3.2.10

“Coming, Cora?” Arlene rested her head on the locker next to Cora’s. Cora’s gaze was distracted, but Arlene didn’t mind. She focused her eyes to see what Cora was watching. “Patrick’s so hot.” She said. Cora seemed to wake up, hurriedly forcing books into her backpack, and slamming her locker closed.

“Let’s go.” She said finally. She picked her backpack further onto her shoulders and then started walking down the hall with Arlene.

“Cara?” Someone behind her asked. Cora turned around. “You dropped this.” It was Patrick. Tall, dark skin, deep voice like velvet. It made you want to curl up and take a nap. She almost fainted.

“It’s Cora.” She corrected silently, taking the hairbrush that had fallen out of her backpack and heading away from Patrick without a thank you or a hello.

Stupid! She told herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What the heck? Why can’t I talk to him like I talk to everyone else? He’s sooooooooooooo hot! She shook away her thoughts and kept walking with Arlene to her next class, hopeful that Patrick would skip class like he did nearly every day. She couldn’t focus when he was in class, and Mrs. Benson seemed to notice that.

“What was your answer, Miss Clarke?” She’d ask. Cora would shake her head as she came back into focus on the square root of five hundred. She wouldn’t answer. I don’t see why she feels the need to pick on me on days that he’s there. It’s not like I participate more when he isn’t. She growled to herself, grinding her teeth. Math is dumb. She concluded.

Arlene and Cora stepped into the classroom. Cora looked around for Franny and A-Ray, her two best friends in the whole world. Which was stupid. Franny was in the hospital, and A-Ray was probably cutting class. I wonder if A-Ray and Patrick ever cut class together. Cora vowed to kill A-Ray should she find out that they were together. Not that A-Ray would ever dream of going out with Patrick. He wasn’t her type.

He entered the room right as Cora was about to put her books on her desk. Instead she dropped them on Mrs. Benson’s foot.

“Already hurting people, Miss Clarke?” She asked.

“No, I’m sorry, Mrs. Benson. I… just dropped my book.” Cora stared at the ground. Debating whether or not she should even bother to pick them up. She bent down and picked them up, smacking her head on the corner of her desk. She cursed loudly.

“One more word out of you and it’s a detention, Miss Clarke!” Mrs. Benson turned around, flipping her dyed blonde hair to face the chalk board. Cora sighed and sat down in her seat. She hated math. She let her mind wander away from the boring world of fractions and exponents, into the marvelous land of Patrick Joseph. Half of her wondered what it would be like to date him, to kiss him, to hold him, to—

“What was the answer, Cora?” Mrs. Benson said. Cora looked up at her, big blue eyes flaming with hatred. “Do you know it, or don’t you?”

Cora didn’t answer. She remained still. Any movement could be marked as a threat. She felt like an animal, the kind you see fighting on Animal Planet. Mrs. Benson was the tiger, she was the unfortunate antelope. But she held her ground, not saying anything, not even blinking.

“Miss Clarke, the answer please?” Mrs. Benson’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Benson, but you said if I spoke you would give me a detention, I’m confused about which order I’m supposed to follow, unless the detention is going to make its way to me anyway.” Cora heard several gasps. The antelope had stood up and bit the tiger, and, even though it was an herbivore, it liked the taste of blood on its tongue.

“You’re right about one thing, Miss Clarke. This detention is going to give itself to you right now.” She picked up the orange slip of paper, filled it out and handed it to Cora. Cora stared at the paper, eyes widened, hatred flaring as she stood up and spoke.

“I’m not going to detention.” She crumpled the paper up and threw it into the garbage across the room. “I don’t deserve a detention. I was following your orders. I’m just fifteen, we all are. We’re here to learn math, not to become a victim of a dictatorship.” She sat back down. Mrs. Benson’s nose flared with anger and hatred. A student had never dared to try and defy her before. It made her feel weak and powerless. She brought out the pad of paper for in school suspension, wrote down Cora’s name, and left the room to submit it to the office.

Cora sighed as Mrs. Benson left. At least the suspension would be a day that she wouldn’t have math. Bittersweet, she packed up her books and waited for Mrs. Benson to return and scurry her to in school suspension. Patrick walked over to her desk.

“You were kinda brave, Clarke.” He said. Cora rolled her eyes.

“I’m sick of her crap. I didn’t even do anything. Crumpling up a detention slip? I didn’t do anything to deserve a detention, or an ISS. I’m going to fight this one, because I know I’m right, and there’s nothing that she can do, to make me stay in that stupid little room for seven hours.” Patrick smiled, and picked Cora’s chin up.

“You’re pretty brave girl, Cora.” He leaned down to kiss her. She responded. Mrs. Benson entered the room, the vein in her forehead was pulsing with anger as she saw Patrick with his hands on Cora.

“Go to in school suspension.” Mrs. Benson said.

“No.” Cora answered, “But I am leaving. Coming, Patrick?”

“Absolutely.” Patrick packed up his things and left the room holding Cora’s hand. As soon as they were off the floor they ran for the gyms. Cora leaned with her back against the back wall of the large gym. Patrick put one hand on the wall, the other caressing her skin. He kissed her gently, and for a moment, Cora felt brave.