SELENELION

2. Veronica

We arrive at school with five minutes to spare. A group of people smoking outside whistle at us before we've even stepped off the bike. "Nice bike dude, is that a Bolt Cruiser?" Asks a boy with blood shot eyes and shaggy hair. Vinny nods. "I've never been on a motorcycle before, looks fun." A girl named Sheena says, smiling at Vinny. She was pretty, her green eyes glowing. "It is." Vinny says, swinging an arm around my shoulders.

We head straight for the main office to pick up our schedules. Normally, we'd have to wait in a long line at the gym to get them, but the school's guidance councilor, Mrs. Dublin, was nice enough to hold onto ours every year. She was a sweet woman with white hair and big, round glasses. She was always understanding and funny. I think she favored Vinny and I, for some unapparent reason. "Goodmorning Mrs. Dublin," I say to her as we approach her desk. "Ronnie dear, that's a lovely sweater you have on, and you definitely got taller over the summer. My goodness." I smile brightly at her, her warmth was always welcome. Handing me my schedule, she continues "Your schedule seems more evenly balanced this year. I made sure you didn't have all your science classes in one semester." I'm beaming as I reach over to hug her, "There are no proper words of gratitude, thank you!" I tell her, extremely grateful for her meddling. Having three science classes, volleyball and work last semester really took a toll on me. "I see you've managed to get Vincenzo to school on time today." "Morning Miss," Vinny says, smiling at her. "How was your summer? Did you miss me?" "Boring." she responds, "Idle hands will be the death of me. And no, you're actually a lot of work. I don't know how Ronnie does it." She says, giving me a sly wink. Vinny feigns being hurt, "You say that now, but I know you'll miss me when I'm gone." "If I don't see you here next year, I'll be proud and thrilled." She retorts, giving him a pointed look. She'd always emphasize how important it was that he graduate. "I'll be sure to hide from you then." Vinny jokes. Chuckling, she hands him his schedule, taking pride in it. "There was a long wait list for your mechanics class, but I managed to get you in. Now there will be no more excuses for missing school." Never bothering to abide by school policy, Vinny laughs and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You have my heart Mrs. D. I am truly impressed." I know she wants to scold him for his inappropriate affection but she's too nice to do so. A blush creeps on her cheeks. It really didn't matter who you were, Vinny never failed to make you blush. "Now get to class you two, the bell is going to ring any minute." Looking at our schedules, I point out that Vinny and I have first period English together. There was no doubt that this was also Mrs. Dublin's doing, he and I hadn't had a class together since the tenth grade. He shakes his head, "I don't deserve that woman."

We walk into class the same moment the bell rings. Everyone is already seated, and staring at us. Vinny walks over to the empty table in the back and sits down, pulling out the empty chair beside him for me to sit in. He doesn't even seem to notice everyone else. Whereas I, seem less able to suppress my nerves every year. My eyes scan the other students as I walk to sit beside Vinny. For a brief moment, my heart stops beating as my eyes land on Jessie. His broad shoulders are turned to face his girlfriend Ally, who sits behind him. He's sitting down but I can already tell he grew. His golden hair had grown out into waves. His grey crew-neck was pulled up to his forearms as he spoke animatedly with his girlfriend.

Our teacher, Mrs. Orella, begins the class by giving us a short run-down of what's expected of us this year as seniors. I feel Vinny's breath on my ear, "Our spot after school?' He asks me, although it doesn't sound much like a question. I look over at him and nod, "Craving it." His eyes darken slightly and move to my lips before looking back into my eyes. It seems there'd be too much occurring in my stomach for me to eat at all today. We hadn't gone to our spot in months, I missed it. Mrs. Orella decides it'd be a good activity to go around the class and have everyone share something about their summer. Internally cringing, these activities always made me feel awkward. The girl to begin was named Raya, "I went to Drake's concert and lost my voice," she says, smiling dreamily. People continue to offer exciting answers and I'm left feeling a bit envious. I can't think of one thing to mention. A boy named Nathan yells, "I lost my virginity this summer, high five Mrs. O." She can't help but chuckle with the class, still managing to say that's not the appropriate answer she was looking for. Nathan shrugs, seeming unbothered. It's now Braden's turn, he's best friends with Jessie and is sitting beside him. "My girlfriend dumped me," Braden says, as Jessie tries to suppress a laugh, shaking his head. "Sorry to hear that." Mrs. O replies, unsympathetically "Thanks for sharing." There were many rumours that Braden had an affair with another teacher from the English department, Mrs. Rose. During the summer, someone had spotted them making out at an out of town restaurant. Blurry pictures were leaked and the last thing I heard was that Mrs. Rose moved to British Columbia. Clearly Mrs. Orella didn't find the situation amusing. It was now Jessie's turn so I finally allow myself to look at him. Everything about him was gold. His hair, his almond-shaped hazel eyes appeared gold with the sun hitting them and his skin was sun-kissed gold. The pink colour in his plump lips standing out. He stares ahead at the teacher, "I got a dog." Ally pipes in before Mrs. O can respond, "She's so cute. She's a rescue Pitbull, but she's so sweet so he named her Honey." Reaching over, she pinches his cheek before kissing it. A few friends of hers awe, as Braden joins in and tries to jokingly kiss Jessie's cheek. He holds his notebook out to block Braden and rolls his eyes. "That's nice," Mrs. O says, "pets bring life to a home." "Don't know what took me so long." Jessie replies. After him, it's Ally's turn, "I went to Australia for the first time." "That's exciting, did you see any kangaroos?" Mrs. O asks. "Yes, I made sure to do that on the first day. It was beautiful, probably my favourite place I've been so far." She says, with certainty. Before I know it, it's my turn and I still can't think of anything to say. My anxiety worsens with each passing second, as my mind tries to search for a reasonable answer. "I went camping," I say, after what feels like forever, noting that I actually went camping in the spring. "I used to love camping, did you go far?" "We went to Sudbury." I respond, wanting the small talk to end. It's Vinny's turn now, he's leaning back in his chair and his answer is immediate. "I learned how to get away with murder," he says, his expression serious. I stare at him with wide eyes, my shock robbing all air from my body. I can't believe he said that. The class is quiet as tension wafts thick in the air, the light-hearted atmosphere momentarily shattered. After a moment, he speaks again "From watching that show, 'How to Get Away With Murder'. Very educational." He flashes a charming smile. "Oh, I love that show!" Mrs. O responds, sounding excited. "I spent most of my summer binge watching it too, along with many others." The class begins shouting out shows and movies they obsessed over this summer, but to me they all seem so far away. I can't take my eyes off of Vinny. I can't, for the life of me, understand why he said that. Mrs. O silences the class and starts handing out the syllabus. My eyes are still on Vinny, they have been this whole time. He hasn't looked at me once. When Mrs. O places a syllabus on my desk, I realize I should stop looking at Vinny before I'm the reason this escalates.