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Chapter Two

Chapter Two

My pencil was tapping rapidly against my desk as I sat in my first class. I couldn't wait for second. We got new schedules for the new semester and therefore new seating arrangements. I was sitting in my AP Lit class and not paying attention to anything but the clock.

                When I had walked into the classroom, Ms. Bennitt was holding people single file at the door taking role and telling each person where their seat was. I had been having a whispered discussion that with Cam that made me suspect she was planning some way of "helping" me...again.

                Last time she tried to help me, it could've easily been a well thought out murder. She wanted me to date Josh, now Kim's boyfriend, when we were sophomores. Turns out, junior boy punks only date junior and senior girl punks. Cam disagreed with the system and used me as a lab rat for her last match making service. Which sounds totally cliché and totally Cam. When I walked into the grand hall, she basically told me that I was proposing to Josh. Proposing! Needless to say, when she shoved me in front of Josh, he just kind of stared at me on one knee, Cam having dead-legged me, and gave me a weird look. Cam loudly felt the need to say, "Aww, look Frankie's proposing!" As I ran away completely embarrassed in front of the entire student body, it didn't help when Destiny stopped me and sneered, "Where's the ring?"

                Of course I didn't really have a choice but to ride home with Cam, so the rest of the week I just gave her the silent treatment until she threatened to stop giving me a ride because she was so offended. Yup, she was offended. I'm the offender here. Completely.

                Long story short, Ms. Bennitt proceeded to assign our seats. Mine in the front corner surrounded by millions of other people and right beside her desk. And directly next to Gage. This was apparently "new guy's" name. Gage Collier. Awesome.

                So here I was tapping my pencil wait for the inevitable, feeling those rocky eyes bear into my back and make it impossible to breathe without feeling like somebody was watching.

                "Miss Sinclair?" Ms. Bennitt said standing in front of my desk impatiently.

                "Yes, Ms. Bennitt?" I asked nearly as impatiently. I'd been listening to her lecture on rules and the lack of discipline our generation had halfheartedly. I couldn't see how I was linked to her comments.

                "Would you mind focusing on the class and not going into your own world for a little while?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice. "And please stop tapping you pencil!"

                "Yes, ma'am," I sighed inside as I laid down my pencil and shifted my hair so that I was no longer hiding my face. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Gage forming a sneaky smirk. I put my hand in my lap and started tapping against my leg...which received a glare from Ms. Bennitt.

                "Nervous?" A gruff voice whispered next to me.

                "What would I be nervous about?" I practically spat at him.  I didn't mean to come out so harsh, but my voice leaned towards that side. I guess it was his tone that irked me. He sounded really sarcastic and bitter as though he thought it was cool because we had sat next to each other for all of forty five minutes. Fifteen more minutes and I was bolting out of that room.

                "You tell me," He was insisting on talking through the rest of the class. Maybe if I didn't respond he wouldn't try again. Silly me. "Anybody home?" He persisted a minute later.