anxiety.

two.

"i will rearrange the stars, pull em' down to where you are."

scarlett.

that was mason block. oh my god, i just ran head first into mason block. and i hit him right in the chest. my heart races and my mind wonders as i speed away from him. a boy like mason could ruin me so fast. he was easily one of the most popular boys at school, every girl would practically jump at the chance to marry him. and i just ran into him. i was so busy trying not to freak out that i don't even know if i said sorry. he helped me gather up my things and i didn't even say thank you. how much ruder could i have been?

i probably upset him and now i have to go sit next to him in history. this day couldn't possibly get any worse and first period just started. i sit down and now all i can do is wait.

there he is. mason walks in and takes his seat next to me. nothing has even happened and i'm already incredibly anxious about the situation. i subconsciously grip the corner of my desk and focus on my breathing. in and out scarlett. it's not that hard, just take deep breaths in and out.

when i think i've gotten control of my breathing, i let go and sink into the back of my chair. my teacher starts talking about the treaty of versailles but i can barely focus. i find it hard to get back into reality when i get really anxious. all i can think about is how my dumbass ran into mason block this morning and i never even said sorry. oh my god, i never even said sorry to him. i hear her talking but i'm not comprehending anything she's saying.

"well miss westfield.. what is the answer?"

i snap my head up to see mrs. abbott standing in front of my desk. her arms are crossed against her chest and her foot taps up and down as she stares at me waiting for my response. she's not the only one staring, the whole class has their eyes on me. i start to get really hot and wow, are the wall closing in? as i look around i notice mason staring right at me. i grip my desk again and focus back on her.

"i-i'm sorry.. what was the q-question again?" i stutter out, getting real nervous and wiping the hand that isn't holding my desk against my jeans.

"what was the purpose of the treaty of versailles?" she repeats again, this time her tone a little more annoyed. i know the answer. i know i know the answer. but all i can think of is how i bumped into mason block this morning and i never even said thank you after he helped me up. my eyes look at her tapping foot and then at mason, who is still staring at me, and then at the door and i know i can't be here right now. i gather my stuff up and race out of the classroom.

"miss westfield! where do you think you're going? scarlett! you are not allowed to leave class without my permission! scarl..."

i hear mrs. abbott calling my name but i just keep running. her voice fades out into the distance as i run further and further from her room.

mason.

scarlett is the first thing i notice when i walk into history. she's doing that thing where she grips her desk until her knuckles turn white and her head is down. i wanted to talk to her but i bet she doesn't want to speak to me right now. i didn't mean to make her feel anxious, now i feel like a real ass. i noticed she let go of her desk and i try to brush it off and i sit in my seat as mrs. abbott starts talking about god knows what.

the sound of scarlett's name wakes me up from almost falling asleep in class. i look over at mrs. abbott who's standing over scarlett's desk. i'm not gonna lie, mrs. abbott was scary. from her tall stature to her booming voice, she even terrified me. then i look at scarlett. scarlett wasn't paying attention, none of us really were. i noticed her grab her desk again and her chest is rising up and down quickly. shit, she's getting anxious again. her eyes meet mine for a split second and she looks back down.