The Space Between Us

ˏˋ 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢 ˎˊ

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬-
𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑡, 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑑𝑒.

THE NEXT DAY at school moved slowly, with each minute dragging on as I found it almost impossible for me to concentrate on any of my classes. My thoughts kept drifting away from Mr. Tim's lesson, pulling me back to the message I sent Blaine. I couldn't stop the nagging thought that sending that message was a mistake, that Blaine probably thought I was stupid for even reaching out. Why was I even the one reaching out? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

My mind wandered off to the mouthwatering dishes my mom was going to prepare for tonight, as well as the mysterious guests my dad invited over to our house for dinner.

I cursed at myself for forgetting to ask my mom this morning as she dropped me off at school about our guests, and last night, as my mission at the time was to curl up in my bed and get some much-needed rest after having to send that foolish message.

And now, I regretted not asking about them because my curiosity was eating me up from the inside out as I found myself staring blankly at the board while Mr. Tim spoke animatedly about the sonnet, Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day, with my pencil tapping casually on my notebook.

As Mr. Tim continued explaining the analysis of Shakespeare's sonnet, I tried focusing on the words that left his mouth but today, it seemed like my mind didn't get the memo and failed to cooperate. It kept drifting back and forth to who these guests were.

Were they someone important, or were they just another one of my dad's work buddies? And did they have kids my age? Was I going to have to entertain them and make small talk? What if they were boring or worse, super nosy? What if they were type of guests who asked a million questions or expected me to be super polite and proper?

I couldn't stop wondering about them, which made it hard to focus on anything else. My hand moved automatically, scribbling meaningless words as I imagined different scenarios of who these guests might be. The thought of having to put on a polite act for strangers made my stomach twist.

I could barely handle school today, let alone deal with some unknown visitors later on tonight.

It was only when the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, that I snapped out of my daydreams and returned to the real world.

"The questions on the back of the page will be your homework. Make sure you complete it, and I'll see you all on Monday," Mr. Tim said, grinning as he stacked some papers on his desk.

The groans and murmurs of frustration were the only responses he received from us. Soon, the classroom buzzed with the usual end-of-period conversations. I gathered my things while talking to Leo and Kaleb.

"I can't believe Mr. Tim gave us homework with a huge grin on his face," I complained, rolling my eyes as I shoved his textbook into my bag. "The nerve of some people!"

"For a second there, I thought he was gonna give us a break," Leo added, slinging his bag over his shoulders before running a hand through his wavy ginger locks.

"Well, some people just don't like seeing us enjoy the finer things in life," Kaleb said with a smirk, his toned arm flexed a bit as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Maybe he's trying to keep us from having too much fun."

I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration. "Yeah, right. Like Shakespeare's gonna ruin our weekend."

The boys chuckled as we headed out of the classroom. The hallways were bustling with students who were heading to their next classes or chatting with their friends, and the noise grew louder and more chaotic by the minute. I waved Leo and Kaleb goodbye as they turned down the hall, heading to their next class, before making my way to my locker.