Out of Step

x. ma belle chérie

A tray slammed down on the table and Alana jumped slightly out of her seat, looking up from her packed lunch to see Emmett sitting down across from her at the empty table. All her other friends were in line to get their lunches (or still at their locker if they were too slow) as she was the only one who had packed.

"Um, hi?" She said, but Emmett wasted no time with pleasantries.

"When do you not have band?" He asked, leaning forward on his arms.

She let her gaze fall back down to the table as she ripped a piece of her sandwich off and stared down at the scratched-up tabletop. With a small sigh she mumbled, "I pretty much have it all the time."

"Okay but when do you not have it?" he said, stressing each syllable. She looked up at him, her lips pursed in thought. "When are you not busy?"

Her gaze dropped back down in disappointment.

"I'll be busy even when I'm not in band," she muttered, her hair falling in front of her face. "Um, I have to get a Spanish tutor."

"You're kidding, right?" he said and at first Alana thought he was angry. "Because I have to tutor a pretty girl in Spanish."

Her head snapped up, her mouth dropping open slightly (before she could close it quickly) and her neck and face heating up slightly.

"I'm sorry, but did you just offer to tutor me?" She asked, her voice barely keeping for squeaking in surprise.

He waved a hand. "Something like that."

"Something like that?"

"As long as you're there we can do whatever." He winked at her before being distracted by something behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Laila and Owen standing a few tables behind her. They were both holding trays, but weren't paying that much attention to them as Laila almost lost her milk when she shook the tray and glanced pointedly at Alana and Emmett. When she saw the two of them looking at them, she did a double take before muttering something to Owen. They both began to make their way towards the table.

"Hey guys," Laila mumbled, pointedly taking a seat as far away from Emmett as she could and looking just Alana as she slammed her tray of cheesy dippers down on the table. "How's it going?"

"Well, I better be off," Emmett said, before anyone could answer Laila's question. Laila's gaze snapped to him, her glare turning on within seconds, but he didn't seem to notice as he stood up and stretched out his back. "I'll see you after school today then?"

"I have band till five today," she informed him, quickly adding, "um, but tomorrow after school would totally work for me."

"Tomorrow it is then," he said, grinning down at her. She grinned up at him, but her grin faltered as soon as he bent over and picked up his tray. "I've gotta go for now though. See you tomorrow."

Alana grinned again at the thought of seeing him again tomorrow, of actually getting to hang out with him!

"Yeah!" She said, her grin growing as he smirked in her direction, even as he was already walking away. "See you tomorrow. Bye!"

She half yelled the last part as he was already near the tray returner, well out of normal hearing. He walked out the door of the senior commons and she let out a small sigh, propping her head up on one hand.

Alex dropped his tray down at the table a second later, scaring Alana out of her small trance. She glanced over at him, two seats away from her, before looking down at the table.

"What was that about?" Laila spat as Owen glared down at his own tray as he took an angry bit of his carrots, not that Alana noticed. Nor did she notice when he got up only seconds later, disappearing into the bathroom.