you when she's already dating Andrew."

"Rude, much?"

"Stalker, much?"

"I'm allowed to look, aren't I?" I argue.

"No," they both say at the same time.

I roll my eyes and go through my backpack so I can find something productive to do.

"Hey have you finished the project for English yet? Jacob and I don't know what to do for the last part," says Emily.

"No I haven't, and speaking of which where's Keith? He keeps putting off that project and it's due Friday," I say to Alex.

"Sorry, I don't know what he's been doing, but he's coming over right now."

Keith sits down in between me and Alex pushing me to the side. He moves in to kiss him, but I pull him away and tell him, "You. My house. Tonight. We're finishing that damn project before I drown you in that pool you're always in."

"Relax, we got this," he says before finally kissing Alex. Emily and I look at each other, roll our eyes, and shake our heads. Alex's sexuality doesn't bother us, it's who he's sexual with. Emily flat out hates Keith and I would too if he didn't make Alex so happy. Keith's not a bad guy but he's not very public about his relationship with Alex and only goes out with him when they're alone. No one eats outside for lunch, which is the only reason he's here right now. Alex has been through a lot in the past few years, and Keith seemed to be able to pull him out of his depression. Emily and I decided it would be best to back off, but we pulled Keith aside one day and told him that if he ever hurt Alex, we'd kick his ass.

For the remainder of lunch Emily and I just talk, and every now and then Alex and Keith join the conversation when they're not busy exploring each other's mouth. Alex and Emily are my closest friends, which is why we barely talk to the other people at our table. Towards the end of lunch my headache is gone and I'm not sweating anymore.

A few minutes later, students arrive back in their cars. I don't really care until April gets there and I get distracted from my conversation. Emily notices and pinches my arm. I give her an angry look, but she just shakes her head and mouths, "Stop it."

I almost ignore her until April's boyfriend, Andrew, shows up at her side. The four of us keep talking until the bell rings and I go off to English with Keith. English turns out to be stressful since we have to work on our project and Keith and I haven't come up with anything. We try thinking of ideas, and I quickly scan through my notes to find something. The class goes quickly since we were actually working and we finally come up with a topic. I still have about two hours left of school, I'm tired, and I want to go home, but of course this day just gets harder.

***

I'm trying to rush out of school, and I run to my locker to take my stuff out as fast as I can. There's a sticky note on it, which I rip off and crumple into my hand. Someone calls out my name and I know who it is, but I ignore them and run out. I don't want to talk to this person.

I see Emily waiting for me and as I walk over to her, I read the note, which has a phone number. Below there's a message that says Text me when you get your phone back.

I check to see if there's anything behind it, but it's blank. How does this person know my phone got taken away? I think of it as a prank or joke like one of friends is teasing me for not having a phone. The only thing that doesn't make sense is why they'd put a phone number.

I think back to when my phone got taken away. The only people who saw were my friends at the table. Unless someone else saw, which doesn't make sense since I made sure no one was looking when I was staring at April. Then again, Emily and Caleb saw me staring and I hadn't noticed. Who else hadn't I noticed watching me? The stalker being stalked. How ironic.

I decide it's just a joke and stuff the note back in my pocket when I reach Emily.