Fair Verona

Chapter Three

Waking up, it felt like my head was under water. With all the tears spilt yesterday, I understood why I woke up feeling like I had a hangover. Taking some pain medication for the throbbing headache running loose in my head, I go to the bathroom before making my way downstairs. The house was quiet, myself the only person awake.

Pouring myself a cup of cold juice in the kitchen, I take a few sips of the bitter orange beverage as feet thump along the floorboards.

"Mum?" I question. In a few short seconds, she runs into the kitchen waving her phone around with the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. "You okay?" I say, a hesitant smile on my lips. 

"I got my job back!" She exclaims, as my heart stops for a moment.

"Wait what? Really?" I say, my jaw dropping to the floor. She begins to cry with happiness, her arms thrown around my shoulders as we both celebrate, her phone clattering to the ground.

"How? What did Jo say?" I question quickly.

"He said someone called, convincing him to give me back my job." She shakes her head, her hand over her mouth in shock. "I don't believe it." She does a double take and frantically grabs her phone again. "I need to get ready." Kissing my forehead goodbye, she disappears upstairs.

Left to mull over what just happened, I drink my juice in silence, the conversation running back through my head. Someone called, convincing him to give me back my job. Almost suddenly, the realization hits me. 

"Oh my god." I say breathlessly.

Scrambling to get dressed, I make the drive to school, arriving early for once and not twenty minutes late like usual. The lights of my car flash as I lock it, my bag bouncing on my shoulder as I hurry along the school grounds, the ground soft under my heavy footsteps. Pushing past students in my way, I run to the Quad; the hangout area for seniors.

The area was covered in different seating areas, even a few vending machines nearby for snacks. Trees and other garden assortments decorate the area, making it haven within hell.

Making my way over, I easily spot him by a table, a crowd of people around him. He's pensive expression is surprising. Never did I think he'd take the time out of his day to give it to someone else and listen to what they had to say. It makes me question my judgement. Maybe I was too harsh before. 

Maybe.

As I stroll over, he glances up and meets my eyes, as though he could sense my arrival. He says something to the group and gets up, closing the distance between us swiftly, a smile creeping on his sun-kissed face, his eyes eating me up. His heavy gaze makes my breathing waver. 

"Thank you." I say softly.

"For what?" He questions innocently, his eyes reflecting the morning sun; turning golden in the light.

"You know what I'm talking about." I say firmly. "You didn't have to but you did, and....just thank you. Really."

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds, his eyes searching mine. A girl from his group calls his name. I look to her over his shoulder, her light blonde hair glistening in the sun as she purses her glossy lips, her almond eyes scanning me over with distaste. She was gorgeous, no wonder she was given a seat at his table.

He sighs, almost like it was an interruption, and not a free getaway from this conversation. He runs his slender fingers through his thick hair, the long curled strands dancing through his grip. I quickly tear my eyes away, my neck growing hot with untouched emotions that begin to snake their way out from the depths they'd been hiding in.

"I should head back." He bites his lip and turns on his heel, the gravel beneath his feet scraping along the paved floor. Before he leaves, he meets my eyes over his shoulder and leaves me with a couple of words as his final goodbye. "You're welcome."

The air gets ripped out from my lungs at his words. My heart skips a beat and I fight a smile on my lips and the confusion running wild in my head.

Maybe he wasn't as bad as he seems to be. Maybe he deserved a chance. Biting my finger, I blow out an shaky breath and twirl back around in the direction I had arrived from, feeling like I was walking on a cloud.

We were going to be okay, mum and I. All because of him.

My footsteps slow as I pass by a towering oak tree. Placing my palm against the textured surface of the trunk, I look back over to where he sits, his eyes watching my own. A breath gets stuck in my throat and I quickly look away, more confused than ever as the heat below my neckline creeps along my face.

I drift through my lessons for the day, Sarah absent as I'm left to sit alone. Walking into English, the final class of the day, I look to my usual seat to find Mateo beside it, a smug expression plastered over his face. Rolling my eyes, I shuffle over and throw my bag to the ground as I take a seat.

"So this is going to be a regular thing now?" I ask, arching my eyebrow at him as he chuckles gently, his arm reaching behind my chair, resting atop. I look to it and then back to him. "No thank you." Using my elbow, I swiftly knock his arm away as he continues to smile.

