A life in the Dark

C h a p t e r T w e n t y T h r e e

M o n d a y 4 t h N o v e m b e r
________

First day back. Oh the joys.

I stepped into form, a cool breeze pushing past me, when Logan came up to me, his shirt untucked as usual. "Hey," he said, as if chatting casually to me happened everyday.

"Oh, er, hey," I smiled back, hating myself for the uncontrollable stammer and the heat that began rising in my cheeks. Seriously, why do I feel this way towards him?

"So, how was your holiday?" He slipped his arm under mine so that my hand was gently resting on top of his wrist and escorted me to my seat.

"Pretty good," I replied, giving a soft laugh at how gentlemanly he was acting as I sat. "Yours?"

"What lessons do you have today?" he enquired, ignoring my previous question, although I knew he had heard me. I'll take that as a 'not great'.

"Er...let me check." I pulled out my homework diary and checked today, reading along the row: "double maths, tech, history, and biology. What about you?" I finished firmly, signalling him not to ignore me again.

"Maths, english, history and something," he shrugged and rolled his eyes in his usual 'too cool to care' manner, just as miss walked in with the register and a few notices, cutting the conversation short. "Well, see ya."

"Yeah, see ya," I responded automatically. He put his hand in his pocket and sauntered over to his seat.

I was left a mess. Why was he talking to me so much all of a sudden? I thought. Then, with a pang of guilt: Is it wrong that I kinda wish miss had been ill today?

*****

I sat huddled in my coat, the icy arctic winds picking up as I slowly moved forkfuls of fruit salad to my mouth. The boys were shuffling around to kick the ball every few seconds, but there was no real action going on. Suddenly I felt a vibration through the thin lining of my blazer; I scooped out my phone and pressed the home button, the screen coming to life with a text from Logan. Why is he talking to me? I wondered again, thinking the worst of myself.

Logan: hey, can I talk to u?

Yeah, of course.

Logan: can u come to the canteen?

Can't you just text me?

Logan: nah, i want to tell u in person

My heart skipped a beat. Tell you in person. It reminded my of a typical romance book or film: 'I love you' isn't something you just text, nor are any emotions.

Ok...?

Since I got no reply, I just chose to roll with it, packing up and getting to my feet. "Hey, where you going?" Finley called over, his voice barely audible over the gusts of wind.

"To see Logan," I replied. "Is something wrong?"

"No, just curious." I smiled at him and he grinned back, all goofy and friendly. The fence jingling behind me as I shut the gate, I made my was towards the main office, meeting the path and following it up until I had to turn off to the left. Finally I reached the building but then I faced a new problem...