Only Once

Chapter Nineteen: Rebels

Chapter Nineteen: Rebels

 “Where’s Clay?” Abbey asked, glancing around the dim and rather empty classroom.

“I don’t think he’s here today,” Spencer replied. It was yet another Foods and Nutrition class and, having just arrived, he had taken his usual seat next to Abbey.

“Oh do you know where he is?” Abbey asked just as a young woman entered the class. Spencer’s then eyes widened upon seeing her and he realized that they were having a substitute teacher.

“No,” he distractedly replied, determining that there was still two minutes left until the class officially started. This was enough time for him to quickly make his escape. He absolutely hated attending his elective classes whenever they had substitutes. In Foods, for example, they would always end up spending the whole class during boring textbook work.

“Well is he sick or something then? Cause I mean…”

Spencer, however, paid no attention to Abbey as he tried to choose whether he should stay or leave. He decided to skip and creep on Jesse instead.

“Spencer, what are you doing?”  Abbey asked when he rose from his seat.

“Well I certainly ain’t staying here,” he retorted. “It’s not like we’ll be doing anything worthwhile.”

“Well yes,” she hissed. “But that doesn’t mean you can just skip!”

He looked down at Abbey and observed her crimpy dirty blonde hair, blue and teal striped T-shirt and lightly freckled tan cheeks. Her narrow eyebrows were knitted together and her pink lips were pursed in annoyance. 

“Watch me,” he told her, feeling strangely sporadic and spontaneous before grabbing his bag and storming out of class.

Right when he exited the class, though, he walked straight into Erika. It was clear that she was about to enter the class.

“Oh hi,” she said with a smile.

“Hey,”

“Where are you going?” Erika called out as he started to walk off.

Spencer responded with a simple shrug.

“Anywhere but class; we have a supply teacher.”

Her eyes widened and she shyly looked down at her hands. Spencer noted how she seemed to be awkward and look down at her hands a lot in his presence.

“Can I come?”

Under normal conditions, he would’ve replied with a quick and stout ‘no’. On this particular day, however, he was feeling anything but himself so he found himself flashing a grin instead.

“Yeah sure, why not,”

Erika’s head snapped up in surprise, she too had been expecting a no.

Catching up to him, they started walking down the hall. Spencer was strolling easily by with his hands kept in his pockets and Erika was walking alongside him, feeling slightly nervous and rather rebellious.  This was the first time she had suddenly and unexpectedly skipped class and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“So what are we going to do?” she finally asked.

Spencer shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Is there anything you want to do?”

“What I definitely don’t want to wonder the halls like this! I mean what’s the point of skipping class if you’re just going to aimlessly wander the halls?”