Laila entered the drama room with Amanda at her side, and both immediately went to Caleb.
“How was PE?” His voice was singsongy as he stretched out, leaning back on his palms.
“Fun,” Laila smiled as she took a seat beside him.
“Only because you were showing off the whole time,” Amanda sat opposite them both.
“So? Showing off is fun,” Laila draped her legs across Amanda’s, “Especially when it makes Jace look dumb.”
“Ooh, what happened with Jace?” Caleb sat up just as Ms. Lewis entered the room.
“Goodmorning my blooming butterflies,” She greeted the students dramatically and took her place at the front of the room. “Today we’re doing an exercise I reserve specially for my advanced classes. It’s called the trust walk.”
“Partners?” Caleb asked excitedly, looking to both his best friends for whoever answered first.
“Nah uh, Caleb. It won’t be so easy this time,” Ms. Lewis cut in before either could respond. “I’m choosing this year. It’s time everyone learned to trust each other, not just best friends of almost four years.” She was obviously referring to the three of them, and Caleb smiled sheepishly.
“Do we get any say at all?” Some girl asked from across the room. The classroom door opened, and everyone turned to see Jace confidently stroll in. Laila briefly wondered if he even noticed he was late this time. He was so wrapped up in himself that it was hard to believe he did it on purpose.
“Ah, James. You’ve joined us. Perfect!” Ms. Lewis smiled as he took a seat in the most secluded corner of the room, dropping his bag without a word. “You can be the first to get your partner.”
“For what?” His voice was monotonous, and it was obvious he didn’t care.
“Our trust walk. I’m choosing a partner for each of you, and you’ll take turns leading each other around the school. One partner has to keep their eyes shut while the other takes their arm or holds their hand or something,” She paused as a couple students giggled immaturely. “You know what I mean. Just lead them around somehow without talking or verbal instructions. This is to gain trust with each other, and we’ll be doing it a few times throughout the year. And if you’re being led you cannot, under any circumstances, open your eyes! That would defeat the whole purpose,” She looked at Amanda.
“Why are you looking at me? Everyone else cheated, too!” Amanda said indignantly.
“No Mandy, that was all you,” Caleb grinned as Amanda pouted. As usual, she’d been way too hyper to follow set rules the year before.
“So James, I think I’ll pair you with...” Ms. Lewis trailed off thoughtfully as her light brown eyes scanned the room.
Don’t look at me, don’t look at me, please don’t look at me, Laila inwardly pleaded.
“Laila,” Ms. Lewis decided.
“Of course,” Laila muttered. She smacked Caleb’s arm as he started laughing. Bonnie caught Laila’s eye from across the room to smile sympathetically, then stifled a laugh at Laila’s depressed response.
“Caleb, you’ll be with Jesse,” Ms. Lewis continued around the room, pairing everyone up with someone they either didn’t know very well or didn’t seem to get along with, which fully explained why Laila was paired with Jace.
“He’s gonna try to kill me,” She predicted, “Watch, it’s gonna happen. And then I’m gonna come back as a ghost to haunt you for calling me overdramatic when he did that creepy monologue,” She was talking to Caleb, but as usual he was way too entertained to take her seriously.
“You’ll be fine,” He said, brushing her concern off.
“You’re so lucky,” Amanda sighed dreamily as she gazed across the room, and Laila’s anxiety only got worse when she saw Jace. He was staring at her again, with no trace of emotion.
“Why can’t he just be normal?” Laila groaned, sighing heavily while Caleb continued to laugh at her misfortune. “You laugh too much. It’s not normal,” She informed him.
“Who wants to be partner A and lead first?” Ms. Lewis asked. Jace’s hand shot up along with many others, and Laila couldn’t help but feel suspicious. It was unusual for him to volunteer for anything. “Partner As will be in charge of keeping time. Fifteen minutes and then you switch, and partner B gets to lead for the next fifteen. Come back five minutes before class ends to pick up your stuff. Have fun, my little drama geeks!” She waved for everyone to stand and get going.
