Just Sayin'

One

Gracie-

I rake my fingers through my long blonde hair as I turn the corner to head down Junior hall.

My math and science notebooks are in my arms when I step into my math class.

Class is already half way over when I walk in and everyone's eyes are on me. Silence fills the room.

I clear my throat and walk towards my teacher and hand her the note.

"Sleeping in late shouldn't be a proper excuse Ms. Shinn. Especially three hours into the day," Ms. Carter says.

I stop in my place while on the way to my seat in the back. "I know I'm sorry."

"Go back to the office. I'm not taking this late pass." she pushes her glasses up her nose.

"Yes ma'am." I turn around and take the blue colored paper back and head for the door. A paper ball hits me in the back.

I am completely and utterly humiliated.

"Mr. Hemmings, you may join her." She growls.

I sigh deeply and stand just outside of the door.

Luke comes out of the classroom with a goofy grin on his face.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I hit him in the arm.

"I can't believe I did either. My mom is going to have my head." He laughs and we head towards the office.

.•.

"And then what happened?" Alisha gasps when I'm telling her about my not-so-good experience this morning.

"So then," I swallow the rest of my sandwich. "I turn around and pick up the pass. When I was about to leave someone threw a paper ball at me!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!" I hate talking like this, bit this is the only way Alisha speaks. "I was humiliated! But then she kicked him out to."

"Him?"

"Yeah. Turns out it was Luke." I take another bite as she gasps. Alisha had always been quite the gossiper.

"It was Luke what?" Luke says, joining us at the lunch table. Alisha jumps.

"I was telling her about our ordeal in Ms. Carter's class today."

"Oh c'mon. It wasn't that bad." He laughs.

"Yes it was! I was so embarrassed and I am in complete disbelief that you even threw the ball!" I groan.

"Anyways! Where's Rachel today?" He asks us as he bites into his burger.

"I don't know. I have my afternoon classes with her. Alisha?" I ask her but he is dazed out. I look towards the direction she is staring but don't see anything or anyone. "Alisha?"

"Umm. Rachel is home sick." She says.

"Uh huh." I look at Luke and he shrugs.

Damn, I could get lost in his eyes. His dumb, long, blonde hair is stupid and he is always pushing it out of the way for him to see properly. His stupid shoes bring me back to when we were kids.

Thinking about back then makes me lean in to smell him.

"When was the last time you showered?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I don't remember, actually."

I shudder. "Ew."

When we were kids, I had to prove somehow that Luke rarely showered. When we were playing with chalk one day, I rubbed the green, powdery stick against the back of his head to crete a green patch. His mother said nothing of it and sure enough, after a week it was gone.

It still grosses me out to this day.

The bell rings and we all exit to our next class.

.•.

English with Alisha sucked today.

It's as boring as you believe English could ever be.

When I go to my locker to grab my belongings, Luke is already there.

"Gracie! Hey, how are ya?" He says casually.

"Dear god, what did you do now?" I ask him.

"Absolutely nothing." He smiles.

I roll my eyes and open my locker to grab the rest of my belongings. Luke's fingers kept tapping the metal of the lockers.

"What's going on?" I ask when I close my locker.

He opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by a scream. "Run."

"What?" I squeak and he yanks me by the arm outside the school doors. "What the hell was that?"

He catches his breath from the short amount of running we did. "I may have put a spider in Alisha's locker."

I gasp and hit him in the arm as we start walking towards our neighborhood.

"I have band practice, today." Luke gushes.

"Lame," I joke and he pouts. "Kidding. You guys don't even have a drummer."

"Michael's looking."

"That kid hates you."

"As I do him. Will you come to practice with me?"

"No."

"Why?" He begs. "I love you."

My heart aches. "Fine, fine."

"Yay! Now turn this way, I'm pretty sure Alisha is following us. I think I hear her car."