Crazy but Sweet, Sweet but Crazy

44: a joke

"...please pass the test paper around."

To prevent cheating in our French test, all students in the lecture hall were given randomized seatings, chairs spaced out at regular intervals.

A blond girl with a prominent mole above her left eyebrow, had taken her seat in front of me.

When she'd taken a test paper and turned around to pass the stack to me, our eyes met.

In the midst of handing the stack over to me, with her eyes opened wide, she stared at me for about five to six seconds.

I never knew five to six seconds could feel so disconcertingly long.

The frozen state of the girl's slack face, hovering hand with the stack of papers, was enough to draw some unwanted attention from the proximity of our seats.

Some whispered, and other more polite ones, only exchanged knowing, telepathic looks with their classmates.

Her brows scrunching hard enough to carve a line through her forehead, the French teacher banged her clipboard of exam instructions against the whiteboard. "Shhh, no talking!"

The banging sound effectively thawed the frozen girl with the mole above her eyebrow.

Her eyes clumsily fixed on some spot above my head, she outstretched her hand, near enough for me to take the stack.

Gym class went a little easier.

"Pass, pass!"

A tall boy whom I presumed to be was from a sports club shouted, waving his hands in frustration as an equally zealous classmate on the opposing side continuously blocked him.

The situation was clear.

The girl on the blue team holding onto the ball, was too far away from the netball goal post to get close.

All the strong players on the team were being marked closely.

I was the only one standing before her and on her team, close enough to pass the ball towards the goal.

And holding onto the ball with anxiety on her face that would rival anxiety of deciding between Harvard and MIT, the girl looked at all players, but at me.

Blowing the whistle around his neck, our gym teacher Mr. Peters raised his three fingers.

"Remember the three second rule! C'mon, what're you waiting for? Pass the ball! Three, two- one!"

Gym was simple because few wanted to pass the ball in my direction. The brave few who did, passed it looking at anywhere but into my eyes.

A girl who brushed past me in the locker room so mildly I was barely aware of it, started like she'd just touched a venomous snake.

"Oh!" She flushed pink, peering at me curiously for a split second. "So sorry about that!"

"No probl-"

She'd scurried out of my sight before I could finish the word. I blinked, somewhat sheepishly. "Um."

"Do you go around beating people up without telling us?" Bianca snickered, wiping sweat off her face with her gym towel. "Gosh, feels good being the mafia king's buddy."

"Do people act weird around you guys too?" I groaned, pulling off my gym shoes.

"Don't worry too much. It's what I call a 'middle phase'." Ester said coolly, pulling her hair up into a high bun.

I laughed. "There's a name for this weirdness?"

"Public sentiments are now about 50/50 divided about your family. Some people say the case closing so quickly shows the Lockwoods might be guilty in some way. Some people say the case now shows your father is guilty."