lacuna

Chapter Three

Fallon's pov

Out of all the things my maths teacher could've said, he asked me if I can tutor Eli Horace.

"What? No" the boy behind me spat. I flinched at his tone. We were the only two people seated in the room with Mr Limbrey at the front, leaning against the desk, his arms folded. After the bell had rung, Eli appeared in the doorway with a scowl and Mr Limbrey had asked him to take a seat.

"Yes, you will," the maths teacher snapped back, "you've been failing all the monthly tests and I waited for you to at least try to score higher but all you've done was get in trouble and set cars on fire". There was silence. I imagined the school delinquent glaring at the teacher with pure loathing. "Which is why Miss Campbell will do a great job at tutoring you".

I could feel Eli's eyes switch directions and start digging into the back of my head. I gulped. I couldn't possibly take the responsibility to teach him a whole syllabus, could I? Plus, he's a year younger than me. "Mr Limbrey, I really don't think I'm the one for this. Are you sure there isn't another student?" I tried reasoning but he shook his head, "You're my best student and I'm certain you'll be able to help Horace out. Besides, I can make it so that an extra ten marks will be added to your year-end project".

Is he serious? The year-end project was the hardest for me to get a good mark on since it required teamwork. And I'm not a very social person. Having an extra ten points added means a lot. Mr Limbrey knew this and I hated him for that.

"As for you, Horace, you will sit through each lesson she teaches you and you will try your hardest to score a good mark by the end of this term whether you like it or not. Understood?" there was a pause as he waited for Eli to answer. I didn't think he really had a choice but to agree.

"Hell, no. I'm not getting tutored. Especially by her".

Right. Of course. Why was I surprised? I was the school's 'rich emo freak'. Nobody liked me. Well, maybe except for Asher.

"Okay then. You want me to talk with your father?" As soon as the teacher added this, the air got tense. I glanced up at Mr Limbrey and saw that he clearly knew he won. Whatever it was going on with Eli and his father, it's as if he knows it'll get Eli to let me tutor him.

"I don't give a shit".

Or not.

A chair scraped across the floor and Eli was walking towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow after school in this classroom with Miss Campbell for your first lesson," Mr Limbrey said. Eli stopped at the door, looking back at his teacher. It was the first time I saw him up close.

I've heard of Eli Horace but didn't actually know him. I've rarely seen him around school hours and despite him having different classes than me, the school wasn't that huge, making it very easy to run into the same person more than twice a day. His messy black hair seemed as if he hadn't cared for it to look neat at all. I let my eyes travel over his sharp eyes and jawline, down to the white t-shirt he wore. The fabric perfectly hugged his biceps and his jeans were fitted around his legs. His gaze flicked to mine and I quickly snapped my eyes away, a blush creeping up my cheeks. Embarrassing. It looked as if he was about to say something but swallowed it. Shaking his head in a frustrated manner, he stormed out the door, slamming it with a loud bang. Geez.

Mr Limbrey sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That boy sure is a handful," he muttered. I decided I better leave as well and slid out of my seat. 

"I'll see you back here tomorrow after school then, Miss Campbell," my teacher said, switching his expression to a small smile.

"Will he show up? Eli, I mean?" I asked. 

"Yes, I know he will. Though it didn't seem like it. But don't worry, you'll do great," he said reassuringly which wasn't reassuring at all.

Lunch wasn't over for another ten minutes. I avoided going to the cafeteria and instead went to the computer lab. It was empty as expected and I took my usual seat at the third table from the door. I put on my earphones and rested my head on the desk, letting Cavetown's voice fill my ears. A slow warmth started wrapping around me like a fuzzy blanket and my head already felt lighter. Despite the intense growling in my stomach, I focused on my music.

The next thing I know, I'm being woken up, my head pounding painfully. "Hello? You look like you just got hit in the head or something" The voice had a hint of tease and annoyance. I looked up. Eli. Again. His eyebrow was raised and he had a look of utter loathing and boredom. 

"Oh, uh, yeah. I mean, no! I just fell asleep" I grumbled. I glanced toward the clock. Lunch was over five minutes ago.

Well, isn't that just great?

I carefully got up as Eli moved away from the door frame. My head felt dizzy and my vision started doubling. My iron deficiency was making its move, yay. I gripped the strap of my bag and walked, unbalanced, towards the door. The headache screaming and clawing at my brain, I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The black spots clouding my vision won't go away.

"You good?" Eli said, still standing a few feet away from me.

I nodded, "Yup. Fantastic". And just like that, I lost my balance, stumbling. I tried reaching out to grab something for support but my fingers met with air.

"Whoa!" a steady arm wrapped around my waist and my back was pulled against Eli's chest, holding me up straight. Amongst everything, a wave of insecurity washed over me at his contact with my waist and I wanted to move away but I didn't have the energy.

"You missed lunch, didn't you?" he said, his breath grazing my ear. Goosebumps rose along the side of my neck. My vision started clearing and I steadied myself back on my legs. Eli's arm didn't leave me as if afraid I might fall again.

"No. Even if I did, it's none of your business" I hated how rude I was being but I couldn't help the sudden frustration and aggravation I felt. I hated my own attitude sometimes.

I moved away from him and was grateful I got my awareness back. He had a frown on his face as he carefully studied me. Is he mad? Then again, why did I care? He's younger. His eyes were a shade of black I haven't seen before. I could still feel his arm hugging me and my cheeks warmed. I avoided eye contact and walked away from him, towards the hallway. Feeling his gaze on the back of my head, I hurried away for my next class. I've had too many human interactions today.

And that was only two.

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ri <3