The Loner and Her

Chapter Eight : Lexie and Griffin

Rosa drops Gia off at school early Monday morning. Gia has to meet with her Art teacher, who needs to talk to her about something important.

When Gia enters the school hallways, and heads through to the Art building, she finds the large art class room on the first floor.

She knocks on the door, politely, before hearing her teacher call out to her, "Come in!"

She enters and smiles when Mrs. Fields waves when she notices her, "Oh, Gia. Perfect. I was afraid you wouldn't show."

Gia asks, "Why would I not show?"

Mrs. Fields shrugs her shoulders. She's a tall red haired woman, who dresses in a long dress that are always bright with color, and the only teacher who willingly calls her Gia. "Usually when I try to get kids here before school to talk to them, they tend to get frightened. They know it's going to be about their artwork and they are afraid of what I'm going to say."

Gia raises her eyebrows, worriedly, "Should I be afraid, now?"

Mrs. Fields laughs while shaking her head, "No, of course not, Gia. Actually, you should feel quite proud of yourself."

Gia frowns in confusion. She has no idea what her art teacher is talking about. Why should she be feeling proud? She's not much of an artist. Her artwork is pretty basic, if you ask her.

"Why's that?" Gia asks.

Mrs. Fields smiles broadly, "Your sketch you turned in for the emotion piece we worked on in class, remember that one?"

Gia didn't already like where this was going. "Yeah, what about it?" She asks, almost hesitantly.

Mrs. Fields sighs happily, "It was beautiful, Gia. So exquisite, and original."

Gia can't help but blush, "Thank you."

She's never thought of herself as an artist. She knew she was better than the people who could only draw stick figures, but she never thought she'd draw something exquisite.

Was that it? Did Mrs. Fields just want to compliment her on the assignment?

When Gia is about to thank Mrs. Fields on the talk about her artwork, Mrs. Fields continues to talk, "The Oakwood High Annual Art Show will be hosted at Florence's Gallery downtown. I wanted to know if it would be okay to add you work as a display?"

Gia's eyes widen. The feeling of nervousness crashing upon her, "I- I don't think my work is that special- "

Mrs. Fields shakes her head, "It truly is special, Gia. Trust me, it deserves to be there along with the others."

Gia suddenly can't help but feel insecure and anxious. She doesn't really want others to see her work. No one besides her teachers have ever seen her drawings. Not even her own mom!

She shakes her head slightly, "I don't think that's a good idea, Mrs. Fields."

"Why not?"

"My mom's never even seen my drawings- let alone let the entire school."

Mrs. Fields lets out a sigh, "Well, " she bites her bottom lip in deep thought, "What if we don't put your name? We can say it's anonymous."

Gia's eyebrows furrow, "Wouldn't that cause suspicion?"

"Totally," Mrs. Fields shrugs without a care, "but I'm the one in charge of the show and I can do as I please. Besides," she starts heading towards the sink in the back of the class. 

Grabbing dirty brushes and beginning to clean them off, "The drama would be interesting. People are gonna want to know who this Anonymous person is."

"I don't want the attention," Gia mumbles as she walks over to the sink as well, giving her a helping hand with the brushes.

"Pretend it isn't you. If someone asks your opinion, just say it, and don't be nervous. You may give it away."

"What if everyone hates it?" She can't help but ask, her voice low and her walls now down, bringing out her insecurities.

Mrs. Fields grins, "I think everyone is going  to be amazed, Gia."

•••

After helping Mrs. Fields clean the dirty paint brushes for her first period class, Gia hurries out of the room when the warning bell rings, knowing her class is across campus.

Should she feel as nervous as she is about the art show? She's never entered in one before- actually she's never done anything remotely like this. She's never played a sport, never bothered to try dance or cheer. She's never even joined a club before! She's always just stuck to herself, and knows that she has no hand-eye- coordination at all to try anything physical.

Hence why she's always gotten a C in P.E.

On her way to the science building, she passes though the crowd of rambunctious students, and enters through the double doors in the Science Building. She starts to head towards the stairs, but when passing by another hallway, one that is dark due to the lack of funding in their school's district, she sees two familiar people standing close together. Whispering back and forth with one another, in what looks to be a disagreement, is no other than Lexie and Griffin.

Her eyes go wide and her jaw drops at the sight of the two least suspecting people to ever converse with one another.

Without another thought, she hurries on to Physics class, not once stopping along the way.

Millions of thoughts jumble around in her mind. She remembers the way Lexie had spoken of Griffin.

She has a boyfriend, so they can't be together, can they? Unless they're sneaking around behind Liam's back of course- no, Gia! Gia scolds herself, you know Griffin isn't that type of person- I know nothing about him! He rarely talks!

