BOYS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

Every head in the room turned towards the window, mine included. A faded-red car had stopped short in the parking lot and a ripple of giggles passed through the class when two guys almost tumbled out of it. After a second I realised it was Dom's car and the two guys were Matt and Chris. Even from a distance they looked like they had just gotten up; Matt's hair was sticking up and Chris crammed something, most likely a croissant, in his mouth before grabbing his bag.

As I was watching them, smiling widely, I felt Charlenne poking me and I understood that Ms. Godthing had called me. I put on a more serious face and looked up.

"Jade Lafayette?" she repeated, scrutinizing me through her slanted glasses.

"Yes," I nodded before looking back at them.

While Dom was parking the car more properly, Matt and Chris started running toward the school. Well...Chris was running but Matt seemed to have some difficulty following him as he still was buttoning up his white shirt.

"Is he still getting dressed up?" Charlenne whispered, looking both astonished and amused.

"It looks like it," I answered and we sniggered.

The room started buzzing with the students chatting.

"Quiet."

It lowered, but didn't stop. It seemed to me that the teacher was calling the pupils' names faster than she had before. As if she wanted to pass Chris' name before they came in.

"Valery Tanis?"

"Yes!"

I could hear fast footsteps in the corridor.

"Sam Vannoy?"

"Here."

"Christopher Wolsten..."

"YEEES!"

A panting Chris literally crashed against the door frame, his face red with the effort of running. A few seconds later Matt skidded behind him. When he came to a stop, his shoes made a sound quite similar to tire squeal, causing a new ripple of sniggers to rise in the room.

He ran his hands through his hair while skirting round Chris, who was still recovering, and said: "Bellamy! Yes, here. Present!" He was panting a bit as well and had talked with a frightening speed, but a big smile spread across his face. And he was...wearing yellow sunglasses.

As they started heading towards the back of the room, the teacher spoke up. "Matthew?"

He turned to face her in a flash. "Yes? Miss Godspeed?"

Godspeed! That was it! Not Godspoon...

She stared at him for a second. "Glasses?" she said, raising one eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, right." He hung them to his shirt before turning round again. When he walked past our table he noticed Charlenne and me. He grinned again and adjusted his collar. I smiled back and twisted in my chair to watch them sit down.

Without warning Charlenne burst out laughing next to me. She was staring past me so I turned to follow her gaze. And I chuckled too.

Dom was making a show of his own outside.

He had brought a cushion with him and he slung it on a bench opposite the window, before comfortably sitting on it, grinning from ear to ear. He put a bag of popcorn next to him while sipping soda through a straw. Chris's laugh and Matt's distinctive giggling joined the general laughter this time.

"Be quite!" Godspeed scolded us as she looked daggers at Dom. If there had been any curtains to the windows she'd have probably put us in the dark by now.

Eventually she managed to ignore him and to finish calling the last names on the list. When she was finally done, she began boring us with a this-is-a-very-important-year speech. After a while I just couldn't listen anymore. I could see her lips moving and I was hearing words but they didn't really form any sentences in my mind. That was the tedious-teacher syndrome.

I sighed as I glanced around the room. I noticed that I wasn't the only one who had given up trying to listen. Charlenne was idly drawing some undefined pattern on a sheet, a guy and his girlfriend were playing with each other's hands, Lise had rested her chin on her hand, staring into the void, while Alex was lovingly gazing at her...and several people were watching Dom.

I cast a look at him myself and realised that his eyes were fixed on me. As soon as he noticed me looking back at him he beamed and waved his hand. A few people turned round to see who he'd been waving at, so I quickly looked away and hid my blush behind my hair. After that I regularly glanced at him and nine times out of ten he'd been staring at me. I felt like I was some kind of exotic fish being displayed in a public aquarium...

I forgot about Dom when I remembered Matt and Chris. I could hear them speak in whispers a few rows behind me and I pricked up my ears, hoping to catch something by eavesdropping on them. Suddenly I heard Matt say my name and I barely stopped my head from whipping round to face him. I listened really hard but I couldn't pick up any other word. When I couldn't stand it any longer I curled my hand around my neck and tried to glance surreptitiously over my shoulder. Matt met my gaze almost instantly. He had been muttering something to Chris and while he kept on whispering, the corners of his mouth tilted up into a ravishing smile.

I looked straight ahead again, biting my bottom lip as I was trying to fight off my own smile.

In order to get the three of them out of my mind I tried to resume listening to what Ms. Godspeed was saying. Apparently she was approaching her speech's end.

"...and I hope you'll take advantage of this year to..." Blah blah blah... "...and to properly work together."

Silence. I looked up. Really? That was it?

She slammed her hands flat on her desk, which triggered a few jumps amongst the students, and stood up, scraping her chair back with a horrible screeching noise. Like everybody else in the room I winced.

