Dabbling In Sweetness

Chapter 7

Something else I never thought I would find myself doing? Trying to sneak back into detention; but I found myself doing just that as Gina and Link, who stick out their tongues at us from inside in a childlike manner, have closed the door. I huff in annoyance as I look at my unwanted partner in crime, Grayson who looks livid towards them and flicks them off, but relaxes as he looks at the door handle. I had been on my way back from my locker when I noticed the predicament they had put me in. Now that I was stuck, there was no use whining.

I look over and grab the doorknob, twisting it only to hear a creek issue from it and I quickly release it, flinching backward as if it would burn me quicker than boiling water. I turn to see Graysons, whose eyes have become darker, and look at me with annoyance. "Are you trying to get us caught?" he hisses at me.

I ignore his comment and roll my eyes as I respond equally as annoyed as him now, "since you're so good at this. Then fix it yourself."

"With pleasure, Strawberry," he says, drawing out the nickname for emphasis.

I scoff at him and his lack of knowledge, "as if you could do it. The only obvious way would be to put oil on the hinges but we don't have any. Unless-" an idea starts forming in my head, "we go to woodshop class and-" my statement flusters out as my idea dissolves into the thin air as if it was nothing to begin with. Grayson pulls on the door while lifting it up and steps aside, giving me a wide fake smile, and signaling for me to enter. An impulse to step on his feet overcomes me but I push it down as I return his fake smile and walk ahead.

Before I reach my seat I hear a voice cough behind me and says in a rather shrill voice, "Miss Lockhart, I presume?"

I close my eyes as my heart starts thumping faster by the second as I turn around with a grimace and wave, "hi."

"I've never seen you here before. I guess you're not a normal delinquent, do you only do it on the weekdays?" He laughs at his own lame joke. At least, I assumed it was supposed to be a joke. He composes himself and adds, "what are you doing up from your seat?" I can feel my cheeks turn red as everyone's attention is on me and my brain tries to come up with a good excuse. Any excuse, but my words have left me.

"I ah-"

"She was trying to run out of class, Zack," Grayson says unhelpfully. My eyes darted to him as I imagined lasers going through him but all he does is give me his giant fake smile.

"That's not-" before I can continue defending myself someone else speaks up.

"It's true-" Link adds equally as unhelpful and with his own sly smile, "she was just sad because she was just rejected by me." I bury my hands in my hands which seemed to be the wrong choice as Link quickly says, "see- she's so distraught."

"Oh please, no one believes that-" Gina speaks up as she stands and walks towards Mr. Lambert. I can see her give him a seductive look; with a bright smile, fluttering eyelashes, and flipping her hair. "The truth is that she was reading and we happened to let it slip that you have a newborn, so she was on her way to ask you about the baby but noticed you were asleep so she was headed back to her seat when you happened to wake up." Gina's eyes had shifted from sweet to wicked as she scrutinized Mr. Lambert under her stare, challenging him to question her.

Mr. Lambert turns pale at the mention of sleeping but trying his best to not give away that her words have caused him distress, he starts nervously fidgeting with his tie and bouncing side to side until he finally whispers, "detention dismissed" and starts walking out before everyone saying, "I need some water."

I let out a sigh of relief as I looked over at Gina and mouth, 'thank you." She gives me a wink in response. Link is laughing so much that he falls from his chair and only causing an eruption of laughter from those still in the room. I look over and see Grayson reading my book with a bored look on his face. Apparently, my embarrassment wasn't amusing to him anymore. I go over and extend my hand in front of him, waiting for my book. He lifts an eyebrow and smiling places the book in my hand. "You know- I wonder," he slides off the desk and whispers in my ear, "what you would have done without the help of Gina."