detention

one - kai

i leave at the same time every morning. 8:04. i take the same route to school every day. it's the longest route, and it usually gets me there a few minutes before first period, which starts at 8:30 (unless i hang around.)

sometimes, i'm late, which earns me a glare from mr. harrison and a few looks from other students. but generally, im right on time.

right on time being 8:32 which is usually the same time as elliot walks through the corridors, and into our classroom.

mr. harrison never seems to care that i wait for elliot in the hallways, before coming to class. perhaps it's because he sees me before class starts, so he knows i'm there, just not actually there in class.

the same events occur every morning too. i hang around my locker, waiting to hear the bell. waiting to see elliot speed-walk through the halls which are normally almost empty. this is because the early class for most students is at 8, or before. but luckily, i'm in one of the later classes.

i shut my locker just as eliott walks past me. and i have a habit of saying, "good morning, elliot!" as he walks right by.

sometimes, he'll smile, or mutter a small, "good morning." back. but most of the time, he'll just nod in my direction and head into our classroom, with me following short behind him.

mr. harrison quietly greets us, with a little glare.

the first time this happened (me being two minutes late) i got held behind because mr. harrison knew i was in. he saw me hanging around, but i was never on time. i only answered with a shrug.

the second time, he found a link, that i waited for elliot every morning. again, i just shrugged, calling it a coincidence.

the third time, he knew it wasn't, so i simply told him that i was just making sure elliot would make it on time. mr harrison accepted this excuse, and never mentioned us being two minutes late again.

the truth is, i looked forward to seeing elliot. even if it meant i was a few minutes late. i enjoyed our tiny interaction. and occasionally seeing his little smile.

and by the look on his face, he enjoys it too. either that or it just amuses him. because every morning, as he walks through the corridors, he'll grin to himself before walking past me. he'll also make sure to slow down, so he can hear my small greeting.

this had been a routine for a few months now. waking up, groggily getting ready and making a dash for the door at exactly 8:04am.

elliot and i have never really talked much, besides our morning encounters.

i remember the first day of the semester. i skated to school, and right past elliot. i was late, which meant he was too.

we were only a couple minutes away from school, so i slowed right down next to him.

he looked at me, and smiled. i smiled back, asking if he had mr. harrison for first period. he said yes, so i got off my board completely and picked up.

elliot and i walked side by side to school. asking questions about one another and just talking until we got there.

when walking down the hallway towards class, he turned to me and said, "you could've got here on time. why'd you stop?"

i shrugged, "if you're late, i will be too."

"why though?" he simply asked.

i looked away to think. but when nothing came to mind, i just said, "i dont know. i felt guilty to just skate right past you. and this way, we both get in trouble."

we walked into class, and somehow slipped out of a detention. when we walked in, elliot's face flushed red in sight embarrassment so i just laughed and said, "but it's our first day, sir!" and somehow we didn't get in any trouble.

after class, elliot joined back up to me and laughed, saying, "i can't believe that worked!"

and that was kind of the last time we really talked. other than the times elliot had been late, and apologised to both our teacher and me.

or when it began raining as i skated by elliot, so i got off and walked with him, putting our bags over our heads for shelter.

i didn't see elliot much before school anymore. which is why i always waited by the lockers.
see, the first time i skated to school and didn't see him, i assumed he would be late.

so i waited for him by my locker, which was across the hall from class. after a few minutes, he showed up.

and that's how our routine fell into place. i never skated by him anymore, so i waited for him by the lockers instead.

this is probably the reason we stopped talking as much. but i always said, "good morning." because it made him smile. and that's my favourite thing in the world.

elliot's smile.

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word count: 850
*edited*
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