Misconstructed

Chapter eight

I take this challenge very seriously. Rex and I usually do, but this is something different. This bet involves authority, and hell for all we know she was probably just really friendly when it came to my tattoo. She probably just really liked the shading and the line work. Yeah, that's it. Rex is right though. This is a dangerous game that I'm playing and I'm not sure if winning is worth the consequences.

Waking up twenty minutes earlier than normal, I left the house without Rex today. I didn't want him slowing me down, or giving me his snide comments. I grab another Latte and a regular coffee from the shop, just how she likes. It takes about five minutes to walk to school from here and I know exactly where she'll be; my homeroom. I keep a certain pep in my step just to make sure I see her before anyone else really has a chance to say or do anything, I.E. Rex. Or Maddie could come up from behind and sense the connection we have, she's good at that sort of stuff.

Students have been nice enough to hold open the several doors I needed to pass, making my travel time much shorter than it originally would have been. As I get to her room, well, our room, I try not to make any sudden moves in case I scare her. Bringing my hand up to the strong wooden door, I knock on it with my index finger. "Come in," she says. She's not looking up at me, no. When I enter the room, her face is buried in students' work, a pen in between her lips as she figures out how to grade them.

She brushes her hair out of her face but still doesn't look up. Coughing under my breath to try to get her attention, "I brought you coffee." Her look of surprise doesn't go unnoticed as she springs her head up.

"Saxton, you what?"

"Brought you coffee," I tell her, holding it out for her to take while I give her my best and widest shit eating grin. I'm only inches from the desk now.

"That's sweet, really. I appreciate it, but I already have coffee." She just barely tilts her head to the same cup I have in my hand, only it's inches away from her elbow.

"Ah," I say as I mentally scold myself. I should have seen the damn cup. "Well here, we can't let this one go to waste. Right?" I ask her, still holding out the cup for her to take. She gives me a knowing smile and extends her hand for the cup of hot coffee. She puts the cup down closer to the edge of the table, the idiot spot, and I wonder if she'll actually drink it. "Alright well I should go now,"

"Why?" she asks, her eyes staring into my soul with a fierce energy as she takes a sip of coffee. "The bell will ring soon, you can wait in here if you'd like. Plus, maybe you can start working on today's assignment while you wait, be ahead of everyone."

She's right. But assignments and homework are the last thing on my mind right now, but alas, the bell rings, giving me no time to start anything as Rex walks in the room.

"Ah," is all that he says. I know I'm in trouble with him because I know exactly what he's thinking. I'm getting too close, and he's right. The two of us go to the back of the room where we normally sit so we can talk in peace and hope that no one bothers us. "Have a good morning, did you?"

"I just left early to get some coffee, it was no big deal." I shrug my shoulders, and quite frankly, him. He has no reason to be in my business about this, and so what if I left him to walk to school by himself.

"No, it is," He says quietly and under his breath. "Remember our talk yesterday? I'm sure you do." I shrug my shoulders again. "You need to stay away from her." I roll my eyes. "Saxton."

"Okay," I tell him, rolling my eyes again. I catch a couple of students glancing over at me, but when they see me looking they quickly avert their eyes.

"So what did you get? Another latte?"

"Yeah, these things are good." I tell him, taking another sip of my drink before offering him a sip. He takes my cup, ingesting no more than a couple of sips before handing it back to me.