Laila stayed put, simply watching while all her classmates began to move and pair up. She was dreading this trust walk more than anything. Being forced to trust Jace was possibly her worst newfound nightmare.
“Aren’t you gonna get up?” Amanda was bouncing on her toes in anticipation. “I’m partner B. I wanna get mine out of the way.”
“I wanna fast forward to musical theatre,” Laila muttered, standing to brush off the seat of her shorts.
“See you in half an hour,” Caleb took hold of his partner’s arm, and as soon as her eyes were shut he silently led her from the room.
“Have fun!” Amanda smiled giddily before closing her eyes. She let her partner hook their arms together and then they were gone, following the throng of blind and leading students from the room.
“Ready?” Jace came to a stop beside her. She looked around the classroom to see everyone else was already gone.
“Please don’t make me walk off a cliff,” She reluctantly closing her eyes and stood still, feeling completely vulnerable as she waited for him to take hold of her arm, or whatever he chose to lead her by. She jumped slightly when he slipped two fingers through a front belt loop of her shorts.
Of course he’d pick a belt loop, like I’m a freakin dog on a leash, she thought to herself. He laughed as they started walking, no doubt thinking the same exact thing. She stumbled a bit as her foot caught against the slight raise in the doorway but he didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow down, and she fought the overwhelming urge to open her eyes as she cautiously followed him into the hall. Footsteps and muffled voices echoed louder than usual while shadows loomed across her closed eyelids, bringing paranoia that every wall of darkness was a giant structure she’d crash into at any moment. If it were anyone else, anyone else she wouldn’t be so paranoid. But seeing as it was Jace, probably the worst person ever, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. There was a tug on her shorts and she veered to the left, right into someone’s locker.
“Ow,” She said it reflexively, then quickly shut her mouth when she remembered the rules.
“Sorry,” He let go of her shorts and took hold of her forearm instead, pulling her in a different direction. Their footsteps once again echoed down the hall, and Laila was acutely aware of another set of partners crossing in front of them. Jace held back and she stopped, thankful he was paying more attention this time. The others passed and she was pulled along, around a corner and down another hall. This hall smelled different. She silently marveled at all the things she’d never noticed, always too busy interacting with other students to notice the tiny details.
She held back another ‘ow’ as she banged into something else, maybe a water fountain? She heard Jace’s quiet laughter and suddenly realized he was doing this on purpose. She opened her eyes, then spotted another couple approaching and quickly shut them. There was a tug on her arm and she hesitantly followed, though she walked even slower and more cautiously than before. Almost at a snail’s pace, or maybe a turtle’s, and she could feel Jace’s annoyance as he started to tug harder. He was trying to pull her along but she wasn’t having it. She planted her feet on the ground, deciding to stop dead rather than walk into something else.
“What’re you doing?” A familiar voice asked, their footsteps coming to a stop beside her. “There’s nothing in front of you.”
She opened her eyes to see that Caleb was right. He was watching her with an amused smile, and his partner was beside him with her eyes still shut.
“Oh,” She glanced at Jace. The way he was looking at her was an insult in itself.
“Stop freaking out, he’s not gonna kill you,” Caleb’s smile turned to a full on grin as her eyes widened in panic and she rapidly shook her head.
“I don’t think he’s gonna kill me,” She lied. It came out convincing, though on the inside her panic was even worse than before. The suspicious ones were always the first to go, which meant Caleb’s comment had ruined any chance of survival. But he didn’t seem to care, and he recommitted to silence before leading his partner down the hall.
“You think I’m gonna kill you?”
