"See you in fifth?"
Bess nodded at her friend as she switched out her books. When she closed her locker, the sound of metal locking into metal filling her ears as she turned and startled at seeing someone leaning against the lockers.
"Jeeze, warn a girl before you go nineties high school slasher on me."
"You an old school slasher film girl?" Jeremy asked, the right side of his tall body leaning against the wall of maroon lockers.
She shrugged as her heartbeat kicked up, which she wouldn't admit. Out loud, ever. "Scream is a classic. What do you want?"
"You know, one of these days your words are going to get through my thick armor and really sting."
She gave him a look. He smiled.
She hated when he smiled. It was amazing.
"You don't have to walk to me to every class," she said as she started walking to her last period class.
"Because you're an indepent woman?"
She fought a smile and rolled her eyes. "Because you don't like me."
He sighed. "That excuse is getting old."
"What excuse?" She looked up at him confused.
"Just admit you like me. And you like me walking you to your classes."
She snorted.
He continued. "You like when I almost make you laugh. And I have definitely gotten you to let a few laughs slip," he pointed to her and she bit her lip. "You do an excellent job hiding them in your smile, though."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she argued.
"Fine," he said with a shrug. "How's Tom Hanks?"She did smile. "He's great. Great cuddler. He gets along with all the raccoons."
"Well, sure," Jeremy nodded, trying not to smile.
"Sleeps at the foot of my bed."
"Now, that seems a little fast," Jeremy teased and then frowned when he looked up to see that they had stopped in front of his last class. "Did you just walk me to geometry?"
"Have a good class!" she backed away, smiling big before she turned and continued, throwing over her shoulder to a confused and smiling Jeremy, "Learn some things!"
She was smiling wide, as she maneuvered her way through the crowded hallway.
"I don't think I've ever seen your teeth," a voice said to her right. When she looked she was surprised to see Ashley Cast walking too close and too in-sync with her to not be intentional.
"Yeah well, I want people to wonder if I'm a witch or vampire," she replied in a bored tone. Ashley Cast was not friendly unless you'd made it through the hell that is the high school caste system to make it into her circle. She wasn't exactly a bully, nothing that dramatic. But she had evaluated her own time as priceless and not many could afford it.
"You're funny," Ashley said with a shake of her blonde head. Bess couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or inauthentic.
"How can I help you?"
"Oh. I just," she shook her head, as she deliberated on why she had decided to stick to Bess's side. "Jeremy."
Oh.
"Who?" She almost smiled as the girl frowned, questioning herself before she responded, "Jeremy. Bracker. In our class?"
