Margot’s Rumour

Margot watched the rain coming down, longing to be anywhere other than the stuffy classroom she was now forced to be in.  The teacher had decided to put a movie on instead of teaching, given that half the class was absent do a bus strike.  There were only about 8 people in the class and with double English and moral ed all taught by the same teacher with the same students Mr. B had decided this would be the perfect time to introduce many students to some movie where an actress uncrosses and recrosses her legs.  The boys all hooted and hollered. A few boys also kept shifting in their seats, using binders and books to cover what they needed to be hidden. All greedily looking at the screen like they had never seen a woman, or never heard a woman talk about s*x.  Probably most hadn't.  They all talked a big game, but probably most never gotten that far with a woman.  And if they had it was by accident. Most would need a year's worth of showers before they would have a chance with any girl at school. Most girls at school agreed, the guys at school were gross.   That's what happens when you go from 12 to 18 with the same people.  You never unsee that odd ugly duckling stage.  The girls bloom but the boys, well they stay boys. Unshowering, b***r walking dummies that giggled during ... well they always seemed to find something s****l in anything that was happening at school.  Lately, the word condo had to be banned.  All the straight girls instead decided to either find attention from hot teachers, like Mr. B, or from other schools.  Boys that probably were just like the boys at Xavier HS but somehow, hot and cool to the girls that did not go to school with them. Except, of course for Santiago.  All the girls at Xavier HS liked Santiago.  He hadn't gone through an ugly duckling stage, not that Margot could remember. He always came off as cool, secure, and just generally at ease with any student, and teacher.  If the school had a prom king, Santiago would be it.  If they had a student body president he would be it too. But as it were, he was only the captain of the lacrosse team.  Margot envied Santiago, he was so confident. It made him even more attractive. She always felt shy, even if she put on a smart girl - maneating exterior.  A personality she found necessary for HS.  If you seemed a certain way the b**chy girls and the j**k*ss guys would kind of leave you alone.  Maybe be a tease, teasing was fine, but Margot didn't want it to be more than that.  More than just joshing in the halls, not something that you dread going to school or need to transfer for. Santiago did have that problem.  Even now as all the boys in the class leaned in to see if the actress on the screen would uncross her legs again, Santiago was leaning back doodling in a notebook. His other hand twisting a strand of sun-bleached hair.  It had kept falling down as he drew. And seemed to be tickling his full lips. He was now trying to twist and pin it underneath the rest of his hair that was managing to stay back.  Margot was unaware she had been watching him now instead of the rain. The first time he had to fix his hair she had caught the quick movement reflecting in the window and turned to see what it was. And just like those boys, watching the movie, she became transfixed. Not on the fantasy on the screen but the one in front of her. Santiago was someone to watch.  They never really talked, except in class or in the halls, but he did that with everyone with such ease.  Margot wasn't fooling herself. It wasn't a crush. She just liked the way he looked.  She liked his hands, his walk, his full lips.  The way his lips stretched almost to the breaking point when he smiled to reveal gorgeous bright white teeth. Smiling so fully, like he was genuinely always happy and didn't think to hide it. A smile that went all the way to his eyes.  Margot liked the way they smiled.  They didn't crinkle or get smaller, instead, they seemed to get bigger.  His light chocolate eyes sparkling, intrigued, and delighted. And Oh my god, staring directly into her eyes.