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[Mon,15th/July/2019, Red Oak Preparatory 14:30]
(driiing) The last bell of the day sounded causing the eager students to immediately jump up from their desks hell-bent on regaining their freedom. Some teachers tried to regain control with words like 'The bell doesn't excuse you I do,' but they were quickly ignored by the students who flooded out of the room.
Everyone seemed to embody the mob mentality Idea of not making eye contact as if simply ignoring the teachers would land them in less trouble. In this chaos, the bodies of teenagers maxed out with angst and youthful spirit flooded the hallways making a Bline for the exit. It was mostly the younger students ready to head out for clubs and those seniors/juniors who still had to go shopping for prom.
In the end, none of the teachers were able to stop everyone only managing to catch the unlucky few who hesitated too in their actions. Even then they decided to scold them for a few moments before sending them on their way. None of them had any plans of staying behind to supervise detention especially so close to the end of the school year.
May was one of the students who was now walking in the corridors of Red Oak Prep holding a stack of books as she headed for her locker. Despite the chaos around the corridor her mind kept replaying the conversation she had with Rakim last night. "What an Idiot," She found herself muttering as she reached her locker not at all realising that a boy named Brett was having a conversation with her.
It's not that she was ignoring him it was just that she barely noticed his presence as the feeling of annoyance continued to rise within her. 'I want to ask you to prom, but I don't know if we are ready for what comes after,' his clear voice replayed in her head as she once again felt the same roller-coaster emotions, annoyance, happiness and confusion.
"So, if you don't have any plans maybe you.... and maybe I would be there too," Barely catching the last part of Brett's words she abruptly shut her locker with a loud clang causing the boy to jump in fright. Sending him an intense look she seemed to be trying to figure out who the person in front of her was.
Her gaze lingered on the letterman jacket for the baseball team but still couldn't seem to remember the boy's name. "You, can I ask you something?" She asked the boy who despite his athletic stature seemed to be ready to piss himself any moment now. "Uhu...Yes sure," the boy stammered trying his best to quickly compose himself.
Hearing a positive response from the boy who for some reason brightened upon hearing her speak to him a satisfied smile made its way on her face. This instantly caused critical damage to the boy who was now standing in a daze in front of her barely able to stand upright. As a matter of fact, if one looked closer they would notice a bit of drool forming at the corner of his mouth.
"If you like someone you would show it with actions, right?" Brett blinked, trying to shake off the shock of May actually speaking to him. His cheeks were turning pink, and he could feel the faint hint of a smile creeping up his face as he struggled to come up with a coherent answer. But just as he opened his mouth, May continued, not really expecting—or waiting for—a response.
"I mean, think about it," she said, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as if she were processing the thought out loud for herself rather than for him. "If you have feelings for someone, you'd be clear, right? Not leaving them guessing, or letting another person get in your way no matter how valid an excuse that is." She gave a short, frustrated sigh, her gaze momentarily focused on the scuffed floor.
Brett's mouth hung open, his mind racing to figure out if she was talking about him, or if he was just a convenient audience. His mind didn't linger on the latter part of his conclusion as his love-sick brain immediately thought she was trying to send him a subtle message. 'Be a man and prove your feelings with actions,' is all he managed to process from her words. Pumped up by the motivation his love-sick brain was sending throughout his body, he was about to respond when she spoke up again.
"And let's be honest," May went on, her voice firm, "if someone is interested, they'd make it known, wouldn't they? No games, no 'I don't know if we're ready for what comes after,' nonsense." She rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated by her own recounting of Rakim's words. "I mean, it's not that complicated, right?"
Brett caught up in her intensity, quickly nodded along, his heart pounding as he tried to keep up. He was practically glowing with the thought that she might be talking about him, that maybe she was testing his resolve. Just as he inhaled, ready to spill out some grand, heartfelt response, May's words surged forward again, cutting him off effortlessly.
"And if you really care about someone, you'd be willing to face whatever comes after, wouldn't you?" She shook her head, more to herself than him, eyes narrowing with renewed conviction. "You wouldn't be standing there, stuck in your own head, wondering if things are 'right' or not. You'd just… do something about it."
Brett nodded again, caught in the whirlwind of her voice, his mouth opening and closing in helpless silence. He could feel a sweat forming on the back of his neck, every nerve in his body aching to say something, anything, to agree or reassure her. But before he could even muster a word, May continued.
"Honestly, what's the point of saying you're interested if you're not going to act on it?" she huffed, her gaze drifting into the distance. "I mean, at least have the guts to try. Or tell me what you expect me to do about these feelings you stirred up" she complained before looking up at Brett searching for an answer in his expression, or body language. Seeing him nod in what she assumed was confidence and maybe determination she got her answer.
"You think I should do something since he wants to protect his sister's feelings?" She asked Brett who continued to nod on reflex without fully understanding what the girl of his dreams was saying. "You're right I can also be brave and make the first step after all this isn't eighty's anymore."
May's eyes sparkled with newfound resolve as she looked past Brett, already thinking about what she would say to Rakim the next time she saw him. She wouldn't wait any longer to tell him how she felt, she had already kept her crush hidden for years only for it to grow into a wildfire. It wasn't for the fact he was handsome talented or was gaining fame as she had expected no less from him.
It was the little moments when he would be vulnerable and let her into what he was truly thinking that did it for her. When he would drop things on a dime to protect her whenever she was in trouble or simply needed help. He was her best friend when she needed someone to give her a kick or simply wanted to vent.
Often times he would tell her when he thought she was full of shit but would still let her vent for as long as she need. He wasn't all tough though as she could still remember him skipping both school and training just to take care of her when she got chicken pox. The idiot caught the disease just so she wouldn't be lonely and tried to play it off as needing a break from football, not at all realising that she spotted him watching game tape on his phone.
May's heart pounded as her thoughts wandered through those memories of Rakim. She didn't notice that Brett was still standing there. Of course, she still couldn't remember his name simply thinking of him as a random schoolmate she could vent to. But his flushed face and his nervous side-to-side hopping caught her attention causing her to believe he might need to relieve himself. Just as she was about to suggest just that he spoke up first surprising her as it was the first time, she heard his voice.
"May," he blurted, his voice loud enough to snap her out of her daze. "I, uh—I like you."