Sapphire Eyes ~ 10 Chapter Challenge

Two Days After The Letter ~ Jimmy Look Alike ~ Mirna

The bell rings, and I fly out of my seat and through the door of my math class faster than you can say quadratic equation. I make it to the door that leads out to the quad and dash across the grass.

Even after hauling butt across the quad, I still don't make it to my locker before Nora appears at her locker three down from mine. Her drama class is just down the hall, and she hangs out at her locker for ages, and I'm always almost late to my art class because I don't want to have an awkward conversation with her. Because our lockers are literally right next to each other, because she and I used to be best friends.

So I stand just outside the door until Nora finally moves on to her next class, and I rush in, running right into a girl I didn't see. It's Steph, Drew's friend Chase's girlfriend's best friend.

"Jeez, freak! Watch where you're walking." she says as I stagger back.

I roll my eyes and don't bother to apologize. I go to my locker, twist out the combination, yank it open, and slide my large sketch book out.

I make a mad dash for the elevator and swipe my key card in the card reader. Then I do an impatient dance while I wait for it to come down three floors. When the door pings and opens, I rush in and jam the close-door button and the third-floor button.

The old elevator jerks and hums, and the lights flicker, which is all normal for this old hunk of junk. The long slow ride up to the third floor, I visualize the drawing of Nessa I've been working on, so that I'll be ready to start working the instant class starts.

I rush into the classroom and my eyes fall on a guy sitting in my seat. I can't help but gape at him when I recognize him as the guy from the epilepsy clinic yesterday. What are the odds of that?

He has dark shaggy curls that make him look so much like Jimmy. He even has Jimmy's nice tan. He's got Jimmy's skinny physique. His brown eyes are totally different than Jimmy's though. And his nose is cuter. And he has high cheekbones which is way different than Jimmy. So his face is different, but his hair and body are practically carbon copy.

I wonder what his name is.

Finally, I realize I've been staring at him, and I make wide eyes at the floor.

"Oh, Mirna, perfect timing," Mrs. Rivera says. "The newbies need an art locker. Would you take them down?"

"Sure," I say. I smile big at him and hold my hand up in a cute little wave. The look on his face speaks loud and clear. He remembers me, too.

I plop my stuff down on the table in front of him. His eyes follow me as I back up to the teacher's desk, where Mrs. Rivera is flipping through her locker binder. She takes out a locker card and hands it to me.

I glance at the card and see that his locker is on the first floor, just like mine. I put the card in my pocket, head back over, and wave him up with both hands. "Come on." I head for the door, but he doesn't follow me right away. When I look back and stand waiting, he finally gets up and follows me out.

But when we reach the hallway, he glances around with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face and freezes right outside the door.

"Are you coming?" I ask, hands on my hips. He's not even trying to hide how uncomfortable this makes him. Jeez, what's the big deal?

Oh, maybe because of his epilepsy, he doesn't feel safe with me? Hmm, that sucks. I've never had such severe seizures that I don't feel safe. I feel for him, seriously!

I start off toward the stairwell, and he finally starts following me. I let him catch up to me, so we're walking side by side. I cannot help but study his face, looking for all the little details in his features that are different than Jimmy's. Like how his eyes kind of kiss in the corners. And how his lips are a little fuller, almost pouty, which is super cute. And his eyebrows are thinner, almost like he waxes them, which of course he doesn't, because he's a guy, but that's just the impression I get.