Taga Long

Focus

I found myself in some sort of trance. All through first period I heard the teacher's voice go in and out, and I couldn't even began to tell you half of what she said.

When the bell finally rung, I all but bounded out of my seat, but not fast enough apparently.

Hannah caught me by my elbow. "Oh hey! Tabitha right?" I nodded, why did this girl insist on making conversation with me? All through class she tried to get my attention.

"So like, I saw you with Josh. Are you two like together? Because Meredith is totally still like trying to get back with him. Now don't get me wrong, you guys are like totally cute together but I think-"

I stopped her. Listening to her babble on and hearing the word 'like' in every other sentence, was giving me a headache.

"We're just friends." Which was entirely true. But that strange feeling I got in my stomach when I thought about him, or the way I could never stop smiling when I heard his voice or laid eyes on him was defiantly saying something. I wanted to ignore the fact, but it was undeniable.

"Right, okay cool. Well anyway I-"

"There you are. You're late." Josh grinned as he side bumped me.

Hannah made a face at him before patting me on the back. She sighed. "I'll see you later."

I nodded, watching her prance daintily away on her heels.

Josh took my bag from my hands and tossed it over his shoulder. I couldn't stop the smile.

"Are you really going to carry my bags for me?"

He looked down at me with a smile, his tall frame close to towering over me. "I figured I would make up for all the times when I purposefully knocked them out of your hands."

I snorted. "Kind of late now aren't you." I was sure that Josh hated me, his tactics in teasing me when we were younger were pretty solid.

"I don't think I can apologize enough Tab. I was a serious dick to you." He shook his head as if he were truly sorry.

I shrugged. "It wasn't that bad." I lied.

He let out a short laugh. "You can't be serious. I came up with that stupid name."

"Tagitha Long." We said in unison.

"Caleb's Taga Long." I shook my head with a smile.

He laughed. "All though you have to admit. It was pretty clever for an eight year old."

We were standing by the class door. Josh and I had the same second hour. His hair fell into his eyes, shadowing parts of his face. It made his gestures more prominent. I found myself losing all thought as I got lost in his eyes. They were like endless deep blue pools. There was no telling where you would end up if you tried to reach the bottom.

His eyes seemed to take in every inch of my body. They lingered on my chest before rising to my lips.

I was starting to feel the heat rise to my face and everywhere else on my body. The loud shrill of the bell caused me to fall back into reality.

A sly smile slowly edged its way across his face. "That's our que."

With a shaky breath, I followed him inside. I caught the eyes of a few people as we sat down together on the back of the class. It was another movie today. As soon as the lights turned off, the heat in my body turned up.

It was like this surge pulsed through my body. I tried to keep my breathing at a normal place, but even my throat was on fire. It was so strange and intense. I needed to control my emotions before he thought I was some love drunk weirdo.