CHAPTER 2: P**n in the Hallway

I ran down the stairs, taking it two at a time. As usual I was late. I am that person that will probably show up late on my wedding day because I can't find my underwear or something.

The living room slash kitchen area was empty. My mother must have left already. I didn't even see her last night either. In the past week we have spent the majority of the time apart. 

She must have left already with Anne-Marie, my little sister. The only school that was willing to accept her was far away when we moved to this town last year. So, my mother usually had to wake earlier to get her to school. She was just six years old.

Whose fault is that? 

Mine. 

I was the reason why Anne-Marie had to pack up and leave so much. 

I was the sole reason why mom had to leave a good job in a big city and move to a place where she had to work night and day to make ends meet, only for me to fail a whole year. 

I was the reason why she always had to look over her shoulder. Why we always had to pack up and run. 

I was the reason why she spent a lot of time crying at night, knowing she couldn't fix it, yet breaking herself in an attempt to make it work, to keep us alive. 

As usual, the pain came. It came fast, with the swirling dark voices. 

Sometimes I feel it would be better for her if I wasn't here. But I was the only one she has. One thing I am sure of is that she loves me. Me leaving will destroy her. 

So I stayed. I show up as much as I can. 

I sighed loudly going to check what I could have for breakfast pushing every dark thought aside. I could settle for cereal but the thought was cut short with the loud honks coming from outside. 

Jamie will probably not wait for me to stuff my face full of cereal. Instead I grabbed a cold pizza slice from last night. This was better than nothing. 

The run down to the car was fast. 

"Good morning, Chief latecomer." Jamie greeted me and I laughed. We were always late because of me

"Good morning to you too, Baby face." I greeted. James has been obsessed with sprouting beards the last two months, as if it will make up for mostly hanging with girls or his cute baby face. 

"Shut up," he whined, one hand going to stroke the three lone hair sprouts on his chin and I burst into laughter. 

"Nigga, cut off those hair strands please. What are you stroking? Your armpit has more hair than your face." I teased. 

"Hater." He replied. 

I shrugged. 

"You look like shit also," he added. 

I feel like shit. I didn't say that part out loud, instead I used the car mirror to check myself out. I had eye bags under my eyes and I didn't even know how to use makeup to cover it like all the cool girls did. In my hurry today I forgot my scrunchie and my hair was a giant ball of curls flying everywhere. I could spot my black roots showing and I made a quick mental note to recolor my roots back to reddish brown. 

"Shit. I look like shit." I cursed. 

"That's what I said." James said. 

I made to whack him on the head but he dodged it quickly. 

I slapped some cherry lip balm on my dry lips and fluffed my hair out till it looked presentable enough. This will just have to do for the day. 

I barely made it into class when the bell rang and I heaved in relief. 

I could barely keep up because my head was pounding. I stayed up late last night trying to study and got barely up to 3hours sleep. 

I was surprisingly good at math. I just sucked at every other thing, since I had the attention span of a duck. Sometimes I think I have ADHD. I could barely bring myself to focus and complete tasks without my brain wandering off somewhere else. 

Like right now, I was fingering the necklace on my neck and thinking about the last NBA game. My head was pounding and I kept trying to follow Mr Jones' explanation, Genetics and the theories that governed it.

The rest of the class sounded like a lullaby as I found myself drifting off. 

"Miss Davidson," the teacher's sharp voice broke out, waking me from my slumber. 

"Get up," he commanded and I did, albeit sluggishly. 

"I expected more from you this year. Not coming to class and sleeping through it. I am highly disappointed in you." 

Who appointed you earlier? 

I was tempted to roll my eyes. My fingers went to massage my temples, pushing off my curls to the side. It was when I raised my head again that I saw him. Mystery cafeteria boy. 

The whole of last week had gone by so fast but not without me noticing that he didn't attend classes throughout last week. 

He strolled in lazily. With an aura that commanded attention instantly just like that day in the cafeteria. He had another bandage on his chin this time around. 

He must be either walking into objects and harming himself constantly or getting into fights. It seemed more like the former than the later anyway. 

Mr Jones fixed his hawk-like gaze on Mystery Cafeteria Boy and I sent up a silent prayer of thanks, sliding into my chair. At least he had another unserious student who was failing to focus on. 

"You're late, Mr Donatelli." He said gently in a placating manner. 

