Blair Silver

Part 14: Déjà Vu

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Weekends especially. Why is it that the two days of the weekend seem to pass faster than a single Monday morning?

Watching the arms of the clock move on the wall of the classroom is like watching paint dry. Frustrating and painful.

Lunchtime comes around after what feels like half a century, and Jillian, Rachel, Gabrielle and I all sit together and discuss our weekends. Jillian (blushing and glaring at me) mentions following Elliot on Instagram, and Rachel congratulates her while Gabrielle asks, "You made her, didn't you?"

I put on my best faux innocent face. "Whatever do you mean? I just gave her that little nudge she needed."

"Right. As in, you actually bumped her finger into the 'follow' button?"

My friends know me too well.

My afternoon classes go at a marginally faster rate than the morning ones, probably because I'm a little more awake now, and I have more friends in these ones. When school finally ends, I let out a sigh of relief. Mondays are so difficult.

I go to my locker and load up my backpack. My phone buzzes before Jillian and I start walking, so I read it, and get a little bit of déjà vu.

Chaotic Rose Mother:
Dinner at the Andersons house, We're leaving at 4:45 LATEST.

I sigh as I read the text. Sometimes I don't think my mother realizes that I can't control when the bus gets to our house. All of my friends also take the bus or walk home, so it's not like I can ask any of them for a ride and she knows that. I can ask Blair, of course, and I might have to, honestly, but he doesn't actually go to our school and I shouldn't have to rely on him. So I have no idea what she's expecting me to do when she sends me texts like this.

There's a gentle nudge at my side and I turn to see Jillian. "What's up? You look annoyed."

I shake my head and pocket my phone. "Just Chaotic Rose Family stuff. Like, seriously, what am I supposed to do to make sure I get home before 4:45? I take the bus. Everyone else takes the bus. I have no other way to get home."

"True. Blair would probably drive you..."

"But she doesn't know that."

"Yeah, so I don't know what she's thinking you should be doing to get home faster. Maybe she means walking home from the bus stop faster?"

"There won't be any real difference unless I run, at which point I'd probably trip and knock out a few teeth. So..."

She gives me a sympathetic look. "You should talk to her about it. Maybe there's something we're missing."

"Maybe." I sigh a little, knowing that conversation will probably never happen, and pull out my phone again to text Blair.

Sent:
Hey
Really sorry to bug you but
Would you be able to drive me home today?
It's no problem if you can't
Don't worry about it
Actually never mind it's fine

Blair <3:
I can drive you. I'm in the parking lot, come down whenever you're ready.

I look up at Jillian. "Should I feel guilty about this? I kinda do. I should pay him back, at least."

She puts a hand on my shoulder. "Theo. He's your boyfriend. I'm sure he's happy to help you out."

I take a deep breath. "Right. Okay." 

I finish getting my stuff together, then Jillian and I walk down to the first floor together. We split off when I turn towards the back of the school to get to the parking lot and Jillian goes to the front. I push open the doors to the parking lot, the scent of smoke and exhaust seeping into my sinuses. I scan the lot, not seeing Blair until my eyes reach the far wall, where a group of guys are smoking.