We were only able to, uh, 'hold hands' for a few short minutes. Once we reached to top of the stairwell voices began to echo up, indicating that some other students weren't far behind us. I looked at Jay, panic clearly written across my face. He seemed to get the message, because he dropped his hands to his sides, again fiddling with his jeans.
For some reason, my hand felt kinda cold without his, so I tucked it into my pocket. My fingers were just as warm in there as they were in Jay's hand but... it just didn't feel right.
"Ok, your surname is McCallion, yeah?" I double checked. Jay raised an eyebrow but nodded all the same.
"Yeah. Why?"
"We've got four houses in my school," I told him. "Each one's named after a Saint, and each one has a different Guidance Teacher. We're basically sorted according to our surnames, so me and you are in different houses."
Jay made a face. "Ok, so, um, kinda like in Harry Potter?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "I guess. But don't get excited – we don't have a sorting hat in this filthy muggle school."
He joined in with a faint chuckle. "Figures. So what house am I?"
I scratched my head awkwardly. "Honestly? I ain't that sure of the houses other my own. I think Mc and Mac surnames are either in St. Aleydis' or St. James'... I'm in St. Dominic's and the last house is St. Xystus."
"Saint who?"
"Xystus," I repeated, absently pulling at the corner of a poster proclaiming 'Jesus Loves You This Much!' Underneath the ornate lettering was a rather morbid image of a bloodied man with his arms spread across a wooden crucifix. I shuddered. "Don't worry, nobody's ever heard of him."
Jay smiled and then turned his attention to the poster. He rolled his eyes. "Is this school really into religious stuff?"
"Kinda," I shrugged, trying my best to ignore the vibrantly coloured poster. "I mean, most of the kids don't care but the teachers are kinda into it..."
I could see Jay's eyes widen in anticipation as he imagined the teachers coming down on him in a reign of religious fury. I almost laughed in response.
"Um..."
"Hey don't worry about it," I reassured him, gently squeezing his shoulder as an added comfort. "You'll be fine... as long as you keep your head down."
"Um Ash? You're really not helping."
"Hey, I'm trying! Appreciate it, sunshine!"
Jay snorted and folded his timetable in half, neatly placing it in his jacket pocket. He raised his fist to the doorway marked 'SMT' and after a brief moments hesitation knocked on the door three times.
Mrs Healy, my own guidance teacher answered the door a few moments later.
"Ash? What's wrong? Are those boys harassing you again-?"
"No! No way, haha... Nothing like that..."
I chanced a glance at Jay, who looked utterly unfazed. Hard to believe as it is, when I first started secondary school I was an even scrawnier, snarkier little git than I was now. Well, maybe not snarkier but you get the picture. I wasn't exactly social at the best of times, and after a few embarrassing blunders involving a football and the girls changing rooms I soon became an easy target. My first couple of months at this school were hell. I'd get shoved in the hallways, locked out of the PE blocks, and some of the more scheming students took it upon themselves to sabotage my homework jotters. Needless to say the teacher eventually cottoned on after this stunt and promptly put their foot down, leaving me friendless and labelled as a 'grass' for the rest of high school.
I didn't particularly want to relive those dark months, and I didn't particularly want to enlighten Jay of my experiences either. For some reason, he respected me, and I was determined to keep it that way.
Mrs Healy didn't look entirely convinced. Pursing her lips she ushered us inside.
"Well if you're sure that's not the problem, then how can I help?"
"He's new," I explained, inviting myself to sit down on the stiff cotton chairs reserved for staff. Jay stood awkwardly until Mrs Healy waved at the chair beside me, telling him to sit down.
"Oh, you're Jay McCallion?" She sat down at her desk and pushed her blue horn-rimmed glasses further up her nose. Jay blushed and nodded.
"Yeah."
"I see. So you'll be in the St. Aleydis' house group then." She glanced around the office, her grey eyes obviously searching for something. "Er, the other guidance teachers are away on a principal's meeting," she said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm not the principal of my department, meaning I'm the only guidy still around just now..."
Jay looked confused. "Um, what's a guidy?"
Mrs Healy blinked in disbelief while I choked.
"You serious dude? You don't know what a guidy is?"
Jay nodded bashfully and stared at the floor.
"It's basically the slang for 'Guidance Teacher'," I clarified, laughing slightly. "But only pricks say that."
"Ash Jamieson!" scolded Mrs Healy. "No swearing in this office!"
"But that's not a swear word!" I protested. "I mean, it's a bit of a taboo but come on! It's just like damn, or crap, or-"
"Enough," she silenced, rolling her eyes. Her voice was stern but her eyes held traces of amusement. Mrs Healy was one of the more laid back teachers, especially considering she was well into her forties. She could be a touch smothering at times, but her kind attitude and friendly face made her one of the more approachable teachers.
"Anyway," she continued. "There isn't really much to tell you, to be honest. It's pretty much the same here am most of the other high schools in the country. Well, apart from the slang terms, apparently." The amusement in her voice was clear, and although it was in teasing way, Jay still blushed and kicked his heels.
