Stay Close, Don't Go

Monday morning was a drag. Not only did I wake up late, but I was also very late to school. Not exactly the best way to start your second week in a new place.

As quietly as I could, I opened the door to my science class and slipped inside. Of course, it’s never quite that easy. The minute the door opened and I stepped inside the whole class turned to face me. That was, sadly, the normal instinct whenever people entered the room. As if having everyone looking at me wasn’t bad enough, Mr. Preston stopped talking and waited for me to awkwardly walk across the room and find my seat.

“Nice of yeh to join us Miss Collins.” He said, eyeing me with that disapproving teacher look, “We’re on page 220, now where was I.”

Soon he was starting his lecture back up and I was opening my book, taking notes like I hadn’t walked in thirty minutes late. After relaxing a bit, I looked up from my book and gazed around the room. Tom’s spot was empty, not that I wanted him to be there or anything.

My eyes shifted from the empty spot to Janie’s seat a few rows up. She was looking at me quizzically, and started to mouth something. Not having the ability to read her overdramatic lips, I just stared blankly and shrugged. She got the hint and rolled her eyes before facing the teacher again.

I began tapping my pen on the desk as Preston spoke, my eyelids threatening to shut. I don’t think there is anything worse than a boring teacher. When the bell finally decided to ring, I was one of the first to scoop my books together and dart out of the room.

Janie caught up with me quickly, keeping pace with me as I swerved in and out of the crowd. “So what I was tryin’ to tell yeh earlier was that I heard there will be a science project comin’ up. Partners picked out of a hat…” She trailed off, eyeing me cutely.

I got what she meant after a moment. “That would be so cliché,” I told her, talking about her hint that Tom and I could be partners, “That only happens in every movie and book.”

“But maybe it’s in all the books and movies because it actually happens. Yeh never know, yeh could ‘ave the next love connection started by a school project.” After saying this, she smiled and disappeared into the swarm of students.

She told me this little fact and ran on purpose. It would get me thinking, even hoping. I wonder if she plays match maker with anyone but me, because it seems like she lets Mercy fend for herself in the relationship world. Don’t get me wrong, Janie is great, but being a test lab rat was not.

The day ticked on, full of thoughts, until I reached study hall. I wasn’t expecting many people to be there, it seemed like through out the day people in school were slowly becoming fewer. Maybe it was one of those nation ditch days, or did those only happen in America?

Either way, I didn’t mind the small number of students. Lately, I had been the center of attention because of where I was from and the fact I was new. It was getting old, and I was hoping that due to my lack of talking, they would get the hint to stop bugging me and asking me on dates.

Sitting at one of the tables, I lifted my legs up and crossed them while sitting in the plastic chair. Again I found myself tapping my pen on the table, trying to create some type of noise in the quiet room. Placed on the table in front of me a blank piece of paper that was supposed to occupy my math homework.

Once the bell rang, only a few students were actually in the room. Maybe I did miss out on one of the ditch days, bummer. Five minutes into class the door opened and shut, not loud enough to gain my attention, but the shuffling of feet passing my table did.

I gazed up through my bangs to watch as Tom sat at a back table only feet from mine and sprawled some of his books across the tabletop. He looked around for a moment, his eyes just barely ghosting over mine. With some sort of hidden confidence, I let the edge of my mouth turn up in what was supposed to be a friendly smile before I looked back down.

After smiling at him I tried not to let myself look up. It took a large amount of self control not to just lift my eyes and sneak a peek at him. The feeling is like having a plate of warm cookies in front of you and you simply can’t take one. Of course, eating a cookie has less of a negative effect than staring at a guy you’ve never met.

The bell finally rang, and for the first time all day, I didn’t rush to get out of the room. I slowly stood, taking more time to smooth out my grey shirt, and began to close my books one at a time. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I hoped Tom would come over and talk to me.

No such luck though. He packed up equally as slow as me, but managed to actually let his feet take him out of the room. If I didn’t know better, I would have said he slowed down a fraction of a second and glanced my way as he passed.

&&

“Madison?” I heard my name being called, more as a question, as I passed through the parking lot of the school. It only took me a moment of looking around to spot the owner of the voice; Oliver.

He was leaned up against some little black car with his arms crossed with a few girls around him. I readjusted my shoulder bag and smiled a bit, answering quietly, “Hey Oliver.”

“I didn’t know yeh went ‘ere.” He said, still leaning on the car. I don‘t see how he would or wouldn‘t have know, we only talked for maybe thirty minutes on Friday. “So, maybe yeh know my brother?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I knew who is brother was, but I technically didn’t know him. I shook my head ‘no’, having no time to say anything else before Oliver waved at someone past me and spoke, “Aye Tom!”

Turning my head, I looked over my shoulder as Tom timidly approached the car. His hands were shoved into his pockets and he walked his eyes looking around, anywhere but forward.

“He can be a bit shy sometimes, don’t mind it much .” Oliver said with a chuckle. It didn’t sound like he was making fun of Tom exactly, but you could tell they had different personalities.

“Aye Tom,” Oliver greeted as Tom walked up next to me. By now most of the girls had left, defeated with the lack of attention.

I let my eyes flicker toward Tom, seeing him glance at me quickly before speaking to Oliver, “Hey Oli.”

Being this close to him was making me nervous. I felt awkward, we had been staring at each other for a week straight and this was the closest we’d really been, this was also the first time I had heard him talk.

Oliver, of course, wasn’t helping this situation much. “Damn, two shy people in one place isn’t a great idea. Madison, this is my brother Tom. Tom, this is Madison.”

I swallowed any of the odd feelings I had and decided to kick away my awkwardness for a moment, being the first to speak. “Hi Tom.”

Simple as that and he was looking at me, his blue eyes studying me. It looked as if he was battling in his mind about what to think about me. After a moment he responded. “‘Ello Madison.”

His response was just as simple and quiet as my greeting, but it seemed to fit. I wanted to hear him talk, his accent was similar to Oliver’s, but I liked it more. Not to be bias or anything.

A small silence formed around us for a moment before Tom cleared his throat quietly and looked at his brother, “I ‘ave some stuff to do ‘round the house, can be go?”

Oliver nodded and unlocked the car, before turning to look at me again. “See yeh ‘round Madi. Yeh should come to my party this Saturday, ‘kay?”

Without being able to say yes or no he winked and got into the car, Tom walking around and getting into the other side. I merely nodded and saw Tom wave at me shyly before I turned and walked through the rest of the parking lot.

Most awkward moment in England so far, hands down. It left my mind full of questions and the feeling that things would only become more awkward from here on. All I have to say, is that wasn’t the way I would have wanted to meet Tom.