A Strange Way / Wessa

Chapter 10 - Will's Past

Tessa
"So, Tessa, how do you like school so far? You're new." Will began. Tessa was still a bit tense, but she was calming down. "It's been pretty good, actually... I'm really sorry for running into you at the mall the other day. I'm just really clumsy." Tessa out her journal down onto her lap and scooted a bit away from the handsome boy beside her. Will answered, "Oh, it's fine. Didn't even notice."

This slowed Tessa, and she distinctly remembered Will running away from her that day. She began to remind him, "Didn't you run aw-" She was quickly interrupted by Will, "Anyways, you're in Creative Writing, too?" Tessa shook her head and replied, "Surprised you would know, considering you were only in there for around thirty seconds."

Will tilted his head down, so that he wasn't looking her in the eyes, and said, "There was some drama last year between me and the teacher. I don't really want to talk about it." Tessa accepted his answer cautiously, and remembered him winking at the two girls from earlier.

I don't know about him. It's good that he doesn't hate me, I guess... Something seems off, though. He seems like one of the bad boy types, and I can't deal with that. Tessa thought to herself. She was soon interrupted by someone saying her name.

"Tessa? Earth to Tessa. Tessa, are you okay? Tess!" The last name pulled Tessa out of her thoughts. She pulled even farther away from Will. "Tess, you're back. I was worried for a while there." Will sighed, but Tessa did not look relieved, "Woah, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Tessa readjusted herself and apologized, "Oh, no, sorry. It's just that a... friend of mine calls me Tess. I've never heard it from anyone... else before." That was true, but a real person giving her a nickname reminded Tessa of Nate calling her Tessie. "Most people just say Tessa."

"Would you rather me call you Tessa?" Will inquired. Tessa shook her head and responded, "No, no. It's perfectly fine. I guess people give each other nicknames all the time." Will grinned a bit and then shifted his attention to Tessa's notebook, "Are you an artist?"

Tessa answered, "Yeah. I like to draw and play piano and listen to music and stuff. Mostly, though, I love to read and write." She began to pull her things back towards her, when Will caught her wrist. Tessa squeaked a bit, but calmed down when she heard Will's not at all angry voice. "Woah, it's fine. Sorry for scaring you there. Can I look at your work? Just, you know, one or two?" Tessa pulled the rest if her books back, shaking her head no.

Soon, Ms. Fangirl Teacher began to explain what their first project was. "You and your partner will pick one book, write a 3 paged summary on it and what you took from it. On Friday, when everything us due, we will do speeches. You can debate with your partner, or do whatever, really."

Will

Will turned to Tessa, "What book should we do?" he asked. Tessa thought about it for a few seconds and then replied, "Well, it probably shouldn't be anything in a series, then it would be hard to choose which book specifically." Will nodded, and Tessa continued, "I personally love the classics. Charles Dickens and such. What about you?"

Will saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes, and he chuckled a bit. He leaned in a bit towards her and whispered, so that none of his peers heard him, "I actually like the classics a lot. Don't tell anybody, though. I have a reputation."

When he went back to his original position, he noticed Tessa blushing. Why? Oh goodness, is it the classics? The bell rang, interrupting him of his thoughts. "We can talk about which book to eat at lunch. You're eating with Cecily and Luna?" Will asked.

Tessa answered, "Yeah, do you sit with them?" Will nodded his head and began to walk out, but before he left he called out, "I might be a bit late, though. I have an... appointment." Then, he left. A few kids that were Will's 'friends' started laughing, which confused Tessa. She didn't, however, say anything and she simply left the room.