Status: Complete
Just a Feeling
20
After the school day was over, Rowan walked out of the English / Lit. building and nearly collided with Luke, who was leaning casually against the wall. Rowan resisted the temptation to throw her arms around him. That would be embarrassing for them both.
Mostly for her.
Luke, on the other hand, was having similar struggles. It was a slow torture, to spend so much time around Rowan. He knew what he’d said last night was absolutely right- they could never be together. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
Luke knew he should leave things as they were, that it would be the best for everyone, but he couldn’t. Delaney and Evan were walking up ahead, talking and laughing. Evan needed to pluck up the courage and ask her out already, because this was getting ridiculous, he thought. That left Rowan alone, because the rest of her friends had been in different buildings during the last class of the day.
Luke walked next to her and asked, “How was your first day?”
Rowan looked up at him, shocked that he was speaking to her. Some part of her wanted badly to walk away from him, but that was childish. She could be civil. “Fantastic,” she said dryly.
“Oh? What happened?” Luke didn’t know whether to be worried or amused.
“I learned things.” Rowan could have told him about Mr. Wright and how he’d spilled frog guts all over the floor, then slipped and slid over them. She could have told him about how much fun gym class was when so many people could do extra things- Izzy didn’t actually touch the ball in basketball (though people called her a cheater when she wrenched the ball out of people’s hands from her perch on the bleachers and sent it sailing into the basketball hoop. That had caused a fifteen minute-long argument between her and some jock, which the teacher ended by asking Izzy to please use her hands to control the ball).
But Rowan didn’t want to play nice. She wanted to hurt him like he’d hurt her. This was the only way she knew how; goodness knew she wouldn’t resort to violence. It just wasn’t in her.
“You’re upset. Did anyone hurt you? Were they mean?” Luke asked, trying to catch her eye.
“Don’t think I’m fool enough to let you read my thoughts, Mr. Sinclair. And of course not. They’re all terrified of me. I was more or less ignored, which is fine by me. I have my friends.”
“Then what’s wrong?” Luke asked. Rowan glanced up and looked him in the eye for just a second, then ran ahead and caught up with Delaney and Evan.
“Rowan! Thank God! I need you to tell this baboon that Romeo and Juliet is not a love story.”
“What are you talking about? Of course it is! Isn’t that what… oh, everyone says?” Evan argued.
Rowan laughed. “I’m with Lane on this one. It’s a story of infatuation. I mean, Juliet was what, twelve or thirteen? And Romeo was obviously using her as a rebound.” She and Lane both giggled when Evan put his hands in his perfectly mussed hair and tugged on the ends of it.
“I’m surrounded by lunatics,” he moaned.
“Have you ever even read Romeo and Juliet?” Rowan asked.
“Well… no.”
Rowan and Lane were in hysterics when her twin Haley approached. Their laughter died instantly. Wherever Haley walked, you could feel the temperature drop, and Rowan didn’t think that had to do with any gift the girl had.
“Oh, Lane, who’s your friend here?” Haley said in a sickly sugary tone.
“Haley, you know who she is. Drop the act.” The two of them glared at each other.
“Fine. Rowan, darling, you know you should be hanging around with people who are more on your level than my sister here.”
“Now I can’t say this for sure, but it seems to me that you’ve got things backwards,” Rowan said in her frostiest voice. Lane had told her all about Haley. The girl was bad news. All appearance, no substance. And certainly no heart.
Haley flushed and glared. She was about to make some toxic retort, but Evan stepped between her and the girls. “It would be best for you to leave them now,” he said in a quiet, but commanding, tone.
Haley huffed and turned on her heel.
“I’m sorry about her,” Lane apologized.
Rowan hit her playfully. “It’s not your fault you two are related.”
Mostly for her.
Luke, on the other hand, was having similar struggles. It was a slow torture, to spend so much time around Rowan. He knew what he’d said last night was absolutely right- they could never be together. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
Luke knew he should leave things as they were, that it would be the best for everyone, but he couldn’t. Delaney and Evan were walking up ahead, talking and laughing. Evan needed to pluck up the courage and ask her out already, because this was getting ridiculous, he thought. That left Rowan alone, because the rest of her friends had been in different buildings during the last class of the day.
Luke walked next to her and asked, “How was your first day?”
Rowan looked up at him, shocked that he was speaking to her. Some part of her wanted badly to walk away from him, but that was childish. She could be civil. “Fantastic,” she said dryly.
“Oh? What happened?” Luke didn’t know whether to be worried or amused.
“I learned things.” Rowan could have told him about Mr. Wright and how he’d spilled frog guts all over the floor, then slipped and slid over them. She could have told him about how much fun gym class was when so many people could do extra things- Izzy didn’t actually touch the ball in basketball (though people called her a cheater when she wrenched the ball out of people’s hands from her perch on the bleachers and sent it sailing into the basketball hoop. That had caused a fifteen minute-long argument between her and some jock, which the teacher ended by asking Izzy to please use her hands to control the ball).
But Rowan didn’t want to play nice. She wanted to hurt him like he’d hurt her. This was the only way she knew how; goodness knew she wouldn’t resort to violence. It just wasn’t in her.
“You’re upset. Did anyone hurt you? Were they mean?” Luke asked, trying to catch her eye.
“Don’t think I’m fool enough to let you read my thoughts, Mr. Sinclair. And of course not. They’re all terrified of me. I was more or less ignored, which is fine by me. I have my friends.”
“Then what’s wrong?” Luke asked. Rowan glanced up and looked him in the eye for just a second, then ran ahead and caught up with Delaney and Evan.
“Rowan! Thank God! I need you to tell this baboon that Romeo and Juliet is not a love story.”
“What are you talking about? Of course it is! Isn’t that what… oh, everyone says?” Evan argued.
Rowan laughed. “I’m with Lane on this one. It’s a story of infatuation. I mean, Juliet was what, twelve or thirteen? And Romeo was obviously using her as a rebound.” She and Lane both giggled when Evan put his hands in his perfectly mussed hair and tugged on the ends of it.
“I’m surrounded by lunatics,” he moaned.
“Have you ever even read Romeo and Juliet?” Rowan asked.
“Well… no.”
Rowan and Lane were in hysterics when her twin Haley approached. Their laughter died instantly. Wherever Haley walked, you could feel the temperature drop, and Rowan didn’t think that had to do with any gift the girl had.
“Oh, Lane, who’s your friend here?” Haley said in a sickly sugary tone.
“Haley, you know who she is. Drop the act.” The two of them glared at each other.
“Fine. Rowan, darling, you know you should be hanging around with people who are more on your level than my sister here.”
“Now I can’t say this for sure, but it seems to me that you’ve got things backwards,” Rowan said in her frostiest voice. Lane had told her all about Haley. The girl was bad news. All appearance, no substance. And certainly no heart.
Haley flushed and glared. She was about to make some toxic retort, but Evan stepped between her and the girls. “It would be best for you to leave them now,” he said in a quiet, but commanding, tone.
Haley huffed and turned on her heel.
“I’m sorry about her,” Lane apologized.
Rowan hit her playfully. “It’s not your fault you two are related.”