Drive-In Hearts

Rumors

Ellie stared at the Roman numeral IX in front of her, the boy's leather jacket distorting it as he moved about in his seat. He yawned and stretched his arms up high, and as he did so a ripped piece of paper fluttered from his grasp, landing softly on her desk.

On a scale from 1-10, how much do ya dig B?

Ellie rolled her eyes and crumpled the paper, shoving it in her backpack. This wasn't the time to be fooling around in class, and she wasn't about to get in trouble.

The greasy haired teen took a quick glance behind him, discovering that his friend hadn't read the note.

He sighed and ripped another piece of paper, scribbling again. He made eye contact with her after he finished, only to receive a warning in her dark eyes. He returned to face the front, and the teacher was still lecturing away without a care in the world. He seized the opportunity to be less discreet. He turned and slid his hand back to firmly place the note on her desk, a stronger command for her to read it.

Answer me, honeybee! How much do ya dig B?!

"Passing notes again, are we Dennis?"

Dennis swiveled in his seat to find that Mr. Eraqus had stopped writing, and the entire class stared at him.

"Nah, teach, don't know what you're talking about," Dennis quipped as he leaned back in his seat.

"Heh, that's a pathetic attempt if I ever saw one."

Ellie followed the music of his laidback voice. A few seats behind was a man with an alluring cheshire grin, upheld by a row of bruised knuckles.

His name was B, Number II of The Organization.

He ran his rough fingers through freshly greased strands of black. His cheekbones ascended into its natural charm, playing along with his sarcastic smirk.

Ellie marveled at his rugged beauty, her face mimicking his expression. Once he noticed the acknowledgement, the scar on his left cheek concealed itself. He chuckled, toying with the cigarette on his ear and scoffing at the greaser sitting in front of her.

"Nobody asked you, wise guy," Dennis muttered.

Mr. Eraqus sighed, shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He had enough of these hoodlums. "This is your first warning, Dennis. If I catch you again, we're gonna have a serious problem," he said.

"Yeah, whatever," Dennis replied dismissively.

Mr. Eraqus shook his head and resumed teaching.

Ellie stared at the note on her desk, pursing her lips and rolling a pen between her fingers.

Answer me, honeybee! How much do ya dig B?!

She turned back quietly, only to find B slicking back his hair and winking with devilish amusement.

~~

"Ellie! You didn't answer my question!" Dennis exclaimed. They made their way to band class with instruments in tow.

"I don't have to," Ellie replied. "Besides, I don't know if I can date someone like you."

"Someone like me? You mean a greaser?" he said, laughing. "Come on! I'm in band for crying out loud!"

"You must be the oddball of the gang then," she replied.

They entered the classroom and gathered in their respective sections. Dennis sat behind Ellie this time, and he took out his saxophone while Ellie read the sheet music in front of her.