Echoes Down The Corridor

Dateless in...German?

Walking to German the following Tuesday, the events of the weekend still fresh in mind; I hadn't seen my girlfriend since, as I only have English once this week. A slight disappointment, but its ok. I can always find an excuse to see her...

Still very much distracted by my thoughts, I sit down at the computer desk (I have 2 of my 5 German lessons in a computer room) and, after waiting a year and a half for the inert lump of machinery to load, I open my coursework and continue to type - what an interesting lesson this is going to be (NOT!).

A familiar voice interrupts my work-induced silence, with an overly cheery: "How are you, Abby?"

Uh-oh, Cameron. Bit of a tosser in my Maths, German and Science classes - normally he either ignores or teases me, but nowadays he's been acting all considerate and polite around me. Having known him since Year 7, he is a bit of a wannabe thug who doesn't really fit in with any crowd, and his behaviour towards me is very much out of the ordinary. To be honest, it's bordering on the creepy...

Whilst Mrs Putnam, my German teacher, droned on about the "Perfekt Tense", Cameron attempted numerous times to engage me in conversation; I tried to be polite and respond, and at the same time, take notes on the lecture. As much as I despise German, I'm not prepared to fail it!

Long-winded burble with no real point over, I start the classwork tasks. Halfway through the lesson, Cameron attempts to garner my attention again, and begins to witter on about his impending breakup with his girlfriend. Being polite, I respond with as much sympathy as I can muster, which is very little - sounds heartless, but I'm not even sure if this "girlfriend" exists.

All of a sudden, he turns to me, and says "Hypothetically, would you go out with me?" with all sincerity, a hopeful look plastered across his face. He looks a bit like a deranged mongrel; it takes all my self-preservation not to laugh in his face.

"Erm, I don't really know, I don't answer hypothetical questions," I responded, deflecting in order to diffuse the situation. I'd have assumed he'd drop the subject at this point, but I was wrong.

"Ok then, if you want to play like that, will you go out with me?" he asks again, and at this point I realise he is being deadly serious, and he isn't gonna back down without an answer. My brain immediately flashes back to my girlfriend; I can't exactly tell him I'm already involved in a relationship, and it's with my female English teacher. Even if I wasn't already seeing someone, I wouldn't go out with him for anything. Ugh! But I suppose I can tell him the first part, let him down gently.

"I'm sorry Cameron, but I'm gonna have to be straight with you," I laugh internally at my word choice. "I'm already seeing someone, and it's serious. We're very happy together." I smile weakly, hoping he will leave it there. He doesn't.

"What? You're already going out with someone? Damn - but who? You'd better not be lying to me, and I know it's not anyone at school, so who is this mystery boyfriend then? I want to know a name" he finished, anger rising in his voice.

"I'm not a liar," I retort, a little annoyed that he thinks I'd lie about something like this. "And it isn't someone at school. I'm not telling you who it is as, quite frankly, it's none of your business. I can't go out with you, I'm sorry, but I'm taken." I sigh heavily. This lesson had taken an interesting turn after all.

Just as Cameron was about to start again, a familiar voice interrupts him: "Abby, can you come and look over my essay?" Beth yells from 2 computers away. Thankful at the rescue, I hastily excuse myself, and move down the table.

"What's going on?" Beth beings before I have chance to sit down. "You look like a rabbit caught in the headlights, I thought you might need rescuing!" she continues discreetly as I nestle myself between her and Georgie's chairs.