Love's might

Chapter 3

She was quite serious, taking notes and replying along with the class to whatever the teacher was saying. In short, his attention was fixed on her. He noticed her features more closely, the wavy chocolate brown hair, dark brown eyes, soft-toned complexion that suggested enough of some outdoor exposure and her slender fingers as she held the pen.

“James, can you please tell me what the last theorem is?” Miss Felista's voice cut through his bubble of thoughts.

James snapped his head up seriously praying he had been caught looking at Emma though tried to be discreet about it and it didn't help that Emma seemed oblivious to his stare.

“I…I…,” he began.

The teacher gave him a look that spoke of anger and some pity. He tried clearing through his memory bank as the word equal hummed in his head. It was something to do with angles but he couldn't quite remember. Suddenly, Emma s**t her hand up beside him. “An exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of two of the adjacent interior angles.”

Silence.

James stared at her and she started back before focusing on the teacher.

“Thank you, Emma, for that answer.” Emma in question seemed pleased about the compliment. Miss Felista turned her eyes back on James, “But I would have you know that in my class a question is only answered by the student I asked or someone else I choose.”

Emma nodded while James slunk further into his seat.

The next classes were physics and chemistry which James managed to go through without getting caught in his loss of concentration. It was a good thing Jack was his partner and much better at these subjects than him.

“Why couldn't you keep your eyes off her?” Jack whispered as they walked down to grab lunch. The bell for lunch break had just rung.

“She’s new and intriguing that's all,” he defended. They entered the cafeteria which was teaming with students, standing sitting or simply walking around.

Jack smiled. “And surely other girls were less so and you didn't bother to look at them twice,” he smirked as they left with their trays filled with snacks and food, including a hotdog for each.

Something they had been craving for.

James elbowed Jack, nearly upsetting the tray. They found seats at the back of the cafeteria which had the most amount of sunlight streaming in from the large windows.

“See, getting to know someone starts with you looking at them, observing, before you even start conversing with them,” James argued as he dug into his hotdog.

“Do you mean observation like a lab rat?” a girl's voice broke between them.

The two friends turned to find Emma with her tray glaring at them.

“Emma, it's not what you think. I meant…,” James tried.

“I know exactly what you meant,” she snapped, her voice an octave higher than she intended.

“Let me warn you both, if I catch you staring at me or sniggering behind me, I will report you to the principal for s****l harassment.” Her eyes flared with anger before she stomped away, her ponytail swishing gently behind her.

“I don’t like her,” Jack mumbled as he stared at her back. “She sounded like pure trouble to me.”

“Which won't be a problem.” James had that smirk that Jack knew very well meant he was up to some mischief.

“What do you intend to do?”

James only smiled.

There were two more classes for the day and then closing time. In the rush of excitement, James rushed out of the class with the rest of the throng to the lockers and decided to hang around. Jack came up to him and took out his things before he glanced at his friend.

“Waiting for someone?” he asked.

James only nodded. When he still sensed Jack beside him, he growled.

“Look, I want to apologize to her and see if she will help me out with schoolwork.” He ground his teeth as he spoke, something he only did when he was nervous.

“And why do you think she will want to assist you after you did that stunt in class or at the cafeteria?” Jack faced him.

James appreciated two things about his friend. First, he was honest in his opinions and secondly, he was very chivalrous when the opportunity arose. Something that endeared some of his female classmates.

“I will only try my best and not push it,” he insisted, though deep down he felt like it was a chase worth going after.

“I will wait for you outside,” he said as he spied Emma coming out of the class down the hallway.

Actually, he was nervous about how to approach her and present his apology and request but he had started getting worried when the crowd was thinning and she still hadn’t emerged from the class. She brushed past him to her locker, her face giving nothing away that she acknowledged his presence. “Emma I wanted to say how sorry I am about the morning incident,” he began, then paused. The words didn’t feel right in his mouth and it didn't help that he felt a strange awareness around her. But he pushed on because the alternative, silence, wasn’t palatable either.

Emma continued fumbling with her things before shutting and clicking her locker.

“I thought I told you that I didn't wish to speak to you or have anything to do with you,” she said turning into him. Her eyes blazed with intense fury which James couldn't explain but found himself enthralled.

“Yet I still must give my apology, “he shrugged as if her words didn't carry weight.

She slung her bag onto her shoulder and raised her chin.

“Fine.” She made to go around him but he caught her arm.

“If we are good then, can I ask for a favour?” James swore he saw her eyes blaze even more. The hallways were getting more empty as the students behind lazed around, walking slowly. Luckily, they didn't look twice at them. It was common for teenage lovers to hang around after classes for some personal stuff.