Out To Get Her

14| One Can Dream

"ARE YOU EVEN going?"

"Probably not," Alex adjusts the box in her arms, "What about you?"

"Hell yeah!" Rebecca grins, "I love dances."

"Sure," Alex chuckles, placing the box on the table and pulling out stacks of tickets.

Sam, a short, freckled boy with a shaved head drags chairs across the floor to place behind the table. Fist bumping Rebecca as he passes her on his way to grab the posters, his impish grin lights up the drab hallway.

"What's got him in such a good mood?" Alex motions towards the spring in his step as he paces down the hallway.

Rebecca shrugs with a knowing smile, "Maybe the dance? I hear he's going with Ryan."

"Aw, cute."

"I know right? Good on him to bag such a hottie."

Chuckling, Alex plops down into a chair and adjusts the table cloth, "One can dream."

Sam returns, posters in hand and the group assembles them around the table, checking watches all the while, wary of the time constraint. They're supposed to have the stall ready by lunch, and once that bell rings, are going to be flooded by eager freshman and lovestruck juniors. They're going to have to snatch money out of hands and replace it with pieces of card that hold the promise of such hope and excitement in their grasp. As if a dance is realistically going to be magical.

"You know you're probably going to get detention, right?" Dylan half smiles at his best friend as he passes the table.

"Probably not, Leyton isn't like that."

"Whatever you say," he shrugs.

~*~

"I hope you understand, Ms Taylor, that unless you can give me a valid reason for not turning in the assignment, I'm going to have to give you detention."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Alex nods and turns to leave the room.

"If you'd just tell me why," he stops her in her tracks, "I could excuse it, please Alexis, I don't want to give you detention for no reason."

"Then don't."

He smiles slightly, "That's not how this works."

"Okay."

She opens the door and steps outside. That stupid assignment, she doesn't know why she can't bring herself to do it. It usually isn't this hard.

"Apres la pluie le beau temps," Mr Colbert passes her in the hallway, carrying a pile of binders, "I believe in you."

"Talk about timing," Alex smiles at him half heartedly before heading off towards the lab

"You, me, a day at the beach. Next Friday."

"Hello to you, too," Alex turns to face her over-excited best friend, "Sounds fun."

"Yes!" He fist pumps the air, "It's going to be epic, I haven't surfed in ages."

"Then I look forward to seeing you face plant."

"Shut it," Dylan whines, giving Alex a playful shove, "Still better than you."

"Can't argue with that."

Dylan grins as he opens the lab door and strides toward his seat, Alex in his wake.

"So," he peers at her curiously, chin resting on his palm, "Did you get detention?"

"Yeah," Alex begrudgingly admits.