By Design

The Bottle of Deceptive Volume

And though Nadine and I departed on good terms, it did nothing to suppress this aching feeling that was swelling up inside me. And like my current emotional climate, I could not, for the life of me, tag any words to it.

And then there was that comment she said to me.

Bring your other half with you.

What on earth could she mean? As far as I was concerned, I was completely whole. I had no other half, whatever that could be.

Perhaps this is the beginning of the turn of the crazy. A cluttered mind worked no miracles in keeping sanity.

'Miss Willows!'

I jerked in my seat and widened my eyes at the sight of my maths teacher, who's face was rapidly reddening by the minute.

Oh dear.

'Yes sir?' I asked meekly, as the silence around me began to wither by the entrance of poorly-suppressed giggles. He was a ticking time-bomb, and if I wasn't careful I could set off an explosion.

'I've called your name six times now,' he lowered his voice dangerously. I bit my lip and slipped my hands under myself to prevent them from fidgeting. 'Would you like to exhibit your excellent attention to the class and solve the problem on the board please?' The sarcasm in his voice was cutting and I winced at it.

But I could solve the problem on the board and when I gave my answer, his surprise was so strong that he dropped the board pen instantly and gaped at me (but only for a half a second).

'...That is correct,' he muttered reluctantly. 'In future however, Miss Willows, I'd appreciate it if you'd answer to your name the first time I call it and if you'd actually look a little more interested in the lesson.'

'I'm sorry,' I apologised, blushing. 'I just drifted off for a few minutes.' The laughter in the room grew bolder but died down immediately once my teacher flashed his infamous scowl to them.

I sighed and bent my head down to continue with my work.

It's just a little more excitement in your life than you're used to. So get used to it, calm down and get on with your life.

And with that thought, I shut the turmoil down.

*****

During recess, I avoided Elliot. I didn't know why I did, but I craved a little solitude at the moment because before I met him, I spent most of my leisure time keeping myself company. It was a whole lot calmer then.

By lunch, I did feel a little pang of guilt whenever I'd catch sight of him, searching for me rather frantically. I'm sorry, Elliot. Give me some time. Give me some time.

And this led me to a part of the building which I'd only used during classes: the computer lab on the top floor. And because I really had nothing to do, I amused myself through the passive entertainment of scrolling through cat memes.

They're really, really funny. Nadine and Jamie mocked me for having such a childish sense of humour but I tell you, cats are the absolute best. They're expressive in a way that I could never be and there's just something about their haughty attitudes that I absolutely adore and admire.

I giggled as I scrolled through a comic strip of The Political Cat, but was startled when I heard one from behind me. I bent my head backwards slowly to see a beautiful girl smiling back down at me.

The word "beautiful" was intentional because although I'd describe everyone in the school as "striking" in one way or another, this girl took it to a completely different level. Her mid-length silky black hair (which I really wanted to touch) framed her artwork of a face (and not a modern art one) and as she smiled, it crinkled up her dark, dark eyes in an elegant manner.