The Physics of Love

Chapter 16

I don't know what this person is doing here, but it's definitely not Brian. Brian is a pale chubby boy with a red nose, who keeps sneezing in his cotton tissue. Brian I can recognize in the dark. This is not Brian.

He's looking at me with a faint, meaningful smile. After I cast one short accidental glance at him, I get preoccupied by choosing the right pencil for the class and folding a piece of paper symmetrically. Ms White starts the lecture and I pretend to be terribly interested in the things I already know.

I feel his eyes on my face. It burns like a jellyfish sting, but I can't do anything about it. I'm trapped in this chair for the next hour and the best I can do is hold on to it so I don't get pulled in by the invisible force coming from my right side.

I see Brian in the front row. Ted must have bribed him to switch seats. More probably, he just asked him nicely. Of course, no one would say no to a kind face with a friendly smile. You'll get your what did you think, Brian? Be sure of it!

Ted starts tapping his pencil to draw my attention, but he draws everybody else's instead. Melissa, always nervous and ready for a spat, turns around and gives him one of her best frowns. He apologizes with a hand gesture and sits still for a while. This was, actually, super funny, I almost crack up. I pretend to cough instead and keep ignoring him like he doesn't exist.

What is he doing? Why is he sitting next to me? Did he come to nag me some more? Or is he here to apologize? He better be!

The moment I think that, a small paper note drops on my desk. Normally, I would look left and right to see who it's from. Normally, I would read it. Normally, I wouldn't get any notes during class. But nothing's normal since Friday. I'm not normal since Friday!

I glace at a note with contempt. Then I give it a little push with a tip of my pencil and it falls on the floor. Ted bends down and picks it up instantly.

'All good, Mr. Anderson?' Ms White is distracted by the commotion.

'Couldn't be better.' Ted sits up straight.

'What are you doing in the back row?'

'Er...Brian said he can't see well from here.' Brian's face says anything but.

'Aren't you wearing contacts, Mr. Anderson?'

'Yeah...but they're really good.'

The class is buzzing with approval.

Aww...little Ted made a joke! That's so cute. He could've opened his mouth to yawn and they would've still got excited. I hate conformists!

'Okay, enough!' Ms White raises her voice.

Most students turn back their attention to the teacher, but I still catch a gaze of two coming from the female part of the class. Of course, how did I miss that? Our star has fans everywhere. What did you think, Bianca? What did you think?

Wait, do I look like that when I'm watching him? With the head tilted to the side...and dreamy eyes...? Eww! Is that how I got here? Maybe my current state of shame and humiliation is not completely Ted's fault after all.

There are ten minutes left before the bell rings. I banned myself from looking to the right, but I do catch a glimpse of Ted's arm stretched across the desk. He obviously laid his head on the desk too and now he's turned fully in my direction. What's...is that a wave? Is he waving to me? Dear bell, please ring!

I'm packing my things, piece by piece, and when the lecture is finally over, I just slip out of the classroom in the blink of an eye. Catch me if you can, mister athlete.

'Bianca,' I hear Ted's voice calling me, but I don't look back.

As soon as I'm out the door, I pace up and slide into the library. There's a free seat in the back, in between two racks of books in foreign languages. Even if he ever takes a peek in the library, he won't look for me here.