One Touch

16: The Janitor's Closet

All everyone talked about at school these days was that stupid dance. They were obsessed with the dance and the teacher. They’d practice during lunch and after school, and those who didn’t practice fell behind. That was a huge pain for the rest of us, since we had to work extra hard to catch up.

With Zavian as a partner, it made it impossible for me to make any progress. Even as I sat next to him in Physics class, he’d stare at Amber for half the period. She was hot, I agreed. She might be one of the most beautiful girls in the entire school. But couldn’t Zavian see through that mask into her ugly heart?

“Are you listening?” I asked him during a lesson. Zavian shrugged. “This is important for the project we have to do.” I didn’t care about him or his workload, but if it affected my marks, I'd be pissed.

“I am listening,” he said. In a minute or two, he drifted back to Amber. “Whatever. I’m done. Who cares.” Then he claimed to not care, but acted the very opposite.

“If you really want her,” I told him with my voice lowered, “then you need to step up your game. Seriously. Did you talk to Caspian?” Zavian shook his head. “Then you probably should.”

“Urgh.” His cheek rested on his hand. “Help me out.” No, no, no. That was a flashing red light right there. I wasn’t getting involved any further than giving him advice. “Whatever. I’m not supposed to talk to you anyway.”

The lesson finished and we were given free time to work on the assignment. Zavian pulled out his phone and I stared at the assignment. What an amazing, considerate partner.

“Hey,” I said. “We have this thing to work on. I promise afterwards, I’ll leave you alone. Let’s just get this done.” He nodded and heat rolled off my head. “I mean, now.” He nodded once more. “Zavian,” I hissed.

A snicker distracted me. It sounded like a suppressed laugh and I looked at the back of Caspian’s head. I bent to the side and saw his elbow resting on his desk. His hand covered half of his face beneath the nose. Was he the one…?

Caspian’s eyes slid to me. “Do you need something?” he asked. I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “Then you should get back to your partner.” Why, you little…

“Eve,” Zavian said, and I sat back. “Let’s work on it. We’ll get this done by the end of the period, okay?” I nodded, sighing with relief. “Sorry for everything. I was a bit upset.”

“It’s alright,” I told him. “But we can talk about it if you want. After we’re done with this.” He didn’t agree or disagree, and I didn't pressure him for clarity.

“You know what?” His eyes slid to Amber for a moment. “Yeah. I’m up for that.” Uh huh… “We’ll talk during dance class. Away from, you know.” Away from Caspian and Amber, I got it. I didn’t think Zavian would agree with all that ‘I’m not supposed to talk to you’ crap going on.

The bell rang and we packed up for the next class. Atlanta and I were sitting together for this one, and it became one of my favourite classes. Ronald was also here, so I wouldn’t go by a day without teasing Atlanta or observing them. I knew I was a creep, but being one of her best friends, I had the privilege.

Ronald and Atlanta were the shiest, most adorable couple I’d ever seen. They were quiet today, sharing smiles and looks of anticipation. Their date was tomorrow, a sunny delight to start the Saturday. The rest of the class, including Caspian, watched their every move like a teen romance T.V show. They were surprised to see Atlanta and Ronald on good terms since Atlanta had rejected the guy weeks ago. I hated when they were quick to judge in such a pathetic way.

Rumours around class have been bouncing from wall to wall, and they labelled Atlanta in five different ways. She pretended not to care as she chatted away as usual, blabbering about everything and anything. But I saw the sadness in her face when she looked around once in a while.

“Is he picking you in your car, or how does it work?” I asked her, putting her mind off of it. She told me Ronald would pick her up in his car, or they’d take an articulate bus. “Those are cool. If you sit at the back, it feels like you’re on an amusement ride.”

“A roller coaster?” Atlanta said, shuddering.

“Not that extreme.” I smirked. “Are you afraid of roller coasters?” She nodded, hugging herself. “I’ll make you go on one before you die.” Her eyes darkened. “I swear it’ll be fun.”

