Trouble ▸▸ Kellic

17.

For the next week I practically never left Justin's side. He even allowed me to share his dorm so I could actually sleep at night. His roommate, of course, didn't like the idea too much, but soon dismissed it as he learned he had no say in the matter. For the most part I kept to myself in my room except for at night. With the heat of the dorm burning me up and the mattress being rock hard I usually opted to sleep at Justin's, either on his couch or sometimes on his bed which he let me share. I didn't think much of it; it wasn't unusual for guys to share beds.

"Listen, all I'm saying is that it doesn't make sense for me to try in history because I'm probably never going to use that useless shit once I'm out of here anyway," Jack ranted at breakfast one morning. I laughed a little, eating some more of my toast as I started to become very content with the way things were. I had friends again; good friends and even a best friend. I listened in silence as Justin bickered with him about the classes that mattered the most. Overall the topic wasn't remotely beneficial because the conclusion was that we didn't care about any classes.

Justin and I walked to first period together before going separate ways as we didn't share classes. With a quick 'see you in third hour', I hurried to a vacant seat. Surprisingly enough, my mind hadn't wandered to Vic the past several days, mainly because he still wasn't showing up to class regularly. Today, though, he showed up on time and my mind was quick to flood with our previous conversation. Trying to discreetly eye Vic, I glanced over my shoulder for a few moments as he just stood in the doorway, seeming to decide where to sit. Then came the worst part; when our eyes locked. It took me a few seconds to process we were holding each other stares, but when I realized what was going on I was quick to duck my head down and stare at the dark, wooden desk before me.

Silently, I listened to Vic's footsteps before I heard nothing but silence. I let my eyes flick to my side as I caught a glimpse of some shoes placed beside my desk. With my breath caught in my throat, I glanced upwards to see Vic. Without a word, he placed his book bag gently on the other end of my table and took a seat beside me. My chest felt heavy and my heart was beating much faster than usual. Get it together, Kellin I whispered mentally, but I was still incapable of staying still in my seat. Vic, however, seemed perfectly calm where he sat and didn't acknowledge my unusual behavior at any moment.

Class was awkward; there was no other way to describe it. I'd work for a bit, then look over to Vic and he'd do the same until we latched eye contact again and then we'd both retreat back to our work for another fifteen minutes. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Once the bell rang, I tried to not look so rushed as I packed up my bag, but mentally I was praying I could get out of that room as fast as possible. I felt Vic's gaze linger on me as I accidentally knocked off  my notebook and pencils onto the floor.

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath in aggravation before bending down and picking up the mess I had made. For a second, I thought Vic was going to help me, but I soon noticed he had simply leaned over to grab his pen which had rolled down the table. With an embarrassed blush, I let my bag sling over my shoulder and began out the door, Vic trailing behind me.

It wasn't until I was completely out of the class and down the hall that I realized Vic was still following me. Knowing his schedule like it was my own, I realized his next class should be on the entirely opposite side of campus. Stopping in my tracks, I turned to face Vic. I'm sure he could tell from my expression I was anxious and baffled.

"U-Um, hi," I muttered quickly, trying to get the awkward hello out of the way before continuing. "Isn't your next class on the opposite end of campus?" I questioned, my cheeks burning as I practically admitted to knowing his schedule by memory. It's not my fault that he had wanted me to meet him after so many classes when we were fake dating. Vic nodded. "W-Well, can I ask why you're going this way? It feels like you're following me or something..." I admitted shyly. Vic nodded again as I saw a faint smile spread on his lips. My heart stopped.

"Sorry if- uh, that's weird," Vic spoke up. "I guess I've been meaning to talk to you and I couldn't muster up enough courage to actually talk to you," he confessed. My heart stopped again. Vic, following me? Wanting to talk to me?

"Courage?" I couldn't help but to ask. "You, not having any courage?"

"I know, it's weird," Vic laughed a little, forming a minor dent in the awkward atmosphere. "But I guess after..."

"Yeah," I picked up where he left off, my eyes hitting the floor in shame. "Listen... I'm sorry; I really am," I apologized, lifting my gaze to his face. No sense of emotion crossed his facial figures, not even a smile. Instead, I heard him let out a sigh before meeting my gaze again.

"Could we go talk someplace quiet?" Vic requested in a slow and hushed tone. His request took me back, but I soon snapped out of my head and nodded somewhat eagerly. We were talking and everything almost felt normal.

We decided to skip next period just so we could talk about some things, and even though some things is a pretty vague phrase, I knew exactly what he meant. To be honest, it surprised me that Vic even considered skipping his next class. After the strange talk we had when I bumped into him, I thought for sure he was trying to become a better student, like me. But for this conversation to be done and over with, missing one class wasn't going to kill me.

Vic and I left the building before walking to the back property of the academy. Vic informed me the grounds were mostly used for outdoor sports, but due to the season and the weather, most of the land wasn't being used at the moment. With a nod, I took a seat beside him under a tree and looked up at the leaves, watching them blow with the cold, calm wind. Then I smelled smoke.

"You're smoking?" I asked in disbelief as my gaze hit Vic. I watched in shock as a burning cigarette dangled from his lips before he took a long drag, smoke protruding every word he said to me.

"Yeah, once I was out of the hospital I managed to buy a couple of packs before returning to school. I'm being frugal, though. I haven't smoked in a long time, so it's getting harder for me to preserve them," Vic explained, taking another puff before looking away. Not sure how to respond, I simply nodded and looked away also. The awkward atmosphere had risen yet again.

"Would you like one?" Vic offered, pulling my attention back to him. I watched him flick open his carton and pull another cigarette out, and no matter how badly I craved the sickeningly sweet stick, I refrained myself, answering with a polite no and a smile. Vic rolled his eyes at me. "Oh please, I know you want one and I'm offering it to you, so please, take it," Vic persisted, holding the cigarette out closer to me.

"Vic, honestly, I'm fine-"

"Just take the damn cigarette, Kellin-"

"You said you were being frugal, don't waste one on me-"

"You're so unbelievably difficult sometimes," Vic interrupted in exasperation. Opening my mouth to speak again, I was cut off as Vic popped the cigarette into my mouth, flicking his cigarette lighter on and burning the end of the stick. To keep the cigarette in place, I was quick to catch it between my fingers before caving in, taking a long, deep drag. Vic smiled in accomplishment.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"