I got to school early the next day, mostly trying to avoid everyone. I opened my locker and grabbed all my things, lingering a little more than usual. I glanced at the clock: 7:03. Katie was normally here by now. Maybe she was sick?
I set off for class, still before most kids where around. I stopped in the middle of the hallway, then back-tracked to behind a corner. Katie was there alright, but she was with her new guy-friend. making out against a wall.
"Tramp," I muttered under my breath, with more sincerity then I thought I'd felt. "glad I'm not the only stalker in this school," Sam whispered, peeking out behind me. I turned around, and almost flipped out, but he pressed a finger, rather creepily I might add, to my lips to silence me.
"I'd assume there's a reason we're creeping, so you may want to stay quiet. Besides, that guy is my friend too, Paul. Tramp's his girlfriend, I'd assume?" I nodded, still a little ticked at him. I slapped am in the arm, pointing at them angrily.
"They met literally yesterday! He's, like, groping her."
"I don't think you've ever seen real groping."
"I'd assume thats what it looks like."
"You're not wrong."
"How would you know?" I asked in a normal voice. He just wiggled his eyebrows irritatingly. I stamped on his foot, and shouldered my bag. "Well, I'll see you later, maybe." I walked away, looking in a mirror to see him watching me with his green eyes, not leaving my back. Unsettled, I walked to maths.
I took my lunch to the courtyard, again abandoned by katie. I was trying not to be mad at her, but this was getting rediculous. I watched her across the cafeteria, talking to 'Pauls' friends. Sam, suprisingly, wasn't there.
I found out why when he sat down next to me, and said, "Jeez, Parsley, lay off the creeping."
"Seriously," I gasped, "Do you ever just say hello? also, my name is Sage, and I am not stalking, I'm trying to get her to see me. she's being a jerk." I didn't take my eye's off Katie while I spoke. He nodded, considering something. "I can see it's bothering you." He mumbled nodding at my wrist. I shot him a side glance. "You too."
He didn't respond. I looked up, fine with the end of the conversation. It was uncomfortble, talking to somebody other than Katie. I got the distinct impression I was being very rude, but I wasn't quite sure how to stop it.
I decided to just keep aking questions. I wasn't much of a conversationalist, but I found what I thought was a reasonably harmless question. "Why do you hang around me?" I murmured, watching him in another mirror.
"Well, you seem like a nice enough person. Plus, we're kinda the same, you know?" I rolled my eyes, and simply replied, "how would you know? you just met me." I was saved from having to elaborate by the bell. I rose, and scurried to my next class.
I left school early, complaining of a stomacheache, which the nurse knew was fake but was familiar enough with my lies to let me go anyways.
"Hey, Juniper." I stopped, silently cursing any holy figure I could in that moment. "Sage," I reminded him curtly. He shrugged, aimlessly ambling towards me. "I told you we where similar." He fell into step with me as I walked away, which by the way, makes it very hard to walk away.
"What do you even know that would make you think that?" I scoffed. He stopped, making me stop a few paces ahead of him.
"I know you're a Shutout too, and you dress like it. You always wear longsleeved sweaters,like me, and you don't talk to people much. You're worried that Katie's gonna find better people to hang out with, which--" -he looked at me carefully- "Sadly will probably happen. You try to look at people in mirrors instead of making eye contact, and you also resent me a little." He stared at me intently, forcing me to hold his gaze or filt my eyes around to avoid his.
"And you say I'm a stalker," I replied weakly. He shrugged, and began to walk past me, but I said, "wait. Wipe that smug grin I know you're hiding, Sherlock, 'Cause that's pretty far from the truth. You where right about the first part, I'll give you that. But I'm not worried about Katie. I'm mad 'cause I know she'll find better friends, and know that because I was her friend. and I don't look at people in mirror's so I don't have to make eye contact" - I still didn't drop his gaze- "I think you can see I can do that just fine. I do it because when people know they're being watch they change into someone they want you to see instead of themselves."
He nodded thoughtfully, and said ruefully, "I guess that means I was right about you resenting me." I tossed my hair, and with a smile shot back, "I woudn't do too well if I hated my only friend."
This one was all over the place O__O But it got things explained a little, or at least progressed the story.