“I’m afraid of heights,” she said. “So is Caspian.” Whoa, Caspian was afraid of heights? “He hates tall roller coasters, but likes fast rides. Like the Formula Rossa.” I had no idea what that was.

“Pssst,” I heard someone say. It was the girl sitting two tables away from me. “Is Atlanta going out with Ronald?” she asked me. It was meant to be quiet but Atlanta heard it as well.

“What’s your problem?” I said, an edge in my voice. She repeated the question and I told her to mind her own business. “I swear to God, how annoying.”

“Thank you,” Atlanta said in relief. It all didn’t make sense to me. Whether you were popular, a bully, a victim, or ugly, or stupid, everyone had problems. Every single person had some sort of problem, and as humans, we always put them into a category. Atlanta had done nothing to be a victim of rumours, but here we were, seeing it all happen in front of us.

The next time I heard a snappy mouth declare that Atlanta was a snob or some player, I was on the verge of ratting them out. I didn’t care about my reputation being on the line because I knew I wasn’t a morally bad person. I didn’t have a decent reputation anyway. They were the ones being ridiculous.

“Your hair is bluer, Atlanta,” I observed. It was still a very light blue, but was more noticeable now. Atlanta, however, didn’t say a single word as she stared at her notebook.

Ronald lifted from his seat and walked to our desks. He was cross, and Atlanta was apprehensive when he stopped in front of her. Both of us waited on what he came here to say.

“Tomorrow, at nine a.m.,” he told her. “Sound good?” Atlanta’s eyes widened, all the apprehension gone from them. She nodded and Ronald’s lips formed a smile. “Great. Can’t wait.”

That was the sweetest thing I’d ever witnessed, and Atlanta was melting like a Popsicle under his sunny vibe. I was smiling like an i***t once he left and Atlanta bit her lip in excitement. It was considerate for Ronald to do that, but it caused the entire class to burst into a series of murmurs. Are you kidding me? I didn’t know another person’s life and personal affairs gave them oxygen to breath and food to eat.

“Eve, just ignore them,” Atlanta told me when I frowned.

Oh, yes, but right after this. I stood up, my hand placed firmly on my desk and eyes puckered. “Listen up!” I called, catching everyone’s attention. It was pin drop silent. “If there is one more shitty rumour going around about Atlanta or anyone else related to her, I swear to God I’ll have you suspended from school.”

“What’s it to you?” I heard someone say. Another called me a snitch, and another called me a female dog. But neither of those affected me since I was resolute with my announcement.

Caspian was impassive as he listened like everybody else, and he made me falter and rethink my outburst. Ignore him, don’t let him affect you. I turned the other way.

“What? You’re going to beat me up after school?” I said, straight to the boy who told me to watch out. “She is none of your business. Unless your own lives are pathetic and a disappointment to the human race, I don’t know why you would comment on hers.”

“Relax. Stop making so much beef,” one of them said.

“It’s not me, it’s you who’s creating beef,” I said. I plopped back on my seat, and though the murmurs died down, they continued. This time, it wasn’t about Atlanta, it was about me. There was nothing at all that could change these people, was there?

“Eve…” Atlanta said, her eyebrows high and mouth open. “I didn’t think you would do that for me.” I shrugged, crossing my arms. “No, really. I don’t know how to thank you. After all the trouble I caused you, I don’t know why you would still do this for me.”

“Forget about that episode,” I told her. “We’re friends now, right?” That’s all that matters. Atlanta pulled me into a bear hug and I darted a look towards Caspian. He was frozen and tense, like he wanted to tell Atlanta to pull away but at the same time, let us enjoy our moment.

My eyes closed involuntarily, warmth seeping from Atlanta’s body as we made the best of our hug. Atlanta pulled back and apologized. I rolled my eyes. It was a mere hug—not a big deal.

