If I Fell

This is Getting Old

"You look tired."

I glance up from my phone. I recognize the headphones before anything else, and wish I remembered his name. His hair is still a messy array of swoops and curls with the tips dyed seaweed green.

"Thanks. I feel like crap, so it's good to know it shows."

I did not have a good start this morning.

I never decided what time I should set an alarm to wake up for school, and the fact that I'd woken up in good time yesterday nothing short of amazing. That luck did not carry over to today. It wasn't until Angela shook me awake saying we only had 20 minutes before we needed to leave, that I realized my mistake.

After a hurried shower, I barely had time to brush my teeth and get dressed before I heard her honking the car horn downstairs. I didn't even get to put on shea butter after leaving the shower, so my skin feels dry and brittle underneath the hoodie I'm wearing. I was in such a rush that I forgot about my hair and had to retie my scarf in the passenger door mirror. On top of all this, all I'd had to eat was a Pop-Tart Isaac was kind enough to grab for me.

Whatshisname's cheeks are still tinged red when he is able to from a reply.

"I didn't mean it like that. You don't look like crap at all. You look really good actually."

I raise a brow in question and the red returns to his face full force.

"Wait, forget I said that. I mean, not that you look bad either." I raise the other brow.

"You don't look bad, and you look good, but I'm not saying it in a creepy, trying to come on to you kind of way."

I feel my mouth quirk up and it's all I can do not to laugh at how flustered he's getting. I decide to stop him before his face explodes from the amount of blood that must be concentrated there at the moment.

"You can relax, I get what you were trying to say."

He releases a sigh and allows his shoulder to slump forwards.

"Thank you. I'm not sure how I'm still standing after having put both feet in my mouth just now."

I can't help but laugh at that point. He seems surprised but still dons a small, shy smile.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" He asks, gesturing to the empty desk to my right. I have no clue if there are assigned seats in this class, but the teacher didn't say anything when I walked in so I guess it doesn't matter.

"I don't, but only if you tell me your name again." Better to get it out of the way and ask now.

"Oh, it's Jason. Yeah, I guess it might be a little difficult to remember everyone you've met since you got here."

"It might be easier if I was better with names, but you're right."

"So how was your first day?" He asks after a moment.

I shrug. Other than the panic attack, it wasn't all that bad.

"It went fine."

He nods and begins removing things from his bookbag.

"You were able to find your way around?"

"Yeah, didn't even need a tour guide." I say.

A few more people have begun trickling into the classroom. There's one or two people that I recognize from having introduced themselves to me yesterday.

"Oh, sorry about that. I woke up with a migraine that refused to go away."

"It's cool, the lady in the office said that you weren't feeling well."