Taking Us Slow: Chapter Two

Chapter Two





         Focus, Cassie, focus, I thought.  I rubbed my temples gently. I felt her eyes on me as I walked away. I just wanted to push those eyes, her eyes of my head, but I couldn’t. I sighed, and opened my notebook looking over my notes briefly before class officially started. The pelage was said, but no one stood, partly because of laziness or lack of motivation. After the usual morning announcements had ended. Mr. Paige didn’t waste any time passing out the test papers. The numbers and formulas bleed together and looked like a foreign language to me. “Focus…,”I whispered quietly.  I took a deep breath, and cleared my mind. I worked through the problems carefully, but not lingering on one too long. I let the math consume my thoughts, but ceasing to push past her honey eyes.

 Wryly, I turned in my test before the bell ending first hour rang. I felt unsatisfied leaving the classroom. I had studied for the test; it was not like me to be distracted like that…distracted by someone. I tried to recall ever seeing this girl before. Emily looked like a boy at first glance, but her feminine frame was hidden under a white polo, and khaki Dickies, the required uniform colors. I liked her flare; tom-boy never looked so good.  Her voice was so smooth; it was full of this sexy confidence.

  I wandered into my next class, British Literature. My best friend Jillian waved at me.

  “Hey, Jillian,” I said with a smile, and I hugged him.

 “Hey back,” He yawned and laid his head on the desk, I rolled my eyes. He took his daily naps everyday in second hour. He made straight A’s, so maybe he just learned better when he was sleeping. I’d never understand.  I envied it sometimes. I pulled out my ragged copy of Hamlet, reading ahead a couple of scenes.  I look up as more students poured into the classroom one by one.  My breath caught as Emily walked into the classroom, flipping back her gorgeous blonde hair from her eyes. She smiled that same crooked smile after our collision that morning.  I got butterflies, I actually got butterflies. 

 She sat down in an empty desk behind mine. Why haven’t I seen this girl before, I thought, Am I that self-absorbed? The teacher walked into the class. I tried to breathe, but the room was spinning.

 “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” Mrs. Numan said gleefully, “Pop quiz! Take out your pen and a blank sheet of sheet, because you are not writing on mine.”

Everyone groaned. I finally inhaled deeply my lung burning. I leaned forward, resting my arms on my desk, and away from away from any thought of contact from Emily. It wasn’t avoided.  She tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Can I borrow a pen?” She asked in a whisper.  Mrs. Numan passed out the papers with the essay topic on them.  I dug through my bookbag and passed her a ball point pen. I turned away from her without a word, trying to get my brain to veer away from my complete and utter attraction to her. I put my pen to work instead.

  The second hour of the day passed in the blink of an eye. I was the first to leave the class. For no apparent reason, I went to locker. I reapplied my favorite strawberry lip gloss to my lips. Slamming my locker shut, Emily was standing there, leaning against the locker adjacent to mine. I jumped a little.

   “Did I scare you?” She smirked softly.

   “Yeah, you did. You can’t sneak up on people like that,” I said, slipping my bookbag over my shoulder.

   “Sorree about that, you forgot your pen,” Emily smiled gently; I found her smile to be warming.

   “Thanks,” I returned her smile and I took my pen.

   “Can I ask you something?” I started walking towards my next class.

  “Sure,” I said, looking at her then down.

   “Why are you in such a hurry all the time? You should really stop and smell the roses.”

 What she said sounded so old fashioned, but I blushed still. “Well…..” I started, and then I just shrugged. I heard her chuckle under breath, but she walked beside me. Close enough where I caught her, it was intoxicating.

   “Are you new or something?” I asked, “I feel like I’ve seen before.” She just nodded.

 “Maybe in your dreams,” She winked at me, “but, yeh. I’m new, just moved here with my sister.”

 I chuckle, “Welcome to B.F.E High.”

 She laughed. 

 “So, you moved in the middle of your senior year, harsh.”

“Yeh, I’m kind of used to it.”

“You live with your sister, sounds cool.”

“If you say so, she’s stricter than my mom was.” 

  I stood in front of doorway of my Biology II class; I tried to avoid eye contact. “Do you want my number?” I blurted out, “I mean if you ever want to hang out or need help with homework.”

 I bit my lip slightly a waiting an answer, I felt a surge of electricity as she grabbed my hand, “How about you call me,” She wrote her number in black Sharpie in the palm of my hand, “I’ll talk to you later then,”

   I nodded and smiled. Emily walked backward away from me, I didn’t hide the fact that I was blushing.

 I couldn’t focus on Biology II at all, but Anatomy. Maybe, the anatomy of Emily, I pondered.