Blue

Chapter Two

Her pencil thumped against the desk to the beat of her pounding heart. Alex was in a daze watching wood clatter upon wood until a pressure on her shoulder snapped her out of it.

Glancing to her side, she said, "You could have just asked me to stop instead of flicking me, Safiya."

Dark hair was pushed back behind each of Safiya's ears, framing her face and spilling far down her back. Dimples indented the brown skin around her mouth as she grinned, a shade which was much lighter than Alex's dark skin but still far from pale. Her eyes were bright that morning but there was a darkness beneath her eyes.

"As logical as that is, it just isn't as much fun," Safiya nodded. "You see we wouldn't be having this lovely conversation right now if it wasn't for my quick action and wit."

Alex rolled her eyes. "What would I ever do without you brightening my morning each day."

"I dazzle your mornings."

She snorted. It was one way to put it.

"So not only did I flick you to stop you from killing that pencil, but I have some good news," she squinted her eyes. "I mean it might be good."

Alex waited and silence drew on. Her desk neighbor had suddenly gotten wide eyed, sinking in deep, shuttering breaths. When she spoke, it came out in such a quick rasp that she almost missed it. "I'm asking Maya to prom. And--"

"To be your girlfriend!"

Her smile grew wider as well as the lids framing her eyes. "Do you have to scream it out to the world?"

"Do you have to flick me every time you want my attention?"

Their laughs sounded, moving in a joyous dance between each other.

"Honestly, Safi, it's about time."

"You can remind me of that if she says yes."

"She's gonna say yes."

A sigh let loose but Safiya said no more. Moments later, Alex found herself mirroring her friend, glancing down at her notebook she had spread over her desk. Their teacher had begun introducing the class to the directions of the test for the day. With eyes glued to her horribly scribbled notes, grasping for any last moments of memorization, Alex had to admit her teacher's voice was drowned from her mind. She caught a few words here and there, but as she knew the protocol for a test in AP Biology there wasn't much to keep her interested. Instead she studied on with one of her favorite books in her hands under the desk. Flipping the pages against her fingers gave her a sense of calm but even still, blood rushed to her head and she felt a light layer of sweat form across her brows. Before the test was placed on her desk, Alex glanced back at Safiya who was transfixed by a game of thumb war that she was playing with herself.

"After we bomb this test, you are telling me every detail you have planned for the prom proposal or I'll shoot you with one of my scary finger guns," Alex flashed her with one of her homemade weapons.

Safiya laughed behind her hand but was quick to change it to a hearty cough when the teacher shushed her. "Not the scary finger guns," she whispered for only Alex to hear.

Little did they know.

~

Each click on her computer keyboard was meant to anchor her focus, but still Becca found her mind wandering to the book tucked in her bag. Whenever her lunch break came around she would finally be able to escape into another realm. But she knew the meaning of her job well and she wouldn't fail her kids.

The morning bell wasn't even a bell. It was a musical anthem from a student-picked but staff supervised playlist. Students began striding into her classroom before the last lyric sounded and the song faded away. When the room was nothing but chairs screeching against tile, Becca listened closer to see if her students were carrying any important information. There was nothing but some quiet chatter here and there over the freshest bit of gossip and the latest video game that came out. Clicking off her computer, she slid back her chair and stood. All conversations were whisked away.

There were few things that overbore her love for her students. Becca knew no better feeling than getting her kids to think, to grasp at anything she went over throughout their lessons. Now through the sleepy haze that tore at all of them, they still glanced her way. They knew that she was not through with them till the day they left her classroom with a passing grade. Even still Becca would continue helping them if they only let her. She took a step away from her desk, gazing at the whole of them. Twenty-four students in neat rows of five other than for the one empty desk from when a student transferred out of her class during the first week.

"Good morning, everyone."

A series of mumbles wishing her the same broke through the room. Some were filled with longing for slumber but a few were awake enough to make Becca smile.

Reaching down to her desk, she snatched up her copy of The Hate U Give which was battered from many reads and a few run ins with dog teeth. Just the same she loved her copy even if it wasn't spotless. The words within were always enough for her to visit a different home.

"Now where were we. . ."

When cracking open her copy, she was matched with a symphony of pages doing the same. Only one student groaned.

One student to her pleasure answered, "I think we're at the part where Starr was about to talk to the police about what happened to Khalil."

"Ah, grab your tissues everyone and pay close attention to how the author portrays emotion."

~

By the time second period had rolled around and she had said farewell to Alex, Safiya was a mess. A good student would be fidgeting over how she had just bombed another test, but instead she was biting her nails at her desk at the thought of romance. Maybe she should audition for a rom com so she could fulfill a high school girl stereotype.

Then she would have a reason to find the guts to make a romantic gesture. Though if she was being honest with herself, she already had plenty reason to do one without all the lights and cameras.

Safiya sighed in her Civics class, her teacher's droning voice slipping from her mind. Freeing her nails from her teeth, she pulled her phone from her hoodie pocket.

Meet me at my locker in five minutes. It's important. Don't fall on your face on the way because we both remember the last time that happened.

In a blur, she took a deep breath before asking to go the bathroom. Safiya evaded the room with a shuddering breath.

~

James was supposed to be in class, but instead he walked in the opposite direction of the art room. He drummed his fingers against his thigh as he walked to the bathroom, his phone heavy in his pocket. Alex still hadn't updated him on if she was feeling okay after the test.

He turned around a corner to find he was no longer alone. A girl with a spill of dark hair and brown skin tapped her foot against the floor, a bouquet of roses in one hand. At first sight, he thought she was waiting for him and he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

When he drew closer, he burst out laughing. "Looking for me, Safiya? I do love a good set of roses."

She rolled her eyes but a flush fell over her cheeks. "Oh, beat it, James, we both know who these are for."

He shrugged, passing her and she jabbed him with her elbow. "Maybe I do, but I can't say I'm not disappointed they aren't for me. I could've pulled out a pretty vase and everything."

"A vase?"

As he kept walking, his voice grew louder. "You know, the things you put flowers in so they don't die."

"James, I know what a fucking vase is, but damn it I should've thought of that!"

He laughed as he walked into the bathroom. "Really, though, good luck!"

James could've sworn he heard her curse in response.