Just A Drag No One Wants To Inhale

The Smell Of Flowers In Autumn Rain

***

Once the first bell rang, signaling that everyone should go to their classes, we went on like nothing happened, but the buzz, the adrenalin, in my veins made it seem like what we were doing was okay. That it was normal. I told Jorden to meet me out front after school so that we could take the bus home, but he protested.

'Why not?'  I asked him, grabbing my schoolbag and standing up with him.

'Because,'  he shrugged his shoulders and put his mouth right next to my ear. 'How can I tell you my dirty little fantasies when someone could be listening right behind us?'

His breath against my neck was enough to let goosebumps run up and down my arms and let hairs at the back of my neck perk up. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when he pulled away from me; something deep in my stomach telling me that I didn't want him to go. He smirked and waved in my direction as he left the cafeteria to go to his next class.

I slung my backpack on one shoulder, accidentally bumping into someone and making them drop everything that they were holding on to the ground.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, getting down low and quickly picking up their belongings. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you and-"

"That's alright," I heard them sniffle. "Nobody does."

I stood back up, as did the other person, and I found that the person I ran in to wore the same kind of clothes that I do: with her blue jeans almost ripped to shreds and Metallica t-shirt. I wondered how she hasn't frozen to death yet before I noticed that I also accidentally made her drop her winter coat as well. She had the same kind of sketchbook that I do as well (although, from what I've seen from the pages that fluttered around on the floor, she's way more talented that I am) and a greasy black mop atop her head that would otherwise be called her hair. Her skin snow-white and her eyes...

Her eyes...

They reminded me of green fireworks that reflected in a cup of hot whiskey.

She tried to take the notebooks away from me, but I held it out of her reach. She finally looked back at me in the eye and that's when I realized that I knew her.

My heart was in the prison of her eyes...

Jamia.

And I can tell that she's not been having the greatest day of her life. A bruise forming on one of her, otherwise soft and supple cheeks. Her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Hey, is everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly, slowly handing her notebooks back over to her.

The tears spilled over and she nodded her head, unable to form any sound other than a sob. She dropped her own things on to the floor and she flung her arms around my shoulders, sobbing into my neck.

I rubbed her back and melted into our embrace. I inhaled only the good stuff and exhaled nothing but desire for this moment to never end. Her body pressed up against mine and her hair, although probably not washed for a couple of days, smelled like flowers. Maybe... Orange blossom? 

And I may know much about her: what kind of situation she's in or why she's crying. Why her day's been shitty and where she got that bruise... But one thing that I did know for sure was that she needed a good hug.

And I gave it to her.

Students bustled by, giving us weird looks when they walked past. But I didn't let go of her until I felt her loosen her grip on me first, even after every other student in the school was already in their class and had started their lessons.