Outcast ✧ Phan

Seven

ad·dict·ed
adjective
physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly, and for me personally, that's usually a good thing. I don't like school, or anything in it. Whenever time flies like it does, occasionally of course, I'm always joyous about it.

Not today, though.

I still had to show up to the study program meeting and, honestly, I wasn't exactly feeling up to it. My stomach was still all twisty, a feeling I'd never known existed before today. It was a little scary, mainly because I kinda liked it. It radiated a warmth through me, all the way from my toes to my cheeks, where the blood beneath the soft skin was fired up in a prominent blush. Another scary thing--It was all because of Phil.

I think it is, at least. It had first blossomed this morning, an instant reaction to the smile he gave me. Since then, its only gotten worse, flittering around inside of me like little butterflies trying to escape a cage whenever I saw him in the hallway, or when he crossed my mind. It was almost blissful, the feeling, but at the same time immensely terrifying.

So, of course, why on earth would I want to spend any longer than usual in this hell, when I really needed to be at home, sorting myself--and this feeling--out?

Not that I also didn't just love sitting in a stuffy algebra classroom with who knows how many other kids for who knows how long when I could be at home in my air conditioned bedroom-- because who doesn't love that?

I sighed, the breath causing my fringe to flutter, while making my way to the room. I may not be totally thrilled to have been enrolled in this program, and even if the idea of blowing this whole thing and skipping appealed much more, I did need the help, and I'm sure my absence would be noticed, which would risk a call home, which was not anywhere on my list of allowance, so I sucked it up and shuffled down the hall, my black converse squeaking just slightly through the empty corridor as I made way into the dull room, and into a desk.

There were about five other kids in the room, all wearing faces I couldn't recall the names to; all except one.

Phil.

Yes, of course. The world obviously hates me today anyway, I should have expected it, really.

Apparently, Phil saw me walk in, because as soon as I was seated and took a glance at him, our eyes were locked. My heart quickened a little as he smiled, the feeling expanding once more and my face heating up. I looked down, hoping that my hair would cover up the blush glowing on my cheeks. Just then, In walked a woman, tall and aged just enough to have sprouted a few gray hairs, with a clipboard in her hands. She smiled, looking around the room.

"One, two, three, four...five, six!" The woman counted us all, pointing a finger at a different person with each number. "Good, you're all here!" She spoke cheerfully, her eyes aglow with over exaggerated joy.

I huffed, slumping in my desk, already hating this teacher. She was one of those people that were just too cheerful, to a creepy extent. It was intoxicating me, currently being so unsettled and then faced with another person who is basically the exact definition of happy and who, with some yellow paint, could be resembled closely to a smiling emoji face.

"Now, time for the information you've all been waiting for!" She stepped to the front of the room, setting the clipboard on the desk. She clapped her hands together once before grabbing a blue piece of paper with black, printed, paragraphed text on the side faced to her. "I'm sure you all are aware of why you are here, so I don't think I need to tell you about that." She read over the paper again before looking up, flashing the widest smile I've ever seen. "For this program, you have been partnered with one other person in this room. It may not be somebody you get along with usually, but it is the person found to be connected to your class grade and relate with what you seem to be struggling most in, and has been predicted to work best with you. You two will work and study together out of school, as there will be no time during school to. You may choose the dates for meeting up, and will be given a test at the end of the semester to see if there's any improvement."