Black | lrh

Chapter 7

The last two lessons today were extremely awkward. I ended up avoiding Luke for music and Physical Education. Did I also mention it was extremely awkward? Considering that I avoided him for the entirety of yesterday and now today, I think the situation is pretty uncomfortable. I just can't bring myself to get over what happened yesterday morning, I'm such an idiot.

During the music lesson, Mr Bradman was confused because I refused to go into the sound proof with Luke. I just sat outside doing homework for other subjects while I felt Luke's intense stare from the small window on the door of the sound proof room, watching me and my every move intently. I looked up a few times to catch him off guard. Every time he was just observing me. And every time I would catch him looking, he would quickly look away, avoiding eye contact.

It would be a lie if I said I wasn't disappointed that we didn't spend music lesson together. But I'm the one who's to blame, and I sure as hell know it.

When Mr Bradman dismissed the class, I quickly ran out the classroom before Luke could approach me and strike up a conversation. I don't know if I could've handled a conversation or even facing up to Luke right at that moment. I ran off to Physical Education relieved to gain some distance between me and Luke, only realise that he was in my class. After that realisation, my breathing was suffering heavily. It felt like a huge animal sat on my chest. It didn't feel overly pleasant.

The teacher for PE made me sit out during this lesson and watch the rest of the class due to my ankle still making a full recovery. I was fine with that. I'm so bad at sports anyway. But the fact that I had to sit out and watch Luke all lesson really made my awkwardness worse. Luke had just spent the whole music lesson watching me and then I was spending the whole lesson watching him play netball. I know that he knew I was watching him. It was in the air, I could sense it, like we were on the same wavelength. He knew because he didn't turn his head to look at me on the sidelines of the netball court. Not once.

Luke was actually pretty good at sports. He had his height at an advantage playing netball. He could just intercept the ball so easily with his long arms and his strong vertical jump. The teacher did a good job picking his netball position because he was defending the ball so well that the goalies on the opposing team only got three or four goals compared to the other team's ten or so.

Now I am walking out the front gates of school, heading towards home after another upsetting day.

"Leigh!" a voice shouted from behind me. I turned around to see Calum running up to me, his backpack bouncing up and down furiously as it hung loosely on his back. I stopped walking to let Calum catch up to me. As he approached me, he spoke to me slightly out of breath, his lungs inhaling rapidly to catch his breath.

"Hey Leigh, how are you?" Calum politely asked, still out of breath.

"I would be lying if I said alright." Calum's lips turned downward into a frown.

"Well that's fantastic," Calum replied with a thick tone of sarcasm.

What was Calum even doing talking to me anyway?

"So, I hear you met Michael yesterday?"

Calum's statement threw me off guard. My heart started its usual increase in pace causing me to sharply inhale. Calum witnessed my obnoxiously loud intake of air, a concerning look spreading across his face.

Trying to ignore all of yesterday's and today's events has taken one hundred percent concentration and effort. But now Calum was here to make those bitter memories resurface. Of course he was here for Luke, why else would he talk to me?