Secrets Don't Make Friends

Free period. William’s least and most favorite part of the day. In free period he would sit in the library, doing nothing for a quarter of an hour while waiting for the minutes to melt by slowly, torturing him every time the second hand would never seem to move. Taking a quick glance at the clock above the library’s double doors, William groaned and tried not to bang his head on the table. Thirty minutes left.

As he ran a hand tiredly over his face, his thoughts drifted back to October, as they had been so often lately. After standing with her at the grave several days earlier, he was given a whole new perspective on October’s behavior. The way she sat next to the headstone, talking freely. The way she shamelessly allowed herself to pour her heart open, even with William standing next to her. The way she gave herself away to her emotions and thoughts gave William a new level of respect for October. He knew the way she reacted at the cemetery was all the bottled scars and wounds from everything she kept to herself; it was a wonder how she was able to keep all those burdens for weeks at a time and not break from the stress.

William stood up suddenly, ready to relieve himself of the sinfully boring free period by visiting October. They had barely spoken the past few days, William giving October her own space to worry about other things than William bothering her. He quickly gathered his books and stuffed them in his bag, walking out of the too quiet library. He made his way to the office, hoping he would be able to find October’s next class. William walked into the glass-encased office, the door slamming behind him causing the two older women behind the desk to look up at him.

“Can I help you, dear?” one of the women asked, shuffling the papers in front of her.

“U-um, yes. I-I need to know what room O-October Lanley is in, p-please,” William muttered, gripping the straps of his bag tightly.

She smiled warmly at him before typing a few strokes on the keyboard. “She is in room 325 with Mrs. Schwartz.”

William nodded a thanks and shuffled out of the office, trying to walk as fast as he could to the Algebra room with out actually running. When he reached the room, he looked in the window to make sure they weren’t doing anything too important before knocking on the door and entering. It seemed that when he walked in the room, every face looked up at him with a mix of curiosity and surprised expressions. Mrs. Schwartz beckoned him in, asking politely if he needed anything.

“No,” he replied. “It’s my free period and I was wondering if it’ll be alright if I stay here for the remainder of class? It was getting too quiet in the library.”

The plump teacher gave him a questioning look, but nodded nonetheless. Grateful for her acceptance, William’s eyes swept around the room and landed almost immediately on October, who sat in the far corner, scribbling furiously in her notebook. She either hadn’t noticed he was here, or she was purposely ignoring him for she didn’t stare at him like the rest of the class did. Swiftly he made his way to the empty table beside her, ignoring the many stares that followed him around the room. As he drew nearer, October lifted her head looking shocked at William’s approaching frame. Subtly she pulled a set of hidden earphones from under her hair, smiling lightly at William.

“What’re you doing here?” October whispered, putting away her MP3 player in her bag.

William shrugged taking the available seat next to her. “I got bored in the library and thought I’d come and visit.”

“Oh.”

Around the room, looks of curiosity seemed to be directed at the pair. In the silent stillness of the math room, October shifted uncomfortably in her seat, awkwardly glancing up from her fidgeting hands. William could tell that the stares of their fellow classmates was bothering her. He looked at the gawking faces and felt disgusted at their blatantly obvious stares. It bothered him that they didn’t even have the decency to try and pretend they weren’t looking. Turning away, William faced October, wanting to distract her from her classmates.

“What are you doing Friday?” he leaned over, whispering softly. October jerked her head, slowly lifting her eyes to meet his, seeming nervous.

“I—um—I was a-actually going to a-ask you if you had plans… Friday night,” she whispered.

Her question caught William off guard. He remained in a stunned silence for a moment, going over her last statement. William was definitely surprised at her question, knowing that she had never been so bold with him before.

“Well, my plans kind of depend on what you’re doing. Why?”

“My mother asked me to invite you to dinner tomorrow night. She told me that she wants to meet the boy who has been occupying all my time.” The pink blush that graced her cheeks deepened as she stammered the invitation.

William stared wide-eyes at October’s request; of all the things she could have asked, having dinner at her house was not one he was expected. His paused seemed to last a moment too long, though, for the deep flush that colored October’s cheeks drained, leaving her stuttering an apology for inviting him. Just as William opened his mouth to stop her nervous ramblings, the shrill sound of the school bell echoed throughout the building.

October rushed to gather her belongings, trying to keep her mind off the rejection she seemed to have received. But as she mumbled another apology, stepping around William’s tall frame, William grabbed her steadily by the shoulders, turning her body to face him. She refused to look up into his eyes to see the mocking rejection, she was sure, dancing around his irises. She felt a finger press under her chin, forcing her eyes to travel north into William’s awaiting expression.

“I would love to,” he answered, smiling gratefully.