“Just go,” She said impatiently. She closed her eyes, partly so they could continue the trust walk, but mostly to avoid whatever facial expression he was making now. He dropped her arm and took hold of her shorts, apparently content to treat her like a dog again. A few silent and surprisingly painless minutes went by, and she followed obediently as he pulled her along, doing her best to ignore the passing shadows as he led her aimlessly through the halls. She’d lost all sense of direction after the first five minutes, but she was more aware of every little noise than ever before. Two people were nearby, and judging by the hesitant steps of one, most likely in her class. She yelped in surprise as she tripped over a pair of feet and collided with the person attached, nearly knocking them both to the floor.
“Jace!” She managed to catch herself at the last second and whirled around to see him nearly doubled over in laughter.
“I’m so sorry!” Bonnie said frantically, fussing over both Laila and the partner she’d tripped over. His eyes were shut and he hadn’t said a word, determined not to break the rules.
“It’s okay,” Laila assured her, “And I’m sorry I ran into you,” She added for the partner’s sake. “It wasn’t my fault,” She glared at Jace, who only started laughing harder.
“It was kinda mine,” Bonnie said apologetically, “I was looking at the wall and I didn’t even notice you coming. I figured Jace was paying attention so you would be fine, but I guess he wasn’t.”
“No, because he’s been running me into stuff on purpose the whole time,” Laila declared. “And I hope you know I was starting to kinda trust you!”
“Why would you do that?” He stared at her incredulously, but the confusion was quickly replaced by another onset of shameless laughter.
“What is so fucking funny? You never even laugh, I don’t understand!” Laila’s frustration was almost as much as Bonnie’s confusion, and this seemed to entertain him more than Laila’s actual fall.
“You almost, hit your face,” He tried to answer but could barely, “On the floor,” He paused, trying so hard to collect himself. And then, “It would’ve looked better than it does right now!” He almost fell over laughing, and it only got worse when he caught sight of Laila’s face. His eyes began to water as he leaned against a locker for support.
“I’m gonna get my pointe shoes out of my locker and beat you with them!” Laila retaliated, “Those things are painful!”
A good ten seconds passed before he was calm enough to talk again.
“What, your fairy wands, or your pixie dust? What’re you gonna do, sparkle me to death?” His laughter was slowly dying down, though a taunting smirk still played at his lips.
“No, the metal plate in the bottom of each pointe shoe, idiot.”
“I have a bigger chance of dying from your singing,” He chuckled as she made a noise of frustration. “You even sound like a fairy when you’re mad,” He imitated her, making a face to match the dainty noise.
“Shhhh!”
“What?” Jace snapped, glaring at Bonnie’s partner.
“We’re not supposed to be talking,” He said worriedly, “I don’t want my grade to go down.”
“Nerd.”
“Jace, be nice!” Bonnie came to her partner’s defense before adding, “I don’t want my grade to go down, either. I want a part in the musical.”
By now Laila was too heated to even talk. She didn’t even look at them. Her fiery glare was dead set on Jace and his arrogant face, which was currently fixed in a piercing stare directed at the supposed nerd.
“Go away, then,” He finally said.
“We will. And be nice to Laila,” Bonnie retook her partner’s hand as he closed his eyes, and they slowly continued down the hall.
Jace’s green eyes lazily found their way back to Laila, and when they did his lips turned up in a mocking smile. “Did I do something to upset you?”
“I hate you so much,” She said angrily. She closed her eyes and waited. There was no way in hell she was ever trusting him again, but she also wanted a part in the musical. A lead, to be exact, which meant she needed her grade even more than the others.
“You’re in love with me,” He chuckled and slipped his fingers in her front belt loop. They walked in silence for a couple minutes, until her foot banged against something else. And then a second thing, and then a third as she somehow tripped and stumbled up. She opened her eyes to see Jace carelessly tugging her up a flight of stairs.
“Okay, no! This is freaking ridiculous,” She slapped his hand from her shorts and stopped on the fourth step, “It’s common sense not to take someone upstairs on a trust walk. What time is it?” She turned away from Jace’s obnoxious laughter in search of the nearest clock. “It’s been fifteen minutes, switch.” She hopped down from the stairs and waited expectantly.