Class ended and the bell signalled lunch. Atlanta wanted to sit with me at the table, but Caspian took her out of the room as soon as she packed up. Ryu and Emerald followed them, giving me a quick glance before stepping out of the room. In the hallway, Ronald stopped me and thanked me for what I did. He wished he could do the same for Atlanta once they were more comfortable with each other, and I told him to have fun tomorrow.

I continued down the hall when a hand grabbed me and pulled me into the nearest room. Mops and buckets were on the floor, and cabinets of dusters and wipes were over the dusty shelves. It was Caspian who stopped me in the hallway this time, and dragged me into this tight area. He closed the door.

“Why’d you bring me into the janitor’s closet?” I said, confined within the walls. No more than five people in a huddle could fit in here, and it stank of spray and mold, and what I always believed a janitor’s room smelled like.

Caspian waited until I settled in a comfortable position, which was between the door and a bucket of filthy water. “Why’d you do that in class?” he said, his lips pulled into a frown.

“I was helping my friend,” I said. He couldn’t be angry about that. “Is that bad, as well? I was protecting her like you always do.” The frown didn’t leave his face and I didn’t know how else to explain. “I know you don’t want me getting involved with Atlanta, and you want me to stay away. But I can’t just sit and watch. And I didn’t.”

“You’ve caused more trouble,” he said, and became serious. “For her and for you. You didn’t make any progress. Your efforts were a waste.”

I huffed. “I don’t care about myself." His frown deepened. “I just felt like doing it at that time, and I did. Don’t be such an asshole about it, because it makes me want to punch your face. I thought you’d actually be proud, but it seems like whatever I do is a pain to you.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to,” I said, and took the handle of the mop. “And is taking me into a janitor’s closet necessary? I just hate the way you treat me, and only me.”

“You’re Atlanta’s friend, which gives me plenty of a reason,” he said. I scowled, my ears sick of hearing that statement. “How else do you want me to treat you?”

“Like a normal human, maybe?” I suggested.

“What? So you want me to thank you for what you did?” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Is that what this is all about?”

I pointed the end of the mop to his chest. “That’s good enough. But what I mean is, if you hate me so much, just leave me alone.” It made me wonder to this day about him and his ironic split personality.

Caspian held the end of the mop. “The problem is, I don’t hate you,” he said, and pulled the mop to the side as he walked towards me. “A better word is ‘suspect’.”

“You suspect me?” I said as the air became thicker. “Of what? Stabbing your sister?”

“It could be a possibility,” he said. I was dumbfounded. “I don’t suspect you, though. I suspect Atlanta.” Huh? “She might do something wrong and hurt you.” What? I was baffled, yet couldn’t imagine Atlanta hurting me. “It’s not the kind of hurt you’re thinking about.”

“Okay, if she can hurt me, you can hurt me, too. Right?” I said. Caspian paused, and nodded. “Then why aren’t you suspecting yourself?”

Menacing shadows filled his face. “I suspect myself every time I’m around you. But ‘suspect’ isn’t the right word here.” I asked him what was. “Trust.” Trust?

“Well…well I don’t trust you around me, either,” I stammered, pushing the mop against him. It didn’t repel him in any way. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“Yes,” Caspian said. He leaned in and held my chin. His thumb skimmed the hollow under my bottom lip. His brows furrowed and the intensity of his eyes singed through mine. They seemed to search for something. “Thank you. For Atlanta.”

“You’re welcome,” I mumbled, a thrum belting around my stomach. The flare in Caspian’s eyes brightened and I felt my stomach flip out of control. “I’m hungry,” I blurted, trying to find an excuse to leave.

Caspian pulled back, setting the mop aside as the tension cleared. I didn’t dare move when he gave me a beady look. “I wasn’t wrong. You are the biggest turn-off.”

Yet still, the butterflies didn’t leave my body. “Well, well, you’re…” I began. Not knowing what else to say, I saved myself the extra embarrassment by whipping open the door and hurrying out.

The amount of stress that pounded in my head was surreal, and it wasn’t the kind that gave me a headache. It was worse.