"You intrigue me, Ottoman." He says simply, turning his attention to a friend nearby, the conversation coming to an end as I look after him, biting my lip in thought as to what he meant.

"Alright." Mr Murray walks in, slamming the stack of books in his hands against the desk, the jarring sound cutting through the conversations around the classroom, turning it to silence. "It's assignment time."

Multiple groans make their rounds among the tired, exhausted students. I even find Mateo sighing heavily, his chin resting in the palm of his hand as his eyes grow distant.

"Yeah, yeah." Says Mr Murray, waving a dismissive hand at our protests. "I'm being nice today and giving you this assignment early. Meaning, you'll have six weeks for it to be completed. Now, what the hell do you have to do?" He takes a seat at his desk, his chair creaking under his weight as he holds up one of the assessment notifications, reading over the instructions.

"You will be put into pairs." My stomach drops at his words. Looking around the room, I could tell I wasn't the only one. "Once in your pair, you will select a scene from the play. You will need to then adapt the scene for a modern audience and then present the scene to the class. Meaning acting people." Some of the drama kids smile excitedly as myself and others continue to sink further into their chairs.

"Now, if you select a scene with more than two characters which will happen, you will need to get other people to join you on stage to fill those positions. However, keep in mind that they are not the ones I'm grading. You could get Matt Damon in here and I still wouldn't care how great his performance is, because I'm not grading him, but you. So keep that in mind." I smile slightly at his words.

"Now, for partners." I feel the colour drain from my face.

"Actually, Mr Murray, if I may." Mateo speaks up suddenly, his eyes passing by mine with a wink as he raises his hand slightly. Mr Murray looks to him over the top of the sheet of paper, un-amused and clearly disinterested in what he had to say. "I work better with people I can actually tolerate. So instead of you giving me a partner, let me choose for you."

"Fine whatever. Everyone else can choose too." Frustrated, Mr Murray places the sheet of paper back on the desk and looks back to the class, still unmoving. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was teaching a class of statues. Grab a partner, get to work. And Nina, would you pass these out amongst the class?"

Nina, the literal class pet and grade A student, happily grabs the stack of papers and begins handing them out with a flourish as I watch everyone begin grabbing their best friends. Sighing heavily, I frown and look down at my hands nestled on the desk, unsure of who to ask, if anyone would even want to partner with me.

"How 'bout it, Ottoman?" Looking up abruptly, Mateo faces me intently, smiling innocently up at me from where he lounges on the desk, his head resting on his arms. "Partners?"

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" I ask, laughing at his question. "Why would I ever be your partner?" I reply, still chuckling to myself.

"Because you owe me." He says simply. "You may not believe me, but I truly didn't do anything to get your mum fired. But I was the one who called and got her her job." He sighs, unsure of how to phrase his thoughts. "Look, I may not be your biggest fan but for you to literally slap me over what happened, it was clear it meant a lot to you. So again, you're welcome."

"What's your motive?" He scoffs and sits up. "Seriously Mateo."

"Fine." He leans closer with a smirk. "You," he presses a finger to my shoulder, my body tensing at the way it felt. "Get to work with yours truly, and I get an A."

"You think we're going to get an A?" I shake my head, taking the sheet of paper from Nina as she struts by. 

"Why not? You clearly had some idea of what the hell you're doing and I don't want to fail this class." He explains. 

"Then why'd you move to a higher level of English if you can't maintain a good grade?" I question, furrowing my eyebrows at his lack of a thought process.

"It looks good for colleges." He says casually as he presses his fingers to my sheet of paper, sliding it over for himself to read instead. "So, yes or no?"

I clench my jaw as I look around the classroom, everyone already having paired off. Sighing with defeat, I face him. "Doesn't look like a have a choice."

"Yes!" He says with a wide smile, as I mentally question his excitement. "This is going to be fun." He says as my stomach literally knots with the fear of what his form of fun will entail.

"Wait," I begin slowly, a smirk forming on my lips which he eyes uneasily. "I'm someone you tolerate?" I ask, as he rolls his eyes.

"Keep it up Ottoman and I might actually throw you out of that window." Shaking my head at his words with a small laugh, I eye the small smile on his lips as he focuses his attention back on the task at hand.

Biting my lip, I keep my smile at bay and look away, my face reddening as I curse the newfound emotions swirling around the pit of my stomach as I attempt to rack my brain for an explanation at what they might mean.