One in 12 Billion

11

Word count: 1259

It had been less than twenty four hours without him, but the lack of company was playing on my mind. As I entered the classroom, I would usually be greeted by a call of my name or open arms.

Today, he sat in his same place at the end of the table, on his phone. In fact there was odd silent clamour in the classroom, which would usually be pin drop silence. Although he didn't look up, the mere fact that he was still there would suggest he rethought his words.

"Move!" I commanded, slamming my hands on his desk.

"No." He said it confidently into the silence that had descended on the class.

The classroom didn't return back to its original state afterwards, and Leo stood up. I was slightly relieved, I didn't need such a difficult start to what I knew would be an odd day.

"May I exercise the power of democracy amongst you all?" The thirty people scattered across the classroom shrugged, and he continued.

Using his chair as a stepping stool, he transferred smoothly onto the table. His arms were held dramatic out from his side.

"Do you believe that this girl," he pointed incredulously at the top of my head, "is telling me to move?"

"This woman feels that she holds the authority to tell me what to do with me body. Have I broken a law?"

It seemed as if he expected some audience participation, but when no one responded, he shook his head and said, "No," to prompt them.

"Am I seating in her seat, if you can even call it hers? No." It seemed he had given up on audience participation at this point.

"Therefore, am I entitled to move for her? Should I let myself be harassed this early morning and not make a stand?"

It almost seemed as if he was talking to himself, and I snickered. "Gonna make them vote or something?"

"That's a brilliant idea," he replied as if he anticipated my input. "A vote."

The faces turned back to him with excited glints. The prospect of voting has stimulated a part of these students that you wouldn't even have known existed. Even on a matter so trivial, the prospect of a ballot brought smiles to half their faces.

"Hands up of I should move?"

The only hand that shot up was Ant's. Leo shot her a surprised look, and arm wavered slightly. I raised my eyebrows and her arms rose along with it. Leo looked down, slightly furious.

"I'm so conflicted," Ant whined. "I don't want this to be what ruins a perfect match."

"We didn't even get to do anything," a student said.

Leo made a knowing face. "In that case, put your hand up if I should stay."

A sea of arms was created by the students. Leo joined them, pumping a tight fist in the air.

"Stick it to the man!" He yelled.

His followers repeated. In fact they chanted this idiotic phrase at least five times until he signalled his arms to silence them. Smirking, he crouched down on the table at look at my unamused face.

"Stick it to The Man," he whispered, for my ears only.

It had been itching me since he's first uttered the phrase to say this: "I'm not a man."

"Despite your narcissistic interpretations, The Man is the government under which it is used. The disgusting behaviour you just exhibited represents the incorrect power that authority thinks they have over us."

"And here I was thinking you would apologise."

"Well, since you don't like being the man, why not be the bigger man?" he responded smartly.

"How about the clever one?" I fired back, smiling slightly.

It took him a moment to realise as he jumped off his chair, and onto the floor, aside from the seat he used to occupy. He was now seatless, and his theatrics were the reason for his failure.

"Doesn't affect me," he said almost too cheerfully, before bounding onto my lap.

"You are not meant to talk me today."

"But you talked to me first."

"But you started this whole no-talking thing."

"But you were the one who started crying." I felt my defensive mechanism building another layer.

"But you were the one that kissed me."

He abruptly stood up and pushed his table forward.

"Yeah," he muttered as he left my leg, leaving a cool breeze to replace the warmth of his backside. "And you're starting to make me wish that I bloody didn't."

He turned from me and asked Ant loudly, "Does a slap undo a kiss?"

"And does a kick to the balls undo a slap," I called out, though Ant seemed to be drinking it up.

"Holy smokes didn't you two kiss?"

"No!" I said as Leo said said, "Yes."

He gesticulated backwards towards me, "Apparently not."

Ant hit his arm, "She wasn't unconscious was she, you nasty bastard."

He rubbed it, the impact didn't look that large. Guess the muscles were for show.

"No, she just hated it, and now she hates me," he said, a tone in which could either easily pass for joking or serious. I could usually tell which.

"I ship it! I still do."

Leo didn't stay for the whole sentence. Still blowing off steam, he huffed into the one seat that he knew would annoy me the most: the one next to Melanin.

I don't think she had looked up this entire time, but as the seat next to her filled, she sat straight in her seat.

Her voice was as even and clear as ever, "What do you want?"

Not do you want, what do you want? As if there was no reason that he could've come to sit next to her unmotivated. In any case, eh was correct.

"Nothing," he said, bringing out his phone.

Melanin looked up right into my direction to watch me watching them.

"I see," she said, looking away from me.

Spot on. I'd say that it was a skill, but you must've been blind to see what had just happened.

"You know it's morally incorrect to lie," she said quietly to him as the door buzzed, indicating our form tutor was near.

"Take your own advice," he said quickly.

Our form tutor walked into the room.

"I'd rather not," was the reply I could hear amidst the noise of chairs as we rose.

"Sit down." We followed the command, and waited in silence as it seemed that she had more to tell us. "I have a notice."

"All life certificates must be given directly to a uniformed governmental worker at your allotted times. Yours is at the end of lunch."

The class groaned.

"You need to go to the exam hall. Every part of the process will be explained to you."

"Wanna go together?" I asked.

Leo looked up a me, a fire still blazing in his eyes. HIs mouth opened, his self-control was slipping out by the second. An unintended taunt.

"Melanin," I stressed.

"Not really," she said. It seemed as if every time I attempted to be nice, she replied with court monosyllabic phrases.

"Do you know where the exam hall is?"

"Not really."

It was fun to form her answer into the way that I wanted, so I finished with, "So do you really have a choice?"

"Not really."