Problem Children

Chapter Twelve

His fingers gripped the chain links tightly, never once taking his eyes from the school. Swarms of students poured out either in groups or militaristic lines. None of them sported the same walk she had or wore the same smile she had. None of them made him smile in return like she had. Angus stepped back warily. Hannah's not one to hold grudges... but maybe I really fucked up. But...
How?

The scene of yesterday afternoon replayed in his head, slowly so he would catch the details. Of course few details even stuck in his memory, and he was left with more confusion than answers. Some pages were turned, words were exchanged, and his friend left in a hurry without any reasoning. All he had done was mention Susan and-

Susan.

What did Hannah have against Susan? He knew they had the same science class together, but any gossip or rivalry events that might have taken place he was excluded from knowing about. Once he caught Hannah and Malcolm talking by the lockers, and departing as they saw him approach. Malcolm wouldn't budge no matter how many candy bars he'd trade him for. If it was anything like what he had witnessed the day before, it must have been a pretty serious dispute. One by one his fingers released the gate and he turned to head for home.

The front door slammed behind him and his bag surrendered to the floor. The tv turned on and the couch obtained a new owner, though not a proud one. Every few seconds he'd give attention to the window, hoping to see a certain face. Angus needed Hannah to study and pass the test and win Susan, but he also didn't like the idea of losing what could possibly be his only friend. Malcolm would have his hide.

The boy didn't understand why Malcolm thought the two would be perfect friends. In some aspects, they were complete opposites. Hell. She drove him nuts at times, and vice versa. But according to the older boy's wiser reasoning, they were both outcasts; and for separate reasons. Hannah was quiet, and different in attitude than her friends. Angus just-simply had trouble making any. Once more his eyes cast a look behind him, seeing no one outside on the porch. Scratch that, keeping any.

The static of the television set grew louder making Angus nervous. A breath of smoke stirred from the top in a steady stream. His father had insisted they keep their old black and white set instead of making the change to color like everyone else. Their set had trouble keeping up with the times and as a result coughed up a backfire. It wasn't the first time this had happened, but it made him uneasy nonetheless.

He averted his attention back to the screen where Lucy and Ethel were eavesdropping in a basement cellar. Aroused suspicion of a cheating Ricky led to the two getting themselves once again in a pickle, and he smiled as he remembered the ending. He'd seen them all, but never lost interest. A few minutes later he felt a drop of loneliness. Yet he couldn't decide if he wanted someone to watch the show with, or if the smoke was getting too much to handle by himself.

A sudden knock on the door shot him up from the couch and he ran to turn the tv off. A couple waves of his hand and the smoke vanished. Quick footsteps made their way to the front door, first tripping over his schoolbag, and it was pulled open. Angus couldn't help the smile. "Hey."

"Hi," he answered. Hannah pressed her immaculate shoe into the ground no doubt leaving a scratch, but not one she would care about. Angus took notice of her knee socks; one pulled up, the other rolled down. He noticed her blazer freshly washed and pressed. He noticed her tie tied in a perfect knot; none of which he had cared about before. He even noticed her short hair pulled back to concentrate on school work. His hopes brightened. Maybe she came to study with him...

A clear of the throat pushed him into the concrete world of reality. Hannah outstretched her hand and held out a piece of his property. "I uh-forgot to give this back before I left yesterday," Hannah mumbled. Angus' slingshot lay in her scratched up hand. His eyes tarried too long on the scars, and she cleared her throat again. "I had to pick some roses for our centerpiece last night. Don't worry, they don't hurt."

"Good," Angus answered before he knew what came out of his mouth. Slowly and cautiously the item changed hands. Without any place to put it at the moment, Angus simply tossed it on the couch behind him resulting in a thump on the floor. "You uh, want to come in?"

"I only came to return what was yours, we don't have to study today if you don't want to," the girl replied with confidence even as she took a step back. Her hand was taken due to a sudden panic by the boy.

"Wait!" A moment of thoughts passed. The slingshot was an excuse for her to return, maybe studying was an excuse for her to stay. Hannah shook her head in apology.

"I'm real sorry ya' know, for runnin' away like that. I was just-" Her eyes darted back and forth as she searched for the correct word. "-frustrated when you weren't taking anything seriously. I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world," she mumbled.

"Ain't that the truth," Angus mumbled the same, receiving a glare from the girl. Her hand was released from his grip and she took another step back. "I mean, if it's all the same to you, I'd like it if you came in...we don't have to study..." Hannah gave the teenage boy a gap-toothed smile, one of playful teasing.

"But if you don't study, you can't go to the dance this week, can you? Malcolm told me," she said after Angus gave her a look.

"I-is that all he told you?"

"Is there anything more to tell?" She laughed a bit to herself. "Listen, it gets a little awkward to see you drool over this Susan girl, but... I know you like her..." Her voice dropped to a mutter. "And I'm willing to help you pass the test so you can take her to the dance. Close your mouth Angus, that's not attractive." The boy's mouth closed instantly. "So. We studying or what?"

Angus lowered his head and gave her a shy smile. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that her eyes held another emotion that didn't match her words. He attempted a search, to find whatever it was that bothered her. But he snapped out of it once he realized he was staring. A hand rubbed the back of his neck. "And maybe-sometime this week we can go to that music store? Maybe?" Hannah grinned at him and headed into his house.

"We'll see."