He Makes Me Blush

[34]

Lexie's POV

"Last period" Ellie comments as I follow her into English, "I can't wait to get home and finish reading my book."

*Nerd* I cough and she pushes me playfully.

Unlike Ellie, I don't like reading unless it's for school or it's a trashy magazine. It's not that I don't like books and the act of reading, it's just that they can't hold my attention for long.

I follow Ellie to our table just as our English teacher walks in in a huff and slams the table hard, silencing the noisy room. "Take out your copies of Romeo and Juliet and turn to Act 3 scene 5" she demands.

There's a flurry of activity as everyone hurriedly grabs their books from their bags and places them on the table.

Shit. I knew I forgot something.

"Where's your book?" Ellie asks, placing hers carefully on the table.

"I forgot it."

She looks at me sympathetically. Her and I both know how mad out teacher gets when someone forgets their homework or god forbid, a book.

Mrs. Barns starts making rounds to each table, checking off people who have their books. So far no one didn't bring theirs due to the lack of tears. As she nears our table I slouch down in my seat.

If only I could sink through the floor and end up in China or something like that...

"Ellie, nice to see you came prepared" Mrs. Barns says appearing next to our table and I internally groan, slouching even farther down in my seat.

"Ms. King?" I hear her voice ask, "what on earth are you doing slouched in your seat like that?"

I slowly peer up to see Mrs. Barns standing next to me with raised eyebrows and a questioning expression.

"Sorry, Mrs. Barns. My back hurts and I thought it would help." I lie.

She sighs and motions her hand to my empty desk. "Where's your book copy?"

"Ummm....."

I'm not very good of a liar, and I'm not sure that I can come up with a lie that she'll legitimately believe and let me off the hook with. Well Mrs. Barns, I was walking on the street to school today, and I had my book with me. I don't know how it happened, but a Raccoon came out of nowhere. It grabbed my book and ran off with it into the forest. I would have run after it but I was late to school. There are about one hundred things wrong in that paragraph alone.

"I'm waiting" Mrs. Barns says impatiently, tapping her heeled foot on the floor.

Why the hell does she need to hear me say that I forgot it? Its pretty obvious because it's not on my desk or anything.

"I forgot it."

You can hear a pin drop in the room and everyone avoids eye contact with me. Better to not look like an accomplice.

"What was that?" Mrs. Barns asks again and I grind my teeth together. She knows damn well she heard me. She's just antagonizing me.

"I don't have my book. I forgot it in my locker."

She stares at me for a moment, not making a sound. She suddenly smiles, leaning down until her mouth is level with my ear. "Detention" she whispers and I nod quickly.

She moves on to the next table and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. That wasn't so bad.

"Oh, and Lexie?" Mrs. Barns asks, turning around to face me.