I looked at the brunette from the back of the classroom, dressed in the new instated uniform of William McKinley high. It was a plain white polo shirt with black shorts or a black skirt depending on your preference. It suited her but that came as no surprise since I knew how organised she was. My heart fluttered inside me as she turned around and smiled briefly. I smiled back before looking down at the survey that Ms. Pillsbury had provided to every senior class in the school for first period.
They were all reasonably standard questions, what do you want to do and what schools have you applied to etc. My stomach twisted as I read through the paper, unable to reasonably focus on it because in all honesty my mind was on her, the brunette with the lovely voice. I tried to snap myself out of it so many times because she had a boyfriend and I would not be the bitch who broke up relationships. I wouldn't be that person.
We had been handed the surveys at the end of the class so it was no surprise when the bell went and I hadn't even started the other side. I quickly filled in the details but felt my stomach twist when I reached the last one so I left it blank, folded it in half and dumped it into the box in front. In a few days a timetable would be put up on the noticeboard with our session times with Ms. Pillsbury so we could talk about our future, our plans and the things we may need to work on to accomplish them.
I put on my brave face all day as I tried to push my thoughts away, a thousand plans as to how to I could win her over but they would have to wait. I had places to be and people to see. I focused all of my energy into my work out but it still wasn't enough to put me to sleep at night when all that filled my mind was how her mind was probably filled with thoughts of him. So the next morning I slowly rose out of bed begrudgingly with stiff muscles and bags under my eyes. The monotony of my life lately was enough to drive me insane. The morning argument with myself about whether to even attend school and deal with the ridiculous hierarchy that existed; regardless of how hard the people with power in it denied it.
I walked through the bustling hallways but it was like a fish swimming upstream at this time of morning. Most of the seniors were heading to the west wing but I had a free so I was fighting my way to the notice board. Eventually I found it and spotted my name on the third sheet of pea green paper. I felt blindly through my bag to find a pen and sign next to my name before heading to the study center where people tapped away at keyboards and flicked through text books for answers.
There were a thousand things I could be doing but instead I retrieved my camera from my bag so I could look through the photos from the party last week. Everyone smiling and reasonably intoxicated, and then there was her. Everything I did just kept bringing me back to her, made me like her more as my mind informed me of small facts and brief memories of moments with her.
I continued on with my day, with my next few days until I reached my appointed session time. I entered the room swiftly and sat down on the uncomfortable plastic red chair that looked like it'd be more at home in a bar than a counsellor's office. We went through the routine, about how I'd applied and my hopes of actually getting in and just as I was ready to leave and my time was almost up.
"I wanted to talk to you about your missing answer," the over-excitable ginger declared.
"Which question was that sorry?" I asked, pretending I didn't know.
"Where do you want to be in ten years time?" Mr. Pillsbury asked quietly.
The door opened and in came the object of my affections, looking gorgeous and as blissfully ignorant as ever. I collected my bag and vacated my seat for her before heading for the door.
"You didn't answer," the ginger called out.
I turned and looked at her before looking at the brunette.
"With her".