Unpleasant
"Hnnnngh..." I groaned, rolling over in my bed.
I still possessed no desire to attend school at all. Honestly, I don't think I ever will. I rolled reluctantly out of my warm and inviting sheets, though they were pleading for me to stay, and headed down the hall to shower before I changed my mind about getting back in bed. An hour later and I was finally out the door, trudging down the street. I was halfway to school before I noticed that I wasn't alone this morning. He'd been quiet the entire time, I hadn't even noticed him join me. When we stopped at a crosswalk I finally looked him over. He was wearing faded, distressed blue jeans and a grey Bathing Ape logo t-shirt, accessorized with one gold chain and diamond stud earrings. Simple white Nike sneakers. A backpack with a name brand I didn't recognize. He took notice of me staring at him.
"What?" He frowned. His eyes were red still. He'd clearly gotten high before leaving his home.
"You're attending today?"
"I guess."
"Why?"
"Tired of stayin home not doin shit all day."
The crosswalk changed and we didn't speak another word to each other until we reached the campus. That's when he turned to me and attempted to give me an order.
"Show me where my classes at."
"You could ask me to show you to your classes. But you'd have to know what your classes are first."
"Yeah, aight."
"I'll take you to the office."
He followed me closely, earning dirty looks from our peers who were now chattering about us. I could barely make out people asking who he was and why he was with me. Little do they know, he's not with me. I led him to the main office and attempted to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.
"I ain't goin alone."
"What are you, 6?" I scoffed.
"You comin with me." He stated firmly, pulling me along by my wrist to the student services desk.
"Oh, Cara! How may I help you?" It was the same girl with glasses who always helped me.
"He's here to pick up a copy of his schedule..." I felt like his mother.
"What is your name, sir?"
"Brown. Christopher Brown."
She stared at him a moment, her jaw slack. She seemed as if she wasn't believing a word he said. Then she broke into a smile.
"No really, who are you, sir?" She asked.
"Christopher Brown." He replied, unamused.
"Oh, well. Wow, Cara you did it."
"I didn't do anything. I barely even spoke a full paragraph to him."
"Well, Christopher, welcome back to Westshore. We hope to see more of you. I'll have your schedule in just a second."
She tapped her keyboard a few times before making a couple clicks with the mouse. That's when the printer started running and spit out a blue sheet of paper with a list of classes and teachers on it. She handed it to Christopher. He looked them over before looking at me.
"Show me yours."
"Why?"
"Just do it, damn."
I rummaged through my backpack until I found my own schedule, then handed it to him. His eyes shifted from his to mine, studying them. He handed her my schedule.
"I want the same one."
"Excuse me?"
"Gimme her schedule."
"No wait, don't give him my schedule...!"
"Give me. Her schedule." He repeated slower, glaring daggers into the poor desk girl.
"I-I'd have to speak with your guidance counselor first..."
"Where?"
"Sh-She's not here yet..."
"I'ma be here till she get here, then."
"No, you can't—"
"I ain't movin."
"Sorry about this, Addison." I interjected. "But I have to get to class. I'm leaving him with you."
I waved, grabbing my bag and my schedule as I blasted out of the office. I was so glad to be free of him. By lunch period I still hadn't heard anything, and I'm not so sure that's good. I shrugged it off, walking to the cafeteria quickly to get a good spot in line. As the line got longer I got more anxious. Large crowds scare me enough, but people's body parts were brushing against mine. After standing as peacefully as I could, I felt someone's entire body against me. I was petrified. There was no room for me to move forward without bumping rudely into someone.
"I got a new schedule."
I only tensed further now that I knew who it was. I inched forward as much as possible as to not touch anyone else. Maybe if I ignore him he'll go away.
"I still fuckin see you. You ain't invisible just cause you hold your breath." I didn't respond. "Look at me or I'ma pick your little ass up and make you look at me."
"What? Why are you following me around? Why are you acting like we know each other?" I hissed.
"I don't know nobody else here. You the only one I talked to. You gotta show me around."
"Why? You could find anyone to show you around. There are a lot of female students to ask, even male students."
"Yeah, but I chose you didn't I."
"Why!?"
"Cause I felt like I could, damn! I'm goin to all the same classes so it ain't like you gotta go outta your way for this shit."
"You're only going to the same classes because you demanded the same schedule. But what I want to know is why you did that!"
"I ain't comfortable around new people. I feel better havin you around cause I talked to you. Don't think I'ma be tryna be your friend n'shit cause that ain't gon happen. But a familiar face eases my mind."
"Whatever..."
I was next in line to gather my lunch, though I packed one. I only come through this line to buy extra snacks. Instead of being able to sit alone in the courtyard and listen to music, I had company. And he wanted me to explain everything to him.
"We got Serggero next..." He mumbled, looking at his schedule and eating curly fries from the cafeteria.
"Mm..." I was more occupied with the art project I was assigned last week. It would be due by the end of the day today and I hadn't touched it since before meeting Christopher.
"What'chu been drawin all this time?" He asked, leaning over the table and making it wobble.
"Finishing my art project..." I muttered in reply.
"Who's that little girl?"
"A self-portrait..."
"What's all'lat extra shit?"
"Things that represent someone I love or care about..." He was breaking my concentration.
