Thanks for the amazing response.
Taylor's POV
I tried to sit through my next class but something about what happened this morning wouldn't leave my mind. I looked around the room and saw varying degrees of boredom on the students' faces. I suddenly felt dizzy and clutched the sides of the desk. My mouth felt dry and my palms started sweating. I stood up and hurried out of the room hastily grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. The room swayed as I walked out into the cool hallway. I heard gasps of surprise behind me as the door shut but I ignored them.
I threw the door of the bathroom open and grabbed the edges of the sink as I tried to keep the ground under my feet from moving. I twisted the handles of the tap and cold water rushed out. I washed my hands quickly and when that made the room stop spinning a little I splashed water up my arms and across the back of my neck. I felt cooler and more stable so I shut the tap off and reached for a paper towel. I heard a loud bang and decided that since I was already out of class I might as well stay out of class.
I opened the door and peered out into the hallway. I saw Drake and Eric wrestling on the floor. I stood frozen until I remembered that if Drake got into any trouble he would be to blame regardless of who threw the first punch.
I hurried toward them and put my hand on Drake' arm trying to get him off of Eric. With speed I didn't know he possessed Drake separated from Eric and pulled my arms behind my back, pressing me into the wall. I was so shocked I didn't fight him as we stood there for a few seconds; the only sound was the sound of our rapid breaths. His breathing suddenly cut off and he released me.
I turned around slowly and looked at him. He looked startled and without warning he turned and ran away.
"What the hell was that?" Eric said standing and wiping blood off his face.
"I don't know." I said staring in the direction Drake had taken off. He's headed toward the greenhouse. I thought to myself. "I'll see you later okay?" I said absentmindedly and rushed to find Drake.
As I neared the greenhouse I began to question my decision. Did I really want to follow after some guy that practically tackled me to a wall? I knew the answer was yes before I even finished forming that question.
"Drake?" I called out peering around the wall of the greenhouse. He lies sprawled out on the floor staring up at the open roof. He looked up at me and his brow furrowed.
"Taylor?" He asked. I moved closer to him and stopped a few inches away from his head. "I don't know if it matters now that we've hooked up, but I can see straight up your shorts." He smiled up at me cheekily.
"What?" I asked taking a step back reflexively.
"I'm kidding, sorry." He sat up and moved over on the floor to make room for me to join him. I sat down and wrapped my arms around my knees. I looked around the greenhouse surprised to find it was still in one piece. That surprised me because I know Drake's temper can sometimes get the best of him.
"I'm surprised you came looking for me." Drake said looking back at the sky.
"Why wouldn't I?" He shrugged and kept searching the sky for something.
"What is this place? They didn't include it in our tour on the first day."
"It's the school's original greenhouse." I answered looking around at the different plants.
"What's with the hole in the roof?" He said gesturing above us.
"It happened on Arrival Day. When you guys crashed part of the ship flew off and smashed through the roof of the greenhouse. They never bothered fixing it and eventually it fell into disuse and it was abandoned by the school."
"It doesn't look abandoned." He said pointing to the bag of fresh potting soil and the leaking hose in the corner.
"I said it was abandoned by the school. I still keep it up and running." I touched a bloom on a nearby plant.
"Why would you do that?" He asked touching my hand gently.
"It's the last place my parents were truly happy. My mother helped the school set up the greenhouse and sustain it."
"What happened to your parents?" Drake said curiously. I hesitated before answering.
"My mother was pregnant when she constructed this place. She wanted a place to take me and the baby to when we were old enough. When she lost the baby she fell into depression but she got help so she'd be okay. My parents never really recovered from the loss though. They stay together mostly for my sake but I don't think it's going to last."
"You were going to have a brother or sister? I thought we had the technology to prevent the loss of children."
"We do now, but my mother refused treatment. She didn't want her baby to be a science project. She knew the risk of not having the procedure but she wanted the baby to have a chance of getting better on his own. The baby had a lung that wasn't fully developed and so when he was born he wasn't getting enough blood to his brain. He died two days after he was born."
"I'm sorry for... everything." Drake said not looking at me. I placed my hand over his and pulled it into my lap drawing doodles on his palm.
"It's okay. You didn't hurt anything or anyone- except maybe Eric, but he probably deserved it." I laughed.
