The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Forty-one

"Damn, with the way you're reading into this situation I'd think that was AP Lit," I laugh, trying to distract him from the topic.

"And with the way you're dodging this topic you'd think this was P.E." He laughs too, clearly catching on to what I'm doing.

I laugh genuinely at his play of words, pushing back into his shoulder as I start to eat my food. The table starts to fill up then; the rest of our friends finally getting out of the lunch line or arriving from wherever their last classes were.

As I listening to Asha animatedly tell us about how she almost got into a fistfight with someone over the last champagne dress at the Jessica McClintock warehouse my phone vibrates. I pull it out of my back pocket and discreetly check it under the table.

"So, is it your turn to find me then?"

I smile at Shills' message, automatically looking up at his table to make eye contact with him. But he still isn't there; his seat on the center of the table conspicuously empty.

"Where are you?" I text back, my eyes sweeping the cafeteria.

"Science wing. I'm in Mr. Alameada's room."" He texts back a few seconds later. "Come here, there's no one in here."

I don't respond to that, wondering if I should go in there. I mean, I'm going to see him afterschool in detention, and at his house too when I go see Chi. That should be plenty of alone time right? But nonetheless I still find myself repacking my lunch and preparing to leave from the table.

"Where are you going?" Asha asks, apparently done with her rambunctious story.

"I'm going to talk to Mrs. Baez to see if there's any way I can get out of detention today," I lie easily, shouldering my backpack.

"Want me to come?" She volunteers.

"No, I should be fine," I say with a forced easiness. "But text me if y'all decide to do something this weekend."

She nods as she turns to talk to another one of our friends. I wave goodbye to everyone before I causally walk out of the cafeteria, waiting until the doors close completely behind me to walk in the opposite direction of Mrs. Baez's classroom to the science wing.

The hallways really are empty in this part of the building, with most of the students on the other side of the school where the cafeteria and library is. I look at the numbers on each of the rooms, trying to remember which exactly is Mr. Alameada's. I haven't had him as a teacher since Biology freshman year. I stop in front of the door that I'm pretty sure is his and I walk inside, looking around at the solid black lab tables spaced evenly around the empty room.

This is it, right?

I can't pick out any teacher specific decorations. The walls only have a chart of the periodic table and directions for lab safety. I walk further into the classroom, looking all around as I try to find Shills. Maybe this is the wrong room?

Just as I'm about to turn back around I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I gasp in surprise as I spin around to face it, a nervous laugh spilling from my lips.

"Oh my God you scar—" My exclamation cuts out midway as I see that it's not Shills waiting for me, but Alan.

We just stare at each other for a minute, him standing up from the chair to lean against one of the lab tables while I stand nervously in the middle of the room.

"Where's Shills?" I finally ask, looking around the room again as I try to find Shills. "Are you the one who fucking texted me?"

"He's not here," Alan smirks. "Obviously."