The Closer You Are

• chapter two

It had been no more than a week when Hayden was finally seen with Rachel again, and this time there were no teachers to pull them away from each other.

The two had been together plenty at school since their initial encounter at the cafe, but their little interactions always seemed to get cut short. The first time it was in the hallway, during passing period. Hayden was going to chemistry and Rachel was going to history, and they both had passed each other with the knowing looks on their faces.

Rachel smiled at Hayden, letting him know it was okay. And Hayden grinned like an idiot, his strides matching hers as they crossed each other.

The second time it happened was on the same day. They both had english and Hayden decided to take the plunge and talk to Rachel. His palms were clammy and he could feel himself shaking as he approached her. Hayden slide a book down on her desk, and made no effort to stay and chat. He was nervous and she could tell. She always knew whenever he was. When it came to Hayden, his emotions were clearer than a glass jar.

But as evident as Hayden was, Rachel was the opposite. And when he sat down four desks away from her, Rachel's face was blank and passive.

As the teacher zoned on about sonnets and whatnot, Hayden's gaze was fixed on the back of her head. He couldn't help think he made a huge mistake.

Class ended shortly and Hayden watched students pile out of the room. He too being one of them. But then he felt a pair of boots stop short in front of his desk, and a faint slimmer of hope rushed through his chest.

"Thank you for the book, - " She paused, searching for his eyes. "It was very thoughtful of you."

Instead of responding, Hayden coughed and looked the other way.

"Yeah." He muttered, barely audible.

But when he finally looked up, Rachel was already out of the classroom. And only the faint smell of her perfume was left, leaving the sole trace she was here.

All of a sudden, Hayden felt dizzy. And it was an experience he never felt before. It was the feeling he got when he aced a test without studying, or when a teacher asked a question when he wasn't listening and got it right. It was rare and foreign to him, he almost forgot where he was. Then he made brief eye contact with his english teacher, and he swore he saw her snarl at him.

~

His next class was AP Art, his most favorable period of the day. For many reasons but mostly being he was good at it. But the students there were pretentious, and most likely relied on art scholarships to get into college. Hayden thought they were all competitive and unpleasant, but the teacher didn't make him feel like throwing up half the time. So he was alright.

That day was oddly quiet and productive. There was usually side-chatter that filled the room and made it less stiff. But today it was like everyone sensed Hayden's confusion growing and growing in his mind. And although he enjoyed the quiet, he couldn't seem to work as his thoughts were elsewhere.

~

"Hey buddy." Hayden felt a familiar voice fill his left ear.

Grey, his one and only friend, nudged his shoulder. Hayden's proximity was compromised by Grey who leaned against the locker over his.

"You know how we agreed on going to the mall after school to check out that new game?"

"Yes?" Hayden said, eyeing his friend wearily.

"Apparently," Grey said, his voice sliding, "Caitlyn really wants me to have dinner with her grandparents who are only gonna be in town this weekend."

Hayden stiffed at the mention of Grey's newest girlfriend. She was a transfer student from our rival school and supposedly a 'total babe'. When it came to girls, Grey was the epitome of indecisiveness. Either that, or he was just a womanizer. Hayden hadn't quite figured it out yet.

Grey continued, "She dropped it on me during second period and you know I can't say no to her."

Hayden chuckled at that. "Another time then." He patted Grey's shoulder similarly, and walked off to his car.

He was half-way to his car when he swore he saw a familiar head of shiny strawberry blonde hair catch his attention. But when he did a double take, it was just someone else. He would have to hope to see Rachel in his dreams.

Somewhat relieved and somewhat disappointed, he drove all the way home in a bittersweet silence. He wasn't upset nor happy by any means, he was just content.