I Miss You

He grumbles as he stomps through the freshly fallen snow, icy flakes staining his black jacket. He hears the faint but clear sound of a school bell ringing not too far away. He glances at his watch. He’s late.

She gazes out the window beside her as Mr. McGuinn starts his lecture. Class begins the same way it always does, but it’s not the same. She glances at the empty desk beside her, and sighs. He was late. She shouldn’t care.

He finally walks onto school grounds, keeping his eyes focused on the building not too far ahead. He hates snow. He found no joy in being pelted by ice, and he swore someday he would move to a place where he would never have to shovel another pile of it again.

She watches him walk towards the building, annoyance plain on his face. She smiles slightly. She never understood why he disliked snow so much. He hated it. She loved it. She can’t see his face anymore, since she’s on the second floor. Instead, all she can see is the hood of his jacket. She hopes he’ll look up. He does. She quickly looks away.

He finally makes it to his class. He opens the door and Mr. McGuinn turns his attention away from the whiteboard and peers at him from above his glasses, a hint of irritation present.

“You are late Mr. Reynolds. Take your seat.” Mr. McGuinn mutters before looking back at the board.

She watches him take the seat next to her, and curses herself for feeling relieved that he’s here. It’s none of her concern. He’s not anything to her… anymore. She feels a lump in her throat but ignores it. She focuses on her notes, hoping it’ll help her resist the urge to look at him again.

He pulls out his notebook and lazily scribbles down what Mr. McGuinn has written. He finds himself watching her as she neatly writes each word. He smiles at the focused expression on her face and watches her push her soft hair behind her ears. He notices she’s not wearing the ring he had bought her for her birthday last year. He’s unsure of why he feels so surprised. They weren’t dating anymore. She didn’t have to wear the ring. He finally looks away, staring ahead blankly.

Don’t look. Don’t look. She doesn’t know why it’s so hard. After several months, why is it that today all she could think about was him. She had already gotten over him. Then why now? Hadn't they both agreed that seperating was for the best? Focusing on her notes wasn’t working. Against her better judgment she glances at him once more. He’s looking straight ahead; every now and then he jots down a few words and then stares at the board again. She tries not to wonder what he’s thinking about. She returns to her notebook, only to knock her eraser off her desk in the process. She watches it roll all the way to his backpack before it finally stops. She closes her eyes for a moment and internally curses the eraser as well as her clumsiness. Only stopping when she hears his hushed voice.

“Here.” He whispers to her, holding out the small white eraser. She looks at him a bit surprised and then smiles and thanks him as she takes it from his hand. She seemed a bit nervous, which was unusual for her. She was not a shy person. In fact, she was rather outgoing and she was quick to speak her mind. He finds himself thinking about her. About how they used to be.

She gazes out the window again, trying not to think about his smile and his voice. She remembers the ring and reaches into her pocket. It’s still there, in her pocket. She shouldn’t be carrying it around. It’s silly, especially if she’s not going to wear it. She knows it will still be in her pocket tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. Finally, she admits to herself the real reason she keeps it with her.

He’s still thinking about her. But there’s no point. It’s been months anyways. It doesn’t matter anymore. It won’t change the past.

As if on cue, they both sigh.

She doesn’t even try to stop herself from looking at him. Her eyes meet his, and she hopes that their thoughts are alike.

He hopes that just maybe they’re thinking the same thing.

I Miss You…