Messed Up Vita

Chapter Twenty-One

   So, after an hour of talking and me preparing a five-star meal of macaroni from a box for lunch, the time came that we had to head back in time for my science test. Nothing else interesting happened really after I showed him the song. We discussed video games and who my actual mom was. I had told him everything wonderful I know about her. I grabbed my sweatshirt from my room, and we headed out. I asked if he wanted to borrow some gloves, but he said he'd pass. His hands were always cold from football, so he doesn't mind them bare.

    We walk down the sidewalk, no longer sharing a jacket. I intertwine my gloved hand with his bare one, missing the feeling of his hard-but-soft hands against mine. I made sure our covered shoulders pressed together. Well, as much as my shoulder would touch his, anyways. It barely came up to his bicep.

   We walk back to school shoulder to shoulder, and I wonder if my teachers will make notice of my absense in other classes. Hopefully not-- I couldn't let my dad and Linda know about this little episode. 

   I look up at Mason out of the corner of my eye. Could I even let them know about Mason?

    I shake the thought and suddenly feel guilty. Since when did I keep all these secrets from everybody? I usually wasn't like this. I even remember when I spoke my mind so much, I got into trouble for it.

   "Should I cut my hair?" I ask after a long moment of silence.

   He looks over at me and raises his eyebrows. "Why?"

    I shrug. "I don't know. Something knew."

   He pauses, then laughs. "I never really knew why girls always straightened, curled, or cut their hair. I know some to keep it from growing too long, but like, why so short sometimes?"

   "We could ask the same for guys," I smile at him. "Right?"

   He raises his eyebrows. "Touche'." He takes an arm and wraps it around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. I try to keep from our feet from overlapping and from falling onto the cement. "Glad I have a smart girl."

   I sigh. "If you wanted one of those, you should've chosen somebody that wouldnt've done this."

   "What?"

   "Gone out of school with you," I say. He lets out a breath I didn't know he was holding.

   "I thought you meant me!" he says, blinking. He smiles and laughs, and I do too.

   "That too," I say. He shoves me, and I shove him back. I stop suddenly. "Uh, Mason?"

   He stops too, and looks around for why I sounded hesitant. "What? What's the matter?" He looks down at me, but I can't drop my gaze from the angry teacher standing less than fifty feet from us, and she looks mad. 

   He finally catches on. "Oh. . . ." he mutters under his breath. "Shit."

    "Where have you two been?" she says accusingly and loudly. I don't really know her name, because she must teach another class or something. But I know enough that she's really strict, and it's only our oh-so-awesome luck we ran into her of all teachers. It's unlucky we even ran into a teacher, right here on the sidewalk.

    "Mrs. Fern!" Mason calls out, charm thick in his voice. I smile also, knowing where he's going with this. "Oh, we've just went for a walk. We've gotten really crowded inside the school, and Eliot here didn't really feel good."

   I clutch my stomach as we stop. "I don't," I croak out. "The cold kinda helped, I guess."

   She squints her eyes, taking a step forward. Probably considering if we're lying. "Is that so? Where did you two go to without a teacher knowing?"