Out a Heartbeat (In a Heartbeat)

11 - Locked

Entering the room, which was only lit by the transparent windows - still dark, whether I liked it or not -, I look for Alice as I walk towards the teacher's desk.

Well, there's no one here.

Suddenly, the door is forcefully slammed shut by someone. Startled, I rush to open it, but without success. Who was the nitwit?

I shout non-stop, hoping someone would hear me, even though it seemed impossible. There's no one in the hallways, and the window looks dark from outside the classroom, so people wouldn't see me in here.

Panic sets in. I pound on the door several times, crying, but nothing happens. This dark place... with no one around... How I hate feeling so alone. It always ends up like this. I don't have Jonathan anymore, no one at school - except Parlan, Bria, and Yareli - likes me, and home is just so strange. Thank goodness the first year is almost over so I might meet new people next year.

I turn on the classroom lights and walk to the other side again, where the teacher's desk is, and sit on it. All I can do now is wait for the break to end and for the janitor to come open the door... in a few minutes.

Suddenly, the door swings open, banging loudly against the wall, and someone is thrown into the room: it's Jonathan. Alice threw him, and in desperation, she pulls the door shut and locks it again immediately, making a loud noise. My eyes widen, and my heart tightens, making me scream in shock.

Through the slightly darkened windows, I can see Alice running far away from here, leaving just him... and me.

Jonathan punches the door angrily.

"ALICE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" He pounds the door and the wall.

Alice has long gone, but Jonathan hadn't seen her because he was still on the ground.

"S-Sherwin?" He notices my presence, and I freeze.

Quietly and quickly calculating, I realize this was all a setup by my friends... and it makes sense. They want us to talk.

"Why are you doing this??" He freaks out.

"I-I didn't do anything! I'm locked in here too, I swear!"

"It's hard to believe you."

"Jonathan, you lied too! You were kissing Alice even before our argument and our conversation!" I slam the table hard, nervously, making him raise his eyebrows. "And you didn't even try to hide it!"

Jonathan widens his eyes and looks down.

"Are you silent now, Jonathan? Gibson showed me a photo of you two... hooking up! You showed me a completely different picture, and I fell for it like a fool!"

"Sherwin, I-I just didn't want to worry you... Man, Gibson showed up at the wrong time... This shouldn't be happening..."

"And you would've kept lying! Liar! Traitor! And you weren't even inexperienced! You lied about everything!"

"Would it have changed anything if I wasn't inexperienced?"

"Not if you hadn't lied!"

"I just... slipped into that lie accidentally, Sherwin... I'm sorry!"

"And... and it was all a big lie, right?" I sob as I cry. "You didn't even think about how I'd feel afterwards..."

"Hold on! Why are you laying all the blame on me? Either way, none of what I did cancels out any of your actions!" His eyes fill with tears. "None of this erases the kiss you gave to Victor and... and also to Parlan! Sherwin, you're being unfair and selfish!"

I freeze. I can feel the shock of reality as tears run down my cheeks... I... have I only been thinking about myself this whole time? Am I... toxic?

Jonathan wipes his face with his arm and approaches the teacher's desk, where I'm sitting, placing his left hand on my face, caressing it. I have no words, I just wanted to say...

"I'm sorry." I cry even more, sobbing. "I was just thinking about myself..."

"It's okay, Sherwin. I'm sorry too," Jonathan says as he wipes my tears.

"A-am I despicable?"

"No, firehead. You're just someone who makes mistakes, like me and everyone else."

"I love you. Now I understand why other people want to be with a... soap opera hunk like you, and I didn't even want to like you, but I do, what can I do about it?" I start crying again, smiling.

Jonathan laughs and then holds my hands. He says:

"Why don't we try again? Like... a fresh start?"

I look at Jonathan, breaking into a huge smile, feeling my heart pounding. Everything inside me is celebrating. The butterflies are back in my stomach. Everything's going to go back to normal and... and... uh...

I close my smile, still staring at him.

"No," I say.

He's startled.

"No? Why not? S-Sherwin, I..."

"Jonathan, please, understand: everything that happened is so... recent, you know? Do you realize we met, fell in love, kissed, and betrayed each other all in just one day?" I speak calmly, a calm I've never felt before. "We're still just two immature teenagers. We need some time to grow up, don't you think?"

"I..." He lowers his head, tears in his eyes.

He seems really sad and it breaks me inside, but I need to maintain composure.

"I guess you're right, Sherwin, but... know that I love you. I love you more than anything. Do you think you'll wait for me until we're ready for something?"

The first bell for third period rings. Break is over. I look up, searching for where the sound came from, and quickly return my gaze to Jonathan.

"I hope so." I smile, and he returns his smile, giving me a little kiss on the forehead afterwards.

"Then I can't wait for that day to come."

We hugged with a bit of difficulty at first, since I was still on top of the teacher's desk and he was standing; however, with a little maneuvering, the position improved. Sitting on the desk, I ended up being about the same height as Jonathan, which made for a perfect fit for a warm and comfortable hug. We stayed in this position for a few minutes.

The sound of the door being unlocked can be heard.

"Damn kids! How did my key end up in this door lock?" Janitor Trey complains outside, as the second bell rings to start the next class.

He quickly opens the door and sees Jonathan and me hugging on the teacher's desk; the key falls from his hand. We both break our hug with wide-eyed looks, staring in shock at Mr. Trey.

Damn.

He's going to yell.

"DETENTION FOR BOTH OF YOU, NOWWWWW!!!!!!!"