Gut Feeling

2 ~ where you think you're going, baby?

where you think you're going, baby?
(hey, i just met you, and this is crazy)

~

I was exiting first period and on my way to second when I felt someone grab my right shoulder.

And I know that you're supposed to look over the opposite shoulder that you're tapped on, but I never really got over my same-shoulder-same-direction reflex.

So I was staring over my right shoulder like an idiot when I saw the new kid smirking in my peripheral vision to my left side. I could feel pink creeping onto my cheeks as I quickly swiveled my head so that I was facing him.

I tried to keep it together and not screw anything else up. It wasn't everyday that a hot dude grabbed your shoulder.

"Hey, uh, um... uh," I started. My brain blanked out on me.

So much for keeping it together.

"Levi," he offered.

"Huh?"

"'Levi Canus'. Not 'new kid'," he clarified.

"Ohh," I said as I recalled exactly what Simone said to get his attention.

'Hey, new kid!'

I snapped back, staring at his retreating figure slowly being submerged into a sea of people.

Was that it?

He just got to walk away after initiating a conversation with me?

Okay, so maybe it was more like a small, itsy bitsy, quarter of a kind-of conversation, but it definitely had to be something.

So that did not get to happen.

I had a sudden boost of confidence. "Mr. Elsher literally introduced you as Levi Canus. You think I don't know your name already?"

He didn't stop.

"By the way, it's Simone, not 'your friend'." I called out to get his attention, shoving my way through the crowd. "And besides, she said it before anyone knew your name. Any students, at least."

He continued to ignore me.

"Alright, new kid." I tried.

He picked up his pace.

This was not working out the way it did in my head.

"Wait, Levi!" I raised my voice and extended my strides to keep up with him.

Levi grunted in annoyance as if it took him a great deal of energy to acknowledge my presence.

"Is that really it? 'I'm Levi,'" I mocked his deep voice, continuing on, "'and bye.'"

And then he stopped. He stopped and waited for me to catch up before walking again.

And then all of a sudden I got nervous. All of a sudden I was holding onto your sweat beads and praying that no one noticed me burning up with a fever that probably wasn't a fever at all but something else.

Because all of a sudden, we were walking side by side. In time with each other. Not him escaping from me. And I didn't know him very well, but from what I did know, that was a huge accomplishment. We walked like that for a while, him next to me as the crowded hallways parted slightly for us. Or for him.

"I was not expecting that to happen." I confessed. But hey, I wasn't complaining.

"And?" Levi asked dully.

So I rolled with it. "Apparently. I thought you were just going to leave me in your dust."

People were sideying me. Him. Us. I wanted to take it as a good thing.

"I didn't, though." he pointed out.

"I know you didn't."

"Okay. So?" he commented. I was taken aback. He pulled the 'okay, so?'

That was never a good thing. I was in deep water. Was it something I said?

I panicked.

So instead of talking my way out of it and risking goofing up like I usually did, I did the one thing that absolutely ensured that I would goof up.

I laughed it off. I laughed like he was telling the world's funniest joke, and I laughed like I was going insane, which at this point, I definitely was.

I laughed like a madwoman.

That was not polite of me.

People gave up on glancing and flatout stared. Okay so probably not a good thing at all.

I cleared my throat to get rid of any leftover laughs. "Sorry, that wasn't a joke, was it?"

"No."

But I swear his lips quirked up a fraction of a millimeter anyways.

He should do that more often. It was a good look on him.

And then it hit me. I made him smile. Barely – that was too close to disaster – but it was there, plastered on his face, so subtle I doubt he realized it.

"You're smiling." I told him simply. I think I was grinning too when I said that.

"Am I?" he asked, immediately wiping it off. Aw, it was cute while it lasted.

I nodded. "You were."

"You were flustered." His lips cracked into a faint smile. Ahh, and it was back.

"Oh, uh, really? Heh." I mumbled, embarrassed that he noticed.

We lapsed into silence.

I observed my surroundings. Things felt... off. Students were parting for us like we were royalty. They were chatting, whispering, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was about us.

But in my head, I knew. It wasn't us. It was him.

So I broke the silence.

"Um, what's your next class?" I asked suddenly, because it occurred to me that for some reason, we were still walking in the same direction. That meant one of three things. Each of those were miracles that I was crazy giddy about and things that I'd much rather contemplate about over hallway atypical conditions.

One, we could have the same class, Chemistry second period. Definitely up there. I would not mind sharing another class with him.

Two, his next class was by mine. It was a little lower on the ladder, but I could make bumping into him look like a coincidence. Which could lead to a conversation just like this one.

Or three...

"It was a while back," he said nonchalantly.

Three, he walked me to class.

~

okay so i was having technical difficulties for the longest time and nothing would load so here we finally are

also the end of school is happening on thursday hallelujah it's about time

it's a bit fast moving i know but after a certain point it'll slow down and space out a bit

anyways if you read thank you so goddamn much it's so gratifying to know that