Sophomore Sadness

Chapter 6: The Classroom

Nylockee waited in the crisp summer sun, it was a bright tangerine hue. Buses sounded their horns in unison far off in the distance behind him, roaring their engines to life to pull out of the school parking lot. The voices of numerous chattering students waiting intently to enter the front doors of Heightvillage High rang loudly in the open air. Everything seemed a bit too busy for Nylockee's liking. That is everything including the endless bustle of teenage students bumping against one another to step through the front building's lone double doors.
He straightened his back, tucking a loose curl quickly behind his ear as he did as such. His neck was scented with a passion fruit Victoria's Secret fragrance that left a tingling feeling on the tip of his nose as he wiped his face free of his towel-dry hair. The leftover Cantu hair products still dripped slowly across the back of his neck, leaving white specks all over his new Hollister hoodie.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," a voice said from behind him, breaking him out of his self-check.

Donny appeared next to Nylockee, his presence sending a feeling of panic up Nylockee's spine. His hair was much tidier than usual. Not a single hair seemed to lift in the slightest from his head.

"Sorry," Nylockee said. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how school has started back up so quick."

"Don't be so negative man," Donny said, slapping Nylockee on the small of his back. "New year means new opportunities."

Nylockee faked a quick smile.

"Yeah you're right," he said. "This year will be different—at least I hope it will."

"Right, well this is for you." Donny pulled out a small paper adorned with tiny writing that Nylockee couldn't quite understand at a distance. He folded it closed and handed it to him, smirking as his hand brushed against Nylockee's. "Put it to some use will ya? I'm not always this generous."

"Well I guess I should feel lucky," Nylockee said, the heat from Donny's touch turning his cheeks a rosy color.

"Eh I don't know, maybe so," Donny said, pulling up his pants to fit back around his waist.

"Well, I should probably get going I've got some stuff to do in homeroom today." Nylockee nodded a goodbye at Donny and tuned quickly on the center of his foot. The clock outside of Heightvillage was now ringing loudly, signaling the five minute warning before students were counted as tardy. He absentmindedly unfolded the small paper from Donny in the palm of his rugged hand, revealing it's contents to his naked eye. He had been given a note that read: Meet me after school? Alone. Oh and here's my number. Nylockee chuckled to himself silently as he entered the school building, taking an immediate right turn toward the furthest hall.

Off in the distance, Nylockee could make out a small figure hunched over a pink book bag, rummaging through the bag's contents. He recognized the figure immediately. It was Jayla. It had been two days since he had last spotted Jayla at a party in a drunken state that sent the fluids in his stomach into deep ripples.

Jayla, unaware of Nylockee's intense gaze burning holes into the back of her red cardigan, had finally found what she was looking for. Her red iPhone.

"Jayla," Nylockee said, whispering.

Jayla turned her attention to Nylockee, throwing her red crocheted curls behind her back.

"What?" Jayla spat, hugging her textbooks tight to her chest. "Is there something you need?"

"Jayla... I," Nylockee stirred, struggling to find the right words. "What happened to you the other night?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jayla rose from her crouch and began to walk away, brushing past Nylockee. She threw her hair in a quick bun atop her head, securing the updo. "I have to get to class."