Rejected 22 Times

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I sat in math class, scribbling to finish my homework that I forgot was due. I quickly tried to solve the few problems that I had left before Mr. Stevens came to my desk. I glanced up from my paper, my hand still furiously writing, to see where Mr. Stevens was. Three desks away. I had to get this done. Another incomplete assignment would lower my grade.

I glanced up again and he was right next to me at Liam's desk. Liam noticed that I was still trying to finish.

"Umm... Mr Stevens? I have a question about the assignment", Liam told Mr. Stevens.

What was he doing? He didn't need help. He was the smartest person in this class.

"I will address any questions after I have checked everyone's assignment", Mr. Stevens explained. "Where are the rest of the problems?"

"I did them! I know I did! Hold on... They're here somewhere...", Liam said rummaging through his things.

I gave Liam a questioning look, and he replied with a stern face. I now understood that he was trying to buy me some time.

"Look, Mr. Payne, if you don't have it complete--", Mr Stevens began to say.

"No! It's here!", Liam persisted.

I hurriedly finished the problems and slammed my pencil down hard so Liam would know that I was done.

"Here they are!", Liam shouted pulling a piece of paper out of his notebook.

"I think you should consider becoming more organized, Mr. Payne." He turned towards my desk and looked at my paper. "I think you need to work on your handwriting skills", he told me.

I held my breath as he passed onto the next victim. I gave a sigh of relief and mouthed to Liam, "Thank you."

"You're welcome", he mouthed back.

Our eyes remained locked on each other until the sound of Mr. Stevens' beginning his lecture for the day broke the silent connection.

I opened up my notebook to a blank page and grabbed a pencil from my decorative case. I stared down at the blank page as I held the pencil in my hand, and I let out a sigh. I don't know why, but the beginning of a class was always so depressing. Checking the clock every minute to see how much longer I would have to suffer in this classroom became exhausting. The clock didn't seem to move fast enough, and I soon became oblivious to Mr. Stevens as he gave his lecture.

I began doodling on my paper, but after several failed attempts to draw a flower, I realized that I wasn't an artist. I was still determined to complete my drawing, but I eventually moved on to draw something else. I let my hand take control over my brain as it began to draw a face. I didn't realize to whom the face belonged to until I found myself drawing a strange birthmark on the neck.

I glanced over at Liam who was yet again, wearing a plaid shirt. I noticed that the top few buttons were down, just like I had instructed him to do a while back. I saw the birthmark on his neck, and my suspicions were confirmed. I was drawing Liam... unintentionally. I studied his physiognomy, taking in every minor detail as my hand continued to draw on the page.

I left my gaze on him for too long as he noticed I was staring at him. I quickly turned my head and diverted my attention back down to my paper. I propped my elbow on the desk as I used my arm to shield my face and my burning cheeks.

I foolishly risked another glance back at him, and I saw that he still hadn't looked away. He let out a small chuckle, and I allowed a smile to protrude from my face.

He tried to mouth something to me, but I couldn't understand. He glanced up at Mr. Stevens to see if he was paying attention. He looked back at the small distance between us as though it were the Grand Canyon. "Later", he mouthed.

He turned his focus back to his notebook as he began to jot down everything on the board, so I just continued with my drawing. Soon enough, I became bored with it and began to draw something else. I checked the clock once more and realized that class was almost over. I wrote down the assignment on the board and decided that I was going to complete it tonight.

A sensational feeling of relief and freedom waved through my body as the glorious sound of the life-saving bell rung and echoed throughout the entire building. I got up, grabbed all my belongings, and dashed out of the classroom. I didn't need anything for Chemistry, so I walked straight to that classroom. I took my seat, and began to sort through my papers.

I knew for sure that I had completed my homework for this class. I frantically searched for it until I saw it sitting in my binder. I was proud of myself for having accomplished at least part of my homework. I don't understand why we receive so much homework. We students practically have no life.

I see it this way: There are twenty-four hours in a day. We, as teenagers, should be receiving eight-to-nine hours of sleep every night. We then spend a good seven-to-eight hours at school. There are always after-school activities, and then comes dinner and homework. After all that, who has time to do anything else? Good thing I don't have a boyfriend.

Lost in my intense train of thought, I was suprised to hear a familiar voice. "Hey Soph", it mumbled. I looked up to see Chase hovering over me. I felt diminutive as his tall figure loomed over me. He took his seat, but still he remained taller than me. He flipped his dark brown hair off of his eyes to reveal the crystal blues that laid underneath.

"Hey", I managed to say as I was captivated by his charming smile that he flashed at me.

Our moment was interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing. The sound that used to be so sweet now made my ears feel an excruciating pain. It was pure irony how something as simple as a bell could be the sound a person yearns to hear but could also be the most dreaded. Another class was beginning, and I let out another sigh as I opened up my notebook.

I accidentally opened up to the page with my drawing of Liam on it, so I quickly flipped the pages to find an unused one.

"What was that?", Chase asked.

I was alarmed by his question. "Oh, nothing.. just some drawings that I drew when I was bored during math class.

"Can I see it?"

"It's nothing special."

"I'm sure you're a very talented drawer."

"Oh, stop lying."

He laughed as his aqua blue eyes sparkled. His smile complimented his eyes perfectly. I was so distracted by Chase that I barely noticed the presence of Liam in the room. He was seated at table on the opposite side of the room, and he seemed annoyed. He eyes were narrowed as he furrowed his brow. He didn't seem as envious as he did heartbroken. He just seemed... hurt.

I turned back to Chase as he persisted to see my drawing. "It's nothing", I said as I proceeded to rip the page out of my notebook. I crumbled the paper between my closed fist, and glanced over at Liam. He still wore the same facial expression. I then got up out of seat, and threw the crumbled-up drawing into the waste basket. "Nothing at all", I murmured to myself.

I sat back down and didn't say a word for the rest of the class. I just remained silent, contemplating my previous action.

Was that all Liam was to me? A piece of garbage? I felt that my drawing of Liam in the trash symbolized the real-life relationship between us.

As soon as class was over, I walked over to the waste basket and peered in. Everyone else hurried to their next class, including Chase and Liam. I saw the paper inside the basket, and I was going to reach down to grab it, but I hesitated. Instead, I turned around and left the classrooom, leaving Liam behind.