Once Gia enters the class room, she throws her book bag onto the table, not noticing her table partner flinch in the process, and takes a seat in her chair. She can not believe she is having a mental fight with herself! Especially about something that is none of her concern!

So, yes, she knows nothing much of Griffin Kane, but she does know that he's a caring person, who just lost his mom, and well, she just can't simply imagine him doing something as crazy as that.

What if they used to date?

Gia doesn't understand why she suddenly feels ill at the thought. She ignores it completely, and tries to make sense of what she had just seen take place.

What if they're secretly friends? She doesn't think so, because of the way Lexie so easily talked badly about Griffin the first day she met her.

But it still doesn't explain why she thinks his mom died two years ago.

Looking up, Gia's eyes catch her favorite pair of blue ones.

She sends him a soft smile as he passes her by, just barely getting into class, knowing it's his first day back at school since he lost his mom.

Her cheeks begin to flush, at the unsuspecting wink Griffin sends her way. Not noticed by anyone else in the classroom.

Thoughts of him and Lexie are long forgotten as she begins to wonder if he'll ever openly talk to her in front of others. She knows some people may have saw them leaving school together on Friday, but she doubts anyone would make a big deal over something so unimportant as that.

Gia then finds that she had just jinxed herself.

Andrew walks in with his arm wrapped around one of the cheerleaders who had talked bad about Gia's attire on her first day of school

Gia mentally rolls her eyes. He moved on fast, she thought without a care.

Andrew gives her a cold look when he makes his way to his seat. The cheerleader on his arm takes the seat beside him. She notices Gia out of the corner of her eye before that. Turning around, she points in Gia's direction, talking quite loudly, as always, "Hey, you're the new girl, right? Gabriella, isn't it?"

Gia blinks, "It's Giuliana, actually."

The cheerleader simply nods, "Right. So," her voice drops slightly, but still loud enough for the curious bystanders near them to hear, "You went out with Griffin Kane on Friday after school, didn't you?"

Gia's eyes widen, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

What does she say? What if Griffin doesn't want her to tell people? Well, she doubts he cares, really.

Gia shrugs, it's no big deal and these nosey people have to get that through their thick skulls, "He just picked me up from school."

Andrew scoffs from beside the cheerleader, "And you were grocery shopping together."

"We were not grocery shopping together," says Gia, with a roll of her eyes.

Andrew just sends her a side-eyed glare, "Look, Maya, she's just as weird as that Kane kid."

Maya's eyes then fall down to Gia's usual sweatshirt, she grimaces, "Figures." She then turns back around, tapping her annoying acrylic nails against the hard metaled tables.

Gia ignores her, glaring slightly at Andrew, "Griffin isn't weird," she spoke, quite strongly in defense of her newfound friend.

Andrew snickers to himself, then he calls out to a basketball player who sits in front of him, "Hey, Leo, isn't Kane weird?"

Leo laughs in a mockingly kind of way, "What do you think?" He asks rhetorically.

Gia's face burns red in anger. Andrew notices, "Awe, getting upset over your little boyfriend?"

Gia narrows her eyes at Andrew, before turning around to face Griffin. He's glaring at his hands  as he twiddles with his fingers.

Gia sighs, "Why do you hate Griffin? What did he ever do to you?"

"He's a waste of space," is his only reply.

Gia doesn't like that answer very much.

In a beat, Gia is up and out of her seat. Mr. Rockford shoots her a glare, he's still sitting at his desk, taking attendance.

"Miss Fitzpatrick, what on Earth, do you think you're doing?" He asks in a bored tone.

Gia stops halfway up the middle of the long rows of tables, she says, "I'm moving my seat."

He huffs, "Yes, I see that, but why?"

"Because I'll pay more attention if I sit in the back," she replies, quite awkwardly. She doesn't like the stares from her fellow students she's getting around the classroom.

Mr. Rockford drops his head back down, he replies, "As well, then, Miss Fitzpatrick," he scribbles something on the piece of paper in front of him before lifting his head back up, pointing straight at Gia who moved to continue walking, "but don't make a habit of moving seats. I'm not too lenient on it."

Then with that, Gia heads over, with as much courage as she can muster, and takes the empty seat next to Griffin.

His eyes widen and he stares at her, jaw slacked.

She sends him a soft grin, before opening up her Physics textbook as Mr. Rockford stands up from his desk, finally, and begins the lesson.

•••

Griffin finds Gia at her locker. She's pushing textbooks into it with an irritated expression upon her features.

Noticing no one is in the hallway, he walks up to her slowly. She had left so fast when the bell to end their Physics class rang, he never got to have a word with her.

"Hey, Giules," Griffin says, startling the brunette.

