He stood for everything she was against and he wouldn't be caught dead befriending someone like her, but when the worst happens and they find themselves in a similar situation, only then will they realize they need each other to discover the anatomy...
The skin around my knuckles stretched taut as my grip tightened on her tiny hand. It felt so strange to be holding such a different hand than I was used to. But the plan had been set in motion and I was swinging for the fences with a Louisville slugger. Desperation had crawled into my hollow chest and had made itself at home and I wasn't about to evict it if it helped get Farrah back.
Santana didn't look nearly as terrified as I was sure I did. Her hand was steady in mine and her jaw was set. I envied her composure a little and if I was honest, I admired it too. Her own conviction made me a little stronger and my steps became less halting. We made our way out of the hallway, twenty sets of eyes following us, and walked into the main corridor.
It was as if a bomb had gone off in the damn hall and every curious eye turned around to look at the destruction of their perfect structures. First, their eyes saw me, standing tall and nervous, then they drifted downward, to our interlocking fingers, finally, horror clouded their judgmental stares as they landed on the face they least expected.
Santana was a household name in this school, but not for the reasons Farrah or I were. No, this girl had a very specific sort of reputation that had followed her throughout all of high school. There were rumors even I didn't believe, but others I knew to be true, having seen the evidence myself. She was kind of gross, but that's what made her the perfect person to bait Farrah with. Santana was her complete antithesis. One light, one dark- one pure and one polluted.
It may have been my imagination, but I felt her hand squeeze mine just a fraction, as if she were nervous. When I looked at her, her body was rigid, her face facing dead ahead not looking at anyone. We were standing awkwardly among our classmates until the bell rang and broke us out of the trance. Santana didn't move though.
There was a lump in my throat I tried in vain to clear to ask her where her first class was. Luckily, she seemed to gain motion in her limbs again and steered me into the History corridor. She stopped in front of Mr. Arden's World History class and turned to face me.
"Uh, this is me. I'll... see you." Her big eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to pull her hand out of my vice grip but I didn't let her go just yet. Farrah had class in this hall first period too. "What are you doing?" Santana whisper-hissed in my ear, clearly ready to get away from me. Tough luck, baby. She had better get used to it if this was going to work.
"I'm waiting," I told her and her eyes looked at me in confusion until they landed on something behind me. Realization dawned on her face. She smiled the tiniest of smiles and leaned up on her toes and planted a soft kiss on my cheek, which surprised me so much, I almost stepped back, but I managed to keep my composure. When I looked up, I saw Farrah, who was walking with some of her girlfriends, shooting daggers at us with her eyes and I couldn't help the joy that rose up through my belly all the way up to my head. I touched my hand to Santana's face, lightly tracing the contour of her cheek with my finger, and said, "I'll see you later," in my smokiest voice, laying it on thick.
I didn't know if the laugh she gave was real or not, but it seemed to add to the act and people were beginning to stare again. There were more than a few curious bystanders running late to their class after witnessing our little show and it made me feel nervous and giddy. Let the rumors spread like wildfire, I thought. Let everyone think they know what's happening. That way, Farrah's inherent lust for order, will bring her back to me.
I walked to Calculus with a new pep in my step, and my heart beat a little stronger, ready to face whatever came. Santana wasn't the girl of my dreams, but today, she was my hero. It was only a matter of time before Farrah came begging me to take her back, and I'd do it. In this world and in the next, I didn't care how many times she broke my heart. I'd always take her back. We belonged together.
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It's short, but I'm writing the next chapter right now!
