Hearts Without Chains

10.

~Teasing is often a sign of inner misery~ Christopher Hitchens

Josephine-

I stop myself from making gagging noises as Brandon and Olivia kiss each other next to me beside my locker, their lovey dovey state that they are in getting old to me. So I hide my face behind my locker door as I place books that I won't need to use inside, taking out my math book to use while tutoring Harry today.

While thinking that I should take out the empty lunch bag that I push aside to grab a notebook, I suddenly get a surge of lightheadedness, my palm pressing to the locker wall to keep myself stable. I take a few deep breaths with my eyes closed, and seem to have trouble opening them, feeling as tired as ever. After not taking a pill last night, I feel utterly weak. So while Brandon and Olivia are in la la land, I sneak an orange pill into my mouth, washing it down with a water bottle from my bag.

I hear someone whistle in the almost empty hallways, turning quickly in response to see who it was, and see Harry standing by Mr. Harbors classroom door, holding it open. He raises his eyebrows at me as a single for me to come, and I'm confused, because he usually just goes inside and waits for me to show up myself. I close my locker, and Olivia and Brandon look to me.

"I've got to go." I tell Liv, and she looks over her shoulder to Harry, rolling her eyes. She doesn't like him after what she'd heard him say to me in the school parking lot. If only she'd heard the other things he's said.

"Have fun." She tells me sarcastically, but she almost isn't able to finish her sentence as Brandon presses his lips to hers again. I roll my eyes at their over the top love, and walk the little ways down the hallway to the classroom door that Harry still holds open.

I was waiting for him to probably stick a foot out and trip me on the way through the door, but he doesn't, he just simply holds it open for me, walking in himself after.

"So I heard Mr. Harbors say that this is the last tutoring lesson." He speaks, and I set my bag on the desk which I usually sit at.

Harry goes to his which is a few away from mine, and I hear the metal legs of the chair scratch the floor as he pulls it out to sit.

"Yeah." I tell him, and pull out my math book before sitting down myself.

He began to work silently after I gave him supplies, and I did the same. This upcoming weekend is the last before finals week, which is the last week of school. Which means this is the last weekend of studying. I reach a hand to the back of my head, and take out the rubber band which is tangled in my hair. When it falls around my face, it feels nice to not have it pulled back to add onto the headache I already have. After getting a good nights sleep last night, I feel better today. But I still have the same feeling of heavy limbs and a headache. I know when I get home I will take another pill, because these next three days are the last ones I have to study. But then after that I won't need them anymore.

To my surprise, when Harry is done with his note taking he doesn't throw a piece of paper at me or just call out that he's done. He slides into the desk beside me, but still tosses my notebook onto my desk rather carelessly, covering the books I had been looking at.

I start asking him questions right away, and he seemed happy with himself when he got them all right, because he wears a small grin when I chance a glance at him. I hand him back my notebook with a small smile, and he goes back to his desk.

Harry-

When she asked me questions this time, she didn't stutter nearly as much as she usually does. Her hair which was out of its rubber band poking into her glasses, and I noticed that she doesn't wear makeup as I sat beside her and listened as she quizzed me. I don't know why I'm just starting to notice things about her, but it's fucking creeping me the hell out when I notice little things like all that crap, because I never pay enough attention to notice them in the first place, usually.