Behind Your Walls

10 | the new boy

"And that's how the War Of Roses took place..." Mrs. Johnson explains the last bit of her lecture while I twirl a strand of my hair around my finger, bored to death.

I spot Carter from the corner of my eye. He is leaning ideally in his seat while his fingers holding a pencil move in smooth movements on the notebook page on his desk. I cup my face between my palms as I watch him. He is far more interesting than the War of Roses even when he is not doing anything at all.

He hasn't spoken to me since last night after the moment we shared in the sitting room. He came to the room after I fell asleep and woke up before me. We pretended to be going to school together in front of his Dad and Melody but Carter dropped me at the bus stand on his motorcycle before driving away. I rarely see him ride his motorcycle to school but then with his frequent injuries, that doesn't come as much of a surprise.

On the bus, I had to ride with Devon sitting beside me, all the time touching his face with his unclean, long nails, making me close my eyes to avoid being disgusted.

"Miss. Sommers, is there something you want to say to Mr. Bell?"

I am shamelessly snapped out of my thoughts and find Mrs. Johnson along with the whole class staring at me. Everyone except Carter who pays no attention to anything. Mrs. Johnson's round eyes narrow at me like she wants to twist my head and kill me right on the spot.

"I...um...I'm..." I stammer as I stand up. I knew my lack of attention would cost me trouble someday and here it is. My fingers drum at the edge of my desk in trepidation as I fight to find words to express what I had been doing. "I'm sorry...I was just..."

To my relief, the bell rings before I can complete my excuse. The other students erupt in chaos and start getting ready to leave the room but Mrs. Johson's eyes stay fixed on me. I am pretty sure I just fueled her hatred for me within that short period. She is the kind of human who hates students if they pass her difficult exam.

"Be careful, Miss. Sommers, I watch everything," she says, giving me a dirty look.

If she wasn't a teacher, she could be a good villain in a superhero movie.

"Yes, maám."

I keep my eyes downcast as I hear the tapping of shoes against the floor while students retreat from the room. When I feel like I am the only one left, I look up to see Carter about to leave the room too. I pick up my bag and rush towards him, blocking his path before he can walk out. He cocks an eyebrow, throwing me a once over.

"Why do you pretend like I'm invisible?" I ask.

He watches without answering my question, making me clench my fists in frustration.

"You're doing it again," he says suddenly.

"Doing what?"

"Getting upset for unnecessary reasons, snippy."

I uncurl my fists, attempting to look as calm as possible. He isn't wrong. I have a short temper. It is a side effect of growing up around a man like Panther. Carter walks past me and I follow him out of the room.

"You still didn't answer my question," I say as I try to catch up with his long strides.

Few students stare at the unlikely pair of us making me stride faster. Almost everyone knows Carter's reputation.

"I ain't ignoring you now," Carter says, stopping to face me. "Am I?"

I lose track of everything I wanted to say to him and instead stare at his chiseled jaw and gorgeous face. The black shirt he wears today suits him well, urging me to caress his chest again. I feel a rush of warmth through me and look down, not feeling the vibe to continue this conversation further.