Cocaine Hearts

Chapter 3

I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to arrive on time for my first class, which happened to be math. It was already a struggle because who can focus on math at 7am? Clearly, not a sane person. The rest of my classes flew by, and finally, it was lunchtime. I found myself sitting in the courtyard with Ashley and Zeke, feeling like a third wheel as I munched on my ham sandwich. Suddenly, the sandy-haired boy from earlier approached and took a seat on the bench next to me.

"Hey, I just wanted to check if you were okay after what happened this morning," he softly said, genuine concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I confidently replied. "Thank you for trying to help though. Most people wouldn't care."

"Well, I didn't like the way he was grabbing onto you. It looked like he was hurting you," he expressed, still sounding worried.

"He wasn't," I reassured him, but his skeptical expression told me he didn't believe me. Wanting to change the topic, I introduced myself. "I'm Miya, by the way."

"I know. We had a few classes together last year, but we never really talked. I'm Brandon," he said, surprising me by extending his hand for a handshake. As our hands made contact, a jolt ran through my body, causing me to pull back instinctively.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to shock you, literally."

I laughed along with him, finding the situation a bit amusing.

"So, what class do you have next?" he asked curiously.

"I have drama with Mrs. Jules. It's the only interesting class in this entire school," I half-jokingly replied.

"Hey, me too! We could walk there together if you're cool with that," he casually suggested, still wearing a smile. I couldn't help but notice his beautiful, white teeth and strong jawline.

"That's cool with me," I said, getting up to dispose of the remainder of my sandwich.

We strolled together towards drama class, engaging in casual conversation about trivial matters like the weather and how our first day was going. The dialogue flowed effortlessly, and I noticed that Brandon was not only polite but also had a subtle sense of humor. He even held the door open for me when we finally reached our class.

Mrs. Jules, a lively and cheerful woman with medium-length red hair and oversized round glasses that accentuated her eyes, greeted us. Although we didn't have traditional desks or a typical classroom, we utilized the Theatre room, which was massive. It made sense considering we attended a sizable high school in Los Angeles. The reclining chairs were surprisingly comfortable, and Brandon ended up sitting beside me.

Throughout the class, Mrs. Jules passionately discussed the art of improvisation and the importance of thinking on our feet. We played a game called "taxi," where two chairs represented the front seats of a car, and two others represented the backseats. Every five minutes, we would rotate, allowing someone else to join our "car" while the driver returned to their seat. When it was finally my turn, I positioned myself in the seat and mimicked slamming an imaginary door. "Hurry! Drive! The cops are after me!" I exclaimed.

Brandon, playing the role of the driver, pretended to shift gears and stepped on the gas pedal. "What? Why are the cops after you? What did you do?" he shouted in response.

"I robbed a bank! Stop asking questions and just go! I'll pay you handsomely afterward!"

Brandon enthusiastically played along, as did the other two girls in our "car." I pretended to roll down my window and fired imaginary shots at the unseen police officers, urging him to drive faster. The game was incredibly enjoyable, and when it concluded, everyone, including Mrs. Jules, applauded our performance. This class was quickly becoming my favorite.

The following period was language arts, and unfortunately, none of my friends were in that class, so it was a bit disappointing. However, I was relieved to see that Dallas wasn't in any of my classes so far. But, as luck would have it, I spoke too soon. As I entered my last class of the day, science, there was Dallas.

Everyone was congregated on one side of the room, and a group of girls were giggling and ogling Mr. Carmen, a young and attractive Hispanic teacher who stood near the whiteboard at the front. "I'm going to do something different from the other teachers," he announced. "I'm going to let you choose your seats this year. Sit wherever you want, but that will be your seat and lab partner for the entire school year, so choose wisely."

Immediately, I headed towards the back of the room, intending to sit at a table by myself. However, when I looked up, I saw Dallas grab the chair next to me and place his bag down. There was no way I was going to sit with this jerk for the whole year. Without a second thought, I swiftly grabbed my bag and hastily found a new seat, ignoring his stares and protests. I spotted Brandon, still sitting alone, and approached him.

"Is this seat taken?" I asked, flashing a smile.

"Not at all, go ahead," he replied, returning the smile and even pulling the chair out for me. I glanced over and noticed Dallas glaring at us, but I brushed it off. Good. Let him be jealous; he deserves it. I felt a twinge of guilt for using Brandon to make Dallas jealous, considering he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. However, at this point, I wasn't looking for anything more than friendship. I wasn't about to throw myself at Brandon or anything like that.

The rest of the class went smoothly, and before I knew it, we were packing up our bags to head home. Brandon kindly offered to walk with me to ensure that I wouldn't be bothered by "the creepy stalker dude," as he referred to Dallas. I laughed and gratefully accepted his offer. We quickly gathered our belongings and hurried out of the building, making our way down the hallway and towards the parking lot.

"Do you want a ride home?" He asks.

"You drive?" I asked, kind of surprised.

"Yeah, why is that so surprising?"

"I don't know." I say honestly. "We just have to find Ashley so I can let her know." I say hesitatingly because he seems like a nice guy but I know I don't want to get involved.

"You know I'm not into you or anything like that, right?" I ask him because it seemed better just to get this talk out of the way early on.

He turns around and looks at me kind of surprised. "Your a nice guy and all." I continue on. "But I'm just not really looking for anything right now—"

"Woah woah, stop it right there." He cuts me off and looks down at me but I can tell by his face how amused he is. "You think I'm trying to get with you?"

I just stand there like a dumbass and nod at him, not knowing what to say.

"You're cute and all but I'm not looking for anything either. I'm just a dude who is trying to help out a new friend who's being harassed by her crazy stalker ex."

"Trust me, you really don't want to get on his bad side." I tell him, looking down at the grass. "He's can be dangerous at times..."

"The dude doesn't seem right in the head, I get it. But I can take care of myself. I have no respect for a man who treats any woman like that. So now that you know I'm not trying to sleep with you, can we please find your friend so I can get you home?"

I nod and smile, walking past him. I look over and can see a faint grin on his face as well and we go to find Ashley to let her know that I already have a ride home and wouldn't need to bother her or Zeke today.

The second we find her and tell her she starts eying me and looking over at Brandon but I shake my head at her and give her a stern 'not now' look. Right before we turn away, I look over and see Dallas leaning up against the side of the school watching us intensely. He definitely did not look happy but I ignored him and turned around, following Brandon to his car. The whole time I could still feel Dallas's cold green eyes piercing into my back and it sent a shiver up my spine.