DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

2/2

"MEET THE HUMAN BRAIN," Mr. Clarke announced in excitement. He placed a model of a brain on his large oak desk, gazing at his students, thrilled.

However, the only kids that shared the same enthusiasm were three kids in the front: Lucas, Mike, and Will. Not even Dustin, who usually always sat on the edge of his seat, was mildly interested. Instead, he watched as his number two pencil rolled down his desk, letting it fall into his palm.

Last night was good to him after he finally decided to stay with Ruby. He remembered the warmth washing over his skin as he stepped into Jasper's bedroom, noting how it looked the same.

When Dustin finally settled onto the soft mattress of her bed, trying to convince himself that what he was doing wasn't considered weird, he felt at peace. He had expected tears to cascade down his face, making his skin glisten in the dim light of the plain room.

However, he only felt an utter calmness in him as he laid down. It felt as if her presence was there, wavering over him like a shielded blanket. Sleep came to him easily, giving him better rest than his own boring bed.

Dustin continued to reminisce the tranquil night, twisting the pencil in his interwoven fingers. The classroom door opened, causing every student's eyes to snap towards the doorway.

A flash of red hair swooped into the room, and that of which a pair of luminous blue eyes belonged to. Dustin nearly fell out of his seat, his hands gripping the corners of his desk in shock. "Jasper!" He blurted out thoughtlessly, and for a split moment, he believed it too.

But the girl cast a puzzled look at him, and Dustin could tell that it was not his best friend. He sank slowly back into his seat, wishing the earth would rise up and swallow him into its depths. He refused to meet the empathetic eyes of his friends, knowing they were most likely surprised by his outburst.

"Who's Jasper?" The new girl questioned, her bright orange eyebrows knitting together. Physical pain pierced Dustin's heart, a shudder racking through his body. It was incredible how much she resembled Jasper, and it was only worsening the sadness settled in the pit of his stomach.

"An old student of mine," Mr. Clarke replied hastily, his own stormy eyes casting themselves at Dustin. He could sense the awkwardness and pain in the room and wanted to switch subjects quickly. "She moved away a couple months back."

The lie, which had been so easy to tell the public, only continued to press into Dustin's grief. He shot his friends—who had not given up on gazing at him—a pained look, only hoping one of them understood how he felt.

"Oh, okay," she nodded, pushing past Mr. Clarke and attempting to scurry towards the back of the classroom. Her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head as he managed to stop her, urging that she remained in front of the curious eyes of the others.

"Dustin," Mr. Clarke's head shot towards the Henderson boy, the corners of his lips twitching upwards. "Drumroll, please."

Irritation pooled in Dustin's skin, electrifying his veins as he slammed his binder shut. He pounded his hands against the hard surface with minimal effort, refusing to lock eyes again with the new redhead.

"Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California," the science teacher evoked suspense into his narration, fanning his hands out dramatically. "The latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine!"