Pancakes and Paper Planes || ✔ || Under Revision

13|Invitations and Inflictions

The sun shines brightly on the school's sundial, and the shadow below tells me that it is almost 8 AM. I scurry down the path from Alex's car. He honks as he pulls away, and I wave over my shoulder. I rub my sweaty neck as I enter the hallway. School starts in five minutes, so I dash down the tiled hall to my locker and deposit my messenger bag.

"Micah," a voice says next to me, and I startle.

I look to the side to see Norman leaning against a locker, staring at me seriously. I raise my eyebrows incredulously.

"Look, I'm really sorry that I flubbed your name when I asked you to prom the other day," he begins. "And I know you have a boyfriend but..."

"Wait," I say, stopping him with a raised hand. "How the hell do you know I have a boyfriend?"

Smirking, he casually holds up a tabloid magazine with a huge picture of me and Nick at The Panini. The headline reads "Future Mrs. Garner? Micah Tanner tries to hide her affection for her lover, Nick, despite his jerky nature and past record."

Do these people have lives? I think. All they seem to do is make up rumors about my mom. I sigh loudly in disgust, and Norman rolls back up the poster, smiling to himself as if making me annoyed is an achievement.

"But you may recall..." Norman continues, even though I already know what he is going to say. "That our school is very concerned with the safety of our students. So they only allow students to go with other students from our school. Unless the principal believes that they come from a suitable school. And since your "boyfriend" comes from an unsuitable school..." He leaves me with that, smiling super widely.

I laugh. I try to think of what I should say, but the only term that leaps to mind is "screw off", and I don't think that is such a great way to put someone down.

"Maybe," I finally say, hoping he's not the kind that takes 'maybe' as 'yes'.

Norman turns and dashes down the hall. I stand confused for a second, then realize that class is starting in about 40 seconds. I grab my binder from my locker, then, slamming it closed, sprint up the stairs to my math classroom.

I can't focus on the math. I generally like Geometry but today my mind is in a flurry. Which is great because today is pretty much the last day of classes. I mean, sure, we still have about two weeks of school, but the kids and teachers are all just hooked on the idea that summer is coming, and they just kinda spazz out and don't do work.

The teacher smoothly begins class with a YouTube video of a Pomeranian puppy sneezing, which gets the entire classroom, including me, in hysterics. Then she gives a huge speech about prom and tickets.

I sigh. Prom is this weekend, four days away, and many people have tried to ask me out. What really confuses me is the fact that I have easily turned them down, yet I can't say no to Norman. If Nick went to this school, it would be a lot easier.

In the hallway after class, Norman stops me halfway to my locker, a huge grin spread across his face.

"Have you decided yet?" he asks, his voice raised as if there are more than one question marks at the end.

I groan. "Norman..."

He tilts his head, then turns, laughing. I can swear he mutters something like 'you'll learn to love me', but I can't be sure.

As I swing open my locker, I hear a 'ding' from my phone, and I look down at the screen.

Hey gurlllll, is the text from Nick.

I chuckle.

Hey, I reply.

Can I pick you up after school?

Sure. Alex was going to drive me home, but I can call him at lunch. Besides, I need to tell Nick about the girls I met last night.

See you then, he texts.

K.

I click off my phone, tucking it back into my pocket. I pull down my sweater to conceal it since the top is still sticking out. There are certain hallways at my school in which students on their phones are regulated, and this is one of them.

My school is four floors tall, and each is completed with four long hallways forming a square. My locker is on the third floor, in the main hallway. It also happens to be across from the nurse's office, so I guess that's nice. The one thing that is inconvenient is that getting to my locker involves a lot of climbing up the stairs.

The bell rings for 2nd period, and I desperately grab my notebook and water bottle before high-tailing it to art. Though class has already started, the art teacher doesn't notice as I walk through the door, discreetly slipping into my seat. Lacey Roy whispers something to Olivia Toller. She gives me a glance and they elapse into a storm of silent giggles, and I roll my eyes.

As the instructor tells us about a new style of painting we will be using, I begin absentmindedly doodling on the corner of my notebook. After a few seconds, I realize that I am sketching my mother's face. I smile as I scratch a uni-brow onto her face and give her a large mass of nose hairs. My mother definitely deserves this.

At the end of the day, I scurry out of the building, my messenger bag bouncing against my knee. I spot Nick pulling into the pick-up lane, and my face lights up. He rolls down his window and waves his hand.

I jog over to the car, swinging open the door and sliding in.

"Hey," I say, as I buckle my seatbelt.

"How was school?" he asks, eyes on the road.

I snicker. "Oh, it was wonderful," dumping a load of sarcasm into the last word.

Nick chuckles.

"So where are we headed?" I ask.

"You'll see." About an hour later, the whole street became traffic and everything takes twice as long as it should take. We are inching up a windy road to an overlook of the Pacific Ocean. We're on one of the Malibu hills, I think.

"How much longer?" I ask, sighing as I stare out the window at the beautiful view. The sun has just begun to go down over the hills.

"We're almost there."

About ten minutes later, the car comes to a stop at the side of the road. "Close your eyes, Mikes," Nick requests.

I do as I'm told. I hear the click of a seatbelt and the dying breath of the ignition. Then I fell his warm hand on my cheek and then his lips are on mine.