A Match Into Water (Fuenciado)

Chapter Six

Jaime was back at school the next day. At least, physically. His mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely, locked away behind his eyes. He wouldn't meet my gaze as he sat next to me in class, hunched over his desk and scribbling furiously. His black hair had been brushed out so that it framed his face, and the strands kept me from getting a good look at him. From this side of his figure, which was even skinnier than the last time I'd seen him, I couldn't see his eyes. See what he was keeping hidden from everyone.

He didn't talk to me, didn't acknowledge my existence. I wanted to talk to him, wanted to see if he was alright, but I just didn't know how to. I didn't want to scare him off, and the words didn't come easily to me. What could I even say? No way I could bring up what I'd heard yesterday, though the conversation kept replaying in my head. I needed a cover for talking to him.

"Hey, Jaime, could you help me with this problem?" I reached to tap him on the shoulder, but he shrugged away from my touch. He didn't raise his gaze as he slid my math paper towards him.

"Which one?" he asked quietly, voice void of emotion. It was like he was talking to a stranger.

I pointed to one at random, and he sighed. As he began to explain it, I could hear that his voice was ridden with exhaustion. When had he last slept? He was still turned away from me, and I longed to take his face in my hands.

When he finished his explanation, he returned the sheet to me and went back to his work. No conversation, nothing. No hello, no 'I missed you'. I wondered if I had only imagined the other day. Our pencils scratched in silence, and there was an awkward tension between us.

I paused my writing to rake my nails over my new cuts, which were itching like hell. I noticed Jaime's eyes flick in my direction, but his lips remained pressed together. My heart fluttered when I realized that it would be lunch in a few minutes. He'd have to talk to me then, right?

But as the period ended, Jaime was quick to grab his books and wordlessly hurry out of the classroom. No backward glance. I bit my lip, piling together my own stuff.

A hand slammed itself down onto my desk, and I saw Danny jeering at me. "Boyfriend trouble, huh?"

My face flushed, and I hastily stood to leave. He didn't stop me, but instead followed me out into the hallway. I made for my locker, but he was still on my heels. Other kids parted to make way for him behind me, and I wished that I could be them. Able to blend in at a moment's notice.

A student detached himself from the clump of kids by the wall, joining me at my side. His turtle backpack jostled with books as his legs met pace with mine. "Hey, Vic."

I grinned at Tony, partly because I knew that Danny wouldn't bother me now, and also because I knew that I could talk to him about Jaime. They were really good friends, from what I could tell. Best friends, even. I'll admit, I was a little jealous, but I knew that Tony only liked him as a friend, and that he really did care about him.

"Hey, erm, Tony, can I talk to you for a sec?"

He nodded, stopping at my locker with me. I stared at the dial as I spun it, trying to find the way to say what I needed to. "It's, um...it's about Jaime."

He waited for me to go on.

"Well, I mean, it's just...I'm worried about him," I blurted, checking to make sure he wasn't rolling his eyes at me.

But from the way that Tony was looking at me, I could tell that he agreed. He didn't say anything, though. I guess he was just realizing that what he thought might be true in his head was actually reality. The fact that someone had the same fears as you just made them that much worse.