𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱)

Track 29 | 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀

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I felt like a stalker, just sitting there at my desk, my eyes glued onto Ari as he shaded in various rectangles on the scantron bubble sheet to my left. We were in the middle of Calculus class and were supposed to be taking a quiz, but of course, I couldn't get my mind off of the Australian Shephard sitting at the desk next to mine.

We hadn't spoken a word to each other since this morning, but luckily, it wasn't in mean spirit. Ari and I were just acting nervous and shy. All throughout lunch, there was this strange, intimate atmosphere constricting us together, like an invisible rope tied from my heart to his. Even during the walk to Mrs. Hudson's classroom, we silently strolled alongside one another, blushing and flashing uncontainable smiles.

The classroom was dead silent. Everyone was hard at work, leaving room for the faint noise of Number 2 Pencil scribbles and the ticking of an analog clock on the wall. Mrs. Hudson was distracted by something on her computer, giving me the opportunity to act.

Staring at the untouched bubble sheet and the math packet on my desk, I gave up on the first question and turned my attention back over to Ari. He sat hunched over the desk, resting his left elbow on the countertop as he played with his earring, scribbling equations on the scrap paper and punching in digits on his calculator. His concentration was undisturbed and his focus was intense. The quiz had only started a few minutes ago, but he was already halfway through the sheet. 

Like before, I reached out my foot and tapped it against Ari's shoe. Hesitant to put his work on pause, Ari rose his head slowly and turned to face me.

Awkwardly, I waved discreetly and mouthed the word, "hi".

He did the same but with furrowed brows, showing his confusion.

I took a double take at Mrs. Hudson, who was luckily still distracted. I opened my mouth and moved my lips, hoping that Ari would understand. "What are you doing after school?"

"What?" Ari's lips had read.

I scooched in a little closer and spoke in the lightest of whispers, "What are you doing after school?"

"Work," Ari mouthed.

"Ohhh," I mouthed back, nodding my head and signaling that I received the message. "Can I come with?"

"What?" Ari shook his head and leaned in, still confused.

"Can I come with?" I whispered a tiny bit louder, the 'k' and 'th' sounds of my diction standing out.

Ari nodded and gave me a thumbs up before returning to his quiz. Once he was focused on his work, it was as if there were a glass box placed around him that nobody could get through, closing him off from the world. Though I was shut out, I kept staring at Ari like I was expecting him to say something more.

"Harvard," Mrs. Hudson called out, breaking the silence and startling me and the entire classroom. She glared at me with a smirk, making it obvious that she could see what I was doing—or, what she assumed I was doing. "Eyes on your own paper."

"S-Sorry," I stuttered, placing said eyes on said paper. 

Ari and I side-glanced one another out of the corner of our eyes. I could see he was trying not to laugh. Brushing the slight embarrassment off and re-focusing on my work, I picked up the math packet with my hands and stared at the first problem closely.