Several things confuse me; from numerous mathematical equations and formulas to why abortion is legal but people sure top the list and when I say people, right now I'm talking about my cocky biobuddy.

That nickname is starting to stick.

I don't exactly expect him to be all chatty and I most definitely do not expect the silent treatment I'm getting.

I spared him another side glance and sighed, drawing lazy circles on my desk.

To some extent, I agree ditching him without early notice isn't entirely proper but this isn't stellar either, it's uncalled for.

'Why do you even care?'

'Pft he wishes. Successfully acing this project is what matters, no need to add any meaning.' I shunned my inner self.

"Mr Scott, don't ignore me" the math teacher, Mrs. Williams' peeved voice pulled me out of my odious internal argument.

All eyes were on him but his slouched figure showed how unconcerned he was.

Someone's in a mood.

"Alan, I'm talking to you!" Her voice rose several pitches higher than expected. Even I flinched but he just glared at her unwaveringly which infuriated her further because the next thing, she was in front of his desk, yelling at him to leave her class.

Sluggishly, he threw his bag over his shoulder and waltzed out of the room, not sparing anyone a glance.

Now's the time. It's now or never.

Before I could overthink myself into chickening out, I raised my hand, drawing Mrs. Williams' attention.

"What is it?" She cut her eye in irritation. Sheesh, who knew bad moods are contagious.

"I'd like to use the bathroom" she eyed me once more before waving me off and continuing her class.

"Hey Alan, wait up!" My voice echoed through the empty hallways as I jogged behind him.

"Can you slow down a bit?" I panted exasperatedly as I tried catching up to him but for someone who hardly participates in gym class, running after an athlete whose strides alone were almost as twice as yours, you could say it's pathetic but something in me snapped. Maybe the tardily growing irritation, the energy from the donuts I ate sneakily during the class or even the fact that I know I won't get such an opportunity to talk to him till God knows when. Whichever it was that fueled me, I gave into it and let adrenaline pump through my body.

With all the gumption I could muster, I yanked his arm when he was about to open his car's door, turning him around in the process.

"What the f-" he yanked his arm from my grip and glared daggers at me.

Despite the situation, it was hard to miss the fleeting anguish etched on his face as he rubbed his arm as if trying to subdue a discomfort. Every iota of annoyance slipped away when I finally took in his appearance from up close.

He looked more disheveled than normal. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles under them probably gotten from lack of sleep.

I lift my palm to my mouth, covering a gasp "Shit, did I-" he moved his arm away when I tried reaching out in sympathy.

"Why the fuck are you running after me like a mad woman?"

For a second, I refused to believe what I just heard; the one second when I try to act caring towards him he chose to be a dick but when my eyes met his menacing honey-brown ones that reflected hatred that overshadowed another emotion I couldn't quite place, my mood turned sour.

"Trust me, you have no idea how crazy I am. Insanity doesn't run in my family, it practically gallops. Now, why the hell are you acting like you got a stick up your ass?"

He scoffed, tucking a hand into his pocket, the other readjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder "I don't have shit to explain to you"

"You don't for now, but I'll be waiting at the park. If you don't show up then you'll have some shit to explain" I poked my finger into his chest, returning his glare before swerving around to walk away, my hair slapping his face.

I huffed. Who the fuck does he think he is?

"And what makes you think I'll actually show up to your stupid date"

I stopped midway, the door's handle in my grip as I tilted my head sideways to reply. 

"Central park. 4:30, I'll be waiting" with a flip of my hair, I pushed open the school's main door and trotted back to class.

Someone really has to give him a taste of his arrogant medicine.

Overbearing jackass.

**

"Pig for sale, dm for more information" the message attached to the picture read.

I snickered again at the picture Cora sent the previous day, at the mall. It was Kash with two fries in her nose as she made a face at the camera.

So engrossed in mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest, I didn't notice the shadow looming over me until a hand gripped my shoulder making me jump in surprise.

