Outlets

Chapter 3

I sigh as I pull back the glass door for the second time this week. I dread each stair I climb since it means I'll be seeing you know who very shortly. My bag hits my hip with every step I take.

I look behind me when I hear the door close yet again. The brown eyed boy stops as he looks up at me on the stairs. We locked eyes and neither of us moved a muscle. He went to say something, but closed his mouth not making a sound. When Brad lightly smiled at me I immediately put my head down and continued walking up the stairs. I could hear him sigh from his spot by the door, but I once again ignore him and continue up the stairs to the classroom. It's been two days since he stormed out of the coffee shop and my anger towards him has slowly went away. I wonder if he's still angry at me for saying that to him.

I once again walk to my classroom and push my blonde hair over my shoulder before I walk across the room and take my seat at the first table on the right side of the room. I don't bother to look up when I hear the door click open because it's pretty obvious who it is. Of course with at least five other seats available, he chooses to sit next to me.

I hold in my scoff and take out my sketchpad, being sure to avoid any form of eye contact. I take out my pencil and continue my sketch from the previous class. I could feel Brad's eyes on me for a few seconds and I did my best to ignore him again like I did last class.

But it was different this time.

I guess it had to do with the guilt I had from what I said to him two days ago. It was like it took every fiber in my being not to give him my attention when last time it was effortless. I clamped my eyes shut and shook my head before I went back to my sketch, hoping to distract myself from the brown eyed boy sitting next to me.

When I was finally about to give in and apologize, his head snapped towards mine.

He sighed and looked at the side of my head, "Ok you can pretend to ignore me, but I'm going to say it anyway." I clamped my eyes shut, expecting him to throw a million insults at me. I'm left in a state of shock when he whispers, "I'm sorry."

My head snaps towards him and I'm almost positive that my hair slapped him in the face based on how he leaned away. "Wait what?"

I was expecting him to do his chuckle again and turn the douchey attitude back on, but he kept the serious look on his face and surpried me yet again. "You know what I said Leah. I know you heard me."

Suddenly I turned into a fish out of water, constantly opening and closing my mouth trying to find the right words to say when I some how stutter out, "Wh-why?"

Brad shrugged his shoulders and narrowed his eyes a little bit, "I guess for storming out on you like that. It wasn't right. I overstepped my boundaries and you had every right to be mad at me for trying to get in your business when I'd only just met you."

I shook my head and let out a quiet strangled noise, almost as if I couldn't breathe, "But I didn't have to act like such a bitch to you. If anyone should be apologizing to anyone it should be me."

Brad shrugged his shoulders again and tilted his head to the side, "Well I guess we both had things to apologize for," He then sent me a light smile and sighed a little bit, "even if you did act like a bitch to me."

My jaw dropped and he put his hands up in mock surrender, "Your words not mine."

I scoffed at him and rolled my eyes before I sent a small smile back at him, "You know you didn't have to agree with me." I said as I turned to look back at my sketch.

He scoots closer to me and dropped his voice to almost the equivalent of an ant's voice, "Well that would be a lie," he then placed his hand on my hip, which caused my eyes to snap open. Usually I would slap that hand off right away, but when I felt his thumb run across the top of my hip, I froze.

I couldn't comprehend what was going on around me except for him. I'm definitely coming down with the flu. I did wake up freezing even though the heat was on most of the night.

"And I always try to tell the truth, Leah." Then he moves his hand away from my hip and sits back in his chair.

I quickly recompose myself and look back down at my sketch. I attempt to quickly pick up my pencil, but in my haste I end up flipping the pencil to my right and make it fall to the floor.

I swallow before I pick up the pencil and mentally punch myself in the face for my stupidity. When I sit back in my chair I look at Brad and find him with his eyes furrowed, "Why else did you feel the need to apologize to me?"

I sighed and looked down at my sketch again, "I don't always practice what I preach. Before you stormed out, I had told you not to try and figure me out when I thought I had you figured out. The thing I said was unnecessary so I'm sorry."

Brad gave me a tight lipped smile and I could almost see this was a rough topic for him to talk about. He reminded me of a kicked puppy. "Apology accepted."

I decided not to push into that conversation since we had just made up for our previous encounter. He sighed and was about to say something, but I cut him off this time, "Look I usually don't mention my attitude, but I'm always going to be a little tough. You'll most likely never see me in a frilly pink dress or a pink bow in my hair. However, I would like to start over. Can we maybe hang out again some time?"

Brad smiled and tilted his head to the side before he rolled his eyes dramatically, "Well I guess I could give you another shot." My jaw dropped at him before he sent me a wide grin, "I'm kidding! I know just the place we could go. How about Saturday night?"

I leaned away from him slightly with a suspicous look on my face, "It's not a crack house is it?"

Brad laughed again before he shook his head, "No it's not. However it'll be kind of hard to tell you what time I'm coming to get you without your number."

My eyes widened in mock surprise, "Woooow how long did it take you to come up with that one?"

Brad tilted his head to the side quickly, "Like I said at the coffee shop, things come naturally when I'm with you."

I shake my head at him and shove his shoulder playfully before I turn around to rip off a small piece of paper from my sketchbook before I scribble my number on it. I hand it over to Brad being careful not to touch his hand in any way, shape, or form.

~~~~~~~~

"Hey Leah?" Gina yells from the other end of the dorm room.

"Yeah?" I yell back.

"Just a real quick question here. Um is there a different Brad that you discovered?" Gina asked with her hand on her hip.

I scrunch my eyes together and look at her confused, "No why?"

Gina scoffs at me before she throws my phone on my lap, "Because your phone has been buzzing nonstop because Brad, the guy you said was a douche, has been sendng you hundreds of text messages. Your phone hasn't stopped vibrating and I'm trying to sleep."

I scoff at her before unlocking my phone, "How late were you out partying last night?"

Gina stops walking and snaps her body around to look at me with a mock glare on her face. She picks up her pillow and playfully hits me in the face with it, "That has nothing to do with it. Just put the phone on silent."

I chuckled lightly at her before I roll over to look at her as she walks back to her bed, "Alright Oscar the Grouch."

Gina groaned under the covers of her bed, "You're so lucky I'm exhausted otherwise I would've totally kicked your ass right now."

I laughed at her before she turned off her lamp I murmured, "I'd like to see you try."

"I heard that!"