He Who Moved the Sun

Chapter Seven: Gaining Trust

Chapter Seven

J.R was pacing in front of the mirror in the boy’s bathroom on Wednesday morning, trying to pull himself together enough to be able to make Escher want to tutor him. He’d tried to dress more smartly today since that’s what Escher’s type seemed to be. That is, if she had a type. He undid the top button on his collared shirt and loosened the belt around his khaki’s. No use in looking like a complete dweeb. But he needed to impress her enough to get the ball rolling.

It had been a rough enough morning already without another disastrous conversation with Escher. He’d been pulled over for playing his music to loud and he’d been late for school which meant he had detention for three days straight.

He looked into the mirror again, smoothing his dark hair and winking at his reflection. He sniffed his armpits and nodded with approval. He looked the part but for some reason his act wasn’t very convincing. He prided himself in being friendly, not a player. Which was why this whole bet had been a total mistake. He was only used to being friendly towards people who actually liked people. Not people like Escher, who tried to stay away from as much human interactions as possible.

With one last glance at himself he swept out of the bathroom, quickening his stride so that he could get to history before anyone else. She was bound to be there, in the back of the class, reading the Holy Bible or something.

Turning the corner he opened the door handle and felt his heart skip a beat. There she was, just as he had predicted, in the back of the classroom. She didn’t even glance at him, her nose was immersed in the history textbook and her fingers were drumming the desk.

He cleared his throat and beamed as her eyes met his for the second time this week. It was beginning to become a normal thing. “Morning,” he chirped with a friendly wave.

She looked shocked to see him so early in class, there was fifteen minutes left of lunch and usually J.R was late to history. “What’re you doing here?” she asked, her words mirroring the questioning look on her face.

He shrugged and approached her slowly, slinging his bag off of his shoulder and onto an empty desk in front of her. “Not the greeting I’d expected.” He collapsed into the chair and turned to face her. “I actually came to see you,” he said and ran his hand through his hair, aware of her face beginning to drain of color. No doubt she’d remembered their last encounter.

She blinked a few times, aware of their proximity and then forced a half smile. “Well here I am,” she replied breathlessly, leaning back in her chair to avoid being close to him.

She was without make-up today and on her feet were ballet flats to replace the ridiculous high heels. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a braid that fell down over her shoulder and continued to her stomach. Though she hadn’t dressed up, she really looked lovely and he had to catch his breath before recovering enough to speak.

He cleared his throat in a determination to keep the conversation rolling, and nodded towards her lunch bag. “Studying while eating? Quite the multitasker.”

She nodded violently and tapped the cover, her finger a little shaky. “Yeah…yeah I just,” she paused, searching for words. “I just don’t like the lunch room that much.” She scratched her head and suddenly became very interested with her shoes.

He understood. She avoided lunch because it was filled with people. Just like she was trying to avoid this conversation. He had to make her feel more comfortable around him.

“So you’re not a people person,” he said bluntly and shrugged, “Big deal.”

She looked up at him, taken aback. “Coming from one of the most outgoing people in the school? You probably don’t understand anything about me.”