"I can't do it."
"Just go."
I shook my head, planting my feet firmly on the ground. "No, Jeremy. I can't!"
He gave me a tough shove. "Holly! You probably won't even see him until fourth period. You're fine!"
"What if he's patrolling the halls?" I complained, pressing my face against the glass doors of the school.
"Holly, it's cold out here. Go. Inside."
"I'm going home," I announced, twisting on my heel, and heading for the cement stairs that led back to the parking lot.
Jeremy quickly grabbed the back of my jacket, pulling me back in one swift motion. I lost my balance, but he quickly wrapped his arms around me, setting me straight. Instead of letting go right away, he held me tighter. "I know it's hard to control your love for me in class, but you have to."
Confused, I looked up at him, ready to shoot down his teasing, but my voice died in my throat when I realized Aaron and Lexi were staring up at us. Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't it a little dangerous to be doing this in such a public place?"
Lexi immediately sent an elbow into his side. "Shut up, Aaron! I think they're cute together!"
"Thank you," Jeremy responded with a grin.
I glanced up at him, my stomach shifting uncomfortably. Did he still have a thing for Lexi? Didn't it hurt to hear her say that? Or had he finally realized Lexi definitely wasn't meant for him? I hoped it was the latter.
"Holly," Aaron started, gaining my attention, "you haven't said anything about that secret I told you the other day, right?"
My heart skipped a beat. I had to be poised about this. Aaron couldn't know I told anyone. "No," I responded as confidently as I could.
He smiled. "Very good."
I relaxed slightly. At least he believed me. And if he believed me, that meant Chris hadn't said anything... Guilt gnawed at the back of my mind, but I forced it away. What did I have to feel guilty about? I told Chris what needed to be done. That was all.
"What secret?" Jeremy asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I knew he was just playing along so Aaron wouldn't get suspicious.
"Nothing," Aaron sung, brushing by us. "Just a little recipe from my mom."
Lexi's expression fell and she frowned at her brother. "Mom? But-"
"Shut up," he snapped, shooting her a dirty look.
She blinked at him, looking thoroughly taken aback. Jeremy's mouth twisted into a scowl and he glared after Aaron as he went into the school building. Even I felt bad for Lexi. I sent her a half-smile. She returned it before sighing. "He really needs to go back to his anger management classes."
Jeremy smiled tightly and I glanced at him in shock. Was that one of the things he'd looked up that he couldn't tell me? I turned back to Lexi, frowning. "He went to anger management?"
"I can't really talk about it," she replied, a sheepish look crossing her face. "Sorry, Holly. But, um, I've got to go meet Willis before class, so I'll see you two later, okay?"
"Sure," Jeremy and I responded together.
"By the way, Mr. Ross, I like your tie!" she chirped, throwing him one last smile as she walked by him.
Jeremy grimaced. "I should have seen that coming."
"It's just a compliment," I pointed out, watching the pecan haired girl enter the building. "But I really don't like how she's leading Lance on..."
"If he knows she has a boyfriend, that's hardly her fault."
I pursed my lips at Jeremy. "Don't stick up for her."
"I'm not!"
"Sure."
He scowled at me. "Whatever, Holly. We're going inside now, before we're late." Ignoring my protests, he gripped me by the elbow, dragging me toward the door and inside. "Be tough. Stand your ground."
"Easier said than done," I muttered, wrenching my arm away from him. "Why do I have to keep this up? Chris listened to me. He didn't say anything to Aaron."
"He still left you alone at that restaurant."
My heart dropped into my gut. Of course Jeremy would remind me of that. "He was just angry," I whispered.
"No," Jeremy said sternly. "You're going to ignore him today. Show him who's boss, Holly. Make him build statues for your forgiveness. Okay?"
Slowly, I nodded. Chris would be the one to apologize to me this time. Leaving me at Uno's wasn't something I should let slide easily. I knew it. But it was going to be hard. "I can do this," I told myself.
"Go for it!" Jeremy urged, giving me a little push. "And hurry, otherwise you'll be late for homeroom."
