Rude Boy (BWWM)

Chapter 14

I feel really nervous as I walk down the halls and to my locker. Even though I was able to replace the necklace with something similar I'm still worried about what she'll think of it. There's ten minutes until the bell so I take that time to hurriedly shove the present into my locker before shutting it. I head to class and stand in the hall with the other students. As we begin to shuffle into class I catch her in the corner of my eye. I fully turn to look and see that she looks different. But in a good way. She has eyeliner on along with lipgloss and big silver hooped earrings. Her hair is in two buns and she's not wearing her glasses. Wow, she's really pretty. Without a word she just winks at me before breezing into class. My heart flutters as I follow.  

Today we're doing our presentations. The teacher has already made a list of who's going today and our name is called. Looks like we're going fourth. I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself for the presentation. I can't lie I feel sick. I have a fear of presenting to people which is why ever since elementary I've only ever presented in front of the teacher with the absence of my peers. However, this time since I'm partnered up with Irvette I guess I'll just have to suck it up and get through it. As the presentations roll by I'm hit with a wave of anxiety once our names are called up next to present. Irvette sets up the presentation as I stare at my cue cards. Okay, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. I gulp as my hands begin to slightly shake along with my heart rate increasing. Suddenly the entire room feels stiflingly hot and It feels hard to breathe. 

"Hello everyone today we will be taking a dive into Japan's culture and history. To begin with, Japan is a..." Irvette's voice begins to drown out and is replaced with my rapid heartbeat. I can literally hear my heart beating in my ears!  I don't dare to look up because if I do so I know I'll lose it. Once she stops talking I can feel all eyes on me. I look at the teacher then the class before fumbling with my card. 

"So u-uhm J-Japan is an island err no sorry it's a-a country near China an-" It gets too hard to speak and I just stand there not knowing what to do. I know my face is burning red and quite frankly I want to cry. The embarrassment is real. The classroom is silent and I can see the teacher marking something down on the paper. I stay silent for what feels like eons before Irvette cuts in.

"It's okay I can say this part." She says nonchalantly. 

 And with that, she begins to go off and talk for the rest of the presentation. By the time we're done, I shamefully walk to my seat and sit down. I can feel people staring at me and I can feel an anxiety attack coming on. I quickly ask the teacher to use the bathroom then rush out the door. Once I make it to the bathroom I'm already hyperventilating. Tears soon spill down my cheeks as I lock myself in one of the stalls. I try to stifle my crying by covering my mouth with my sleeve. Closing my eyes I take a seat on the toilet and rest my head on my knees. 

I don't know how long I've been in the bathroom but my eyes immediately pop open once the bell rings for second period. I can't go out there. I think. I leave the stall and look at the mirror on the wall. My eyes are red and puffy obviously indicating tears shed and I'm still feeling shaky due to my anxiety. What should I do now?

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