Moonlit

ten

As I trudged unwillingly to English, a new heavy weight was set upon my drooping shoulders and I didn't believe it was from the crammed bag I carried.

I could see it. I could see the haunting darkness enveloping my eyes as I was about to step over the threshold and face Sophia. I could also feel it. Feel the ringing headache she brought with her lies and her loving facade.

These vivid senses felt so real that in fact, it was real.

"Oh!" I gasped as I walked into a hard chest covered in black material. I instinctively brought my hand to my aching forehead as I stumbled backwards.

Focusing up at none other than Jake, he looked perplexed in his daze.

We both groaned deeply at the sight of each other, then laughed at our synchronization. At that action, my head throbbed and I was aware that it probably wasn't great that I had received a concussion only the day before.

"Are you stalking me? I swear to God you're stalking me," I babbled, referring to the many, many times that we had crossed each other's paths.

"If it's anything, you're stalking me." I scoffed at his answer but he continued without hesitation; "Are you always this clumsy?" His face was serious, yet I could still make out the grin beginning to pull up at the corners of his mouth.

"I was born that way," I said sheepishly, entering the room before he could begin mocking me.

Mr. Fern was near the doorway, his hair neatly gelled and his usual beam plastered across his face. His striped blue and white business shirt was rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscled arms underneath.

He spotted me and as he did so, his mouth parted as though he was going to say something but a hand tugged at my shoulder, forcibly spinning me away from the teacher.

"By the way," Jake started, peering down at me. "Do you happen to know where my bag is?"

I then recalled the happenings before the incident; how I had enclosed his bag inside my locker after he had presumably forgotten it next to his desk. "Shoot. I'm sorry, you forgot it yesterday and I put it my locker to keep it safe."

"That's okay," he answered quickly, almost as if he knew it was there in the first place. He removed his hand from my shoulder and instantly, the area he had touched left a lingering chill. "Just tell me your locker combination and I'll go get it."

"No!" I said a bit too loudly, seizing the moment to escape Sophia for a short period of time. Promptly, I regained myself, bringing my voice down; "I mean, you could get lost again. I'll go." I gave a genial smile and he raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

After delaying an answer, he sighed in defeat. "Fine." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Can I trust that you won't go snooping?"

A pang of guilt washed over me as unintentionally, I had already 'snooped'. Discovering the sketch of myself certainly wasn't on purpose, even though I had first wanted to uncover the contents within his notebook. 

Usually, when people request not to do something, typically, the other ends up doing it. We as humans cannot help but be controlled by our sole curiosity; our need of knowledge. To know is to not be an outcast. 

But I was just that. An outcast.

In saying that, I didn't mind not looking inside the bag. Although I strongly wanted to open the book, it was more that I wanted to know more about Jake. I could do that without being immature.

"I promise I won't," I said firmly with a small smile. 

I freely turned back around to Mr. Fern who nodded his head in approval—he must've heard our conversation.