“You seem mad,” He descended the stairs to stand beside her.
“Close your eyes.”
He did, and she contemplated how to go about this. She finally came up with a plan and took his hand, lacing her fingers through his like an actual couple. He grunted in disgust and tried to pull his hand away but she tightened her grip, smiling and she dragged him along. She immediately went to a quickened pace, giving him no time to adjust to sightless walking. She took it a step further and intertwined their entire arms together, leaning against him like the clingy couples from every chick flick ever made.
“Can you get off?” He asked rudely.
“Shhh, no talking,” She cooed, placing a hand against his cheek within plain sight of an open classroom door. “Close your eyes.”
He had never opened his eyes, but she was purposely messing with him at this point. She grinned as Katie waved from a desk near the door, then slowly led him past the classroom. He finally managed to shake her arm off but she caught his hand, once again intertwining their fingers and playing with his. She gently swung both hands between them and started skipping, forcing him to either join the happy skip or awkwardly stumble along at her side. She hummed What Makes You Beautiful as she skipped and he stumbled, loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough not to count as actual talking. They were halfway down the hall when she spotted a hall monitor she’d never met. Probably a freshman.
“What are you guys doing?” The kid asked politely. “You should be in class.”
“We’re on a date,” Laila whispered, “He doesn’t want anyone to know because he can’t afford a real one.”
“What the hell,” Jace opened his eyes in blatant horror, “I would never go on a date with you-”
“Are you breaking up with me?” She interrupted loudly, staring back with wide eyes, “Right now? In front of this sweet boy who so obviously looks up to you?” She thrust an arm in the alarmed boy’s direction, “You should be ashamed, Jace! Ashamed! How could you, Jace? How could you-”
“I’m leaving,” Jace cut off her depressing rant and briskly walked away.
“Wait! I love you!” She quickly ran after him, leaving the speechless and very confused boy behind.
“Is this your idea of fun? There’s something wrong with you,” He stopped for the pure chance to insult her. “You’re mental.”
“Sorry. I wanted to do an acting exercise,” She said sadly, “Improv is always best when the other person doesn’t know they’re playing. You should know that, you’re in an acting class,” She said it in the most belittling way she could. “I’ll stop! Promise,” She switched to a friendly smile now, and he stared at her for entirely too long before sighing in annoyance.
“Fine,” He closed his eyes and held his hand out, and she smiled happily while lacing their fingers together. It quickly turned to a frown when he somewhat violently yanked his hand away. “We’re not doing that.”
“Okay,” She easily agreed. He stared for another second before grumpily closing his eyes. This time she grabbed onto his studded belt, pulling him along carefully like she actually cared. Her new plan was to cooperate for a few minutes before doing something else. Just one more was all she wanted. After that she would be satisfied and leave him alone. They continued throughout the school in a mutual silence, and she was just beginning to lose hope when she spotted Amanda up ahead.
“Hi Laila!” Amanda shouted. She was dragging her partner carelessly and already talking, cheating just the same as the year before.
“Heyy Mandy,” Laila grinned as they reached each other, “You wanna trade partners?”
“NO!” Jace’s eyes opened in a combination of alarm and terror, and Laila fell into a fit of giggles.
Amanda smiled, nowhere near affected by his cruel response. She was still thoroughly convinced they would be friends one day.
“So that’s a yes?” Laila asked hopefully.
“We can’t, time’s almost up,” Amanda pointed to the clock behind her, and she turned around to see it was five minutes until the end of class. She sighed in defeat and dropped Jace’s hand.
“But I was having so much fun,” She said sadly. Jace shot her a nasty glare before walking off without a word. “Oh well.” She shrugged happily and smiled at Amanda. “Wanna walk back together?”
“Sure!” Amanda eagerly dropped her partner’s hand as he finally opened his eyes. The three of them set off toward their drama classroom, and Laila watched as Jace rounded the corner up ahead. Being paired with him had turned out much better than she’d expected. The second half, anyways.