Rumored Nights

Five more minutes.

The teacher sat at her desk boredly flipping through a generic fashion magazine, not even bothering to keep up the teaching charade this late in the day.

The soundtrack of the classroom was nothing but scratching pencils, rustling papers, and the occasional squeak of a chair.

Still, everyone was restless to leave, waiting for the bell to ring.

In the back of the classroom, next to the door, one girl sat apart from everyone else, staring boredly at the clock.

Her long dark hair fell like curtains on either sides of her face, a cross between wavy and straight hair.

She was just another face, just another person that melted into the crowd.

Her not so original converse tapped boredly on the tile floor, catching under the fray of her loose jeans.

She would've been pretty by today's standards if she was wearing make-up, but as it was she never bothered to wear any.

The pen in her hand tapped boredly against the desk, the only sign of impatience she showed.

It was like this everyday with the poker face pretense she kept up.

No one bothered to speculate or stereotype with her, it was as if she was neutral.

None of that seemed to bother her though.

For the eight or so hours she spent in the government funded learning institution it wasn’t where her life was.

She felt more like a middle age woman in her seventeen year old body when she took her seat among the chattering teenagers.

Precisely the reason she was staring at the clock with such interest.

One more minute.

The clock ticking was much louder, more obvious, when it’s the only object of your attention.

It resounded in her ears, into her head, echoing with each second.

With each passing moment her hand moved.

She gathered her books without resettling her gaze.

The strap of her bag slid onto her shoulder, its weight still held by the floor.

She was far more desperate to get out of the classroom than anyone in the room realized.

There wasn’t the feeling of freedom she desired so much to focus obsessively on time.

Even through the thick plastered walls she knew her reason was there, waiting.

As the clock ticked through the final few precious seconds, the thin black hand moved steadily upward.

She didn’t wait for the bell to ring as she slipped out of her desk.

The students had barely moved from their seats when the low ring of the bell echoed through.

The door was already closing behind her.

With the classroom doors opening and students trickling out she picked up her pace toward the front of the building.

And there he was, his thin frame leaning against one of the many trees.

As she walked through the doors and into the fresh fall air he caught sight of her.

"Alice!"

Just hearing him say her name brought a bright smile to her face.

She all but ran to him, despite the heavy thud of her bag on her leg.

With a mere three feet between them he closed the distance and pulled her into a tight hug, letting the toes of her shoes dangle over the ground a few inches.

He set her down just as kids started trickling out.

They glanced at him oddly in recognition before going on their way.

Of course everyone recognized William Beckett, few at Barrington didn't know about him.

The once star baseball player who graduated early last year to focus on music was hard not to notice.

Maybe it was the absurd skinniness of him, his towering height of 6'3, that he graduated last year and continued to come back, or the fact that almost every day after school he waited outside for the one girl in the whole school he acknowledged.

It was true that no matter how many of the junior and senior girls flirted with him, gave him numbers, or point blank asked him out, he ignored them all for Alice, his best friend.

They still sent her glares this very afternoon as William pulled way from her to take her heavy book bag from her shoulder.

Like always she protested.

"Bill I'm not that weak. If I can carry it around all day what's a few more blocks home?"

He grinned like always and slung it over his shoulder. "Someday Alice when you're an old lady and all the other old ladies are suffering back problems you'll thank me for being your pack mule and not making you share their fate."

She sighed but didn’t bother to argue.

He knew he won the argument as usual and slipped his arm around her shoulder, leading her away from the school.

"So Alice, what's the plan for today?"

The chatter of kids slowly began to drift away, leaving the sound of distant cars and their footsteps.

Alice shrugged. "Mom has a big wedding Saturday so she's staying late at the bakery and Luke is out of town on business."

"So you've got that big old house all to yourself?" He asked.

She shook her head with a laugh.

"Like that ever happens. No I'm baby sitting the brat." Alice explained in reference to her step sister.

William nodded, knowing full well about the joys of step siblings, or baby sitting them.

It was one of the reasons they shared for being so close.

Alice glanced up at him just as he spoke, his grin growing wider.

"Well then maybe I could come over after work? You know I get awfully hungry and you do make the best dinner."

Alice chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sure Bill, I bet I could kick Bobby Flay's ass when it comes to Hamburger Helper."

He nodded convincingly. "You so would."

William could always be counted on to praise the little things she did if it got even the smallest smile out of her.

He continued to do so on the rest of their walk to her house, never satisfied with just a smile, just a laugh.

The whole time they were together he fought the urge to hold her hand, play with her hair, settling only with his arm on her shoulder.

It was something he didn’t like, this want.

Alice didn’t notice though as they eventually stood together in front of her house.

"Tonight right?" She asked.

He nodded, slipping the strap of her book bag onto her shoulder.

"Tonight."