If I didn't know better, I would have believed he was a soft man. But I knew he was the strict disciplinarian who always tried to remind his students how the world out there was a cruel one and they won't survive without a degree. 

Mystery Cafeteria Boy just shrugged casually as If Mr Jones was stating the obvious, which he was. 

"The school accepted you back on strict grounds. You are supposed to come to class and show up early for it." 

"The school accepted me back because My Father is paying for a new hall and sport complex." Mystery Cafeteria Boy muttered, not too low that Mr Jones couldn't hear. 

His face changed quickly into a shade of beetroot red. In my defense he looked so funny and swollen like bread in water, I didn't know when I chuckled. This was entertaining. 

He didn't miss it either. His eyes turned sharply toward me and I wanted to disappear. 

"Well, since the both of you have decided not to take your future seriously, I'm sending you to the Principal's office and also to detention. However I must say, it is such a shame to see you waste away. Especially you, Mr Donatelli." 

That last part felt like a secret that every other person knew apart from me. 

In my defense this was my second year in this town. It was the longest we had stayed in a place in the last 5 years. 

I hoped they wouldn't call my mother. She had so much to deal with already, she didn't need to be called to school to deal with her dumb daughter. 

We sat in the hallway waiting for the Principal. It was the second time I was getting up close to, mystery cafeteria boy. 

The mystery part of the name fits him. He had this air around him that felt like it was constantly screaming- I don't give a Fuck to the world. 

Even now, he wasn't bothered to spare me a side glance. Instead he brought out airpods and plugged them in and covered them with his hair. 

I don't think he wanted to play anything. Probably was him trying to tell me he wasn't interested in any form of conversation. But I was nervous, and when I was nervous or overly excited I became extremely chatty and said things without reservations. 

He brought out his phone to watch something and angled the screen away from me. 

Before the connecting dots between my brain and mouth could connect and stop me from speaking, I opened my mouth, "what are you watching?"

"Porn." He answered with a shrug. 

"Ohhhh." The sound left my mouth in a short strangled gasp. Of course he would watch porn. 

He looked like an Italian Pornstar. Not like I've watched any Porn yet, but he would pass off as a goodlooking porn star, if they wanted their female stars to be attracted. 

Not on the phone though but I have seen it in real life and it changed my entire life. Maybe God was punishing me for seeing what I wasn't supposed to. 

It sounded so wrong though. Watching porn in the hallway of the Principal's office. 

"Are..Are you supposed to be doing that here?" I stuttered. 

He raised up his eyes from his phone and looked at me from the corner of his eyes and the side of his lips raised in a tiny smile that if I wasn't looking at him so hard I would have missed it. 

Somehow I felt so proud for making him smile. Like I hit an achievement, something similar to the feeling of watching the ball flying into the net.

"Is there a specific place for watching porn?" He asked in return. This was the loudest I have ever heard him speak and so it made sense that I registered how deep his voice was. 

"I don't know, but not in public. That is harassment." I replied. 

He looked at me like I was genuinely stupid. I had gotten that look a lot in my life time, and I knew when I was given. 

It stung. 

The Principal's office door opened and I got up first and entered. 

The next ten minutes was the fourth longest of my life following my first court deposition. 

I listened haphazardly to the Principal's lecture, only getting into it when she threatened to bring my mother to school. 

I lost it there and then and begged her not to. 

"Luka had an almost perfect score on all his grades before he left, pairing you together and making sure that he helps you with your grades this year will be a big assist to you. Maybe it will make him show up in class also, you are now responsible for making sure he has a perfect attendance. I will even consider asking the coach to take you back if he does." My eyes lit up. 

It made sense now why Mr Jones felt like he was wasting away. 

"That is fine with me ma'am" She readjusted her glasses that sat on the brim of her nose and leaned back in satisfaction with my answer. 

"What of you Luka?" She asked. 

"Yes." He answered. No ma'am nothing. 

"Alright you can leave." 

Instead of going back towards class, Luka was going towards the school's main entrance. 

Oh hell no. 

How was I supposed to get him to have a perfect attendance when he was already leaving for the day. 

I turned sharply and followed after him. 

"Hey," I called out. Digging my hand into the pocket of my oversized hoodie. 

My answer was his retreating back. 

"Hey," I called out even louder coming to a full stop. 

I could be stupid but at least I was stubborn. 

He kept walking away and I broke into a sprint running after him and tugged on his arm, "Mystery Cafeteria Boy!" I screamed in his face.