You Smile, I Smile.

When the last bell rang, I started getting nervous. I avoided Jazz and Andrew all day for the most part. I hid in one of the bathrooms in the school after getting a bag of chips and a soda from one of the vending machines for lunch. But I had gym with Jazz. And that was insane.

“I have never seen you act like that in front of anyone before. You have a thing for this kid don’t you!?” was the first thing that came out of Jazz’s mouth when she walked into the locker room to dress out for gym.
“Jazz-“

“No, don’t Jazz me Emily Kaye.” She said cutting me off. She pulled me away from my locker, because I was already dressed in my gym uniform, and she pulled me to her locker.

“How do you know this kid?” Jazz said swiftly putting her locker combination then ripping her locker open.

“I don’t…really know him.” I said, watching her quickly putting on her gym shirt and throwing her other shirt in her locker with wide eyes.

“Bullshit. There is no way you don’t know this kid, or at least know of him.” She said pulling off her jeans and throwing them inside her locker, then pulling on her gym shorts swiftly.

“Jazz why are you acting like this?” I said as she slammed her locker shut.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, putting one hand on her tiny hip and looked at me with hurt eyes.

Jazz had been the only constant friend I had, other than Andrew, since I was in grade school. Jazz was tiny, in everything about her. She was short, she was skinny, and she had tiny hands and tiny feet. And she had tiny feelings, and they got hurt very easily. I sighed and sat down on the concrete beneath the rows and rows of lockers. I pulled her down to sit next to me. She did.

“Jazz it wasn’t like I went out of my way to keep you from knowing. I didn’t even know this guy’s name until this morning!” I said looking at her sincerely. The hurt was still clearly vivid in her pale blue eyes.

“Honestly Jazz. I wouldn’t lie to you. I didn’t ever think I’d end up meeting him face to face, or being my tutor in English!” I said with a small smile. The hurt started to fade and she looked away as she smiled.

“I’m sorry for freaking out on you.” She said softly. I hugged her tightly, and let go when the gym teacher came in and gave us 2 minute warning about class starting.

I went to my locker after the last bell rang and I was so nervous I almost forgot to grab my English book. Which I was sure I was going to need.

I walked to the auditorium without seeing Jazz or Andrew, which I almost wanted to run into Jazz so she could help calm myself down. Justin was waiting outside the auditorium and when I saw him I had to gulped and take a deep breath to keep walking toward him.

He smiled as I walked up to him, and couldn’t help but do the same when I stopped in front of him.

“I’m sorry about this, but you’ll have to just wait in the auditorium while I work with my coach. I’ll be as fast as I can.” He said as he opened the auditorium door and stood by it, motioning for me walk in. I blushed and walked in, him following me.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind waiting.” I said softly as we walked in together. I couldn’t help but notice how close we were walking next to each other.

“Just sit wherever. I’ll be as fast as I can.” He said motioning toward the rows of chairs. I nodded and he smiled again. He turned from me and sprinted down the aisle in between the rows of seats and ran to the stage.

I took a seat, laying my bag down on the ground in front of me. Justin ran up to the stage and one of the music teachers joined him on stage. He was a singer, I couldn’t figure out what I was about to watch him do, and I felt kind of stupid now for not putting two and two together.

The music teacher whose name I couldn’t quite put my finger on sat down behind a piano and Justin took his place in front of the microphone.

The teacher started playing the piano and Justin began singing, and my heart dropped into my stomach. His voice oh my goodness. I thought his speaking voice was beautiful… his singing voice topped it 100 percent.

He was singing the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and my heart instantly came up from my stomach and into my throat. I was hard to keep tears from rimming my eyes and falling over my lids. It was just so damn beautiful.

How could someone who I didn’t even know, make me feel this way? His looks, his sweet demeanor, his incredibly smooth voice, and his insanely beautiful singing voice, just made me feel as if I was going to melt into a puddle right in front of him. Never in my life had anything like this ever happened to me. It was new and exciting, sort of. It also scared the hell out of me to think that all of this was happening inside of me because of a boy I didn’t know a damn thing about.