I nodded, readjusting my backpack. "I'll see you in gym class!"
"Good luck!"
"Thanks!" I was definitely going to need it.
The first part of the day passed by quickly. Thankfully, I didn't run into Chris once. I'd bumped into Aaron a few times, but all he did was smile at me. It wasn't even a taunting smile. Everything was going good. When lunch came around, I made my way to the cafeteria, feeling lighthearted.
"Boo!"
I jumped, automatically whipping my hand back in defense. A low cry of pain came from behind me. "Holly, you git, what was that for?"
"Lance?" I asked, turning around to see my British friend. "Sorry! It's an automatic reaction."
He rubbed his chin, giving me a dirty look. "If that bruises, I'm suing you."
I rolled my eyes at him. "You can't sue me for that."
"Watch me."
"I haven't talked to you for awhile," I remarked, deciding to change the subject.
He gave me a grumpy look. "Maybe if you stopped hanging around your boyfriend and spent more time with your best friends you would talk to me more."
"I'm sorry," I apologized, my smile fading fast. "I'll make time."
"Good."
I grimaced at his tone. "So how was the dance?"
The change in his demeanor was almost comical. He seemed to be bursting with rainbows and puppies now. "Awesome! I can't believe Lexi said yes to me!"
"I hate to be the party pooper, but you know she's dating Willis, right?"
Lance's expression didn't change. "So?"
"Isn't she leading you on?"
An appalled expression crossed his face. "What? No! I just asked her to the dance. I didn't ask her to be my girlfriend."
"But-"
He shook his head. "No. We're not talking about her. You know this makes us fight."
I sighed. "Yeah, okay."
"How's your love life?" Lance asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder so we wouldn't be separated as we merged with the other students heading for the lunchroom.
"Um..." I hesitated, glancing at the ground. Lance was going to figure it out in biology anyway. What was the point of hiding it from him? "Chris and I are in a fight."
Shock couldn't begin to describe the look on his face. "You and Heywood are in a fight? I didn't think it was possible. What happened?"
"Wait until Casey gets here. She'll want to hear this too," I responded warily. Maybe it would be a good thing to talk about this with my friends. Jeremy was a little biased...
"What about me?" a new, bright voice questioned and I felt another arm being slung around my shoulder.
"Heywood and Holly got in a fight," Lance told Casey before I could.
Casey's face mimicked Lance's. "What? That's impossible!"
I frowned at the pair. "All couples fight..."
"But there's never trouble in Hollywood!" Casey protested, her eyes wide.
"Hollywood? Good one," Lance commented, a grin crossing his face. "I like it, Case."
She smiled proudly. "I thought it was fitting."
"Don't give us couple names," I said, making a face. "Hollywood makes us sound fake."
Lance chuckled. "That's true."
"But you guys are far from fake. Your love is real," Casey sighed dramatically, putting her hands to her chest. "Now what was this fight about?"
"Let's get lunch and sit down first," I suggested.
Lance shook his head. "You keep postponing it..."
I ignored his comment, heading for the lunch line. Today was Taco Day. How fitting. Loading my taco, I tried to repress memories of the time I ate tacos at Chris's. However, that was impossible. Casey and Lance were blabbering about some senior in our grade that got his license suspended for drinking and driving all the way to our lunch table. I wasn't too interested in that. That kid made a stupid decision, and now he had to pay for it. It was how it should be.
"So," Lance started, leaning toward me. "Spill."
"You guys can't say anything."
Casey nodded. "I won't!"
"Neither will I," Lance added.
I took a deep breath. "Well, I guess I have to start off with the fact Aaron knows Shawn..."
Horror flashed across Casey's face while Lance's paled. "How do you know?" Casey inquired.
"I saw Aaron at the grocery store and he just randomly told me. So I told Chris on our date and-"
"You guys had your first date? Oh my god! That's so cute!"
Lance gave Casey a disapproving look. "Focus, Casey."
She pressed her lips together. "Right."
