Math Class

Beneath his short, dark hair, his temple pulsed as he clenched and unclenched his jaw, as if he was pondering something. His plump, pink lips were set in a pout and his vibrant hazel eyes looked nervous. He had an array of freckles sprayed across his pale skin. He was a beautiful boy, if the term beautiful could be used.

“That’s a nice sweater you have there, Natalie,” He worked up the courage to tell the petite girl. Her only response was to narrow her mascara eyes, and turn away, her pigtails flowing over her shoulders. Once again, she had ignored him. The boy remained quiet and looked away, as if thinking.

“What? No sarcastic remark on how low my self esteem is?” The boy joked. It seemed like this statement was random, but there must have been some history behind it. His attempt at filling the silence she had left open with her cold shoulder had failed. She still said nothing. He looked at his Birkenstock and sock clad feet with a crushed expression on his face. The girl turned to look at him, a sly smile across her lips.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his grey sweatshirt and focused his attention on the homework he had in front of him.

“Hey, Natalie, I like your sweater,” A girl called from across the room.

“Thanks,” Natalie replied, her voice loud and perky. Flicking her blond bangs out of her face, she turned to look at the boy, her look curious, as if she was expecting a reaction from the boy. He pretended not to notice; he was avoiding her icy stare.

Class began soon, and the socializing stopped. The teacher went to drag on about pointless subjects; however, most of the class tuned him out. It wasn’t a very interactive class, except for the occasional time when questions were asked to the class. This time, Natalie answered.

“…And by the converse of that… thingamajig…” Natalie answered, trailing off at the end, unsure of the theorem that applied. The whole class laughed. She smiled a satisfactory smile.

“Do you mean SSIA?” the teacher corrected, using the abbreviation for the theorem. He smiled at his loud-mouthed student. She nodded, and a few more laughs rippled through the classroom. The boy was watching her again, but he was not laughing. He only gave a small, sad smile.