Thursday

October 17, 2019

I peek into the science lab through the small window in the door. The lights are off and the lab tables are all empty, sunlight from the windows bouncing off of their glossy black surfaces. My heart calms in my chest at the sight and I push open the door, stepping inside to silence.

He's not here yet.

The thought calms me all the more and I walk over to the nearest table, depositing my bag on the ground beside the lab table. My gaze shifts over the wooden and metal stool and I crinkle my nose. Sitting down is the last thing I want to do, it'll do nothing for my nerves. Instead, I turn and walk towards the large metal cabinet. The door has a medium-sized window on it allowing anyone to look in on the rows upon rows of chemicals. More than half the names I can't pronounce, but I enjoy trying. My brows furrow as my gaze falls on one in particular. "A-ace-ace-acetic?"

"It's pronounced acetic."

I jump at the voice and spin on my heel, my cheeks warming from embarrassment when they land on Mop Head. He smiles, closing the door behind him. My eyes rake over his form from his signature, mop head of dark brown hair down to his old and ratty Nike sneakers. He wears a loose fitting grey t-shirt and a pair of dark blue, stone-washed jeans. It's a nice look that fits his overall style.

"The c sounds like the letter c, not an s."

"Oh." I look back to the small bottle. "What is it?"

"The chemical used to make meth."

I spin on my heel for the second time today as I whip around and look towards Mop Head who is now settling on a stool at a lab table. My eyes bug out of my head. "What?!"

He chuckles as he rummages through his bag before pulling out his laptop. His hair sways back and forth in his face, shielding his eyes from view and I have the nagging desire to see the face that lies beneath.

I don't think I've ever seen his face in full.

"I'm joking." He smiles back at me, his things now set up on the lab table. My shoulders relax and I frown, not finding his joke funny. "It's actually vinegar. Now leave the chemicals for another day, we've got a game to work on."

I leave the cabinet and make my way over to the lab table. My gaze settles on the stool that's beside Mop Head and my stomach twists at how close it is. I tug it to the right, putting more space between us. Mop Head either doesn't notice or chooses not to say anything about it. I leaning more towards the latter.

"So," Mop Head starts, turning so he's facing his laptop again. I cast my gaze to the screen and my eyes grow as I watch a game maker application open up. It's a high tech one that he no doubt put some money into. I recognize the brand. "I'm thinking we do a standard RPG since it'll be the easiest to work around with for the short timeline we have."

I nod in agreement. It makes sense. Mrs. Pelinskie had only given us a week to complete this assignment. It's annoying, but there's not much we can do about it aside from go along with the timeline. Besides, RPGs are a favorite of mine to create. The pixel art is something I hold close to my heart and the style in which a story can be told is what I love most about them.

"That sounds good." I shift closer to get a better look at his computer screen and falling into my creator mode. "What about artwork for the game? I'm not much of an artist even when it is pixel art."

"I'm in the same boat."

"Then, we could always look into getting some standard things done for the characters. The other tiles, though we can use free files online. I know a good site for it." Thoughts and possibilities shift within my mind as I create the various characters and visualize them. Each one fits into the story I'd already created for this project last week.

There's silence around us and it's not until I feel a gentle nudge from my left side do I blink and pull myself from within my mind. I look to my left and meet Mop Head's semi hidden gaze. There's a smile upturning his mouth and my eyes become glued to it. Being this close to him I notice more of his features.

He has a strong jawline and a clear complexion that makes me envious. His nose has a slight angle to it that has me wondering if he broke it when he was younger. It's such a small variation I never would have noticed if it weren't for our closeness.

"You really get into this stuff, don't you?" At his question, my eyes zero in on his mouth. His lips are chapped, no doubt from little care and dropping temperatures outside. They're a soft pink and full, his upper lip being close to a perfect cupids bow. "It's like you have your own little world to fall into."

My eyes travel back up to Mop Head's and I watch as envy flickers in the shielded gaze. It twists my stomach. There's nothing about me he should envy, that anyone should envy.

I must have seen wrong.

I look away from Mop Head and shrug. "It's nothing special."

"It is, though. It's really special, don't sell yourself short." Before I get the chance to reply, he moves onto a different topic. "So, for the storyline, we should probably try thinking about a base plot. Just to get something going so that we can start designing the game."

Rather than answering I just nod and listen without really listening. His words travel through one ear and out the other and, as we continue on for another half our. My hand lifts and holds the spot he'd nudged me. My stomach constinues to twist.

Seth.

His name filters through my thoughts. It has a weird sound to it, almost like it's a foreign word to me despite it being a common name.

Seth.

I think the name once more, though from the way the boy beside me perks up it's clear that I did more than just think in. My cheeks heat and a million and one excuses as to why I've said his name travel through my mind.

I was talking about a different person. You must have heard wrong. I was practicing my foreign language skills.

The last one doesn't even make sense and my stomach somersaults. Minutes pass by, my body tense and ready for the confrontation. It never comes, though, and as the seconds tick by my body relaxes. The atmosphere is lighter now as the time drifts by leaving us to work in blissful, harmonious silence.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did don't forget to vote and drop a comment below. I love hearing from you!