I was amazed, then intrigued when her body language folded in, just like mine, as though protecting her core. She started trembling again, and had to drop her stare.
Some inner sense I hadn’t felt before that moment kicked in- telling me it saw something it liked in her. There wasn’t any fear. No. That had been a very different kind of reaction.
Part of me needed to know what it was.
M laughed brightly, stealing her attention back. “You found me out, Jane. Though the book was the perfect icebreaker. This guy’s not just a pretty face.” His stance became more open and casual toward her as he leaned in. He turned all charm. “Actually I want to ask you out.”
There, she became a deer in headlights, mouth falling open, face fully red. Wow, I never thought I’d find the sight of someone blushing so furiously… enticing.
“Haha,” she said nervously, after the pause stretched too long. “You got me! Classic throwback-style, early senior prank, right? Did someone dare you to ask, or put you up to this? I mean there’s no way you could be seen with me! You’re only like the hottest guy in school.”
“Ahh,” I heard Nick suck in air. “Now I get it. Once bitten, twice shy.”
By that point, the rest of the classroom had taken notice and watched their hunkiest hunk take a swing, only to be hit by the pitch. I cringed, just a bit. My heart went out to him.
“She’s been messed with so much no one can get close because she thinks they’re approaching with ulterior motives,” I muttered in response, still observing indirectly. M faltered for a split second, but recovered himself. “Oh, I get it.” That was a lesson I myself knew well.
“Same here,” Randy sighed. “She’s got her shields way, way up. Just like I did when I met you guys.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that,” M protested passionately. “This is my first time ever seeing you. I confess I just had to ask an acquaintance of mine your name.” He waved his hand at Nick, who sunk in his seat and tried not to be noticed. “I love your outfit, and the cloak is pretty badass. Plus, I really love a girl who reads. You know me already, so you must’ve heard something about me,” he urged. “Have you ever heard of me using a girl like that, or setting her up to be hurt?” M was being his 100% earnest self, and I watched her ice crack ever-so-slightly.
She hesitated.
“Actually, no… everyone says you’re a really great guy.” Her face grew pained. Lips then pursed in determination and she took a breath; to collect herself, I was sure. “I’m sorry, I’m just…” she did something with her arms and hands. It wasn’t really a shrug, and it wasn’t an open-palm signal of exasperation. No further explanation seemed forthcoming, but I knew M. He wouldn’t need any excuse.
“Hey, hey… don’t look so sad,” I heard Mickey say, taking her hand to drop a kiss on her knuckles. Immediately she froze, again stunned, staring at M with pure astonishment on her face. “You’ve been hurt, haven’t you? A princess with long hair to cloak herself in, trapped in her tower…” He reached to lightly stroke her cheek, then trailed his fingers in her tresses and down. It was a move he’d developed with a careful, artful flair, but the words he said to her were pure M in the moment. “So pretty, sweetness.”
Jane made a noise like a strangled moan that was also a scream, and she absolutely rocketed to her feet. Me, Randy, and Nick startled in our seats. The rest of the class reacted silently, some visibly jumping, many with hands over their mouths. A couple of people around her were red-faced, too. My heart was slamming itself against my chest. What the fuck was that sound, and why did it light me up inside?
“Excuse me,” she chirped, clearly panicking. “I have to go. To a book. I mean the library, quickly. Um. To return this book.” She clutched the copy of Dracula like it was a talisman.
“What?” M asked, genuinely confused. “But you’re not done-” My beautiful bro’s argument was cut short.
“I think I can still make it if I rush! So, I gotta run. Literally.” Jane turned and fled, right out the door, and left the room in chaos the instant she was out of earshot. Little had the girl even realized how much of a spectacle the whole thing had become. No one had said a single goddamn word the entire conversation, but the place erupted now. It was pretty comical, all told.
“Oh my Gawd!” Someone said, rising above the chatter. “Who resists M Smith?” I rose, and walked over, steering my reeling friend back to his desk.
“C’mon,” I said to the classroom at large, and the sound of my voice instantly stilled the room again. “She didn’t say no. But if she got harassed and picked on for years, living on the fringes of social acceptance, can you blame her for freaking out?” M sat, and I plopped myself back down into my too-small chair at my too-small desk.
“Well said, buddy,” Randy responded, crossing his arms, leaning back in his chair. He knew a little something about being a “freak”, “nerd”, “geek”, and “dweeb” himself. Oh this was gonna be news at school by the end of the day.