Never (EDITING)

Chapter 16

Monday's detention wasn't as horrible as I pictured it to be. For one, Nathan wasn't there, making things a whole lot easier. There was absolutely no need for me to worry about spitballs, awkward hand holding, a pair of green eyes plastered entirely on me, or the fact that Mr.Welch had no experience with running a classroom full of delinquents. I simply sat at the same desk from the last session and kept my head down, waiting patiently for Mr.Welch's tired voice to utter the words, "You are all free to go.".

The sound of paper ruffling made my head shoot up. Mr.Welch was looking directly at me with a playful grin on his face. Finally, after scratching his chin twice and then sniffing his fingers, he chuckled lightly at his desk and lifted one of his long arms to wave us off. "You are all free to go, enjoy the rest of your day."

I was out of that class before anyone else had even prepared to stand from their seats. Those guys were most likely in no hurry to leave, but I'd never felt any happier. I was free!

"That chick's somethin' else."

"You can say that again."

As I speed-walked toward my locker<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16px;">—</span>at an attempt to gather my things and get out of the building as soon as I possibly could<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 16px;">—</span>echoes of laughter filled the emptiness of the hall. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder, because I wanted to see if those who were mocking me would continue even after they caught a glimpse of my glare. They did, and several giggles followed.

My eyes stayed glued to the immature jerks for another minute. Of course, this landed me in a little mess. My short attention span caused my body to collide with someone else's, hard, and I nearly toppled backwards. Thankfully, I was able to hold my balance and save myself from an embarrassing situation that was just waiting to happen.

Frustrated, I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and frantically patted the back of my pants, forgetting completely that I didn't hit the ground. Heat made its way on my face at the thought. I suddenly stopped and crossed my arms over my chest, forcing my eyes to remain on my old and worn out sneakers. "W-Would you watch where you're going?" I said. Sadly, the anger that I wanted to release through those words refused to come out.

"That's supposed to be my line."

My breathing was cut short at the sound of the individual who stood only inches before me. The heat in my face continued to rise. At one point I feared that my head would actually burst open. And seeing how the presence of this person was making my blood flow at an unbelievable speed, it was safe to say that my brain being blown to bits was a huge possibility.

I constantly reminded my idiot self that ripping my eyes away from my shoes would be a bad idea, but I also knew that not looking up would make me look unprofessional. I had to give off a good impression. One deep breath and a mental image of myself kicking and shoving a boxing bag with the use of natural, ultimate, strength, were all that were necessary to build up my confidence. My eyes locked with his, no hesitation getting in the way. All that courage felt great while it lasted.

"Dani, are you okay?"

Why he asked that, I was not sure, but it wasn't long before I realized that I wasn't okay. I noticed a little too late that my chest was puffed out like those kids in children's cartoon shows who do it to look cool and mysterious. Of course, I was nowhere near to looking like I could actually fit along the lines of "cool". And to make things worse, I was completely unaware of my body's need for air. I had inhaled a large amount of oxygen, earlier, and didn't remember to exhale. I could feel my head getting light, so I was quick to breathe before anything drastic could happen. The last thing I needed was to wake up and find myself resting in the passenger seat of Nathan's car again.