Teenage Dream

20

     They were sitting in Chemistry, while Ms. Jones was writing on the board.  They didn’t get to mix chemicals today.  She’d passed back last weeks test, and she looked ticked off as she roughly set each paper on the student’s desks. 

     Charlie had a C, not unusual for her, she doesn’t understand science at all, Tanner always did all the work on the projects, and now Logan has taken over that roll.  If it was English, or History, no problem, but Science was like a foreign language. 

     When she’d come to their desk, she’d given Charlie a slight shake of the head, placing her paper face up as if she wanted Logan to see it, and Charlie to die of embarrassment, and when she put Logan’s paper down, she gave him a look that may have been a smile, placing his paper face down.  Logan hadn’t turned it over. 

     As the teacher spoke, Charlie glanced through her test.  Ms. Jones hadn’t bothered to write any of the correct answers, so she wasn’t’ going to learn anything from her mistakes.  Logan was leaning back in his chair, texting, not paying her any attention.  She reached up quickly and snatched his paper before he could react and stop her. 

     It had a big red A on it.  He glanced up, but didn’t take it.  She glanced through his answers, comparing them to the ones she got wrong.  He had gotten every stinkin’ question right. 

     “Logan loves science” she whisper sang playfully.  He smiled, letting out a silent laugh.

“Shut up” he mumbled back, the laughter evident in his voice.  Something hit him, and he flinched, causing Charlie to look up, and suddenly like 15 paper balls came flying, one after the other, quickly and violently through the air, pelting the arms that Logan had thrown up in defense, not making any noise to avoid alerting the teacher.

     Mike, and his newest lab partner Jake, another one of Logan’s friends, quickly turned back around in their seats.  For some reason Charlie found this whole scene hilariously funny, and was trying desperately not to laugh.  Ms. Jones turned around, mid question, spotting the mess surrounding Logan, as he reached up to knock a ball of paper out of his curls that he hadn’t been able to block. 

     “Mr. Blake, would you care to explain the mess surrounding your desk?” She asked, crossing her arms.  Man is she cranky today!

“I um..” he tried.  Charlie bit her lip trying to fight her laugh.  Mike and Jake refused to turn around, trying to look as innocent as possible. 

“Mr. Blake” Mrs. Jones pressed.  Charlie looked at him as he tried to think of something to say other than ratting out his friends.  A little noise, only loud enough for Logan to hear escaped and he glanced over at her.  Seeing how hard she was trying not to laugh, he smiled and shook his head. 

       “It must have been awfully funny Miss Cruz.  Would you care to share?” She shook her head; heat rising to her cheeks from both embarrassment and desperation to not laugh. 

“Well, since the two of you can’t seem to find words right now, maybe you can think of them later, in detention” she said. Charlie got control of herself, “I’m sorry” she said, picking up her pencil in one hand, running her fingers under her eyes to check for mascara smudges. She didn’t want to get herself or Logan in more trouble, and she definitely didn’t want Mrs. Jones to move him away from her.

          Charlie was stuffing her books in her locker, choosing which homework she’d do during detention.  She figured reading was out, with Logan there with her, attempting to focus on a novel was going to be impossible, Math? No.. Science.  She wondered if Logan would help her with it.