"Ash can show you about, eh? Be a good cousin."
"He's not my cousin," I interjected quickly, making a face. As much as I liked Jay himself, I couldn't stand the thought of him being my cousin. The constant comparisons my parents made were already nearly intolerable and he'd only been with us for two or three days. If he was actually related to us... then I'm pretty sure my mother wouldn't shut up. Well, even more so than now.
"Oh." Mrs Healy frowned. "Well I think all the staff are under the impression you two are related. I'm afraid you'll have a lot of explaining today, boys. Sorry."
Jay simply shrugged and while I groaned and hid my annoyed expression in my hands. Repeating things over and over again pissed me off. But maybe Jay could explain during his class introductions. I decided I'd shove all of the explaining off onto him.
The electronic bell suddenly started shrieking. Jay jumped in fright. Laughing, I stood up and offered him a hand up, which he took. He was still frowning when we left the office.
"You have a weird bell here," he told me, making a sour face. Shrugging, I laughed.
"What can you do? We're too cheap for a real one"
Jay emitted a low, rumbling groan. "I'm gonna hate that bell."
"Join the club kid," I said cheerfully, slapping him on the back for added measure. "We have badges! And tee-shirts! And don't forget the monthly newsletter available for only-"
Jay clamped a hand over my mouth. "Oh shut up." Despite the harsh words, his voice carried elements of laughter and I looked back up at him, eyes glittering in a dangerously playful way. He returned my gaze suspiciously.
"Um..."
And I bit down on his middle fingers. He quickly withdrew his now throbbing hand from my now grinning lips.
"Ash, that's gross," he complained, flicking his fingers as though trying to shake off the feeling. I smirked.
"Got you off me, didn't it?"
Glaring, Jay wiped his hand down my left arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. He didn't seem to notice my reaction to the simple touch. He didn't notice my sharp intake of breath either.
"Problem solved," he stated smugly. "Now where are we going?"
"Regi," I replied. "You know what regi is, right?"
"Um, yeah. I do."
"Sorted. We're in house groups for regi, so I'll see you later, yeah?"
Jay nodded. His shaking knees and sweating palms indicated a slight nervousness that hadn't been visible before. Or maybe it had, and I just hadn't picked up on it. I wasn't the most observant of teenagers.
"Hey," I whispered, reaching up to place a hand on his quivering shoulders. "You'll be fine. We're both in PE next anyway, so I'll see you there."
"I thought you said we weren't in the same PE class," he murmured, a hint of accusation in his voice. Unable to think of a decent sarcastic remark, I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Yeah, we aren't. We're in different sets. But we're both in at the same time though. So I'll see you getting changed."
I was overcome by a sudden blush as I realised the hidden meaning behind the words that had just escaped my mouth.
"Uh, uh, I mean I'll see you in the changing rooms!" I stammered. "Wait, I don't mean that! I mean... uh... I mean... um..."
I snapped my mouth shut, completely mortified. Then I noticed Jay staring at me, not with amusement, but with a mingle of confusion and curiosity.
"Um... what?"
And I let out a deep sigh of relief. Jay being Jay hadn't picked up on the more perverted way to interpret my innocent sentence. He was way too nice a guy. Well, maybe it was more naivety than niceness, but I was grateful all the same.
"Hey," I asked, with a desperate desire to steer the subject away from my humiliating slipup. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
Jay stopped in his tracks, the random question obviously having thrown him completely off guard.
"Me? Um, no. No I haven't. How about you?"
I ignored the second half of his speech, instead still dumbfounded by the news. "What? You've never had a girlfriend? Not even one?"
"Um, no," he repeated, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Um, why's that such a shock anyway?"
"Because you're like, perfect!" I exploded, causing him to shuffle back a few steps. "I mean, you're smart, athletic, kind, and pretty good looking-"
And then the weight of my words came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks. My face flushed a furious red colour, everything from my cheeks to my ears coloured.
"Uh, I mean, to a girl obviously!" I backtracked, acutely aware of the incredulous look Jay was giving me.
"Well, um, I'm really shy and awkward," he mumbled. "But, um, thanks. You're not so bad yourself."
I opened my mouth to respond with a sharp comment but the piercing mechanic bell signalling the end of registration cut me off.
"Oh shit," I hissed, grabbing Jay by the wrist. "We've missed regi. Ah, shit."
"Um, we could just pretend that we were talking to that teacher the whole time..." Jay suggested. I grinned.
"Oh, so you ain't Mr Perfect after all, you little liar," I teased, hauling him down the stairs through to crush of students rushing to their next class. Jay's hushed reply was almost lost amidst the sea of white shirts and sloppy ties. In fact, I'm pretty sure he was talking to himself, but I caught the whisper all the same.
"I don't understand why you're so hard on yourself. You're the nicest person I know."
And if it was possible, I blushed even more.