I finally stopped choking like some idiot.
“Better now?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
I could tell that he liked the fact that he had such an impact on me. It wasn’t like I could hide it though; just sitting by him had my heart racing to a tempo I was slowly getting used to.
“Will you meet me at the park after school?” he asked me in a more serious voice.
I felt warmed by his words. He acted like he wanted to be with me every bit as much as I needed to be with him.
“Yeah, I can meet you, but Sam has to come along too. That way it won’t be a lie if I tell my mom I’m going to the park with Sam. You will just happen to be there,” I said with a smile, as I found another loop hole in the need to know category.
“Is that okay with you?” I asked Sam.
“Sure, Shawn wants all of us to get together anyways.”
“Who’s Shawn?” Mark asked, momentarily confused.
“Sam’s boyfriend; I mentioned him briefly to you this morning,” I said subtly, reminding him that they had a lot in common with us.
“That’s right,” Mark said. “Well, I better head off to class,” He reached out to brush back the hair that covered the lump on my head. He frowned when he saw my injury.
“That guy’s lucky I’m an intern. I could have laid him out when I saw him chuck that softball at your head. It was all I could do to control myself. Does it hurt?” He inquired.
“No,” I lied. Truth was it had been throbbing for most of the day.
I could tell that Mark saw right through my lie. He glanced down the hall to make sure we were alone and then bent over to press his lips against the bump.
Once again, my breath caught in my lungs. I was sure I would never breathe again. His lips erased all the pain, and instead warmth spread throughout every vein in my body.
By the time I could breathe again, he was gone.
“Wow! That was intense. I could feel the heat radiating off the two of you.” Sam said, with laughter in her voice.
“Not to change the subject, but I have a question for you. Why did Matt call you fridge earlier?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s a joke all the guys have. When I first moved here, a lot of them asked me out. I of course turned them down, so to cover up their bruised egos, they started calling me frigid, which eventually led to fridge. They’re jerks. Even if I wasn’t taken, I wouldn’t give them the time of day,” Sam said with disgust.
I agreed with her. All these years I had thought going to a private school would be great, but when you were surrounded by a bunch of spoiled people, it leaves a lot to be desired.
The bell rang as Sam and I gathered up our trash and threw it in the receptacle. I knew the next fifty minutes would be tough. Everyone in the class would be watching Mark and me to see if we ogled each other. I’m sure it would make their year if we made a spectacle of ourselves.
Sam and I grabbed the same seats we sat in the day before. I pulled out my notebook and sat ready to take notes. I felt everyone’s eyes boring into me when Mark walked in the room. I kept my eyes firmly on the paper in front of me and thought of him as Mr. Russo.
He started right into the history lesson, and soon the scratching of pencils on paper could be heard throughout the room as all the students took notes on the day’s lesson. He had an engaging voice and everyone was soon listening to him with rapt attention as he lectured about Europe during the turn of the century. If he ever decided to pursue a career in education, he would make an excellent teacher; even the gossip hounds were silent as he grabbed their attention with his warm voice.
He walked up and down the aisles as he lectured, and each time he passed me, my breath would catch and my heart would race. His voice soothed me like none had ever done before. I could have listened to him talk forever. His voice seemed to hold the nourishment my body craved.
Before I knew it, the bell rang. I finally looked up and met his eyes. I could tell the class had been just as tough for him.
He gave me a half smile as I gathered up my belongings. As Sam and I passed him, once again I felt him press something in my hand.
I did not open my hand until I left his classroom, but when I did, I saw another note and a small wrapped chocolate. I smiled. I had mentioned my addiction to chocolate during our morning talk. I placed the chocolate carefully in my bag.
Sam looked at me with interest.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I think I’ll save it. It’s the first thing he’s ever given me,” I said, feeling slightly self conscious.
I opened the note as Sam and I walked down the hall. There were only six words on the paper.