"Eek!" I placed a hand on my chest, glaring at Alan as he casually sat beside me on the bench like he didn't almost give me a heart attack.

"You're hell-bent on giving me a heart attack, aren't you? " I bent over to pick up my phone that fell.

4:45pm; the time on my phone read. 15 minutes late. Not bad, I'll let it slide.

He shrugged "at least, I'd have you outta my life"

Rolling my eyes at his sullen comment, I bit my lips to hold back several choice words and let my eyes roam him assessibly.

He looks better but still not his normal self. The grim look in his eyes was somewhat subdued probably from some well-needed sleep he got after skipping school.

Only when he tilted his head slightly and raised a brow did I realize I'm doing more than assessing but it's really hard not to stare at the way the setting sun graced his face and shone through his eyes, making the brown appear euphoric-if that's even a thing.

"Ahem" I cleared my throat, momentarily turning my eyes away abashed when a tiny smirk grew on his lips. "I thought you wouldn't show up"

"Are you gonna get to why you got me here or what?" Back to the usual ill-mannered self are we?

I clapped my knees twice before jolting onto my feet. "Right. You brought your aquarium right?" With a nod of his head, I proceeded "you can grab it, I'll show you where we'll stay"

He nodded again and walked towards his car.

"Here" I broke the lengthened silence upon sighting the large solitary tree ahead of us.

Ignoring the leery glance he kept giving me, I neatly lay the blanket on the floor after kicking away several leaves making the floor somewhat smoother.

It may look like a cute date setting, but it is anything but. The sound of birds chirping and winds rustling the grasses and leaves were the only sounds heard as we were far away from the park, more or less secluded from passersby. I love it.

Still not a date.

"Come on, sit" I invited him with my hand in a come hither motion where he stood awkwardly.

He hesitated for a minute before taking off his shoes and sitting cross-legged alongside me.

Smiling at his compliance, I emptied the contents of my bag to which he followed suit just that his had books and mine had something more fun.

"You're kidding right?" My grin widened, watching his eyes wander around the snacks scattered around.

"What?"

"You didn't even bring any book?"

"I brought my project papers," I said matter-of-factly, lifting my project brochure. "Besides I knew you'd bring all the required books, nerd"

His look turned dark "don't call me that"

"Call you what, nerd? You call me Barbie so it's only fair I call you that"

He rolled his eyes and ignored my cheeky reply.

Another silence ensued as the atmosphere turned more serious as we started working on the project.

"So basically. . ." This time it was Alan to break the silence and I looked up from my brochure to his attention still fixated on his. He had his pink lips puckered and brows drawn almost comically. ". . . We have to watch them fuck on camera. Cool, lizard porn"

An eye roll and scornful phrasing won over the urge to laugh or facepalm.
"Sometimes I forget how stupid you are" I murmured to myself before speaking to his hearing. "No need to be so crude but yes. On the other hand, on camera? No. It's impossible"

"It's clearly stated with photograph" he reasoned, still flipping through the pages.

"Yep. But if you think about it, these creatures are spontaneous. You can't exactly watch them 24/7 waiting for them to mate. You could download pictures from the net as long as it reaches the requirements, we're fine"

His eyes finally met mine before he cut his eye at me mockingly "and you call me the nerd"

I rolled my eyes, tearing open the third bag of Doritos during this time together "oh please, that's just common sense"

A knowing smirk graced my lips when he opened a pack of Oreos. "You see... It's a win-win after all"

I nodded my head at the snack he had in hand when he shot a questioning look "I bring the nice snacks, you the textbooks for research and whatnot expected from a nerd, nerd"

He shook his head, chuckling lightly but what brought a proud smile to my face was the way his eyes lightened up in delight.

"You're something else, you know that right?" An unnecessary flip; my stomach acted in sync with the content warmth spreading through my body when his eyes met mine, the earlier forlorn replaced with the thrill dancing in his eyes.

Somewhere in my head, it is an achievement. A bizarre one at that when only hours ago I was ready to fly off the handle at his behavior. Then again, here I am, trying to prevent the Cheshire cat-like grin threatening to break free.

