Reticent (h.s fanfic, punk Harry)

Chapter 20

In the bright classroom just at a corner of the school that bathed in the sun's rays, the teacher spoke about politics and genocide, he spoke about the past and the present and the future.

I listened with one ear, and the other I lent to Connie. She babbled about her day, slim and short, as it had just started. She spoke in hushed tones as not to attract any unwanted attention from the teacher. Her short rants were conjured with her visit to Starbucks, and her inability to walk the hallway without bumping into anyone. I don't think any student could walk these halls without bumping into another person, there were too many students and not enough space. After her short and heated speech, she moved on to her disbelief about the traffic; another pressing issue in our society it seems. She didn't, however speak about her short session with Liam this morning. I didn't know the status they were walking around with.

However, while the teacher used one ear, and Connie used the other, my brain was a little preoccupied with the tall willowy boy at the back of the classroom with hair that fell to his shoulders in tumbling curls. I let my eyes caress over the words the board held, but I focused my vision on the small part of the board the sun hit; that part that gave you a view of a certain section of the classroom. He was sitting with his head down again, his forearms supporting his forehead. Shallow breaths brought his shoulders up a nudge then back down.

I realized soon precisely that I wasn't paying attention. A seat beside me creaked, and I looked over to see George with his lip in between his teeth.

"Late, George, why are you late?" The teacher set down the book he was holding. Every students' attention set on the boy beside me. His face turned a crimson red. I'd never experienced George in these stages. It seems we never really knew each other, I didn't know him that much. Our souls were just following a few bland words thrown around, but we ourselves weren't intertwined as a couple was meant to be.

"Sorry, sir. Just got caught up in some stuff." His voice sounded tight as if he were talking through a tight mask.

"Uhh, I figured." The teacher walked over to his desk to open something up. It was our project that George had presented. "This isn't yours now is it, George?"

He looked up with a quick jerk of his head but didn't nod, nor shake his head. "I thought so. I could have just spoken to you privately, but this is a lesson to the entire class. First it's probably homework, it'll go onto this-a project someone else worked on that you take. If this repeats in the final, do you know what they do? It's an automatic fail. They just rip up that final. I don't want to see this again." He turned the computer off then turned back to the book. "Let's move on then."

The class went quiet again, attention went back to the teacher, and mine went back to the spot on the board. His head hadn't come up once, not even when George's name was mentioned. But it did jerk up when the door opened up again.

Louis entered the class with two books under his arm. "Hello," the teacher spoke. "And you are?"

"Louis." He said with a low voice then walked towards the chairs.

"Alright, well welcome to English 30."

Louis only nodded as he walked on. He 'accidently' knocked down George's books and walked on.

Harry sat up. Once Louis was seated a whisper conversation started. Connie's rants stopped, her eyes voyaged through the classroom, not stopping for any face except his. Her eyes widened when she did see him, and a little hope burned away like a poor lit candle when he didn't bat an eye at her. His blue eyes avoided hers like the plague but she continued to stare like a lost child. It seemed Connie wanted something from him. She desperately wanted to stare at this lost boy who looked almost broken and beaten by the world. But the other boy beside him looked around like he was patched up perfectly, but just at the base of a scar feelings poured out, the sensation of oblivion took over- he looked off somehow. There were too many rumours about him.