An Endless Serenade

Chapter Seven

"Sixteen," Aspen whispered to me, leaning to her left.

I turned to her, frowning. "What?"

She did a quick head-dip toward Mr. Tucker. "He's said 'you know' sixteen times already."

"You've been counting?" I said skeptically, raising my eyebrows.

Grinning, she nodded. "I have to pay attention in class somehow, don't I?"

I laughed loudly, forgetting the fact that Mr. Tucker was in the middle of a monologue about satire and irony. That is until he paused and everyone in class turned to look at me. Shrinking back in my seat, I felt a warm blush spread across my face. Next to me, Aspen pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle her giggling.

"Something funny, Miss Heywood?" Mr. Tucker questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

"No," I muttered, dropping my gaze to the floor.

"This is the fourth time this week this has happened," he continued, narrowing his eyes at me. If it weren't for his light-hearted expression, I would've thought he was angry.

I gave him a half-shrug. "You're just too funny, I guess."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Me or Ms. DeVous. Perhaps we need a seat change."

"No," I said quickly, glancing at the other side of the room where Peter, the guy I'd punched, was sitting.

Unfortunately for me, he'd chosen just that moment to look up. His expression immediately twisted into a scowl and I found myself grimacing back at him. When I realized what I was doing, I snapped my head back toward Mr. Tucker, realizing my expression could be considered a fighting expression. I didn't want to get in another fight.

Mr. Tucker gazed at me for a moment, concern etched on his face. His eyes switched from myself to Peter, and back to me. "Very well... just try to pay more attention in class, okay?"

"Yep..."

For the rest of class I sat quietly in my seat, hands clasped over my desk, my head straight forward. Aspen whispered comments to me now and again, but for the most part didn't attempt to humiliate me any further. Although, I did find I'd begun to silently count the number of times Mr. Tucker said you know. The sum was a bit staggering, but at the same time, I caught myself grinning every time he uttered it. Maybe it was a nervous habit? But he didn't seem nervous at all. Impressive, seeing as how he was standing in front of a group of judgemental teenagers.

When class ended, I slowly packed up my belongings, waiting for Peter to leave the room before standing. It wasn't like I was afraid of him— far from that. The only reason I wanted to keep my distance from the blonde was because Elliot asked me to. And, being the good friend I am, I decided to obey his wish. Well, that and the fact Paul had yet to hear of my little act of violence, and I wanted to keep it that way. As long as he didn't know, my parents would never find out. Which was what I was aiming for.

"Miss Heywood?" came Mr. Tucker's voice over the chattering of students. "Can I speak to you for a moment."

Aspen caught my gaze and winked. "Twice in one month?"

"Oh, please," I responded, rolling my eyes, but for some reason I felt butterflies in my stomach. "Yeah, sure, Mr. Tucker."

"I'll wait for you outside," she promised, sliding her backpack over her shoulder. "Remember, you're still in school."