"And now please open your books page..." She was cut off by a clapping sound.

Outside Dom had stood up and was applauding harder than ever and cheering, "OOOOOuuuuhou! Well said Chief!" For the third time today the whole class burst out laughing. Just how had he known she had just finished?

Godspeed waved her hand at him like he was some kind of annoying pet. "Shoo! Go away!" That was the last straw. I collapsed into a fit of laughter for good. When she realised she wasn't going to manage to call the class back to order, Godspeed stormed off into the corridor.

Everyone was giggling or chatting. I stirred in my chair, smiling at the people around me. Charlenne was softly shuddering to a stream of chuckles and we began talking animatedly, big smiles crossing our faces.

We were interrupted by Matt when he bent over our table. "Hello there, ladies" he said, resting on his elbows. He glasses were stuck up in his hair.

"Hey," Charlenne answered. "Thank you, O Great Matthew for honoring us with your presence today," she said mockingly.

He grinned and picked up the piece of paper on which Charlenne had been sketching. "You're very welcome...anything for my fans. Hey, we were thinking about going on a ride in town after all this crap..." he made a face as if it disgusted him before smiling again, all the while making confetti out of Charlenne's sheet. "You girls wanna come?"

While he'd been talking his glasses had swung down on his nose. I leaned in close to him, took them off his nose before putting them on and, throwing out my best flirting abilities without really knowing why, I said with my most sultry voice: "I would be delighted."

His confidence flickered a bit and his smile slowly faded as he stared at me. He looked mesmerised. Wow. I hadn't realised I could have that kind of effect on him. Well, it was only fair, considering the one he could have on me.

I leaned back in my chair again and glanced at Charlenne over the glasses. We both burst out giggling at the same time, making Matt snap out of his daze.

"Well Matt," Charlenne said, "looks like you've found someone stronger than you."

She'd hit a nerve. His face stricken, he was about to reply when we heard some angry shouting coming from outside.

Godspeed was trying to get Dom out of the school's ground. At first he was boasting big time but when he saw the two sturdy guys that had come along with her he suddenly became much more modest and cooperative. He held his hands out in front of him just like a culprit turning in the guns. Then he let the two men escort him to the parking lot but not before he'd enjoyed one last ovation. He ran to the window and bowed very low while we acclaimed him.

"What a show off..." Matt muttered next to me. I studied him for a while.

Indeed, he and Dom had a strange relationship. It was obvious that they loved each other like brothers and that they were the best of friends, but still...there was a bizarre rivalry between the two of them that was sometimes thick enough to cut through with a butter knife. He eventually noticed my stare and he looked back at me, but didn't manage to hold it for long. Soon his eyes were going back and forth between Charlenne and I.

"So we'll pick you up in front of the school, yeah?"

We nodded.

Then he turned towards Alex and Lise. "You two are coming along?" They agreed. The only one he hadn't asked was Emily.

She woke up. "Hey, what about me?" She looked miffed. "Can I come too or am I unwanted? !"

He flashed a brilliant smile at her. "Well of course you're coming, beauty. The more the merrier. I didn't ask 'cause I assumed you were coming anyway."

What a smoothie...he knew how to make up to women. She seemed satisfied.

Before she turned her back on us she shot me a smug look. My eyebrows shot up.

'What's her problem? What does she have to be smug about? She's not the one who can captivate him with a single look now, is she?'

I mentally slapped myself. I couldn't allow myself to be cut to the quick by her. Nor to think of him that way. He wasn't a prize I was trying to win. That was a 'game' I had used to play before I met Jack. And having left a trail of broken hearts behind me wasn't something I was particularly proud of anyway. Not mentioning that I had copped a packet myself sometimes. Besides, I didn't really agree with what Charlenne had said...I wasn't so sure I was mentally stronger than him. I'd have bet he had one hell of a mental armour. If we started playing cat-and-mouse I could be the one to get my fingers burnt...

Matt zoomed back to his seat when Godspoon...no. Speed. Godspeed. When Godspeed came in through the door. She looked relieved to be rid of Dom. When I realised I still had Matt's sunglasses on my nose, I quickly hung them to my top, securing one of their legs in my bra. Just to be sure not to lose them or damaged them, since they weren't mine...

Finally she could begin her lesson. Math wasn't my favorite topic of study, but it wasn't the worst either. And I would need it a bit anyway if I wanted to be a photographer. So I tried to focus on her, and whenever I started daydreaming I reminded myself that I was going to have a good time with friends in no more than two hours.

title: inspired by Cyndi Lauper (obviously)

"I know there's something that you're dying to tell me"

FEEDBACK ;-)

"don't keep it to yourself"

This chapter has been edited and proofread by LilyTheAnnoyance. :-) Thx Lily