In Perspective

Chapter 4 Detention Sucks but You Sure Don't

So we got detention. I know shocking! My lack of involvement was rewarded with the same punishment as the two boy who got me in trouble. I'm not really complaining though - I have no plans for this afternoon anyways. As the final bell rings, I make my way to the rather familiar detention room. Now, you may be wondering why this room is familiar. Let's just say I may or may not have come into school an hour late everyday for a month. Yeah the school didn't like that so I had a month of detention to kill after that. Good times.

I pull the door to the classroom open and make my way all the way to the back. I consider the seat closest to the door in the back my designated spot because the teacher can't see you through the door back there which allows me to sit on my phone for the entire time I'm there. Plus the seat has an electrical outlet right behind it so I can charge my phone. This seat is the only reason I ever show up to detention early.

Soon after I sit the teacher, as well as Jordan and Harry, walk in. After a brief lecture about our behavior, the teacher walks out warning us that he can see us through the door. It's silent for a while. I have one headphone in and I'm listening to the band Opeth rather loudly - so loudly that Jordan turns around and says "Turn your music the fuck down or I'm gonna walk back there and smash your phone."

I look him dead in the eye and turn my headphones up more, never once breaking eye contact. Then Harry chimes in "HA smash her phone yeah? Kinda like how you smashed into the floor after she kicked your feet out." I watch in amusement as a vein on the side of Jordan's head bulges out in fury. He's about to get up but right before he does the teacher walks in and see's what's going on and kicks Jordan out of the detention room.

So then there were two. Harry ,upon seeing the teacher disappear with Jordan, decides to get up and sit right next to me. This is an interesting new development. I stare at him waiting for him to speak but he never does. Guess it's my turn to speak.

"Harry, I don't want you to get offended but - why did you move right next to me?" he looks away for a moment in mock thought.

"I mean who knows? It couldn't possibly be because I'd like to talk to you." I shake my head in embarrassment as my cheeks turn red, this boy can't seriously mean that. Suddenly I thought back to what Anna said, about how she heard he'd said I was cute. Maybe that wasn't bullshit? No - there's no way. He's just being friendly. I feel like I'm in middle school again with these thoughts. Ew.

"Well, here I am." He looks up at me and smiles. That smile. Something about the way it reaches his eyes makes me wanna smile a bit too. But I hold back not wanting to seem like I'm affected by him. We make small talk, and I find out the one class he and I would share is PE. I hadn't known today because I didn't have a locker assigned to me yet so I sat in the library.

I couldn't keep my thoughts from drifting back to the fight and Harry can tell I'm thinking about something. "What's on your mind H?" I bite back my joy at the new nickname he'd developed as we talk more.

"Look, I know its none of my business but -"

He cuts me off. "Buuuut you wanna know about why me and Jordan got into that fight- which you ended up winning for me?"

"Yeah" I look at him and he pulls his hand through his fluffy curls- probably thinking about how to tell me this information.

"Okay so I'm sure you've heard the rumors about me and Nicole correct?" I nod my head. There were rumors that they'd been casually hooking up all year. I always tried not to feed into the rumors and high school bullshit but gossip was gossip, and I wasn't about to be the only one out of the loop for a "righteous" cause.

"Well you didn't hear this from me but they may or may not be sorta true, I say sorta because she and I really only made out but it was only once and I'm not gonna lie it wasn't worth it. We were at a party and there was drinking involved you get the idea. It shouldn't have happened"

"Not to change direction but- what does Nicole have to do with this?"

"I'm getting to that now actually. You see Nicole and Jordan have been dating on and off for the past two years, and when we kissed clearly I assumed they were on another one of their two week breakups. She came onto me and we kissed and all that spicy stuff, and soon after I found out she'd actually still been dating the guy ,I know, shocker! Rumors from that night began to fly and they were twisted into an even worse story that really never happened."

"Jeez how do you mix up kissing and having sex? You'd think kids our age could tell."

"I think people just wanted a good old fashion high school party hookup drama, honestly. Anyways - the rumors fly and Nicole and Jordan breakup then continue to do their on/off thing the rest of the year and the tension builds between me and Jordan. Then today I crack a joke about the situation in lunch and BOOM my ass is on the floor and getting dragged outside."

"And then I was thrown in by people behind me and here we are.", I sigh. "Gotta love high school." I look up and examine him as he stares off in thought. He has such a handsome face, nice soft looking pink lips that aren't misshapen unlike some unlucky people, and he has a very chiseled face. His jawline is one of his stronger features, and he has nice teeth. He's gorgeous, but my favorite thing about him is the one thing I can barely look at. Those eyes.

He turns back towards me and I look away as if I merely glanced at him but I know from the look on his face he's caught me staring at him. He fully turned his body towards me in his seat and said "You know, I owe you for saving my ass from a beating. We should do something sometime." I freeze in my place, is he asking me out?

"Like hangout together? I'm way too boring for you Harry. Really." He laughs and shakes his head.

"I, for one, think you're rather interesting Haley, so yes I'd like to hangout with you. Give me your phone number." I type my number into his phone and he types his into mine. As we finish the bell rings signalling the end of detention. I gather my things up and walk out of the class to the main exit doors but Harry catches up to me and speaks again.

"I'm a man of my word so I'll text you tonight, later H." With that we part ways. He waves as he walks off to his car and I shyly wave back as I make my way to the late bus. I plug my headphones in and stare out the window as his car drives off and smile. Detention with Harry, actually makes detention not suck. In fact. It doesn't feel like detention at all.