gloves | vinnie hacker

17.

Naomi Montana.

I haven't spoken or even seen Vinnie since he stayed at my house last week. I'm not sure if he's avoiding me for some odd reason, or just hasn't been in the mood to come to school.

The morning after the storm was calming for me, I was making myself breakfast peacefully and patiently, preparing myself to the long lazy day ahead of me. Harsh and rushed footsteps stomped down my stairs, the blonde boy ever so slightly flustered and very disheveled. By what? I couldn't answer if I tried.

He was sporting a horrible case of bed head, courtesy to my pink-sheeted California King bed that was located just upstairs. In the same clothes as the night before, he rubbed his eyes, an attempt to wake himself up a little more, I assume.

"Listen, I gotta go, thanks for letting me crash here last night. I owe you one." He muttered, his keys jingling in his fingers as he avoided steady eye contact with me. He seemed fidgety, and I wasn't sure why. Did he have somewhere to be?

He was out the front door before I could even bring my hand up to wave goodbye. Rude. 

I hadn't seen him at school either, and with the amount of absences he was racking up in only the first few months of school, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up having to repeat the grade or something. Just as the blonde was invading my thoughts like some kind of world war, he waltzed into the classroom as well.

Right on time.

Is it wrong to to say that I was a little glad to see him?

Something about having him next to me in class brought me comfort, I didn't really enjoy sitting alone or even being alone at all. With my two work-a-holic parents, it just kind of became something I had to get used to.

This was the first time we had seen each other since that night, and the lines between hatred and possible friendship were blurred. Were we friends now? I wanted to be, but I couldn't even predict what he was thinking or even wanted. I didn't want to force a friendship with someone who wanted anything but.

I gave him a small yet inviting smile, hoping he'd do the same. I don't know why I was so confused, or was hellbent on trying to read whatever signals I was trying to find, but I genuinely didn't know where we stood anymore and it bothered me.

As Vinnie took his seat next to mine, he didn't even look at me. Not even a small glance, nothing.

I sighed quietly, I don't know why I was disappointed, I had no reason to be. Of all the signals I was looking for, I guess I got what I wanted.

We weren't friends.

I continued doing my work, thinking hard about all the things in my life that were going on, stressing about what colleges I wanted to apply to, deciding whether or not I wanted to pursue cheer at the collegiate level, thinking about what I wanted to be for Halloween since it was approaching soon.

I had other, more important things to worry about then some guy in my floral class that I was almost sure hated me. I think ..?

So why couldn't I shake him out of my thoughts?

Class ended, and I hurried up and got out of there. I was eager to get to my next class and leave behind the embarassment that I faced. I mean nobody else knew about the unexpected sleepover Vinnie and I had, but I still felt dumb expecting for him to suddenly start acting like my long lost bestfriend. It was kind of humiliating when he didn't.

I should've known though, with the constant mood swings he kept throwing my way, the thought of him actually acting normal with me for once sounded like some sort of alternate universe.

You'd think after letting someone spend the night in your bed they'd atleast aknowledge you the next day.

But he didn't.

I shouldn't have cared. I didn't need any other guys in my life except Colton.

But I did care. I felt defeated, because I really did try to be friends with him but he just didn't want to be friends with me. I mean after all the death stares and stern comments he's made, you'd think I was crazy to even consider being friends with him.

And I'd probably agree with you.

But something about him intrigued me.

The next day, I found myself sat back in the same beat up stool that I was slumped into the day before, and every day of school that I have attended so far. It  probably had a longer lifespan then I did, and it would stay here for the rest of its time. It was funny to think about, really. I will probably go on and live my life, wherever and however it takes me, but this stool will stay right here in this floral design class in a small highschool and in a small town. I guess people weren't lying when they said some things never change. 

"Hi class, we're gonna be getting ready to begin in a little bit, just waiting on all the stragglers to make their way in." Mrs. Conway joked, pushing her classes higher on her nose bridge.

Vinnie hurriedly jogged into the doorway, stopping in his tracks to change his fast pace into a slower one. He made his way over to his assigned seat, still not even slipping a careless glance my way.

"Now that everyone is here and in their seats, I want to announce a project that you will be doing with your table partners." She gives us all a warm smile.

Just my luck.

"You will each make a poster board about the anatomy of a flower, I want it detailed physically and verbally. I want to see effort in its presentation and descriptions. These projects will be due next week, on Friday." She says calmly, meanwhile I was slightly panicking and I just knew Vinnie wasn't too happy about this circumstance either.

I took a deep breath, taking out my materials to draw out a blueprint for our project. I wanted to prepare it before we actually did anything. He watched my pencil glide on the paper smoothly, the assignment wasn't hard and everything was pretty much google-able. I take my time sketching out every section of our poster, so that when i actually made it, I would already have it all mapped out.

"I can just do the project myself if you want, I'll still put your name and stuff," I turn to him for a second, a sigh leaving my lips the same time the words were.

I was so tired of the mixed signals and the confusion, I really didn't want to deal with it anymore. I turn back to the desk, awaiting a response yet knowing I probably wasn't going to get one.

He doesn't say anything.

Instead, he puts his hand on top of my scribbling one. I look at him with confusion, my eyebrows knitted together crinkling slightly in between.

"I'll be at your house after school." He says, an emotionless face staring back at me. He didn't feel real. He felt like a clone.

He leans in closer to me, now a few inches away from my face. I flinched slightly but I don't think he noticed, and if he did, I don't think he cares.

"Don't forget."

-

heyyyyy

omg its been sooo long sorry about that LOL
ive been so busy with life and school and work im sorry forreals but im back now if any one still wants me to continue writing thisssss

hope yall are doing good <3 & dont forget to vote + comment!