"Hey, you! Cress, right?" Thorne ran to catch up with Cress. Cress stopped and turned around. She was really small. She was a full foot shorter than Thorne, and he had to look down to talk to her.
"Yes…?" she looked up at me.
"Well… I got your name, but I never gave you mine." Thorne said to her. What was he doing? He wasn't the type to talk to short, baby-cute girls. He normally approached the attentive, sexy, wild style. "The name is Captain Carswell Thorne. At your service, miss." He bent down and held Cress's hand to his lips. Man, he hasn't down this introduction in such a long time. How long was it? 5, 6 years maybe?
"Um… Th-thank y-you," Cress stuttered and pulled her hand back quickly. Thorne smiled a big smile. Like how he used to.
"Do you want to hang out with me and my friends during lunch? You seem like the shy one, and I don't want you to be sitting alone on the first day," Thorne says. Dang it, Thorne! He thought to himself. You don't tell a girl that!
But Cress didn't seem to mind. Except for the part where he asked her to heat lunch with him. "Um… Well… Maybe… I'll-I'll think about it," she murmured.
"Great! Well, I'll see you then!" and Thorne went to his next class.
All day, Thorne couldn't stop thinking about Cress. Her big blue eyes. Her slender and petite body. Her freckles that danced across her cheeks and nose. She looked so... sweet. Innocent. Lovable. Cuddly. Fluffy. Was that possible for somebody to be fluffy? Thorne didn't know. He just kept on thinking about those blue eyes...
"Mr. Thorne? Can you answer the question please?" the teacher (Thorne forgot her name) said.
"Sure. Well, let's see. I think C is the answer. Am I right?" Thorne replied. He hasn't been paying attention, actually. He always chooses C on science problems.
The teacher looked surprised. "Yes, it is, Mr. Thorne." Well, then. He guessed it right! The teacher didn't call on him for the rest of the period. Of course, that was totally fine for Thorne. He just kept on counting the seconds until class was over. He was jumpy. He couldn't sit still. He purposely broke his pencil did stand up and sharpen it. And all the time, he thought about Cress.
1,456... 1,457... Crescent Moon... 1,460... Break the pencil. Get up. Walk over to the sharpener. Peek out the door's window to see if Cress was by chance in the hallway. And she was. Thorne was so surprised, that he almost tripped over himself while walking to the sharpener. But... it wasn't right. Cress didn't seem... right. Then Thorne saw it. The tears flowing from eyes. She was crying.
"Um... Teacher? I need to go to the bathroom. Really bad. Like, I'm about to pee right now!" Thorne made it look urgent on his face. The teacher just sighed and signed a quick pass. She gave it to him, and he dashed out of the door, straight to Cress.
Cress didn't seem to notice him, probably because her head was down, and she kept on crying. Out in front of her locker, he thought. She also had a bathroom pass. Which was weird because don't most people, when they cry, cry in the bathroom? Thorne went over next to her, and sat down. She still didn't notice him. Soon, the crying stopped, and she lifter her head from her knees. She gasped and scooted herself away from Thorne when she saw him right next to her.
"Ca-Captain. Wha-What are you doing here?" Cress looked so surprised, her face and eyes red from crying. Her small nose was a bit red, too. Thorne reached into his back pocket, and got his mother's handkerchief he always carried around with him. He lifted his hand to wipe the tears away, but when Cress flinched, he froze, and instead, he just handed it to her.
"Here, Damsel. Use this. I can call you that, right? I've always wanted to save a damsel in distress." Thorne smiled softly, and Cress took the handkerchief. She turned around to wipe her tears off, and gave it back to him when she was done. Thorne gave it back to her. "You can keep it. Well, not really keep it keep it, but keep it until you can talk to more people. And don't cry to much when there's no water around you. It dehydrates your body."
Cress nodded, and she smiled. She smiled! Even though it was weak, Thorne could sense the genuine feeling in it. "Thank you, Captain. I really appreciate it," she said without any stutters, even though it was still quiet. Thorne stood up, and helped her up, too. "I guess I'll be going. I'll see you at lunch, Captain." Then she turned around and started to go to her class. Right when he was going to turn towards his class, Cress turned around and said, "I've always wanted to be saved by a hero," and she left went into her classroom.
Thorne smiled, and said, even though no one could hear him, "It's my pleasure, Damsel."
