Laugh Until You Cry

23 Back To School

I’m walking with Sienna towards our calculus class when we’re bombarded by a tall person jumping in front of us. Andrew grins down at me and I hear Sienna giggle beside me.

“Why aren’t you in class?” I ask him with raised eyebrows.

“Because I don’t feel like doing to class,” He tells me with a shrug. “Come on, let’s go do something. Everybody here is so depressing with their bad moods and everything.”

“We have class though,” I remind him with a small giggle that escapes my lips.

“Oh, come on, Stell, you can skip just for today,” Sienna chimes with a wide grin as she starts walking away, into the math wing of the building. “I’ll see you guys later.”

I wave to her before turning my attention back to Andrew and then we side step so that we’re not in the way of anybody that’s walking through the hallways. “Where would we go if I agreed to skip with you?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. We could go get ice cream or something. Whatever you want to do.”

“Ice cream does sound good,” I decide with a long sigh. “You’re being a bad influence on me, you know.”

Andrew takes my hand in his and then leads me out of the math wing towards the front doors of the building. “Yeah, I think I can live with myself. I mean, it is only one day and we can come back for dance practice.”

“It’s still bad though,” I tell him.

We walk out of the academic building and make it all the way into the field behind the building before the first bell rings. We can’t go through campus because there’s a security guard that walks around to make sure that nobody is skipping. Fortunately, though, they haven’t caught on to the fact that people just cut through the fields and get out that way pretty easily. It’s such a nice day outside that instead of going for ice cream, we decide to just sit in the field behind the rec center under a shady tree. I’m wearing capris so the grass only manages to feel scratchy on my ankles.

“So how has your day been?” Andrew asks me as we’re sitting in the grass, facing away from the bright morning sun.

“It’s only eight in the morning,” I remind him. “The only thing that I’ve done so far is wake up and eat breakfast. What about you?”

He shrugs. “It’s been okay. I got you something though.”

“You did?” I repeat. “We’ve only been apart for less than twelve hours, what could you have possibly gotten me in that time period?”

He grins at me and then pulls a colorful bunch of flowers out of his school bag. “It was really hard for me not to smash them in there but I managed pretty well, I think. Do you like them?”

I take the fresh flowers from his hand and then examine all of the beautiful colors- yellows, reds, purples, pinks, blues. “It’s gorgeous,” I tell him with a small smile before leaning over and pressing my lips to his. “Thanks, Andrew. I miss getting flowers.”

“I know, that’s why I got them for you,” He smiles at me. “I was trying to be spontaneous.”

“Well, it is very spontaneous,” I chuckle. “Skipping school and flowers- it all just screams romance.”

“Doesn’t it?” He jokes. “I’m basically Romeo.”

“Romeo and Juliet died though,” I remind him. “I don’t want to be like them.”

“I didn’t mean exactly like them,” He laughs. “Just a little bit.”

“Okay then,” I chuckle, leaning into his side causing him to reflexively wrap his arm around my waist. “Sienna and Mason really like the bracelet that you got me.”