"Yes, we had our first date," I confirmed, smiling slightly. "It really sucked though. When I mentioned that Aaron knew Shawn, Chris flipped out and wouldn't listen to me when I told him he wasn't allowed to mention it to Aaron. I don't know what he wanted to do or say, but he wanted to go talk to Aaron, but I said no. So we started arguing because he never listens to me, and then I mentioned something about Jeremy and he got even more pissed and left me at the restaurant," I explained as briefly as I could.
Casey was the first to speak. "Why would Mr. Heywood get angry about you mentioning Jeremy?"
"Er... Well Jeremy kissed me earlier that day..."
Lance's eyes nearly bulged out their sockets. "What? Why?"
"To prove to Aaron that we were dating," I mumbled, dropping my gaze. "Jeremy says Chris is just jealous but..."
"He's definitely just jealous," Casey agreed at once. "Leaving you alone was a stupid move."
"You know you can't forgive Heywood so easily for that, right?" Lance pressed, looking irritated. "I can't believe he did that to you!"
"Ooh! You know what this situation is perfect for?" Casey chirped excitedly. "Make him beg for your forgiveness! Make him build statues for your forgiveness!"
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her. "Okay, that's just creepy. Did Jeremy teach you that?"
She blinked at me. "No?"
Yeah. They were definitely a match made in Heaven.
"Casey is right. You usually let him walk all over you-"
"I do not!"
"Yes you do," my two best friends chorused.
I scowled at them. "No."
"Holly, you should be angry at him. He left you alone during your date!" Lance exclaimed. "There's something wrong with you!"
"I want to be angry!" I told him. "It's just hard! Chris was angry so-"
"So nothing," Lance interjected. "You're not apologizing to him. You're teaching him a lesson. Don't talk to him at all today."
A small sigh left my lips. "I'm already planning on doing that."
Lance relaxed. "Good."
"You can do it, Holly!" Casey encouraged me.
I nodded my head. I could do it. I had to do it. Jeremy, Casey, and Lance were right. Chris shouldn't have left me alone like that. I didn't deserve it. I was going to show Chris who was boss. I could do this!
"Excuse me," a quiet voice said, interrupting my thoughts. "I have a note for Holly."
Turning my head, I came face-to-face with a sophomore I recognized from my art class, Kayla. My heart shuddered in my chest as I took the note from her. On it was my name, written in a very familiar handwriting. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. I couldn't stop myself from opening it. Slowly, I unfolded it, reading the request to meet Chris in his room before lunch was over.
"What does it say?" Lance asked.
"For me to go to his room..."
Casey frowned. "Are you going to go?"
Taking a deep breath, I crumpled up the note and shook my head. "No... I'm going to make him beg for forgiveness."
Grins grew on Lance and Casey's faces. I tried to grin back, but found it feeling incredibly fake. No matter how much I said I should do it, ignoring Chris was going to be harder than anything I've ever done. I knew once I saw his face my defenses would crumble. It would be hard to keep it up. But I had to do it. Just once.
Lunch was over all too soon. Casey gave me some encouraging words before she disappeared in the hallway, leaving Lance and I alone. We headed toward the science wing, walking in silence. My chest was tight with anxiety. My hands shook at my side. My heart pounded faster than usual in my chest, causing my breath to come quicker. Only a few more feet until we were at the classroom. I had to be prepared.
"You can do it," Lance told me, cupping my shoulder right before we entered the classroom. "If worst comes to worst, pretend you're going to throw up and then leave the room."
I nodded. "O-okay. Let's do this."
Lance pushed open the door, gesturing for me to go first. I did, moving at a leisurely pace. Chris, of course, was the first thing I noticed. He did a double take at the door when I came in, his eyes widening the slightest bit. My heart lurched. I forgot how adorable he looked in his teacher attire. His black sweater vest white dress shirt. His black dress pants and shoes. Everything fit him perfectly. He was far more handsome than any other guy in the universe.
His grey eyes pierced into mine and I finally managed to pull myself away, my heart beating in my throat. I walked to my seat, everything sounding slowed and muffled around me. It was really going to be hard to focus today.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Evers, Lance," Chris greeted in his usual low, attractive teacher's voice.