"Beyond a doubt"

**

After 2 more bags of Doritos, 3 M&M, 2 bottles of Pepsi and lots of brainstorming, it's safe to say a much-needed rest is deserved.

Huffing, I threw my back with arms wide and stretched on the soft blanket as I closed my eyes, breathing in nature.

My brows scrunched in confusion at the constant rustling above me, it didn't sound wind-induced.

Finally tearing my eyes open, I jolted to my feet at Alan staring down at me.

"What the hell are you doing up there? Come down this instant!" I push my hair away from my face, glaring daggers at the amused smirk on his lips.

"No mom" I snorted at his ridicule with a comeback of mine.

"So not only are you a nerd but a monkey also. Speak about jack of all trades or better still Alan of all trades" I ignored his cackle and continued with my chastise "don't come running to me when you get bitten by a snake cos I ain't gonna suck no poison outta you"

"Trust me, you'll suck something better"

At first, I didn't catch on but when I did, my eyes widened several millimeters, a slow burn creeping up my neck.

"Ew, no!" I hid my now beet red face behind my palms when his deep chortle came from beside me.

God, this boy's a jerk!

"Come on drama queen, let me help you up, the view is great from there besides the only animals there are a few birds"

I slapped away his hand and glared at the handsome grin he wore "don't you dare call me drama queen"

With a huff, I tied up the mess the wind made of my hair and held onto the tree bark.

Either him calling me a drama queen or that he actually thinks I can't do it on my own, the sudden determination to prove him wrong grew. I know this is a bad idea. Apart from the fact it's a gown I wore, I haven't done this in a while but hopefully, the basics are still in my memory; grab onto the roughest tree bark and pull yourself upwards until you grab onto a tree branch strong enough to carry your weight and ha!

"How's that for a drama queen, nerd" I looked down at where he stood a few meters below me and flipped him the finger.

With a shake of his head, he began climbing until he got up to where I stood. I followed suit and sat beside him when he found a strong branch facing the setting sun.

"Where'd you learn how to climb?" After several moments of silence, he asked.

I rubbed my barely covered arms when the cool evening breeze swooshed softly, before facing him "er. . . There's this camp I went to when I was little, 9 or there about" I finally turned and stared at his captivating eyes hopefully.

Like a bird, every shred of hope flew away when he only nodded, facing the view ahead of us.

"Isn't it beautiful?" His question cut another silence that ensued; a much more comfortable one properly spent taking in God's artwork. The usual raging sun was now an orange ball, boldly floating in a purple-orange pool of sky, its dominance radiating and bringing light to all life underneath it.

It's not beautiful, it's breathtaking.

"Have you ever been afraid of falling?" He muttered unexpectedly.

I raised a brow at how vague his question sounds and replied with a witty smile.

"Technically, my legs are dangling several feet above the ground from a place probably infested with snakes. So yes Alan, I'm afraid of falling"

He shook his head and laughed just this time it didn't reach his eyes.

"No. Not that kind. Falling as in something you've watched  for so long, watching it grow then just suddenly coming apart very slowly. . ." He stared ahead looking deep in thought, his expression now grave. I kept shut and watched him closely, whatever it was he was trying to say, for once I listened and just let him talk.

". . . So slowly that it's almost torturous and you want to stop it from happening so bad but there's nothing you can do but just watch as-" As if out of a trance, he shook his head. "Nevermind" he quickly added.

I opened my mouth to urge him to continue, but he beat me to it "it's getting pretty chill, we should get going"

Instead of fighting him this time, I let him help me down and even pack everything up, cautious of his solemn expression.

"Thanks for offering a ride but I brought my bicycle" he chuckled at my sarcasm as his engine roared to life.

"See you tomorrow, Barbie" with a wink, he reversed out the lot and drove off leaving a trail of duty and my muddled thoughts behind.

What was he trying to tell me?

Xoxo Ruth ❤️