"Just... just forget about him, okay? He's not worth it," Parlan tries to console me, and I just nod in agreement.
Jonathan isn't worth anything, I think to myself, wiping away my tears.
The bell rings and everyone leaves their classrooms. Today, we had classes in philosophy—where I arrived late and Professor Celine freaked out—arts, history, and mathematics. The last class of the day, starting when the second bell rings, will be chemistry; in the room, it'll be Jonathan, Bria, and me. What a tense atmosphere... I don't even want to imagine.
And speaking of him, I mean, thinking about Jonathan, here he comes. I see him approaching, in slow motion, sweaty. Phys Ed class must have been fantastic. My heart races. Stupid heart. Played well and probably kissed Alice a lot too.
"What's up, Sherwin! What's up...?"
"Parlan," he replies to my ex-boyfriend, ex-fling, ex-friends-with-benefits, ex-whatever, rudely. Jonathan looks confused by the treatment he's getting.
"J-Jonathan, you..." My eyes fill with tears.
"How could you kiss Alice, man?" Parlan confronts Jonathan, both giving tough looks. They were the same size, so it would be a real battle.
"Wait, what? I-I didn't kiss anyone, no."
"Gibson said otherwise," Parlan crosses his arms.
"Parlan! You weren't supposed to tell that it was Gibson who--"
"Sherwin, please, I swear I would never betray your trust. Don't you believe me?"
I look at Jonathan and then at Parlan.
I don't know what to do, so, desperately, I run to the chemistry lab corridor and, at the same time, cry non-stop. Along the way, I bump into Victor, causing both of us to fall to the ground.
"Hey, are you crazy, nitwit?"
"N-No! I just..." I start crying even more. Victor looks surprised.
"Hey, calm down, calm down. Stop crying, man, people will think I did something to you. Do you want some water? Want me to buy you a milkshake???"
Suddenly, Bria delivers a flying kick to Victor and he falls to the ground. Everyone around, waiting for the chemistry lab to open, watches in shock.
"BRIA?????!!!" I don't understand the situation.
"What did he do to you, Sherwin?" She puts her left foot on Victor's back.
"Bria, he was just trying to help me!!"
"Wow, now that's a plot twist," she leans closer to the unfairly accused boy. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, used to it by now." He gets up and limps to the bathroom.
"You were crying. I thought he did something to you." Bria puts her hands in her pockets. "These boys are being too nice lately, it's giving me a suspicious vibe."
"One of them told me they're only doing it because Jonathan told them to," I sigh. "He and I got into a fight."
"What?" Bria is shocked. "Sherwin, why?"
"I think he... sort of kissed Alice."
Bria bursts out laughing.
"You're a cuckold in less than, like, four hours!"
"Bria!" I get annoyed.
"Changing the subject completely, did you bring your lab coat?"
"Yes, I did." I open my backpack and put it on, like all the other students.
The second bell finally rings and we enter the lab.
TIME SKIP
Bria and I put some liquids in beakers. Doing this is so fun, but scary. Jonathan sat on the other side of the room, but I didn't look at him much. Silly traitor.
"Calling Sherwin back to planet Earth," Bria jokes.
"Huh?"
"Sherwin, pass me the glassware already. I think this is about to explode in my hand."
"Okay." I pass the empty beaker and she pours in a liquid that smelled like trash. "Whoa, what's this?"
"Geez, Sherwin! Did you not pay attention to anything I did?" She grabs the notebook in front of me. "YOU DIDN'T WRITE ANYTHING IN OUR REPORT???"
"I-I..."
"Sherwin, get out of here now before I commit a hate crime."
I raise my hand, asking to go to the bathroom before Bria kills me, and Professor Callan allows me.
Leaving the room, I go to the water fountain. After drinking water, I see Jonathan right behind me. I freeze.
"You gonna avoid me forever?" he asks, while I look down. "Don't you want to talk? I have explanations to give you."
"But how can I know if you're lying to me or not?"
"Sherwin, I wouldn't lie to you. You're an amazing guy who has awakened new feelings in me. Do you really think I'd lose you over something like this?" He shows me a photo of Alice kissing his cheek. "Gibson sent me the photo to prove to you I'm telling the truth. He misunderstood everything. Alice and I exchange friendly cheek kisses all the time, and there's no reason to be jealous, after all, I'm gay."
"Oh... Really?" I blush with embarrassment.
"Yeah..."
"Jonathan, I don't even know what to say... Sorry."
"It's okay. I understand your concern," he says calmly.
A silence prevails as we stare at each other, both embarrassed.
"Y-you look nice in a lab coat." I don't know why I said that, it just slipped out.
"Oh, you think so?" He adjusts his collar, pretending to be self-assured. We laugh.
"Silly."
"Silly for you."
He leans closer to me and his lips touch mine. I close my eyes, relaxing, and our kiss happens. We run out of breath and Jonathan drools a bit when we break apart.
"Oops!" Jonathan wipes his mouth with his lab coat sleeve. He looks very upset. "My bad."
"No, relax, it's okay!" I try to reassure him, smiling.
"Wow... That was my first kiss. It was perfect," he says. My eyes widen.
"YOU'VE NEVER KISSED BEFORE?"
He is surprised.
"Yeah... What about you, Sherwin?"
"Me neither!"
We both laugh.
"Is it weird to be kinda popular and have virgin lips at the same time?" Jonathan crosses his arms.
"A little, Jojo."
"Jojo?"
"A nickname for you."
"I like it." He smiles.
"Guys, I loved it!" Bria appears between us.
"Bria?!" I inquire.
"I finished our report and we got out early. Max grade is coming!!!"
"Yay!!!"
"Um... I have to go finish mine. See you later, my Sher." He kisses my forehead and goes back into the room.
"Sherwin, he called you "My Sher"!!! He called you his!!! I wish I were that kind of cuckold!" Bria gets excited.
"Wow! I hadn't even realized he gave me a nickname... Hey! I have to update you because I didn't even become a cuckold!"
"Really??? I get more lost with every class that passes!"
"Come on! Let's go over there while I tell you what happened." I take her hand, and we skip to the cafeteria. I explain everything to Bria along the way.
YOU ARE READING
Out a Heartbeat (In a Heartbeat)
FanfictionAnother day begins, and Sherwin, a fourteen-year-old redheaded boy, needs to get to school on time to do what he always does before the first bell. "In a Heartbeat," by Beth David and Esteban Bravo.
