How to Trust Someone

Chapter 2 - Liz

I whip around in my seat. Garrett gives me a bored look.

"What?" he mouths to me. My eyes widen and I jab my thumb at Mr. Polansky.

"Get up and introduce yourself," I snap. Garrett suddenly looks amused. I huff and turn back to the front of the class.

I still don't dislike Garrett. Not yet.

And he still doesn't move.

"Ah! There you are, Mr. Thompson," Mr. Polansky says, raising his hands as if he just made a ground-breaking discovery. He gestures to the front of the class. "Please, introduce yourself."

Now it's my turn to be amused. Garrett sighs quietly behind me and gets up, walking to the front of the class. I notice his shirt. It's a band tee, and I like the band on it. I approve.

See? I've still got a chance to like this guy.

"So, umm..." he trails off kind of awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets. So he's a bit shy. Hmm.

"I'm Garrett Thompson," he says. He gives the class a little wave, and the class waves back. I hear a few girls giggling in the background. I beam at him as he walks back to his seat.

Once Mr. Polansky starts teaching, I turn around in my seat to face Garrett. I'm still smiling.

"Great introduction," I say. I'm not sarcastic or anything. I'm never sarcastic out loud. It's too mean.

Obviously, Garrett doesn't think so. He gives me a flat look. It sends me reeling.

"I'm not being sarcastic, I promise!" I whisper, not wanting to interrupt Mr. Polansky. "I'm telling the truth."

"What's wrong with you?" Garrett asks. My eyebrows shoot up.

It's not exactly rude, but it's not exactly friendly. I think he genuinely believes there's something wrong with me.

"Nothing," I say, frowning a bit. "Why...?"

"Why are you so friendly? Don't you have boundaries?"

My frown deepens. "Well, I do, I'm just..."

"Why are you talking to me?"

I look up at him. "Because I like you. I talk to people I like."

This seems to throw Garrett off. He cocks his head to the side, frowning slightly.

"You like me," he says. He wants affirmation. I nod.

"Yes," I say seriously.

"Yet you don't know me," he continues. I nod again.

"Exactly," I reply.

"So you're saying, that you like everyone."

Again, I nod.

Garrett suddenly bursts into laughter. I gasp, immediately turning back around in my seat. Mr. Polansky turns away from the board to look at us.

"Mr. Thompson and Ms. Beckett, pay attention please," he says. I just nod, sinking down a bit in my chair. Garrett's still chuckling behind me.

In fact, he practically laughs his way through the entire class.

When the bell rings for next period, he gets up and leaves, without even saying a word to me. I scoff and follow him.

"Hey! Wanna tell me what was so funny?" I say, grabbing his jacket sleeve. He looks down at me, confused for a second, then smirks.

"When you tell me what I said that was so funny, you know, before school," he replies smoothly. I huff.

"It was a cover-up!" I defend. Garrett laughs.

"It sucked," he says. I purse my lips and furrow my eyebrows.

"You're not really the nicest person," I tell him seriously. He feigns hurt.

"Can you hear that? It's the sound of my heart breaking!"

"You know, I take back what I said. I don't like you."

"Good."

"And you're... you're kind of a jerk."

"Ouch."

"Why can't you just be friendly? At least, be nice."

Garrett stops walking and turns around to face me. He even brings himself down to eye-level with me. His expression is smug and amused and just a mixture of things that annoy me. Not that I'd say that out loud.

"Because, princess," he says the word in a derogatory way, "I'm not fake, like you are."

With that, he walks away for the second time today.