"You're late" Jasper Sitwell, the computer class teacher barked when Deke shuffled into the room.
"Sorry, sir" Deke stumbled over his words, and headed to the back of the room
"No" Sitwell frowned, "I want you up here, where I can keep an eye on you"
Class resumed, and Sitwell lectured on and showed the class how to disable firewalls, working on his computer and broadcasting it onto the screen so the students could follow along.
"This is kindergarten stuff" Deke was soon bored. He played online instead, and soon was on social media.
Sitwell droned on, and Deke glanced across the room to Daisy. She wasn't exactly taking notes either. With her shoulder leaning against the closed window pane, she was more focused on something going on outside the class.
"I wonder if she's online, too" he grinned, "I bet she's as bored as I am" he messaged her using a social media application from the computer.
Unfortunately, while Daisy wasn't online, her phone was on, and it pinged, loudly.
"Sorry about that" Deke typed again and sent a message. But that meant another ping from Daisy's phone
"Is class boring you, Ms. Coulson?" Sitwell walked over to her. "Perhaps you'd like to go visit Principal Carter and discuss this"
Deke couldn't understand why Sitwell was lording this over her. A trip to the principal's office was for high end infractions, not something basic like texting in class, especially if it wasn't really her mistake; it was his.
Chivalrous, to a fault, Deke put his hand up, "I'm to blame, Mr. Sitwell" he got the teacher's attention, "I was just checking up on her, to see if she's ok"
"She looks fine to me" Sitwell stared over his eyeglasses at Deke, "but since you're a co-conspirator in this, why don't you both take a walk and visit the principal" he wasn't smiling, "Now"
Deke and Daisy gathered their things and left the classroom
"What's wrong with you?" she glared at him
"I really did want to see if you were ok" he started, "you weren't paying attention in class and-"
"And what?" she cut him off, "you wanted to be some sort of narc and make sure I was paying attention?"
"No" he looked wounded, "I wanted to see if I could do anything to help out" he looked away, "I know what its like when things are rough, and – well, sometimes, it feels like nobody's on your side" he spoke the last part to the lockers in the hallway, rather to her.
"Well, thanks" she began, "but really, just don't do anything like that. It's not your job to care about me"
"Maybe not" he sighed, "but – maybe we're friends and friends care about each other"
"Who said we were friends?" she frowned at him
"Yeah" Deke looked down at his sneakers
"I'm just kidding" she laughed, "Look, there wasn't anything going on in that class that I couldn't do myself by the time I was in kindergarten"
"Yeah, me too" he smiled
A beat passed between them.
"So" he broached the question, "what were you looking out the window for?"
"Well" she blushed a moment, "Grant's out there, practicing for the team"
"Right" Deke nodded and sighed, "Grant Ward"
"He's not so bad" she got defensive
"Sure" Deke exhaled. To himself, he thought, "not so bad if he's got the personality of a sea slug" he looked over at her, "I saw your Dad pick you up the other day, after school. He seems nice"
"That's an act" Daisy was quick with a comeback, "It's all an act. They just want to keep me under their control"
"I guess that's why you like Ward" Deke guessed aloud, "I mean, he can take you away from all that, and all I can do is-" he didn't finish the sentence
"You're a funny guy" Daisy laughed
Deke turned red, like the fire extinguishers that dotted the hallways
"Grant's not that bad" she repeated, "and I don't need him to get me away from my parents." she sighed, "and anyway, it's not like they really care about me"
"What are you talking about?" Deke looked stunned, "you should try coming home with me"
Daisy stared at him
"I mean" Deke faltered, "see what it's like at home"
"What happened the other day?" Daisy questioned him, "It looked like your Dad was yelling at you"
"Oh" Deke shook his head, "Nothing. I just messed up, again"
"You shouldn't let them talk to you like that" Daisy frowned. The principal's office was almost right in front of them, "Show them who's boss"
"Bobo is the boss" Deke shuddered
"Bobo?" Daisy raised an eyebrow
"It's just a- what I call him" Deke shrugged his shoulders, trying to play it casual, "It's nothing."
"Nah" Daisy gave him a light punch on the shoulder, "It's not nothing. And you're not nothing either. You got to just get out there" she grinned at him, then opened the door to Principal Carter's office.