Human

THREE

I jumped awake to the constant nagging ring of my phone. Jayden was still sleeping, his face young and relaxed.

I swiped open my phone. Shit. We were late for school. We were so going to get noticed by the teachers and our friends. It was already 9.00AM. School started at 7.10AM.

Alysia left me with five unanswered calls and 3 text messages.

6.47AM:
Hey I'm outside. Are you done? You're still in Jayden's

6.59AM
Oh my god! You're not coming out. Are you even awake? Hello?? I'm going to campus with Ashton in 3

7.12AM
Maybe you shouldn't come. Miss first period. Trust me :|

I threw my phone back on the bedside table.

"Jayden! Wake up! We're late!" I called while tapping on his shoulder and using my other hand to brush through my sleep hair.

I was weird, considering the fact that I was scared yet his waking form was so calm. Jayden slowly opened his eyes and adjusted himself to the brightness of the room. He then turned himself to face a gaping me pointing at the time on my iPhone while propping himself up using his right hand.

"Princess, calm down." Jayden whispered to me. The word calm was floating in the air and it wasn't till he cupped my chin using his palm that I realised I was focusing intently into his twinkling eyes.

He held my face with two of his hands and said gently, "Go get changed." Before I walked out of his room with my Converse and phone, he had already thrown on a grey tee.

The difference in boys and girls in terms of the timing when they dress...

My room was shared with Aly. It had wooden floors, a white wall and yellow laced curtains that hung from the windows. We shared a double-decker and I slept at the top. We had a study table each which were piled up with books from numerous subjects.

There was a gigantic mirror and closet positioned opposite our bed. I striped off my dress and quickly grabbed a fresh new pair of jeans and top, tying my hair into a ponytail with a used hair band I found in front of the mirror.

*
"Should we enter?" My knuckles turned white as I held onto the brown polished knob of the lecture room's door. I didn't want to be called the girl who slept with the popular baseball player Jayden Carter.

"Aly even asked me to skip first period." I stammered and shuddered a little.

"It's gonna be alright." He held me close to his side.

When two people of opposite sex open a noisy door, which creaked when it was shutting and banged when it eventually closed, together, it was trouble. That was in particular when a hundred pair of eyes were locked on us and rows of heads turned to face us.

Jackson and James immediately stood up and cheered, giving us a "standing ovation", which the rest of the students joined in. Jackson screamed "Jayden's girl" at the top of the lungs as we walked towards Professor Hudson who taught English.

I was almost frozen to the spot but Jayden dragged me along anyway with his strong hands which held tight onto mine. He didn't mind judgement, unlike me. The seed of embarrassment was wedged inside me ready to blossom red my cheeks. I avoided those judging glances towards me and looked at Jayden.

There was a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips as his eyes flickered and scanned through the sea of faces.

Yet I was freezing inside.

I staggered while Jayden ambled with me to the professor. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, "Kids why are you late?"

"We woke up late." Jayden said naturally.

Professor Hudson's jaw dropped as he took the clipboard containing the attendance list. He was dressed in a beige jacket, white long-sleeved shirt and cedar brown trousers. He had on black boots. "Did y'all..." He paused.

I inhaled sharply and then exhaled a large amount of air when he did not continue and instead dismissed us with a weary flex of his wrist.

"I told you it's alright." He whispered as we walked up the stairs to the remaining two seats at the last row. I didn't reply.

The crowd of students clapped once more till our butts were down on our seats.

I lifted the mini table up from the side of the green cushioned chair, crossing my arms on the table and sighing. I could sense Jayden looking at me but I was in a trauma now. I didn't want to look like I was involved in the baseball boys.

That was because most of the guys on the team played and fooled around with girls. So Jayden was also looked upon with a poor reputation, although people who knew him well was clear that he was another species altogether. I did not want to be seen as a bad girl.

At the back of my mind, perhaps. Just perhaps. I wanted Jayden. But I wanted our relationship to be kept a secret and not shared with the general public.

Professor Hudson continued with his lecture. "So where was I at?" He did a quick check on the slide he was at on the Microsoft program and flipped the pages of his annotated textbook accordingly.

"Let me ask you. So how is one able to see something clearly at all, without the conceptual resources of a language at one's disposal?"

There was some murmuring until someone mischievous started laughing like a clown.

Prof didn't care and just said, "Let's continue with our lesson." But he gave a deliberate shake of his head, which was filled with white strands of hair embedded in mostly black.

He said, a little undecided, "Kids if you have got any special... Erm..." He scratched his head, a little flustered. "I mean arrangements or plans... The night. Before class. Please go to the Main Office to inform the staff so I can take note beforehand."

I heard whispers from people below us.

"What is he thinking? What the hell. Why would I tell him if I wanna... With you." A blonde with a tattoo on her arm laughed, placing her head on her black boyfriend's arm and relaxed into his embrace. She then elbowed him in the ribs which caused him to mutter an "ow" which hung in the air. She was sitting in the row below ours.

I inhaled again.

Suddenly, Jayden placed his arm across my neck and I became even more uptight. "I'm sorry." I said. "I should have checked that my alarm was set properly. It didn't ring."

"Or are you just too tired?" He questioned.

What did he mean? I was probably not tired. Just too comfortable with him...

"Nope. I was careless." I bit my lip while my leg accidentally brushed his.

"Another careless mistake you just made." He teased.

"Shut up. Let's pay attention." I winked.