Saving Sloane | gxg

04

I doodled into the margins of my notebook as Mrs. Carmichael lectured us on the latest chapter. It was already 45 minutes into the lecture, and I hadn't heard a word she had said. My mind kept wandering back to Sloane and our confrontation yesterday.

I glanced at Jaxon, who was sitting beside me. He had his earbuds in and was writing notes as he listened to music. I turned my head back towards the front of the class. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Why was I so obsessed with her?

"Vera?"

I looked up, meeting Mrs. Carmichael's gaze.

"Yes?" I replied, hoping she hadn't noticed my spacing out.

"Would you care to read the next passage for the class?"

I swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. "Of course."

"It is the beginning of spring in 1986, and the young lovers had only recently married. They had plans to spend the summer apart, but those plans had been put on hold..."

As I continued to read, my eyes focused on the page in front of me. I didn't even hear what I was saying. I wasn't paying attention to the words on the page, my voice sounded as though it was coming from somewhere else.

"A soft wind blew across the plains, making the wildflowers sway in the breeze. The husband gazed upon his young wife and smiled. Sloane was a beautiful  woman, and he loved her more than anything in the world..."

I stopped reading. I could feel a lump in my throat. What did I just say?

I looked up, noticing that the whole class was staring at me. I could feel myself grow hot, my face turning red in embarrassment.

"Sarah. I meant Sarah," I stuttered.

Mrs. Carmichael gave me a soft smile.

"It's fine," she said. "You may continue."

I cleared my throat. "Sarah laughed and smiled back at her husband. She loved him too and felt blessed to have been able to find such a man, but her thoughts soon turned towards the baby growing inside of her..."

I glanced over at Sloane, who was sitting a few rows ahead. She turned towards me, and our eyes met for a second before she quickly turned away.

"Sarah began to feel anxious about her baby, afraid that something might happen to them. Her husband noticed the change in her demeanor and tried to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, but she knew that he didn't really believe it... Mrs. Carmichael— I'm sorry. Can I use the restroom?" I asked.

"Of course," she said.

I slammed the book shut before heading out of the room. I didn't need to use the restroom but I wasn't able to be in that room any longer. I walked down the hall and went into the bathroom, locking myself in the stall.

I sat down, placing my head between my hands. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down.

What the fuck was that?

I thought about the way Sloane looked at me during my presentation. I could still feel her gaze burning into my skin.

I stared at my hands.

I stood up and walked over to the sink, turning on the faucet and splashing cold water on my face. I grabbed a paper towel and dabbed my face dry before turning off the water and stepping back.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

I shook my head and walked out of the room, heading back towards the classroom.