Lost In Time

Chapter 2

Ashton pushed himself from the bleachers and strode a few feet toward me. I reflexively took a step back. "I was coming to run and I saw you about half way around already. I figured I'd wait for you, so I could compliment you on your form." He gave me a crooked smile, tilting his head. I couldn't tell if he was kidding.

"Thanks." I said, still out of breath. "You came to run?"

"Yes." He formulated his words carefully. "It's my free period and I didn't know the track would be so occupied." I turned and saw a bunch of kids I hadn't noticed before. A gym class and a couple free roamers like us, coming to hang at the track for free period. I turned back to ask him a question but I was caught off guard. There was an emotion hiding behind his eyes. Hatred? Depression? I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I wondered what had brought it on.

"Uhm..," I tried to clear my mind. "You have free period now?"

"Yes. After free period I have Law Studies. And, well, then I go home." He looked at me, curiosity filling his eyes now.

"Oh." was all I could say. Law Studies? Who would've thought? "I actually have Law Studies, too, after this." His face was filled with that beautiful smile again. "I was going to jog another few laps before I headed over. I'll see you then?" It was an open ended question. I hoped he would want to join me.

"Actually," He stopped me from jogging off. "Would you mind if I tagged along?" Wish granted.

"Yea.. sure." I stumbled, excited and surprised. "I mean, try and keep up." I pressed play on my iPod and began jogging off the sidelines in the general direction of the track, my head still cloudy from all his smiling. We ran together, lap after lap. By the time we got tired enough to stop for water it was almost time for class to start.

"Oh no." I said. I grabbed my water bottle and fast walked back to the dressing rooms. I stood with him right outside the door. "I'm going to change. If you want a guide to the class, then stay. If not then I'd say you should hurry up before your late."

His face was glowing with the purity of youth. His eyes sparkling from the adrenaline of a good time. "I'll wait for you." He whispered. And I was gone, my back against the dressing room wall, slowly sliding down. I sat still on the cold tile floor for mere seconds before bounding up and changing at lightning speed, remembering I was going to be late. As I gathered my books and sauntered out of the dressing room, I saw Ashton standing in the exact same spot as if he hadn't moved an inch.

I motioned for him to follow me and lead him to Law Studies. Mr. Fandlier was standing at the front of the class writing something on the board. "Hi Julie." He said without turning.

I laughed, "Hi Mr. Fandlier. Nice to see you again." Mr Fandlier gave a guttural laugh and proceeded to write on the board. I'd taken this class last year and as I walked down the aisle's of desk's I smiled at their familiarity. The desk's were oddly like the desk's you'd find in a science classroom. You know, long and black seating two people side by side. I sat in the same seat as last year, having seen that it was thankfully empty, in middle of the room all the way over by the window. (If you can't already tell, I really like windows.)

Ashton sat beside me and put his books down on the table, for he wasn't carrying a backpack.

"Welcome!" Mr. Fandlier boomed. "This is Law Studies 101, best Law class any highschooler on the East Coast could get. Now," Mr. Fandlier winked at me and smiled. "this class is hard and rough and strategically impossible to pass unless you pay very close attention." He went to the front of his desk and took three stacks of different colored paper off of it. He asked the three students in the front of his class to pass them around and then went back to the front to finish writing on the board.