The Concept of Perfection

Chapter Six- Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter Six- Jigsaw Puzzle

            That fleeting moment when I walked inside our classroom, I knew something was off. Everyone was staring at me like they really were waiting for me to do something. Eyeing them carefully, I began to walk to my seat. Adrian was behind me, falling into step with me.

            “What’s with everyone?” he whispered.

            I didn’t answer him, too busy staring in awe at my desk.

            On top of my powder blue desk was a small pack of Hershey’s Kisses. I stared at it, with my mouth stupidly parted. I looked at everyone, and they were smiling at me.

            “Okay. Whoa,” Adrian murmured when he spotted it. “Is that what I think it is?”

            “W-where did this come from?” I glanced at everyone. Surely, not a classmate, right? It wouldn’t be a classmate. At least I don’t think so. Alisse, the girl who sits beside me, was the one who answered me.

            “A certain sophomore came by to put this on your desk,” she said, even wiggling her eyebrows.

            My cheeks immediately flushed red, and I didn’t know what to do when everyone started teasing me. Embarrassed but flattered, I sat on my seat, and Adrian sat on his, just beside me. “You know,” he said, “you can share them to me when you want.” And he grinned.

            I rolled my eyes. “Shut up,” I told him. Taking the chocolates in my hands, I smiled to myself.

            Surely, even these chocolates cannot get sweeter than Vince.

            I spent the rest of my day smiling like an idiot and giggling like a little girl—for which Adrian told me to stay away from him because I'm not his sister anymore. I didn’t care even though he was teasing me all day, especially at lunch, when he kept blabbering about me being a girl. I didn’t listen to his rambling, because I was too busy staring at Vince from afar.

            And he was staring back.

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            Lunch break started, and people were shuffling in the Mess Hall. I finally got over the first three torturous periods. My lunch sat on my brown tray as I scanned the Mess Hall, on the lookout for my friends. I easily spotted it, because Nate’s auburn hair is really uncommon compared to the other redheads. I wonder if that’s even his natural hair color or not.

            I walked over to the table, clutching the tray in my hands.

            “Addy! Kell’s looking for you,” Lai told me. “She thinks you won’t find the table.”

            “Oh, should I look for her and ask her to come back?” I asked, to no one in particular.

            “Nah,” Lai said, eating a mouthful of his greens. “Euh! This tastes like… school.”

            Everyone laughed. They’re all here. Kevin, Eli, Lai, Violet, and Nate. I tried not to look at Nate, of course. Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I used Aunt Isabelle’s hair band to put it up. I prefer eating when hair isn’t in the way. Not long after, Kelli arrived and even though she was missing for ten minutes, she was still smiling.

            “So,” she said, beginning to eat, “what’s up?’

            “I hate Mr. Rohr,” Violet replied. “Hate him to the bones.”