Right Now

5.

Emily

I groan as Lyle, who seems more hyped than usual today, is messing with me. Maybe I was wrong about him being the quiet one. I shut my locker and turn and look up at him. "You're making me angry and I want to hurt you." I say seriously and he laughs.

As we walk down the hallway to find Ashton and Gorgy, since they both have different classes than us, he steps on the backs on my shoes the whole way and I begin to lose my sanity. I growl and I swiftly turn, punching him right in the crotch. Usually I can take jokes and whatnot, but today I want to kill everything.

He squeals and I hear a gasp. I turns and Gorgy is running to him. "Emily!" She says sternly.

"He was being a gremlin." I  scowl and I walk on. Ashton appears out of nowhere and puts his arm around my shoulders.

"They being mean to you, wittle baby?" He says is whiney tone and I huff.

"Yes." I say in the same way.

"Don't worry, they are big meanies." He says and I laugh, going into my science class, he walks on, smiling and waving as he goes.

I walk over to the same black table I sit at everyday, I sit alone due to the lack of another body in the room to fill the empty seat. But, I'm fine with that I get my space and the whole table to myself. I set my books out and I stare off into space. That is, until a body slams into the chair next to me. I look up and see Calum.

The teacher looks up from the paper he was writing on and sighs, adjusting his glasses. "Okay, Hood, that's your spot. Chase, it looks like you finally have a partner." He says and goes back to whatever it is he does. I look over at Calum, who just sighs, clearly not wanting that to happen.

"Don't get too excited, it's the only spot not taken or trust me, I'd sit somewhere else." He mumbles tiredly and puts his hands in his hair, tugging on it restlessly. I don't say anything. I just sit still and quiet. What am I to say in this situation? I don't know. Do I apologize for my existence being such a bother?

As the teacher explains what we are doing this week, I listen and I keep peeking over at Calum, who is ironically doing the same thing. The reason why I keep looking is because he keeps fidgeting around and it is making me nervous.

"Uh, hey, I'm sorry about being such a jerk to you," He says quietly, like he doesn't want anyone to hear him. "Sometimes it just happens and I can't control what I say." He looks over at me and I give him a small smile. Any apology is better than none, I guess. But, it's surprising and unexpected.

"It's fine." I say and shrug.

The teacher looks in our direction and we both shut up. We're in the back, but I guess even whispers can be heard.

"So, dissecting. Fun." He says sarcastically and I feel my stomach squirm. I hate it. Nothing makes me feel like a monster more than cutting open a poor creature and taking its insides out.

"Uh, not really." I say and look at my paper, I always feel like a baby around this time. Every year we do it, and it's not even biology that I'm taking.

"Yeah no, not really." He agrees with me and I offer up a smile.

The teacher passes back a worksheet. We are just going to be doing busy work until the lab animals come in on Wednesday.

"Seven is cell. What's nine?" He asks, glancing at my paper and I turn so he can see. He copies quickly and turns his paper so I can see the answers I don't have. Working together, we finish in no time at all.

"So, uh, you can play... guitar, is it?" I ask nervously, trying to be nice.

"Uh, yeah I can play, but it's a bass," He says. "You play anything?" He asks.