I Fell For You At The Cemetery

06.

06

"Hey, isn't that your student, Sarah?"

Sarah's head snapped in Chelsea's direction and her friend smiled. Before Sarah could stop her, she raised her hand and waved at the boys. "Hey, guys!"

Sarah watched in horror as the three boys turned around at the sound of Chelsea's loud voice and Joey's eyes found her after a while. The momentary confusion disappeared from his expression as he recognized both Sarah and Chelsea. He leaned forward and said something to the guy next to him who did a double-take and Joey's smile widened as he glanced back at Sarah.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and faced Chelsea who almost lost her footing after seeing the irritated expression on her face. "What?" She shrugged innocently, raising her hands up in defense.

"I will literally barbecue your ass tonight," Sarah muttered.

Chelsea grimaced but before she could say anything, Joey and his friend had skated over to them and Sarah rolled her eyes as she turned to face them.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying?" Was the first thing she said to them, the tone of her voice sharp and unfriendly.

The guy next to Joey stayed quiet while Joey chuckled a little. "It's a Saturday so we're allowed to enjoy ourselves. That's what you're doing as well, aren't you?"

"Hardly," Sarah replied curtly.

Joey's dark eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Really? Well, that's a shame. Collin's having a blast over there," he said, pointing towards the figure sitting on the ice. Collin was now facing them and he had his hands crossed as he continued to look angrily at Joey.

"Yo Col!" Joey yelled. "Is your butt freezing yet?"

"Not funny, Harding!" Came the reply which caused both the standing boys to laugh. Chelsea giggled a little and even Sarah allowed herself a smile.

"I'd better go and help him now," the boy next to Joey said as he skated over to Collin.

Chelsea tapped on Sarah's shoulder and indicated towards an empty seat just outside the ice. "My feet are killing me," she told her. "I'm gonna go over there and sit and get something to eat."

Sarah was about to follow Chelsea when Joey spoke from behind her. "Can I have a minute?"

"No," she replied almost immediately without stopping.

"Please, just a few seconds," he tried again and this time, she stopped, giving an exasperated sigh.

"You've got sixty seconds so talk," she told him, folding her arms across her chest. Joey nodded, smiling a little.

"Okay, um..." He seemed to be thinking for something to say and Sarah wondered what was on his mind. If, he had something on his mind to say to her, that is.

"How was your day?"

She blinked at his unexpected question, not sure if she heard him right. "What?"

"Uh, I asked you how your day was," he said, his nervous smile wavering a bit.

"Terrible," she answered him slowly, still not sure where this conversation was headed and judging by the look on Joey's face, he wasn't sure either.

"Oh, why was it terrible?" He seemed interested in her day all of a sudden.

She sighed, understanding him finally. He didn't have anything important to say, he was just hoping to strike a conversation with her. "Joey, what do you want?" She asked him bluntly, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"I just wanted to know how your day had been," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Why?"

He shrugged again, glancing at the ground before looking back at her. "I just wanted to talk to you," he said simply, his eyes sincere and Sarah was taken aback. She stared at him for a while, not knowing what to make of the situation. What did he mean that he just wanted to talk to her?

"Why?"

There was a flicker of a guilty smile on his face. "I dunno, really."

She looked away as she thought about what Joey had said. This boy just got even more confusing and frustrating. "Joey..." She started slowly, "you do realize that you're a student of mine, right?"

He tensed a little but Sarah caught it and pressed forward. "And that no student in their right mind will ever approach a teacher just for a little chat, right?"

"Well, what about before all that, huh?" He said, his eyes flashing. "Before we both found out that you're my teacher?"

Sarah scoffed in disbelief. "What did happen before that, Joey? Nothing!"

Joey's jaw clenched.

"Nothing happened!" Sarah repeated herself, her hands balled into fists. But even as she said those words, she found herself wondering whether it was true. Something definitely had happened between them. She had comforted this grieving boy and in doing so, she too had felt contented herself. Even if it was just for a little while. But was that really anything at all? Sarah couldn't be sure.

"It wasn't nothing," he said, his voice low and unsure.

"Then, what was it?" Sarah took a step towards him. She wanted to know the answer to that question herself.

He looked into her eyes for a few seconds before looking away. "I'm not sure," he muttered under his breath more to himself, rather than to her.

He scratched his neck again as he turned away from her and slowly made his way out of the ice, leaving Sarah to stare at his back. His voice echoed in her mind.

It wasn't nothing.

Then, what was it?

----

Sunday passed by in a breeze and Sarah spent most of her time alone, outside. She wanted to visit Steve but every time that idea occurred to her, the possibly of finding Joey there convinced her not to go. So, she roamed the cold streets aimlessly, a cigarette dangling from the mouth. Her thoughts that Sunday were mostly about Joey Harding. What was the deal with him and most importantly, what was her deal with him? How did she feel about Joey?

She shook her head, trying to erase these absurd thoughts away. He was her student and that's the way it was going to be.

When the green eyed boy at the back of the class failed to turn up to class that Monday, Sarah couldn't help but glance at his empty seat. She wondered for a moment whether he was alright or not. Shrugging her worries away, she began the lesson.