When Storm Clouds Hover

53: Dom - Breaking up?

The weeks of the school year were racing on, and Watford's year 11 class was rapidly hurtling towards HSC. Dom stretched his legs out on the floor of Em's art class, watching her find the right light for her composition. On Wednesdays, he enjoyed a rare free period before his advanced mathematics class, which he liked to spend with Em. He didn't take art and sometimes felt he was missing out. It seemed like all the kids had so much fun. The art teacher, Mr Lavigne, who was something of an ex-hippie, ran a relaxed ship and really didn't seem to care that he joined their class every week.

Today, Em had chosen to draw from the floor, so they could sit together. Her still-life assignment, an assortment of pods and grasses was balanced precariously on a platform of beer crates beneath a hessian cloth.

Em loved art, and she was good at it. Dom had even posed naked a couple of times for her to practice her craft, a past time that always ended up in the couple having sex.

A source of awkwardness, that they had to navigate, was that Izzy was part of the same class. On this day, and almost every other, she sat as far away from Em as it was physically possible to do. Zara provided a protective buffer between the two girls, ever ready to jump in to save Izzy whenever Em threw a barbed remark her way, which happened often.

It made Dom mad at himself that Zara had to do that, and that Izzy still didn't acknowledge him. It would be nice if they could at least talk, like they used to, as friends. It didn't escape his attention that Em couldn't care less that she'd put Zara in this awkward position. She wouldn't budge an inch on Dom having contact with Izzy.

When Mr. Lavigne left the room, the class started talking. Someone had caught a red-bellied black snake on school grounds. The snake could be seen in a snake tank from the science lab window. It was causing quite the fuss amongst the juniors who had all rushed to steaky beak at it. Dom was afraid of snakes and had no desire to see this one. They creeped him out. It wasn't something he liked to admit. He was contemplating how to avoid people detecting his weakness, when Cole offered up a distraction, muttering the word 'bugger' under his breath.

'You alright?' Em said, looking up from her artwork towards where Cole was sitting in the window seat.

'Nah...this is total shit...does anyone have an eraser?' Cole asked laughing at his attempt at the still life.

'There's one in my pencil case,' Izzy said, tilting her head towards her desk. 'Grab it.'

Cole crossed the room and unzipped the case. As he did so, a piece of paper popped out from beneath the zipper, the neat cursive handwriting immediately recognizable to Cole.

'Why do you have a note from Dom in your pencil case?' Cole asked Izzy.

Dom's eyes flew up from where they were settled on Em, meeting Cole's gaze with a cold stare. He sensed trouble.

Izzy got up from the floor hurriedly and crossed the room. Dom could tell she was embarrassed. 'It's nothing, it's none of your business,' Izzy said, attempting to grab the note from Cole's hand.

Cole laughed at her. He lifted the note above his head and pretended to open it.

'Please don't do that,' Izzy pleaded with him.

'Don't read that man, I'm warning you,' said Dom.

As soon as he said it, Dom regretted it. Cole might have listened to Izzy, but he wasn't about to do Dom any favours. He opened the note.

Em looked at Cole coldly. 'What does it say?'

Without hesitation, Cole read the words aloud for the entire class to hear.