Back to You(15)

Michael closed his eyes as he dragged his hands down his face, because as much as he longed to have that back, even for a minute, he hoped she hadn. What would happen if he called and "> shoulder’t forgiven him.
He didn’t deserve it.

December 2000
Del stood up against the lockers in the East Building, waiting for his friend Jay so they could cut fifth period and go down to the deli to grab something to eat.
The other students skirted past him, giving him a wide berth, and he watched them, the way they chattered mindlessly, the way some of the girls flirted pathetically, the way a few of them eyed him like they didn’t know if they should acknowledge him or run.
And then she walked past, glancing over at him and smiling softly before she stopped at her locker a few feet ahead.
She had been doing that for a while now. Ever since he had defended her against that arrogant * in Health class a few weeks ago, anytime she saw him or passed him, she would smile.
Once, when she had been entering the building as he was leaving, he held the door for her, and her shoulder brushed his chest as she smiled up at him and thanked him.
And now she was at her locker, balancing her books in one arm as she worked the combination of her lock, blowing her breath out the side of her mouth every few seconds to get the veil of hair out of her eyes. He couldn’t stop watching her.
She wasn’t like any of the other girls.
It wasn’t just because of the sweet way she acknowledged him. It was more than that. She didn’t carry herself like a freshman. Or a teenager at all, for that matter. She dressed trendy, but managed to do it with class, while other girls wore things that were tight and low-cut and made them look trashy instead of sexy. She seemed sophisticated, but not arrogant. She was quiet, but not withdrawn. He could tell she watched everything; she took it all in, assessing everyone and everything around her.
And because of that, she shouldn’t have been smiling at him the way she did. She should have been afraid of him.
Even that Jenn girl who was always with her gave him an uneasy look whenever he’d pass, or she would whisper vehemently in Lauren’s ear in either disgust or horror when Lauren would acknowledge him.
Yet she still continued to do it.
Lauren opened her locker, jumping back suddenly as a book tumbled out, and as she struggled to catch it, the other books she was holding scattered to the floor.
Without thinking, he pushed off the lockers and walked toward her. She was crouched on the floor gathering her things, and he knelt down beside her, reaching out to grab the last of the books.
Advanced Biology.
“Here you go, Red,” he said, handing her the textbook, and she glanced up at him and smiled.
“Thanks.”
“You’re in Advanced Bio?” he asked as he stood. “Aren’t you a freshman?”
Lauren stood on her tiptoes as she placed some of the books back on the top shelf. “Yeah. I’m a year ahead in sciences. It’s kind of my thing,” she said with a shrug, brushing the hair out of her eyes before pulling a notebook off the shelf.
He leaned back against the locker next to hers, folding his arms. “Are you in Wendt’s class?”
“Yep. Good ol’ Wendt,” she said with an eye roll, and he smiled. It was { display: block; font-size: e Sr the first real conversation they’d had, and he found himself scrambling for a way to keep it going.
“You ready for that unit test next week?” he asked.
“I think so,” she said. “You?”
Del laughed as he absently ran his fingertips over the vents on a nearby locker. “Me? No. I’m screwed.”
She turned then, looking up at him with dark green eyes. It was the first time he noticed what color they were.
“Do you want me to help you?”
It took him a second to answer. “Do you want to help me?” he finally asked, genuinely confused.
“Sure,” she said casually as she turned away for a moment to close her locker. When she turned back to face him, she pulled her books into her chest and looked up at him. “I can help you after school for a bit. I have practice at three, but if you’re free before then, we could go over some stuff.”
He straightened up as he ran a hand through his hair. He had no idea what to say to that.
She blinked up at him, waiting, and at the look in her eyes, he felt his shoulders soften. “Yeah, that’s cool. We can meet up for a bit after school today if you want.”
“Okay.”
“Alright, see you then,” he said, turning quickly as he walked way from her in a stupor.
“Wait, Michael?”
He froze as the oddest feeling settled over him. No one called him Michael. Ever. Not even his teachers called him by his real name. The only one who ever had was his grandmother. It should have bothered him that she didn’t call him Del. Michael was too familiar.