There's Something Against Us

Chapter 10

My eyes are glued to the door - as they have been for the past ten minutes - because Steven is yet to have come walking through it.

And class began five minutes ago.

I frown to myself, pulling out a pencil and notebook to begin copying notes. As I turn to put my bag back on the ground, I notice Charlotte eyeing me down.

"Hi," I say awkwardly, unsure of what else I'm supposed to do when someone glares at me.

She only stares back at me, her face scrunching up in obvious disgust. Before I have the chance to apologize about the other day, she turns her head away from me to face the board instead.

It's only a minute before I hear the door creaking open in the front of the room. It's Steven - late again. Everyone is looking at him, and I feel an awful sense of déjà vu. I turn away, instead staring down at my notebook.

Oh, not this again. I can't bare to watch.

This time is different, though. Burr seems to hardly takes notice, not saying a word. Before I can register what happened - or what didn't happen - he's sitting next to me, pulling out his notebook as if he isn't ten minutes late.

"Where were you?" I scrutinize him. He glances up at me, a slight flush in his cheeks, his lips slightly parted. It looks as if he's taken aback by my question - probably more by my tone.

Oh...I didn't mean to chide him, necessarily. I was just curious.

His chest is heaving slightly, and I realize he's out of breath. I feel myself flush as some uncalled for emotion begins to take me over.

Steven...out of breath. Interesting.

I pinch my thigh in an attempt to brush these thoughts away. What is wrong with me?

....He must have run here, but he still ended up being late. What was it that he mentioned the other day? I think it was something about reading in the courtyard. To think someone would come late to an English class because they were reading. It's absurd.

"Am I very late?" He whispers.

I freeze for a moment, just staring at him. Yes, he sort of is very late, actually. But I can't tell him that.

Eventually, I shake my head, trying my very best to put him at ease. Before he has the chance to see my gesture, however, he is already looking up towards the devil woman.

I breathe in sharply, my nose beginning to tingle. Please don't send him away.

"The next time," Burr glares at the blue eyed boy, "I'll send you to the headmaster's office."

He says nothing, and neither does anyone else in the classroom. It's suddenly so quiet, unbearably quiet and tense... At that moment I succumb to the need to sneeze, effectively breaking the silence.

"Bless you." His head is tilted slightly to the side, causing a short tendril of hair to flop over his forehead. I try and catch my breath.

The two words have never sounded sweeter. Could they ever, if not coming from his mouth? I smile at him in appreciation, blushing profusely as usual.

Burr erases the board and begins to write down the next set of notes. There's no way Steven had time to get anything down.

I'll make sure to give mine to him after class.

~~

Shortly before the bell rings, Burr assigns plenty of homework; so much homework and so many assignments that I don't even want to imagine how long it's going to take me to complete it all.

"You need the notes from the beginning of class, right?" I stare down at Steven, somehow managing to have packed up quicker than him today. He nods wordlessly, blinking at me multiple times.

What is it? Am I so unbelievably strange looking?

He stands up suddenly, carefully tucking away his belongings. Shamelessly, my eyes begin to wander all over him.

A plain white shirt today, I see. It isn't so big either. If anything, it's the only article of clothing I've seen him wear that complements his overall appearance. He could wear a garbage bag and he'd still be so handsome; could anyone disagree with that?

Well, some people seem to be blind to it -- like Angie.

She must know - or have some general idea - of Steven's feelings for her. How does she handle that? How can she so gracefully accept all these boys falling at her feet? It isn't fair.

"You won't come late the next time, will you?"

He laughs at this, catching me off guard.

"Why?" He begins to move towards the door, "did you worry?" The corners of his mouth twitch.

What! Worry? I most certainly did not.

"No..." I answer softly. When I peek back up at him, he's already turned away, apparently done with the conversation.

~~~

Mr. Saul finishes attendance, marking late students present as they enter the classroom.

"Hey Moz," Johnny smiles at him, then turns to me, "Hi, Mara."

He's wearing the same leather jacket again, scrunching as he sits down. Steven says hello first, and I follow.

"I'm starving," Johnny sighs as he pulls a notebook from his bag. I take another look at his small, thin frame. Of course he is hungry! He never seems to eat - he just smokes cigarettes all the time! I sit up in my seat, ready to rectify the situation.

"You can have some of my lunch." I mean, if he likes plain cheese sandwiches... or maybe he's an adamant meat eater.

A big smile grows on his face.

"Oh, yeah? Really?" His brown eyes light up as if I'm offering him gold or something. I nod back, unable to keep myself from grinning at him.

"Today I have a special treat for you all-" My head snaps to the front of the room.

"A space documentary! Isn't that great? It wasn't easy to get a television in here, but I did it!"

Almost everyone begins to snicker, the classroom going loud in a matter of seconds. What is this? Another weird public school thing I don't understand?

"Now make sure you all pay attention. It includes a rebroadcast of the moon landing, which we will talk about more tomorrow."

Mr. Saul switches the light off and starts punching buttons on the television. I observe him mess with the large electronic. His shirt gets stuck on one of the knobs, completely messing up the signal he worked so hard to find.

Poor guy. Everyone else is too busy talking to notice him struggling - even Johnny and Steven.

"Angie is in our lunch today, so we have to meet her at her locker." Johnny tells him. Ugh, why?

"We'll meet you there." Steven responds after a moment. We! Wait- who?

Johnny's expression changes. "Oh, alright." His expression hardens, "I'll find you." He ruffles his black bangs just like the other day.

Oh no...Not this again. It's worse than when they argue. I'd rather hear them bicker than hold a conversation with a strange, awkward undertone to everything they say.

This only seems to happen when Angie is brought up.

A/N:

This was a quick update, right? ^_^