Out a Heartbeat (In a Heartbeat)

04 - Synergy

"Oh man, I'm so embarrassed," I whisper to Jonathan, about to open the cafeteria door. We both chuckle.

"I can relate," Yareli says, arms crossed. Jonathan and I jump, looking back to see our friends still there.

I close the cafeteria door and return to the hallway with my... boyfriend? Fling? Friend with benefits? Ah, never mind!

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask.

"We were waiting for the kiss, weren't we?" Bria says unabashedly. Jonathan lowers his head, embarrassed.

"Let's leave you two alone," Parlan pulls the girls back into the cafeteria.

Parlan returns to the hallway.

"Behave, boys," he winks at us and starts laughing at his own joke as he closes the door.

Jonathan and I look at each other and burst into laughter. My friends are a bunch of crazies.

TIME SKIP

We're back at that little bush where we first interacted. Sitting on the grass, we talk about our classes.

"[...] so, Professor Xzavier only gave us three questions, but I couldn't answer the last one because it was really tough. I hate geography..."

Jonathan stops talking, smiling at me. I was lost staring at that cute face.

"Sherwin?"

I snap out of it.

"Huh? Oh! S-Sorry, I..."

Jonathan holds my arms.

"Easy there, buddy! It's okay," he laughs. "I don't know why I always get shy whenever we're together. I've never talked so much with a guy before. Not like this, opening up and all."

"Really? And what about your friends?"

"They're not my real friends. In the first class when you and I were together, some of them wouldn't even look at me, remember? During geography class, those guys didn't talk to me. Honestly, we've never really interacted properly. I just hung out with them so I wouldn't be alone."

"Wow... I-I'm sorry, Jonathan. I had no idea."

"Thanks, buddy," he smiles.

...

"JONATHAN!" I shout out of nowhere.

"Sherwin?!"

"I have to..." I take a deep breath, determined. "...apologize to you."

Jonathan looks at me, confused.

"Relax, I can explain. At the end of class, your friend ignored you, and I didn't do anything, but I should have, especially because--" I'm interrupted by Jonathan placing his hand on my face.

"Sherwin, there was nothing to be done there. Relax. I was also taken aback, but now we have each other. I don't need them, and you don't need to worry about that, okay?"

"But I want to worry! You know, I've been thinking about it the whole time during my art class. Actually, there was a part where I looked at Parlan's butt, so I just thought of her, but then I started thinking about my inutility. I just want to tell you that I want to help you, understand?"

Jonathan smiles.

"Thanks, Sherwin. You mean everything to me, buddy," he hugs me, kissing my face. I can't remove the smile from my stupid face and I'm not thinking about the right reasons.

The bell rings. Time to go back to classes.

"Let's go?" I ask, trying to come back to reality. I had drifted off while hugging Jonathan.

"What if we wait for the second bell?" he suggests. "It'll ring in five minutes. Five more minutes with you."

Finally, a useful purpose for two bells. I can't stop smiling.

"Aweee!!!" Parlan, Bria, and Yareli chime in unison from behind a bush, going wild over our cute moment.

"Um... hi, guys," I stand up, at a loss for words. "What are you... doing here?"

"Um..." Yareli tries to come up with an excuse.

"MAKING A CAKE!" Bria exclaims, appearing again with a bowl of chocolate cake batter and a wooden spoon.

"A... cake?" I glance at the bowl.

"Girl, where did you get that?" Yareli asks.

"I dunno. The scriptwriter wanted it this way. Did I tell you I wanna be a baker when I grow up?" Bria tosses the bowl into the bushes.

"O-M-G, that's awesome!!! I love desserts! Wait, what do you mean, 'scriptwriter'?"

"Huh?!" Bria gets lost in her own words.

"Huh?" Yareli looks even more confused.

"Hey, quit breaking the fourth wall, you crazy girls!" Parlan scolds them.

Jonathan pulls me a bit farther away, behind a tree.

"Sherwin, your friends are cool, but... don't you think they're a bit..."

"...intrusive. Yeah, I've been thinking the same. What do you think I should do to get them to leave us alone?"

"HEY, PARTY PEOPLE!" Alice, Jonathan's best friend, suddenly appears behind us. "What are you lovebirds doing out here? Spill the tea!"

"Alice!" Jonathan hugs his friend. "We're just waiting for the second bell."

"And having a little romance, huh? Cute!"

They chat, and I'm nervous about trying to join in, especially since Alice was a bit harsh with me last time we talked. It's better for me to stay quiet and keep looking at the ground. I wish I had the courage to tell Jonathan that maybe my friends bother him, but Alice isn't exactly easy to deal with either.

TIME SKIP

The second bell rings.

"See ya, lovebirds!" Alice gives us a light tap on the back. "And shoutout to the weirdos behind the bush. I'm seeing you, huh! I'm watching!" The girl walks into the school.

"How did she see us in this bush? She's so much taller than the others..." Yareli is disappointed with their failed hiding spot.

"You guys still here?!" I ask.

"Sherwin, I'm off to gym class. See you later, cutie!" Jonathan gives me a quick peck. We both blush, and he heads off to class.

I look back, totally red and surprised, and my friends are dumbfounded.

"YOU. LOST. YOUR—" Bria says slowly.

"V-CARD!!!!" The three chorus together.

"Guys, wait, I think losing the v-card means more than just a peck," Yareli defends her idea.

"Hmm... Yeah, you're right," Parlan grumbles.

"Darn it," Bria looks sad.

"Guys, let's go to our classrooms. We're totally late," I quickly change the subject.

Bria and Yareli have math class together at this period, and Parlan and I have history class, where we always end up dozing off. In the hallway, we open our lockers to grab our supplies before heading into class.

Suddenly, I spot Gibson, the guy I thought would punch me at the beginning of break but ended up just walking past. He seems upset.

Disheartened, the boy enters the history class as well. Parlan and I follow. What's going on with him?