I Don't Think You Know How Important You Are

02

I think i've known personally for a while now. I could never admit it to anyone though. I can't even really admit it to myself. What happened in the choir room shouldn't have occurred and I'm honestly disappointed in myself. I know the dangers of letting people get close to me. Yet I let this girl pole vault over my walls. As I'm running down the hallways I trip. Right before I hit the ground an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me up. "Oh fuck off I didn't need your help" I say towards the person behind me. I hear a chuckle and immediately recognize the voice as it speaks to me "shut it Danny I did you a favor" I turn and greet my best friend with a hug. Ethan Ramos and I have been best friends since we met each other in fourth grade. I had moved to Florida when my mother had died from heart cancer a year prior, I had been homeschooled for a while because I was in mourning. When I first arrived Ethan was quick to introduce himself, and just like that we stuck. Even though there's so much I haven't told him I know I could trust him no matter what.

"What are you running from Danny?" he says an amused smirk on his face. "None of your fucking business." I say , slightly upset. Luckily i think that he understands my uncomfort so he backs off. Ethan has always been like a brother to me. He lets me stay at his house when I show up at random hours of the night and never questions why. We have an unspoken agreement though. He doesn't ask why i come over. He doesn't know the reason and i don't want to know what he thinks it is. I know that i could tell him and not be afraid. But it's natural for me to be afraid.

The bell rings and ethan turns to me. "You have Rodriguez next right?" Mrs.Rodriguez is the art teacher. She also happens to be my favorite. I nod. "Just a heads up there's a pop quiz in Lincoln's" he has Lincoln next. "Damn it" he frowns. We continue to walk down the hallway and when we reach my classroom he hugs me and takes off. He barely has time to round the corner before the tardy bell rings. I walk in and smile greeted by the sight of fellow artists and paint over the floors. Five minutes after the bell mrs.rodriguez walks in with a taco 12 pack from taco bell and a six pack of soda. There is only five people in her class after lunch and since we are her favorites she brings snacks for us. Everybody grabs two tacos. Mrs.rodriguez knows i don't eat lunch so she sneaks me a third one and i smile at her. We decide today that we are going to free draw each other. This is like my safe space. We draw and get lost in our own imaginations. We get messy and covered in clay and pain. We let our our emotions onto a canvas. And i guarantee that if anyone took a close enough look at my art they would find that they would know exactly what goes on in my apartment in the bad side of town. All too quickly the bell rings and i give xander the drawing of him that i did. I walk out and almost immediately ethan is by my side. Most of the school thinks me and ethan are dating. Which is weird because ethan and i are like siblings. We have science together next, we're lab partners. And today we are dissecting. Ethan has always been squeamish, meaning that he's probably skipping this period. And i'm correct. He slips out the back door. I sigh knowing full well that i am going to have to do the dissection on my own. It doesn't necessarily gross me out but i rather have him be there and not bail on me.

I walk into the classroom and the teacher calls me over to talk "danielle, we have a new student and i need you to be her lab partner for the day seeing as mr.ramos isnt here yet again." mr.rutherford says. Internally i am hoping that the new girl isn't the girl from the music room. But it would seem luck isn't on my side. Mystery girl walks up to be and plops her stuff in ethans spot. Rutherford turns to her and says "miss. Mason this will be your partner for today, danielle." she turns to me wide eyed and full of surprise. "Hey" she says its plain and simple as if we haven't encountered each other already. I hate it. She looks up at me a slight smile on her face and her eyes seem to sparkle. I snap out of the haze her eyes caused and i respond to her. "Hey" i put my bag down and sit next to her as mr.rutherford explains that we are dissecting today. Surprisingly she doesn't look uncomfortable with the idea and i subconsciously smile before repressing it. Not happening. I introduce myself. "Im danny. Call me danielle and you'll wish you hadn't moved here." she looks at me like i'm crazy "damn okay" i motion for us to get started on the dissection. She picks up the scalpel and makes the first incision. The liquid that the frog soaked in seeps out from the cut. The smell fills the air and she gags. "Oh wow that's disgusting" she laughs. The urge to smile is there again, and again i repress it. I hear a small shriek from the back of the class and turn towards the sound. I see janey from my english lit class clutching her hand. She must have accidentally cut her hand. Mr.rutherford has her lab partner take her to the nurse.