"So you sittin in a room as a kid...surrounded by the toys that are people you love..."
"Yes...Christopher—"
"Call me Chris."
I looked up as the bell sounded, telling me it was time to pack up my things and make my way to my next class. I walked fast, swiftly cutting through groups of friends who thought it was okay to move as slow as possible, and those annoying couples who act like they won't see each other again in 90 minutes. Lucky for me, there were no empty desks near me, so Christopher wouldn't be able to bother me all period long. Mr. Serggero walked into class during the late bell.
"Good afternoon class!" He cheered the same way he did every day.
"Good afternoon Mr. Serggero." The mass of us responded the same way we did every day.
"Today we'll be talking about—" He stopped mid-sentence. I assume that meant he spotted Christopher. He smiled. "Well it looks like we have a new face in our class. Why don't you stand up and introduce yourself to your classmates."
He looked over at me, the entire class was staring at him. Reluctantly, he took a stand.
"I'm Christopher Brown. Nice to meet y'all or whatever..." He looked more uncomfortable than me.
"You're not a new student but it is your first time back since week one so I'll have to treat you as a new student. Miss Sommers would you do me a favor and switch seats with Mister Brown?"
"Yes sir..." She was the girl who sits beside me.
"Miss Thomas, you'll be helping Mister Brown in this class. Assisting him on anything he may need to know."
"I have a C in this class. If I help him he's sure to fail." I stated, hoping it would get me out of babysitting a grown man.
"You can work on your grades together. Maybe even make a friendly competition out of it."
"We're not friends."
"But you could be." Mr. Serggero smiled.
"Nah, we can't." He scoffed.
"Yikes, what is this tension between you two...?"
"No tension, we just would rather not socialize with each other."
"Well, isn't that a bummer? You're his partner."
Mr. Serggero didn't allow anymore discussion or debating on the matter, instead he just proceeded with class. By the end, I was fuming. None of that would have happened if he wasn't so hell-bent on having the same schedule as me. The bell rang, releasing us from class for 6 minutes to do whatever we needed to do as long as we made it to our next class before those minutes were over. I now had a shadow, but I still chose to use my bathroom break because I knew I could still make it to my building in under 3 minutes. What I didn't count on, however, was Christopher actually waiting for me to come out of the bathroom expecting me to lead him to a class he could've easily found on his own if he tried.
"What took you so long?"
"Minding my business."
What kind of man asks a lady what she was doing in the bathroom? Especially one he doesn't know. He followed me to the Art room where I greeted my teacher and sat at my usual table mostly alone, except now Christopher joined me. Shortly after the bell rang attendance was marked and the art teacher began making his rounds. When he made it to my table, he watched over my shoulder as I worked on my project.
"Your portrait is coming along beautifully. I hope you'll be finished by the end of class, though. If not, you'll drop a letter grade."
"I'm working on it, sir."
He moved his large hand from my shoulder to my head and smiled gently. Mr. Mahfud was a very attractive older man but at the same time, it made me feel just a little weird, him acting a certain way toward me. Actually, he's not even that much older. He's 21 for Christ's sake. I don't even know how he got to be a teacher so quickly. All the while I'm saying that, I'm staring at the most beautiful portrait I've ever seen, drawn by him. The man is a work of art drawing works of art. How meta can you be?
"You got the hots for your teacher."
"No. I don't have the hots for Mr. Mahfud."
"You do. I can feel the heat you generatin all the way over here since he touched you."
"You're wrong. Leave me alone so I can finish my project."
I huffed, continuing my project before he got the chance to say anything else annoying. Luckily I finished before the bell rang but now I have to walk home with Christopher. I gathered my things for the last time today. I watched Christopher leave the room and took my project to Mr. Mahfud. He accepted it with a smile.
"I'm glad you got it done on time. I was starting to worry that you wouldn't turn anything in."
"Yeah...sorry. My last couple projects weren't finished to my own standards so I didn't turn anything in."
"It's better to turn something in and receive some credit, than to turn nothing in and receive a zero."
"Yes sir..."
"Don't call me Sir. It makes me feel old. I'm only 21."
"Oh...okay. Well. I'll see you Monday."
"Take care."
I left the room. If I'm not supposed to call him Sir, what the hell does he want me to call him? I didn't see that pest anywhere so I assumed he went ahead. I took my time walking. Well, he was standing at the entrance gate with an annoyed look on his face.
"Fuck was you doin?"
"Excuse me, who are you to me?"
"That don't answer my question."
"You know where your house is. You don't need me to walk you home. What are you, 10 years old?"
"...Let's go."
There was a look in his eyes that I don't want to know the meaning behind. People who had been passing during the conversation had been staring at us. What did I do to deserve this? When I didn't move, he grabbed me by my wrist and began pulling me down the sidewalk with him. Once we were safely off school campus he dug around in his pocket for something for a moment. Finding what he was looking for, he fished out the blunt and held it between his lips while he lit it. He took a long drag then attempted to hand it off to me. I looked at him like he'd lost his mind. After figuring out that I wasn't going to take it, he withdrew his hand and continued walking. I think this guy is off his rocker. We came to his house first, naturally. I kept walking.
"You got nothin to say to me?"
"Do your homework."
I kept walking. There was nothing else to say.