Lance scoffed at him, taking a seat next to me instead of Lexi. I looked at him gratefully. To both of our surprises though, Lexi moved from the back of the room, next to him. A small smile appeared on his face as he turned to greet her. I kept my eyes on my desk. I could make it through class like this.
"Ms. Evers, could I speak to you for a moment?"
My body tensed, my eyes rising from the desk to see Chris standing in front of my desk. I didn't look up at his face, only his waist, where his shirts met his slacks. That was all I needed to see to know it was him. Luckily, the bell rang, saving me from having to answer him.
"Mr. Heywood!" Jessica started in a whining tone. "I didn't get Friday night's homework!"
Chris heaved a heavy sigh, knocking his fist against my desk once before moving away. I slumped in my seat, letting out a long whoosh of air. This really was going to be on the border edge of impossible.
"What do you need help with?" I heard him ask in an emotional voice.
"Natural selection," she told him.
Even I knew what natural selection was, and I hadn't even looked at the homework. We must have gone over it at least fifty times in class!
"Natural selection is the process where organisms which are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more off spring. This is..."
My mind spaced off about then. There was really no point in me paying attention when I already knew what he was talking about. I ended up occupying myself by counting all the tiles on the floor. If I did that, I could make it through the class.
After we'd finished going over the homework, Chris collected it. I inwardly cursed my luck. It would be the one day I didn't do it that he collected it. The students began to chatter loudly, taking advantage of the moment. When Chris came to my desk, he stood right next to me, his hand entering my field of vision. "Homework, Ms. Evers?" he asked, speaking loudly to be heard over every one else.
I shook my head, refusing to look up or talk to him.
"Do you need another sheet?"
Once again I used my head to say no.
He lowered his voice considerably. "I have your stuff, Holly.""
"Mr. Heywood!" Lance called at the perfect moment. "You didn't collect my homework!"
Chris stiffened, his hand clenching. "Coming, Lance," he said in a hard voice, his hand brushing mine as he moved away from my desk.
I looked up now, staring at his broad shoulders. Was he angry now? I didn't want him to be angry but... Lance shot me a grimace and I was glad I couldn't see Chris's face. After collecting all the homework, Chris returned to the front of the room, and I dropped my eyes back to the ground. He began to prattle on about Darwin's Theory and survival of the fittest- something I already knew. I felt it was okay to space out again. A period and a half more of this, and then I was free.
Not even five minutes later, I heard someone whispering my name. "Holly!"
I straightened up, turning around to frown at Aaron. What did he want now? "What?"
"Do you have a pencil I can borrow?" he asked, giving me a puppy dog look.
"No, I don't have a pencil," I responded sharply. He definitely couldn't pull of that look.
He scowled at me. "I was just-"
"We're in the middle of class," I hissed at him.
"Excuse me," a new voice interrupted. Chris. "Ms. Evers, would you please try to not interrupt the class?"
It took all the willpower I had not to look up at his handsome face. As guilty as I felt, I managed to keep myself silent and focus on the floor again. Jeremy was going to be so proud of me.
"Ms. Evers?"
I bit my tongue to stay silent.
Two hands appeared on my desk. "Ms. Evers," Chris tried again, lowering his voice to that sexy tone. "Don't ignore me."
I clenched my teeth together. Why was he making this so hard?
"Fine. Detention after school today."
My eyes widened. Detention? How could I spend a detention with him? That would just be the two of us alone! I shot Lance a panicked glance. He returned it was a frantic one.
"Hey, Mr. Heywood! You have an ugly face!" he blurted.
"Go out in the hall, Lance."
Lance sent me a sorrowful look as he pushed himself away from his desk, setting out for the hallway. I winced at his attempt at getting a detention. So much for help from him. Now I would have to deal with Chris all by myself...
_______________________________________________
Yaaay! An update! I don't really have much to say about this, so I won't say anything haha. Enjooooy :3
Today's song is If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn by Sleeping with Sirens :D