He had one hand placed on the microphone, the other down at his side, and his eyes were closed as he belted out the beautiful words with his beautiful voice to this beautiful song.
When he sang the line, “She tied you to her kitchen chair. She broke your throne and she cut your hair. And from your lips she drew, Hallelujah.” The emotion that was felt and heard in his voice was too much for me to take, and I had to hide my face in my hands as I let the tears that had been trying to escape finally fall from my eyes.

“Hold on Mrs. Pruden.” I heard as the piano stopped. I looked up; wiping the few tears away from my face and saw Justin sprinting toward me.

“What’s wrong Emily?” he said his voice and eyes full of concern. I laughed softly and shook my head.

“I’m okay. It’s just…the song, and your voice. I didn’t know anyone could sing so beautifully.” I said, wiping the rest of the tears away and trying to not look at Justin. I was thoroughly embarrassed to say the least. He laughed softly and sat down next to me.

“I thought something was wrong. Would you like to do this on another day?”

I looked up at him and shook my head.

“No, its fine. I’m okay now. I promise. I just really wasn’t expecting that.” I said with a small smile. He smiled his best smile back and pulled me into a hug. My eyes bulged and I was sure my cheeks were as red as they could get. But I hugged him back.

Wow. I thought he smelled good when he passed me in the hallway. I took a deep breath in and smiled.

“No more tears okay?” he said when he pulled away from me and looked at me. I shook my head and he got up and went back to his spot on stage. And just to make sure I didn’t cry again at the sound of his voice, I pulled my mp3 player out of my bag and shoved the tiny head phones in and blared music. But after hearing Justin’s voice, no voice that I thought was beautiful before sounded as beautiful anymore.

***

I had already finished up my math homework and started flipping through a magazine when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and Justin was standing in front of me with that oh so pretty smile. I pulled my ear phones out and wrapped them around my mp3 player.

“Sorry it took so long. I told Mrs. Pruden that I had to help you with your English after this, but she’s relentless sometimes.” Justin said as I shoved my mp3 down into my bag and stood up.

“Honestly, it’s okay. I didn’t have anything better to do.” I said slinging my bag over my shoulder.

We walked down the auditorium hallway and out into the main hallway of the school. It always seemed to look so much bigger when there was no one in it. And Justin and I were the only two here.

“I asked my English teacher if we could use his classroom so we’ll go up there. Do you happen to have any English homework today?” he asked as he lead my down the hallway, and up one of the many flights of stairs.

“Of course. I’ve got Mrs. Skinner as my English teacher and I swear she never goes one day without giving out homework.” I said as we walked up the steps and through the double doors. He led me to one of the many locker bays and we stopped at a locker.

He put in a combination and opened the locker. This was his locker. And my locker was two rows away. I guessed this was why we passed each other every day in the morning.

“I’ve got Mr. Philips for English. He’s a pretty tough teacher, but English is one of my favorite subjects.” He said, pulling out his bag and his English book from the neatly stacked books inside the two shelves in his locker.

“I can’t stand English. All the Shakespeare and poetry and ugh. I’d rather just take another history class or math class in place of it.” I said as he led me out of the locker bay and down another hallway.

“See, that’s where you and I are different. I can’t stand history. There’s just too much for me to remember.” He said with a small laugh. I laughed as well.

“How about I make you a deal? You help me in English, and if you ever need it, I’ll help you with history?” I said as we walked into Mr. Philips classroom. He turned to face me and I almost ran into him. I stopped and looked up at him and he was smiling a half smile and his big brown eyes were lite up. I almost had to do a double take at the gorgeous person standing in front of me.

“Deal.” He said, extending his hand out to me. I took it and then he turned, still holding my hand, and led me to a table with two chairs. He sat me down then sat down next to me.

“Ready to do some English?” he said to me with a too perky attitude. I groaned, but smiled and shook my head, pulling my English book out of my bag.