The class somehow seemed to both drag and fly by, only something a first day syllabus lecture can do. Those were Holtzmann's weakness. They all pretty much said the same things, explaining some of the rules and expectations of the class and classroom, which basically mirrored that of every single other classroom in the school. And to make matters worse, they were required. There was no way out of them.
The blonde tried to keep her busy mind occupied by doodling and writing little notes in the empty spaces of the papers she'd been given, her head popping up to look at the teacher every so often to act as if she was listening. Today was one of the only days she could probably get away with zoning out considering he probably wouldn't quiz them on whether or not they should eat in the labs.
Erin, on the other hand, didn't mind listening to the syllabi, even if they were all pretty much the same. She had gotten out her highlighters and was highlighting important things in the papers as the teacher spoke, making sure to note down anything missing that he would say. She was solely focused on the information, which was normal for her in every class. Work, for her, was therapeutic; even something as simple as highlighting words on a piece of paper.
Holtzmann's gaze often drifted over to the older girl, just to see what she was doing. She was intrigued by her, somehow; maybe because she was always intrigued by the unknown, or maybe because she was confused as to how someone could be just so encaptivated by a syllabus. Regardless of what it was, it didn't stop her from looking over at her. Stare might possibly be an even better term for the way she looked at Erin. There was something about her that interested the little blonde, and if the girl had looked over at the right time, she would have known that.
There was only around fifteen minutes of class left when Mr. Spengler decided to do a class activity: introducing yourself. As if the attention in the beginning of class wasn't already bad enough for her, Erin also had to stand up and tell everyone about herself. Great. Luckily they started with the students in the back, giving her time to conjure up some confidence since she sat all the way in front. She'd make Holtzmann go first anyways, which she knew she'd have no problem doing.
Holtzmann stood up as her turn came around, slipping her hands into her pockets as she turned to face the people behind her. "Hi, I'm Holtzmann. I'm a Sophomore, and my favorite thing to do is take apart machines and put them back together." she nodded slowly before sitting down, all of her attention flooding towards the older girl.
Erin then stood up awkwardly, almost dropping her pencil in the process and, in turn, causing a few students to snicker. "Uh," she said quietly, pondering over the questions and answers in her mind momentarily so she didn't mess up, "I'm Erin, I'm a Senior, and I like math." she said, pausing to take a deep breath. Just as she was about to sit back down and go over her notes, though, she heard a voice from behind her.
"Hey, Ghost Girl, how about you tell us another story, huh?" a boy asked, smirking at her with an amused expression.
"I-I don't--"
"Yes you do! We all want to hear another one of those stories, right guys?"
"Enough," Mr. Spengler interjected, shaking his head in the direction of the student as he flashed a look.
"Come on, Mr. S! We have enough time in class for Ghost Girl to scare our pants off again."
Erin sat down slowly, folding her arms over the desk before putting her head down. She took quick breaths, her heart practically beating out of her chest.
"What's wrong, Erin? See another ghost?" some other boy asked, a few others laughing after his question.
The next voice Erin heard was different than the others. This voice was familiar, and wasn't taunting or teasing in any way. "Hey, knock it off." Holtzmann said, turning around to face the boys in her chair. "It's obviously bothering her."
"And why do you care? She your girlfriend or something?" the boy asked back, smirking at her.
"I said enough." Mr. Spengler said again, his voice raised. Holtzmann looked over at him, and he shook his head slowly. She then turned around and slouched in her seat, her arms folded across her chest.
Erin's head peeked up to look at her, hoping she'd be looking away. Luckily she wasn't looking, giving her time to study her a bit more. The blonde's face, now that she'd been angry, was red and splotchy, her eyebrows knitted as she stared intently at the clock above the board. Erin let out a soft sigh, hesitantly sitting up in her seat to look at the clock as well.
As soon as the bell rang, Erin stood up, not bothering to put her folder and pencil bag away before walking out. Holtzmann stood up quickly as well, shoving her things into her bookbag before rushing out after her.
"Hey, Erin!" she yelled after the taller girl, jogging slightly to catch up to her.
Erin looked over at her, her body tensing up slightly. "What?" she asked hesitantly.
"I'm sorry," the blonde said, looking up at her. "About what happened in class, that is. They're real dicks, but don't listen to them."
The older of the two nodded as a response, making her way towards the lunchroom.
"You have first lunch?"
"Uh, yeah..." Erin nodded slowly, holding her things close to her chest.
"Mind if I sit with you? I don't really have friends to sit with." she asked, cocking her head to the side.
Erin half shrugged, looking over at her usual table outside. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool! See you there, then." Holtzmann replied, speed walking off to get her food before the other could even reply.
Erin made her way over to her table outside, finally putting her things away and getting out a paper bag filled with a sandwich and a few other things. A few moments later, she heard footsteps before a figure sat down next to her. A small smile appeared on her lips at the sight of her best friend. Finally, someone she was comfortable around.
"Hey, Erin. How have your classes bee-"
"Someone's gonna sit with us today." she blurted out, looking up at her. "Sorry, Abby. I just... I figured I should start with that."
The brunette raised an eyebrow, smiling at her. "Did you make a friend?"
"No," Erin replied, shaking her head before quickly taking it back with an indecisive expression, "I mean, kind of, I guess."
"Who is it?"
"Holtzmann." came a voice from slightly above. Both the auburn haired girl and her friend looked up, the blonde looking down at them with a soft smile.
Oh, joy.
