Across the Adversaries

Chapter 2: False Positive(ity)

That weekend, Margo spent her time trying to rejuvenate herself. She did everything she could to relax: She made sure to get 8 hours of sleep, never skipped a meal, did yoga in the mornings and at night, took care of her skin and her hair. Hell, she even got her nails done! She went back to school on Monday feeling like a brand new person.

She calmly walked into class and sat in her normal seat in front of Miles. She made sure that her posture was perfect and her face was placid. As she sat down, she gave Miles the kindest smile she could give.

"Good morning, Miles."

Miles looked up at Margo as she sat down. He was already sitting comfortably in his seat, his twin braids a little frizzy and looking exhausted. He gave Margo a slight smile as he laid his head down on his desk, still half asleep. Margo was surprised at how he wasn't annoyed by her kindness.

"Good morning, Margo." He said, his voice low and tired. He still hadn't noticed the change in her demeanor.

Remaining calm despite his obliviousness, Margo set up her stuff on her desk as neatly as she could. Textbook to her left, notebook in the middle, and brand new pencil with fresh lead to her right. She turned around and looked at Miles again.

"Did you have a good weekend, Miles?" She tried to sound as genuine as she could.

Miles's expression changed when he glanced at Margo. His eyes narrowed as he sat up and he looked a bit confused. His eyes dropped down to her freshly sharpened pencil and then back to her face.

"Uh, yeah. It was a good weekend." He replied. He looked at the rest of Margo's desk, admiring how organized it was.

Margo placed her hand on his arm that was resting on his desk. She looked straight in his eyes. "That's good to hear." She smiled sweetly and absently rubbed her thumb against his forearm.

Miles was stunned when Margo placed her hand on his arm. His skin tingled and he looked down at her hand. He tried to keep calm as he looked to see if anyone was watching. When he saw that all eyes were elsewhere, he smirked at her.

Margo noticed his smirk and tilted her head, questioning.

Miles' smile faded away and his face became blank. The teacher walked in and began the lesson for the day. Margo turned back to the front of the class, smiling to herself. She took diligent notes and paid extra attention to the lecture. At one point, Miles raised his hand and asked a question about the lesson. Margo was shocked. Miles never raised his hand during class before. She tried not to let it phase her, knowing he was doing it to get at her.

As the bell rang, the rest of the students started to file out of the classroom. Margo kept her calm composure and turned around to Miles. "That was a great question that you asked during class today, Miles." She placed her hand on his arm again. "It's nice to have someone as equally engaged in the lessons as I am." She tried to bite her sarcasm down and appear genuine.

Miles looked up at her as the rest of the students left the classroom. His eyes were wide and he was speechless. He didn't expect Margo to be this kind to him. He cleared his throat. "I guess it is nice to share a similar interest in the lessons." He smiled and looked at her hand that was resting on his arm, again.

Margo smiled widely at him. "It is, isn't it?"

Margo gracefully gathered her things and walked out of the classroom, leaving Miles confused at her sudden kindness.

***

Later that day during lunch, Margo spotted Miles walking in the cafeteria, his lunch in hand.