Blue // Daniel Seavey

Chapter 6

Tori

"He literally screamed at you in front of the whole class?" Jack asks, his mouth agape.

"And flipped his table over?" Corbyn adds, baby blue eyes wide, taking a bite of his burger.

I nod my head. "Yeah," I answer exasperatedly, sighing. "He did just that."

"There's something really odd with that guy," Jack shakes his head. "Like... he's weird."

"Yeah... let's talk about something else." I don't want his name in my mouth anymore. "So, what's happening with this girl you met at the party?"

Jack's mouth grows into a small smile. "I was texting her for quite a bit last night. I don't know if it's serious, but she seems nice."

"Nice?" I raise a brow. "That's it? No spicy details?" I tease, taking a sip of my orange juice. He glares at me, a fallen curl covering half of his eye.

"Dude, you're so lucky." Corbyn chimes in, chewing his food as a drop of ketchup grazes down his chin. He seems distracted as his line of sight is behind me, and of course when I turn to look, he's gazing at Bailey yet again. "You're gonna end up losing your virginity before me now."

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Jack grimaces, and when Corbyn doesn't answer him, he throws his empty juice box at the dopey blonde boy's head.

This is just a normal day at lunch. So instead of paying much attention to the conversation happening in front of me, I simply stare off into the distance.

"Ow, what the fuck, man?" Corbyn groans. "What's your problem?"

"I said that she's a nice girl. Not that I was planning to get into bed with her. You think about sex a lot for someone who hasn't kissed anyone since middle school..." Jack's voice becomes muffled in my ears, my surroundings becoming blurred as I catch those eyes looking at me from across the cafeteria. His elbows rest on the table as he sits alone, his fingers curling tightly around his bottle of water. He seems to be watching me without a conscience, like he doesn't care if I'm finding him strange - utterly unabashed.

Just look away. Look away.

My eyes focus on Jack's moving lips, my ears trying to decipher what he's saying, but all my mind can really focus on is him. Him and his penetrating eyes. Why is it so hard to take my mind off his staring?

Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder so I turn around, looking up. Oh. His eyes have dark circles beneath them, his hair slightly messy, and his shirt crinkled. Damn, he looks rough.

"Jonah."

"Hey," he says plainly. "Can I speak to you for a second?" Even his voice is tired. "Please?"

Standing up from the table, I nod. "Yeah, of course." Following behind him, we make our way outside, the fresh air making me feel at ease.

"What's up?" I ask out of true concern. "Why weren't you in Lit this morning?"

"I slept in late," he answers, before scratching his neck as he looks at the ground. "The past few nights have been... pretty rough."

"Oh... I'm sorry." I say awkwardly, not exactly knowing how to approach a situation like this. I fold my arms, clearing my throat. "What's going on then?"

"I just," he runs his hands through his hair, before blurting out, "I just want to say sorry for the way I acted the other night. I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did. Because you didn't deserve it."

At least he's not too self-righteous to give a damn simple apology.

"It's okay," I smile, "You were just mad, I understand."