Paper Hearts (boyxboy)

The Gift

I thought about the new kid all last night. It's hard to explain really, but something about him is so fascinating to me. I know hardly anything about him, yet I've made up my mind to learn all that I can. This morning when I woke up, I was actually excited to go to school.

On the way to the school I picked up a few stacks of paper from the store behind the bowling alley. They're the perfect kind for origami, so I figure I can give them to the new kid. I've been using the brand for a couple years now, I thought maybe it could be a lead-in to a conversation. I showed up late for first period, though, because I spent too long in the store deciding if it would be weird to get them or not. English and Shop went by ridiculously slow, and now in third period, I can feel myself falling asleep to the sound of Mrs. Jones' droning voice. I want so badly for this day to go by quicker.

Finally the bell rings. I shoot up from my desk, perhaps too quickly, and am the first one out the door. I don't even care that it's embarrassing to run from class to class. Every person who tries to say "Hi" is ignored as I move as fast as my legs can take me through the hall.

Carly is looking around outside of Mrs. Perry's room impatiently searching for me. She's probably pissed because I never went over to her house last night, and totally ignored all her calls. I'm really not in the mood for dealing with her, so I swerve over to the other side of the hallway, hiding behind heads till I reach the door.

Directly behind her back, I make it inside without her seeing me. Once inside the door, I glance to my desk. There he is, seeming almost distracted, tapping his feet and looking around. Andrew spots me standing at the door, hitting me with his bright eyes and thousand-watt smile. My chest tightens and my heart skips a beat unintentionally. I smile back at him, my stomach as mixed up as my head as I make my way to the desk.

As soon as I get there, I set my backpack down and clutch the papers I've been holding all day. "I...I...uh...Here." I stutter, shoving them at him a tad too forcefully and regretting it immediately.

"Oh my god!" He beams, looking at me with surprise. "These are those special Japanese sheets! They're totally perfect for..." The loud bell interrupts him and he rolls his eyes playfully at its long ring, still smiling. "Anyway, thank you. It's really nice of you to do that."

I wave my hand like it was nothing. "Just had them lying around. Thought maybe you could get some use from it."

He has the look of a child who just opened up a Tonka Truck. "Noah, that's so awesome of you." His thin fingers flatten them out carefully atop the desk, like they're pieces of priceless satin. Mrs. Perry is writing viciously on the chalkboard like it owes her money, then turns to the class and huffs out for us to be quiet.

Andrew completely ignores her and continues to marvel over the gift. I can't help but smile at his gleeful countenance, the appreciation over something so small. I must admit it makes me feel good; I'm relieved in a way knowing that my gift was, after all, worth it.

"Danton!" I look up to see her wide, angered eyes locked on me. "Are you not doing the warm-up?"

I look around awkwardly, wondering why she's picking on me. Most days she's annoyingly happy, but today she looks like she's been hit by a truck. I guess everyone has their ups and downs. "No ma'am." I finally respond. "I... left my binder in my locker."

She's irritatedly scratching at her neck. "Then go get it, and do the assignment. This is isn't optional people!" She yells out to the whole class. "I'm not here for my health, for Pete's sake. You could at least pretend to be learning."

I start to get up, feeling oddly embarrassed, just as she yells out to Andrew asking what he's doing. He looks up only slightly to the chair in front of him, hands still flat on the papers. "Just waiting for the lecture, ma'am." He says quietly.

"And why aren't you doing the warm up? Do you not see everyone else around you working on something? Are you paying any attention at all?" She's being oddly harsh on him for his second day. It makes me slightly angry, like I need to stand up for the underdog in the situation, like she's not being fair to a student who is brand new.

"I didn't realize we did warm-ups in science. At my old school that was more of a math thing, since you don't really need to warm up your brain to learn vocabulary." He pauses, like he's thinking over what he said. "I'm assuming that's what we do in here. Am I right?" He looks to his other classmates for help.

I nod, speaking loud enough for her to hear. "Yes, that's a good point, most of this is just memorizing anatomical parts. And that's even assuming it's taught properly..."

That last part came out without me intending it to, and I wish I could bite it back. Her face is an angry sort of smug now, like she's about to make an example out of us. "If you don't want to follow instructions and waste my class time talking back, then I'll take up your time this afternoon in detention." Without another word, she turns back to the board and writes in bold, large letters: "POP QUIZ: MAJOR AND MINOR MUSCLE GROUPS."

I look at Andrew and he looks up at me. "Sorry," I mouth, sitting back down slowly. Now I've really done it.