Status: Work in Progress!
I Believe In The Finer Things & You Don't Believe In Me
Cowards Are Golden
Wednesday morning we rehearsed it again as well, running through it a few times with his encouragement before class, and when it got to the point where I felt like I was comfortable, he wrapped me in a tight hug, telling me quietly that I'd do perfect.
We walked into class, and then the whole situation started to set in. After a short introduction by Mrs. Edgerly, people went up to present.
I watched everyone as they confidently read out their writing, and it made me feel even worse, seeing how easy this was for them but how difficult it was for me. Each pair made me more and more anxious. There was a hollow feeling in my stomach, and it felt like any second my breakfast would come rushing up. I was shaky, my leg bouncing idly and my fingers tapping on the tabletop quietly, but at a rapid pace. Josh noticed and he grabbed my hand in his, letting them fall between us and he swung them gently, flashing me a confident smile.
That smile held me over for a while, but when we finally got called up, I felt my heart practically drop and I felt like I was shaking as we stood up, our hands separating. I longed for the warmth of his hand again, but I let it go, grabbing my papers and following Josh up to the front of the class instead.
He introduced us, and read his poem fluently, stopping at all the right moments as if this was what he did daily. He looked completely content as he poured out his feelings to our peers, and I wanted him to hold me, to tell me it'd be alright, that I'd do great- but he'd done that before? Just minutes ago, in fact. Why did I have to be such a baby? Why can't I just be normal?
Someone nudged my shoulder, and it was then that I realized that I wasn't paying attention. Josh was signaling for me to read mine, and I felt like a deer caught in headlights as I adjusted the paper, holding it in front of me. I was nervously shifting my weight from foot to foot, and as I felt everyone's eyes on me a hand slipped into mine. I looked down and saw Josh's hand linked with mine again, telling me that he was there, and I followed my gaze up his arm and to his face.
He squeezed my hand gently, offering me a smile and I mirrored it, taking a deep breath. "W-When We Were Younger, Part T-Two." I began, blinking a few times as I gazed at the page, gradually speaking more and more clearly as my confidence built.
When I had finished, I held the paper at my side, looking directly at Josh. He was beaming, staring down at me, and I wanted to hug him so badly, beyond thankful that he made me rehearse it. "Thank Mr. Franceschi and Miss. Fruciante. Good to finally hear you talk, Katherine. That was good. Please hand me your papers and return to your seats." Mrs. Edgerly said, not showing any amount of pride as her flat-line voice flooded the room.
Josh and I walked hand in hand to her desk, placing his papers on top of mine and then setting them on her desk. She cleared her throat, "Also, no PDA will be tolerated in my classroom. I suggest you stop with the hand holding unless you want to be written up for detention." she threatened, my face going red, and he dropped my hand with a saddened sigh.
A few classmates chuckled as we walked back to our seats, and once we were hidden behind the large body of our desk, he grabbed my hand again, gently rubbing soft circles into the back of it with his thumb, and it soothed my nerves that were still going haywire, but arose new butterflies in my stomach at the touch.
I had begun to fallen for Josh, and I was well aware. He was the first person in fourteen years to even give me the time of day- of course I'd feel strongly for him. Add on top of that that the fact that he's been my crush for over five years, and I was basically head over heels for him, so I prayed to god that over time it's just die back down to simple crush. He didn't like me that way, anyways... Did he?
We walked into class, and then the whole situation started to set in. After a short introduction by Mrs. Edgerly, people went up to present.
I watched everyone as they confidently read out their writing, and it made me feel even worse, seeing how easy this was for them but how difficult it was for me. Each pair made me more and more anxious. There was a hollow feeling in my stomach, and it felt like any second my breakfast would come rushing up. I was shaky, my leg bouncing idly and my fingers tapping on the tabletop quietly, but at a rapid pace. Josh noticed and he grabbed my hand in his, letting them fall between us and he swung them gently, flashing me a confident smile.
That smile held me over for a while, but when we finally got called up, I felt my heart practically drop and I felt like I was shaking as we stood up, our hands separating. I longed for the warmth of his hand again, but I let it go, grabbing my papers and following Josh up to the front of the class instead.
He introduced us, and read his poem fluently, stopping at all the right moments as if this was what he did daily. He looked completely content as he poured out his feelings to our peers, and I wanted him to hold me, to tell me it'd be alright, that I'd do great- but he'd done that before? Just minutes ago, in fact. Why did I have to be such a baby? Why can't I just be normal?
Someone nudged my shoulder, and it was then that I realized that I wasn't paying attention. Josh was signaling for me to read mine, and I felt like a deer caught in headlights as I adjusted the paper, holding it in front of me. I was nervously shifting my weight from foot to foot, and as I felt everyone's eyes on me a hand slipped into mine. I looked down and saw Josh's hand linked with mine again, telling me that he was there, and I followed my gaze up his arm and to his face.
He squeezed my hand gently, offering me a smile and I mirrored it, taking a deep breath. "W-When We Were Younger, Part T-Two." I began, blinking a few times as I gazed at the page, gradually speaking more and more clearly as my confidence built.
When I had finished, I held the paper at my side, looking directly at Josh. He was beaming, staring down at me, and I wanted to hug him so badly, beyond thankful that he made me rehearse it. "Thank Mr. Franceschi and Miss. Fruciante. Good to finally hear you talk, Katherine. That was good. Please hand me your papers and return to your seats." Mrs. Edgerly said, not showing any amount of pride as her flat-line voice flooded the room.
Josh and I walked hand in hand to her desk, placing his papers on top of mine and then setting them on her desk. She cleared her throat, "Also, no PDA will be tolerated in my classroom. I suggest you stop with the hand holding unless you want to be written up for detention." she threatened, my face going red, and he dropped my hand with a saddened sigh.
A few classmates chuckled as we walked back to our seats, and once we were hidden behind the large body of our desk, he grabbed my hand again, gently rubbing soft circles into the back of it with his thumb, and it soothed my nerves that were still going haywire, but arose new butterflies in my stomach at the touch.
I had begun to fallen for Josh, and I was well aware. He was the first person in fourteen years to even give me the time of day- of course I'd feel strongly for him. Add on top of that that the fact that he's been my crush for over five years, and I was basically head over heels for him, so I prayed to god that over time it's just die back down to simple crush. He didn't like me that way, anyways... Did he?
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Oh my god, you guys! Your comments are just too nice! You're the best! Literally, these past few updates are completely dedicated to My Misery Business & d-o-c-t-o-r-w-h-o, without you two I probably would've given up on writing this story a lot sooner! I promise, I won't abandon this story like I have with my others! I actually really enjoy this one, I think it's coming along much better than others I have done. Don't forget though, constructive criticism! I'm pretty positive that there's something I could work on, so if you have any recommendations, I'd be happy to know 'em! Thank you so much for reading/subscribing/commenting/etc.! Have a great day! I might try and update a few more times today! :)d-o-c-t-o-r-w-h-o: Thank you so much for your comments! They really mean a lot! I don't think it's possible to comment too much! You've really been encouraging me, so feel free to comment as much as you'd like! I hope you're still enjoying the story! :)
My Misery Business: The same goes for you! Thank you for your comments, you two have both kept me inspired for this story, and for that I owe you a massive thank you! I really hope you're still interested in this story, I'm trying my best to update a few times a day for you guys! :)