From Down Under

The bell rings and the death march begins
There are people all around us, but they disappear as our eyes meet
We are the only two in the school and a spotlight is on me
From down under, my stomach twists; heat dries my throat; fingers clench onto whatever they have; breath being held captive; heart stopping-until I see how pathetic he looks: I have no reason to be afraid
Voices fill the air and bodies close the space between us
My smile stings his skin as I flip my hair and strut into class, passing him by on my way in
From down under, he is a spider and I am a shoe.