She places her hand over her fast beating heart, "Griffin, you scared me!" She exclaims.

He smirks, "That was quite amusing."

Gia snorts, "Yeah, I can totally tell by the way you laughed," she retorts.

"Sarcasm is beneath you, Giules."

She rolls her eyes, but nevertheless smiles in amusement. "So..." She says, feeling a little awkward now, "What are you doing here?"

Griffin went from a smirk to a frown, "Oh, uh," he scratches behind his head, "I just-I-uh- " he then stops talking, and becomes eerily silent.

Now Gia is frowning also, "Griffin?" She asks, in a soft tone of voice. He doesn't reply, just continues looking down at his sneakers.

Gia's eyes widen when she realizes she might have said something wrong, "Griffin, what's wrong?"

He looks up, his eyes now hard, "Nothing. Sorry for bothering you, Giul- Gia."

Gia's jaw slacks slightly. Griffin turns on his heel to leave, but Gia grabs the back of his arm in fast movement. Catching him off guard.

"Griffin, wait! I swear, I didn't mean it like that!"

Griffin sighs, turning back around to face her again, "Sorry," he mumbles, "I know I'm pathetic- "

"Hey," Gia says, her voice now hard as she scolds him, "Never call yourself pathetic or anything even remotely self degrading, ever again." He just gives her a glance. Her eyebrows raise instinctively, "I mean it, Griffin. I don't like it."

Griffin can't help but scoff, "You don't even know me."

Gia smiles slightly again, "Then we can learn more about each other. We are friends, right?"

Griffin hesitates, "I-I never really had friends before."

Gia can't help but smile as she shrugs as well, "I've technically never really had a real one either. So, it's an adventure to both of us."

Griffin smiles.

Gia, then, turns to close her locker door. Pulling on the straps of her backpack just a bit tighter.

"Want to go to the library?" She asks him.

He shrugs one shoulder, "Sure."

As they both make their way through the long hallways, Griffin starts conversing with her.

"So...why did you sit next to me in Physics today."

Gia shrugs, "The people near my table were idiots."

"Was Andrew mean to you?" Griffin asks, his voice sound quite rough, and Gia kind of liked the sound of it.

She shakes her head, "No, they were just annoying and it was so distracting- "

"You know, you look away when you lie," Says Griffin.

"What?" Gia asks, in shock of this.

He nods his head, seeming a bit reluctant, "Like, right now. You're looking at the ground as you said that. Then at the grocery store you didn't look me in the eyes when I asked about your family, and again at the hospital- "

Gia sighs, "Why didn't you call me out then, if you knew I was lying?"

He shrugs, "It wasn't any of my business, but someone messing with you...now that's my business."

They both have stopped walking towards the library, now standing in the middle of an empty hallway.

"Why?" She says, her voice low and her heart is beating a hundred beats per minute, it feels like.

Griffin gulps, "Cause you're my friend. No one messes with you."

Gia can't help but smile inadvertently, Just like no one messes with you, she thought.

"Honestly, Griffin, it was nothing, please drop it...besides, why can't I sit next to my new friend?" She smiles, trying to ease away his tension.

Griffin rolls his eyes, but she notices the end of his lips twitching, "Fine, it's dropped. For now."

She sighs in relief, then they both begging walking back in the direction of the library.

When they reach the library, Gia smiles at Miss Johnson, then turns to Griffin, "Can I ask you something?"

Griffin shrugs, as they both take a seat at a small round table. The two of them now secluded in the far end of the library.

"Um," she starts off, not exactly knowing how to start this.

He sighs, "Just spit it out, Giules."

Clearing her throat, she then asks him, "Do you know Lexie Prescott?"

Griffin visibly stiffens. He hesitates before answering, "Everyone knows Lexie Prescott."

"Yeah, but do you know her personally?"

"That's a weird question," he diverts.

Should she just tell him? What if he gets angry with her? It is none of her business, should she just drop it? But they're friends, aren't they? She's just curious. If he doesn't want to answer it, then she'll respect that, and never bring it up again.

Taking in a deep breath, then releasing it, Gia says, "I saw you this morning. Talking with Lexie."

More like arguing, she can't help but think.

Griffin's eyes widen, obviously not expecting her to say that. "It's- It's complicated," is what he says.

Gia nods, accepting that he doesn't want to talk about it. The two of them begin discussing something they learned in Physics class before the warning bell to third period rings.

When they both get up to leave, Gia finally notices something, "Wait, you're attending school the entire day?"

Usually he would have decided to ditch right now, Gia has observed before.

Griffin shrugs, "Maybe I have a reason to come to school, now?"

He walks past her, whispering, "See you at lunch, Giules," Before walking right of of the library to his next class, not once noticing Gia's blush.