Our Song

“Okay, I was lying before. Now I think you’re crazy.”

I rolled my eyes at Cassie as I continued to sit on her desk, which was across the room from where Blake was sitting. Every now and then I would glance over at him, just to make sure he wasn’t looking over at us. Just because I knew that he could read lips didn’t mean that Cassie did.

When I saw that he wasn’t looking at us, but out the window instead, I felt myself let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t know what she was saying…

“We’re partners, Cassie,” I tried to reason with her, even though I knew I totally didn’t have to. “The point of the project is that we have to spend time together and write a song that describes the relationship with we have. We can’t do that unless we hang out and become friends.”

Cassie made a face. “But he never talks. You’re going to do all the work, I just know it. All he’s going to do is listen to his music with those big headphones of his and watch you do all the work. Is that really what you want, Leah?”

It wasn’t like I could just switch partners. Once Mrs. Sparks made a decision, she made a decision. Once she made up her mind, nothing was about to change. That was just how Mrs. Sparks was. I was used to it, and even though I was angry about it in the beginning, I wasn’t really bothered by it very much anymore. Mrs. Sparks actually reminded me of my mother… mixed with Cassie.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that,” I shrugged, my stomach dropping when I saw that the tardy bell was going to ring in only two minutes. That meant I was going to have to go over to my actual seat soon…

“That’s why I’m glad that I have Mr. Keyes for English,” Cassie continued on with a wave of her hand in front of her face. “He doesn’t make us do projects like this. He’s actually cool, unlike your teacher. He also lets us pick our own partners. And he doesn’t have a stick up his ass like Mrs. Sparks does.”

By now, I really wished that Leslie was with us. She was supposed to be, but our gym teacher needed her to stay after so she could get her grade up. If only Leslie didn’t suck at gym so much… She was probably the smartest person that I knew, but definitely the least athletic. I wasn’t that great in gym either, but I still managed to get a better grade than her.

“Mrs. Sparks may be strict sometimes, but she’s really a very nice person,” I tried to tell her, but I knew she wasn’t listening anymore. She was now glaring at the back of Blake’s head, and I didn’t think I wanted to know what she was about to say next.

“You’re really going to hang out with him after school? Leah, this guy is the mayor of Freaksville. He’ll probably convert you into a silent freak! And then all you’ll ever do is listen to music and you’ll forget all about me, and Leslie, and Sean!”

I couldn’t help but stare at her flatly. “Hopefully I’ll forget about Sean.”

Before Cassie could say anything, I jumped up from her desk and started toward my own. The tardy bell was going to ring in thirty seconds, and I didn’t want to be tardy for not sitting in my seat, even though I was still in the classroom.

“Afternoon, Burk,” Mr. Meyers greeted me with a nod as I passed by his desk, obnoxious nickname and all.

“Afternoon, Mr. Meyers,” I greeted back.

I didn’t know where I stood with Blake at all at that moment. Did he consider me a friend, or even an acquaintance? Or was he going to act like normal and not talk to me at all? I wouldn’t have been surprised if he acted like he normally did, since we didn’t have to acknowledge each other until after school.

Just like I thought, Blake didn’t even look at me as I passed him to get to my seat behind him. I stayed silent, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to hear me anyway if I said anything. He wouldn’t be able to read my lips either, since I was right behind him.

As soon as the school day ended and I got hanging out with Blake over with, I knew I was going to feel better. That’s what Fridays were for, right? Everyone always felt better on Fridays, because then you got the whole weekend to do whatever you wanted…

Blake didn’t acknowledge me in our last two classes at all, so I was almost worried that he had forgotten that we were going to hang out after school.

“So,” Sean started after he had come up to me during our last class, “I was thinking maybe we could hang out together after school today, babe.”