Necromancer

Pagans

。O  。

General Maths class was period two, just before lunch. I noticed immediately that Simon's walking route was not toward chess club (which was in the same block) and it was not the direction of the school oval. Simon was heading to F block – Pagan club. I trailed after him. Normally I'd call out and walk with him, but he moved so quickly that I more or less followed him instead. His trajectory was like an arrow.

That morning in rollcall Simon had caught my eye when I'd walked inside. One corner of his mouth turned up politely and he'd dropped his eyes to the desk. It was his version of saying Hi Peter with a wave. Maybe we were on good terms after all.

I took the concrete steps quickly, ancient gum smears had gone black after years of being trodden underfoot. I turned onto the outdoor level in time to see Simon hesitating before F10. His hand froze halfway to the door handle.

"Simon," I called out on approach.

"Are you following me?" His surprise narrowed into suspicion.

"I would've come here anyway. This is the hangout for Pagan club, right?" I slowed again under his stare.

"Right..." Simon's dark hand yanked down the handle and he pushed open the glossy door. The room was empty.

"They're probably dawdling. We could wait for them inside."

"Yeah..." Simon acquiesced, stepping inside and flicking on the light switch. My heart was beating with excitement as I followed him into the empty room. He wound in and took a seat on the second row. I stepped over, didn't take the seat next to him but the one next to that. Simon seemed like someone who wanted his space respected. I wasn't sure how comfortable he was with me yet.

He sat still with his eyes on the table. I unslung my bag and started fishing around for my sandwich. I watched Simon reach up and tuck a strand of hair behind his ear in a girlish way. My heartbeat accelerated. I pulled out my lunch and started to unwrap it. Simon shuffled in his seat, uncomfortable again. I wondered if he had restless leg syndrome, or something like that.

"Do you want some? It's peanut butter and honey." I held out half my sandwich by its gladwrap so my fingers weren't touching the bread.

"Peanut butter and honey?" Simon gave me a weird look.

"It tastes pretty good. Me and my sister have eaten this since kindergarten. Guess it's a family thing."

Simon eyed the food curiously. Then to my surprise, he reached out and took it. He gave it an inspection, turning it over. He murmured a "thanks", then carefully bit into it. Chewed, gave a nod to admit it did taste good, then swallowed. We ate together in silence. Simon seemed more comfortable beside me than ever before. I would've preferred it if Pagan club never showed up, but they did. A few minutes later a group of laughing girls walked in while eating canteen food, I could smell the warm dough of a pizza bun. They stopped and stared when they caught sight of us.

"This room is reserved." A chubby girl with dyed hair informed us, our presence was like we'd slapped her.

"We're here for Pagan club." I spoke up while Simon jostled beside me. The girls looked at each other like they didn't know what to do.

A goth girl with messy blonde hair and black nail polish clicked her tongue "Huh..." she appraised us and then shrugged. She moved to take a seat on the front row "I guess it's fine."

The other four girls, all tubby, looked at each other and went to take their seats with more noticeable reluctance. I thought I recognized something in the blonde's eye. Eagerness as she examined two good-looking boys taking interest in her club. I wondered if she was the founder.