You're My Favourite Subject

Three

·Jonathan·

I didn't know people could be so seemingly eager for school, with the way they're pretty much running to their rooms.
Lin pulled me along steadily and quite fast himself, I stumbled over my own two feet as I jogged to keep up.
The room we stopped in front of was pretty full already, he let my wrist go as we enter the room. There's two spare desks by the window at the back of the room. He begins walking and I follow, he sits in the second desk which leaves me the one beside the window.
Prolonged silence remains over us as Lin gets the correct stationary from his bag, I only watch him as he does so.
When he turns, his deep gaze meets mine; I feel my cheeks heating up but for some reason, I don't look away.

"Lin!"
My eyes dart to the classroom door where a seemingly very happy girl enters.
Lin turns and a smile spreads across his face.
The girl, now sitting on his desk, ignores me completely and wraps her arms around Lin's neck, pulling him closer to her and kissing him.
I look away, my heart sinks, my face flushes red.
Stop it, Jon.
I tell myself. You don't like him.
I've never believed in love at first sight and I am not in love with Lin.

"Who's this?" I hear the girl ask. Reluctantly, I glance back at the two of them.

"This is Jonathan." Lin introduces me. "He's new here."

"I'm Vanessa, Lin's girlfriend." She says.
Yeah, I gathered that. I think to myself but don't say it.
Instead I mumble a quiet hello.
She smiles a little at me, a sympathetic sort of smile, but quickly returns her attention to Lin.
I cast my gaze to the window and try my best to ignore them, Vanessa's the one doing most of the talking.
I watch as the oval is slowly abandoned as the second bell for class rings and shortly after it does, our teacher enters the room. Vanessa doesn't leave, instead she sits beside Lin even though someone else's stuff is already there. She pushes it aside.

The teacher marked the roll but stopped, squinting at the paper before looking around the room.
"Jonathan?" He asked, clearly not recognizing my name on the class roll.
Hesitantly, I raised my hand and dropped it as soon as the teacher noticed me. He ticked off my name and sat the roll on the desk, keeping his eyes on me.

"Where are you from, Jonathan?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against his desk.
Considering I'm at the back of the room, everyone has turned to look at me. I recognized a few faces from the cafeteria but it didn't make me any less nervous to speak in front of them.

"Pennsylvania." I answer, the teacher leans forward a little with a look that asked me to repeat myself.
"Uh, Pennsylvania." I say louder, cringing at how anxious I sounded.

"I'm Mr Novak." He introduced himself, I nodded but he had already turned his back. Again I didn't pay attention when Mr Novak addressed the class.
I looked over to Lin but just like first period, he faced away from me.
His attention was fully on Vanessa so I turned mine back to the window.
It wasn't long before Lin was tapping my shoulder and I turned to find most student's eyes on me again.

"Well, Jonathan?" Mr Novak stared at me impatiently.

"What?" I blurt out, confused. Laughter erupts from some students,including Vanessa.
I frown and look away, embarrassed.

"I'll repeat the question." Sighed Mr Novak. "Can you name a founding father of America?"

"Uh...." I glance at my hands, folded in my lap.

"Hamilton." Lin whispered to me, I look back up to the teacher.

"H-hamilton?" I stutter out nervously, Mr Novak nods with a slight smile before he speaks to the class as a whole again.

"Who can name another?" He asks but I turn to Lin, a small smile on my face.

"Thank you." I whisper, he nodded and smiled back welcomingly before turning to face the front and raising his hand. He seemed so eager about this topic, it made me smile but I quickly shook the feeling and tried to pay attention myself. Every now and then I'd glance toward Lin, Vanessa would occasionally rest her head on his shoulder or intertwine her hand with his.
I don't know why, and it feel bad for saying it, but seeing them happy together makes me sad?
Cut it out, Jon. I shake my head, I have no right to object to their relationship.

"You okay?" Lin taps my shoulder again,

"Huh?"

"You seemed pretty zoned out." He said to me and for once, Vanessa wasn't clinging to him in one way or another.

"Yeah. No, I'm fine." I try to smile convincingly but going off the look Lin gave me, it didn't work.