"I pinned you to a locker." He says bitterly, lowering his eyes to the floor. I sighed exasperated and climbed over the top of him. I straddled his waist and looked into his eyes. He reflexively rests his hands on my hips and looks at me with wide eyes.
"You didn't hurt me. I am fine and I know you didn't act out for some stupid reason. I know you were upset about this morning. I shouldn't have walked away from you after hearing what you said, but I was hurt and I did and for that I'm sorry." I leaned into him resting my head against his chest.
"I'm sorry I said that by the way." He said wrapping his arms around me. I felt safe in his arms as I listened to his steady breathing and his two hearts beating away.
"It's weird hearing your hearts." I said emphasising hearts so he would know what I meant.
"It's weird hearing only your one. I keep forgetting and thinking there's something wrong with you."
"I'm sorry not all of us are built for swimming under water for five hours." I teased back.
"I can swim underwater for a lot longer than 5 hours." He said curling a piece of my hair around his fingers.
"I forgot we have a marathon man here," I said climbing off his lap to sit beside him. He shook his head at me and pulled me closer. I lay my head down on his lap as Drake gently pulled my hair out from under me. He fanned it across his lap and started playing with different pieces of it.
"Is this okay?" he asked as he combed his fingers through my hair gently rubbing my skull. I hummed my appreciation and he continued his gentle massage.
"I wish we could stay here forever." I said closing my eyes and enjoying the moment.
"Who says we can't?"
"If you skip class they'll come looking for you and then you'll be in trouble and we won't be able to hang out anymore." I sat up and sit beside him so our thighs are pressed together.
"So now we're hanging out?" Drake said teasingly.
"Don't tell anyone but I'm trying to get this guy to like me."
"Yeah?" he asked putting his arm around me, "Do I know him?"
"Yeah you know him, he's your best friend, Roman. He's pretty cute in that innocent way." I say seriously even though I'm laughing on the inside. Drake's face falls for a second. "I'm joking! It's you dummy!" I yell flinging myself at him and knocking him over so we're sprawled out across the floor of the greenhouse. I lean over him allowing my hair to create a sort of curtain hiding us from the world. I look into his eyes and lose myself in their depths. He smiles up at me and leans up as I lean down. I kissed him and unlike all of our other kisses this one isn't rushed or hurried. I can feel him smiling against my lips and I smile in response. This causes us to start laughing and break the kiss.
I sigh and say "We really should get back though. I kinda ran out of my history class without telling the teacher."
"Yeah well I kinda nailed some kid with a football and was offered a spot on the football team." I looked down at him and he nodded his head.
"Do you even know anything about football?"
"Not really, only what I've picked up from gym class."
"Well I can tell you from being the team manager that gym football is child's play compared to real football." He looked at me for a minute his eyebrows drawing together.
"Is there anything you aren't apart of?" He asks laughing. I think for a minute and then laugh too.
"Well I'm not a part of the school's rhythmic gymnastics team. I don't think I could pull off a leotard."
"I think you would look great in anything." He says earnestly and I blush scarlet. "Seriously though, how does your head not explode?"
"I keep a very detailed calendar."
"Okay, well why don't you schedule me in for every Friday night?" he asks looking at me hopefully.
"Is this you asking me out?"
"Is this you saying yes?" he asks. I let him squirm for a few seconds before smiling and nodding. He stands up, pulls me to my feet, and hugs me tightly.
"Drake too tight!" I say laughing. He releases me and sets me back down. I brush some dirt off my pants and adjust my shirt.
Drake holds out his hand to me and I take it entwining our fingers. We walk back toward the school and he leads us to his locker. He opens the door and takes out some books and puts some back in before quickly shutting the door. He retakes my hand and I start leading us slowly to our Biology class.
"Drake!" and SEU guard calls out to the two of us. "You need to come with me."
"What's this about?" I ask stepping in front of Drake who puts his hand on my shoulder.
"Gloria needs to talk to him." He says inclining his head toward Drake. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. Nobody would be waiting in a deserted hallway unless they wanted something more serious than needing to talk to Gloria.
"It's fine. I'll see you later," He kisses me on the side of my head and I see the SEU guard make a sort of gagging motion but he straightens quickly and coughs into his hand
"Right this way please," the guard says and he escorts Drake down the hallway. I stared after them until people started flooding the hallway and I left for class.