Hannah let out a sigh of frustration as she slammed her books into her locker. Only a few days into grade eleven and Wesley was suffocating her. He'd been grounded for most of the summer and she'd enjoyed the independence she'd found. Now that they were back at Degrassi, he was busy comparing schedules, wanting to make time to each lunch together, always wanting to walk her to class and it really wasn't what she wanted or needed. She just wanted her space and if he didn't learn to give her some he was going to be moved from her number one neutron bomb to her former everything. She closed her locker hard, not looking where she was going as she started out. She smacked hard into someone, eyes instantly looking down wondering what she'd run into as laughter erupted from it.
"Ginger on a warpath?" a voice teasingly asked, helping her collect her books and handing them over. She offered a confused gaze which seemed to go noticed as he promptly added to it. "Adam might have hinted there was some dissension amongst the ranks when you practically begged him to be his lab partner in your science class at lunch."
Her cheeks flushed indignantly. She hated knowing that everyone in the school knew her business even people she didn't really make a habit of talking to. They weren't even in the same social group and there was no reason to really communicate with him. She'd shared a few years over the past few years most of which occurring during his relationship with Clare in the form of small talk in the hallway as she asked Clare to borrow notes or they worked on projects together. Once that had ended and he'd seemingly gone off his rocker, she really didn't have much to talk to him about. She had gone to see his play though and that had been … interesting. He didn't look like a drugged out maniac here though. He seemed far more like the charming kid who'd dated her classmate.
"Wesley is driving me up the wall," she said flinching as he phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She reached for it as they started moving down the hall together absently moving toward an exit. She let out an exaggerated groan as she saw the text asking her if she wanted to hang out after school. The dark haired boy snatched it from her hand and read it himself, lips twitching into a crooked smile. As he began to type a response for her, she frowned. "What are you doing?" she asked in a fit of panic. Number one, she didn't really know Eli enough to know what he might write. Number two, she wanted to handle her own problems.
"Just that you have plans helping me with the fall play. Last minute extra credit," he said handing her the phone back, smile unchanging. She gazed at her phone for verification and almost squealed with delight as she received a response. Wesley was actually leaving her alone. He was telling her to have fun. It was such a relief that she couldn't even believe it. She was free! She was completely free to do whatever she wanted tonight and she could get away with not responding to anymore texts because she was busy.
"I could almost kiss you," she told Eli, shoving her phone back in pocket as they made their way outside. "I seriously owe you one." She started to turn to make her way toward the bus stop that would take her home but then she remembered that Wesley would be waiting there to take his bus home and if she was helping with a play, she couldn't go and do that. Her movements stopped and she tried to figure out a course of action. Eli seemed to notice the hesitation of direction, rolling his eyes and silently moving him toward his dad's car, opening the door for her and quickly moving to the driver's side with a jingle of the keys.
"I'd say you more than owe me," he said with a wink as he started the ignition and started the drive.