A/N: Haha, this was kinda fun to write.
Disclaimer: Tutti gli elementi ed i caratteri che lei riconosce sono dei dei Lisi!
The Math Classroom
March 2, 2007
9:24 AM
Mrs. Meyers was not much like the other teachers. Instead of just lecturing (which was unbearable for her students to listen to her high scratchy voice). She would assign them to groups, and force them to complete a series of math problems before the class was over. Simple enough. But the fact that almost all of the Pretty Committee and their boyfriends had this class made it doubly unbearable.
At least for Claire.
"First Monday of March! You all know what that means" Mrs. Meyers called out, adjusting her wire rim glasses so they rested on her hawk nose. She was a warm lady, but not one to let you get off with /just/ a warning.
Every first Monday of the month (with some rumors that this was the only time Mrs. M was PMSing), Mrs. Meyers changed the seating chart. Last month, Claire, Sam, and Massie all sat at the same table, but February only had 28 days (counting weekends) and that was hardly fair. Even so, Mrs. Meyers took out her clipboard and made everyone stand at the front of the room.
"Bets I'm gonna end up at a table with the she-witches?" Sam grumbled as he took one last look at his coveted spot. Claire noticed he was rubbing his arm in pain a lot, and Massie was shooting daggers at him.
"Nah. But they'll all end up at a table knowing our luck." Claire mused, grabbing her Hello Kitty binder. Massie wasn't saying anything, she seemed to be in her own little daze, but Claire noted that Massie looked in the soccer players direction a lot. She turned her head over there ever so slightly, and caught the different colored eyes of the mysterious boyfriend of Olivia Ryan again. She turned her head back to her friends, her pale face tinged with pink and her woven fedora lowered to her eyes.
"All right. At this table I want Sam Holloway, Ashley Deluca, May-see Block-" Mrs. Meyers began motioning to a table before Massie cut her off.
"Massie. Like sassy." She corrected automatically, earning an eye roll from the disgruntled teacher.
"Massie Block, and Dylan Marvil." Mrs. Meyers finished with a flourish. Sam smiled with joy at the thought of being in such a close proximity with Dylan, but Dylan just scoffed and ignored him.
One by one, the students were assigned to tables. Claire and a few others were the only ones left. This was worse than gym class. Who gets picked last for math?
"And finally, I need Joshua Hotz, Olivia Ryan, Cameron Fisher-" Mrs. Meyers was once again interrupted, Olivia let out a loud squeal at the prospect of sitting by her boyfriend. "And Claire Lyons."
Claire gasped quietly, and let out a sharp breath. She tasted pennies in her mouth, a sign she was going to throw up. She felt every eyes on her as she walked to her doomsday-err-table. Be brave. Don't let them get to you. Breathe in. Breathe out. Good. Don't trip, then you can't show your face at all.
Somehow, she made it without tripping or puking. She calmly took the seat by Josh Hotz, diagonal from Duh-livia, and across from Cam. Mrs. Meyers left to go get her worksheet copies, so Claire pulled out her sketchbook Sam had given her for Christmas and continued on her sketch of the Eiffel Tower. Josh was occupying himself by cracking his fists, Olivia was texting someone on her phone, she wasn't sure where the other boy had left, but Claire really didn't care.
She began to lose herself in her art, while she drew she always thought. If you flipped through her notebook, you would find about 3 sketches of Massie and Sam, 6 of buildings, and 1 of fruit. Claire always signed her art "The Ice Queen", a nickname her friends had given her. It was almost impossible for someone to find real emotion in her, besides irritation, joy, or melodrama. More commonly the latter.
Claire was in a state of utter trance as she continued her drawing. A line here, shading over there, she had never gone to Paris, but that's where all the artists had gone at least once. Her life was drawn out before her. She would've continued her daze if her book hadn't been snatched from her hands.
Beautiful as she was, Olivia could look downright ugly with that sneer of hers. "Hah. Drawing the Eiffel Tower, are we?" She scoffed, pronouncing it "E-iy-fell".
Claire rolled her eyes and put her hand out. "Its pronounced the I-fell tower, and give me back my book." She demanded, once again putting on her pug face.
"You fell off it?"
"What? No, ugh that's not what I meant. Just give it back!" She yelled, taking her book back, holding it like a precious child. Watch out Duh-livia, the ice queen was back. For the first time since they had new seats, Josh looked mildly interested. The other boy wasn't back yet. Wait, why did Claire keeping looking for him in the first place? If he was dumb enough to go out with Duh-livia, then obviously he-
The boy sat back down, and surprisingly smiled at Claire. She felt her eyes staring straight into his blue and green one. Unlike any of his friends, he actually seemed approachable. Claire felt like she couldn't breathe, all with one look at her.
"Hi. I'm Cam Fisher." He greeted her warmly, not as an LBR or whatever the others called her, but as a friend.
March 1, 2007: The Ice Queen has officially melted.