I made a mental note in my head that they must not teach sarcasm in Paris and clarified, "I was kidding. I don't have a partner."
"Got it." he replied flatly. "Well, for now… Join a pair, make a group of three."
I groaned internally. Now I was the subject of a group's ruin. I must have looked like a complete ass at that point, as I putzed around nervously, looking for anybody who didn't view me with what I saw as contempt.
"C'mon, quickly." Mr. Salvador encouraged me impatiently. I jumped slightly and joined the closest group to me, a group of two guys who looked like they were only in this class to get the arts credit. Sports jerseys, a visible 'fuck you' attitude, low-riding pants… Yup, these guys were the pinnacle of 'I don't belong in a drama class.' Then again, I wasn't the one to talk.
Mr. Salvador cleared his throat and began. Label yourselves A and B."
The class was abuzz with overenthusiastic actors and actresses of tomorrow labeling themselves 'A' immediately. In my group, I just looked at my shoes and one of the jock wannabes turned to the other. "Um… Okay, I'll be A, you be B." one of them said, a boy with blond hair and a mouth that always seemed to hang open.
"What about this guy?" The other one, a guy with brown hair just a little bit too long and the makings of a mustache (a baseball player, I bet) said while gesturing towards me.
Blondie thought to himself, his mouth still open. Then his open mouth broke into a grin. "He can be B too." He said proudly, as if he just thought up a brilliant idea.
I nodded enthusiastically, looking up from my shoes. On the inside, I sighed.
Mr. Salvador continued. "Good! Now, A's, your job is to get the other to guess an emotion. Once I say go, A's will come to me in a huddle and I'll give you your separate emotions you have to portray. A's, you can not use your face or your voice. Your face is blank. You can only portray this emotion with your bodies. Pairs will sit down when you've guessed correctly."
At least my team had double the guessing power, I thought bitterly. I actually wouldn't have minded being paired up with anyone else. I didn't much like jocks, they were the type of person who bullied me relentlessly only a short time ago. I closed my eyes and asked if there was a God up there, to give me a new partner. Someone. Anyone.
All of a sudden, there was a knock on the auditorium doors, followed by the door opening and someone slowly entering. I recognized her immediately. The cutie from my English and Science classes.
"Sorry for disrupting the class." She practically sang in a voice I kept repeating in my head. If angels could talk, her voice could make them leave in shame. It was delicate, yet sweet; strong, yet soft. As she stood, I got the chance to drink in her full image.
She was short, but not too short. Her height could only be described as perfect – just shorter than me. The green dress ended at her knees, revealing two beautiful, almost teasing legs. They seemed to slink as she walked. Her shoes were together in a pose cutely complimented by how her two hands were clasped behind her back. Her waist was tight – very tight. Hugged impressively by her dress, as if the dress was made only for her, her waist allowed her surprisingly full hips (Which I had to imagine would sway just a bit when she walked) and chest to stick out even more than they normally would.
And her chest certainly didn't need the help. I was wrong before – she had to be at least a C cup (which was massive for grade 9 standards) which stood out proudly from her chest, slightly straining the dress she was wearing.
Her face was slightly blushing from all of the attention on her, but she was still giving that cute, innocent smile. Her pale complexion, something I normally didn't like in a girl, outlined all of her facial features perfectly, and brought to mind the skin of an angel. The freckles brought out just the right amount of innocent cuteness, but they had nothing on her beautiful, big hazel eyes, gleaming and dancing on her face's smile. Her eyelashes, full yet giving me the impression she wore no mascara, crowned them beautifully. Her hair framed her face in a perfect fashion, and the sight of her made me smile before I was even realizing it. My trance was broken when Mr. Salvador spoke.
"It's okay. Can I help you?"
"I just transferred out of music…" She trailed off ,holding up a sheet of paper. "Mr. Scott directed me to this class."
Mr. Scott was our school's principal, and I was just about ready to kiss his feet at that moment. Mr. Salvador nodded at her, and turned back to the class.
"Well, welcome to the class. You missed a lot of introductory activities, so you'll find that the first few weeks will be a bit overwhelming."
"It's fine!" she returned in a chipper way. "I work well under pressure."
I had to turn away from any classmates in my line of sight. I know she didn't mean it like that, but she was making me… Stir, in the lower areas. I scolded myself for being so lustful, and tried to calm myself down by reminding myself how I probably won't ever even talk with her.
"Well, you can join in on this activity." Mr. Salvador said, mostly to himself. "Let's see… Adam, you said your partner left, correct?"
My heart fluttered in my chest as the class gave a little bit of a laugh. "Uh…" I began, taken off guard. "Yes sir." I noted that it was the first time I called him sir. He raised his eyebrows in a way that made me wonder if he made the same realization.
"Well, he just got used to this group." Blondie piped up. "New girl can go with me if you want."
Mr. Salvador either didn't remember his hormonal period of being a teen, or had the best poker face known to man. "I don't see why her going with Adam is any worse." He said with a blank expression. He turned to her. "And I imagine your name is something other than 'new girl.'"
"Way to go, Quick Draw McGraw." called out a voice from the class, directed at Blondie. The class chuckled, but Mr. Salvador ignored them, fixated on the girl's response.
She smiled at him. "I'm May. May Stevens."
"May Stevens." He repeated to himself, nodding. A smile slowly formed on his face. "Well, we're glad to have you aboard."
He explained to her the activity, and she seemed excited by it. She hopped up on stage without another word and turned back towards Mr. Salvador. "Who am I partnered with again?" She asked sweetly.
Great. I was forgettable to her. My heart sank as I started beating myself up internally. So much that I didn't even notice when Mr. Salvador pointed to me. The next thing I felt was a poke in my arm. I was shocked to see May at the end of the poking finger, smiling at me. Her expression then softened. "Oh, I know you!" she exclaimed.
I smiled weakly and gave a small nod. She would have continued, but Mr. Salvador called for all A's to meet him for their emotion.
She turned to me. "Oh, by the way, if we're going to be partners, I'm always A." She said, and winked playfully as she walked off towards the group huddle. Was she flirting with me? No, of course she wasn't. She wouldn't. I'm way out of her league. It was only a wink. Friends can wink. Right?
She walked back to me, her mind clearly at work with whatever Mr. Salvador had given her. "Alright, Go!" Mr. Salvador called, and the auditorium was instantly full of shouting.
May began to walk, but started to stumble. She then composed herself and started to look around erratically. Her face was completely blank, as Mr. Salvador instructed, but it was still a vision of beauty. It took me a second to get out of my trance and start guessing.
"Um… Nervousness?" I asked in an ironically nervous fashion. She kept up the act, so I guessed it wasn't it. "Caution?" I asked. She thought to herself for a second, then resumed her walk-stumble thing. "…Drunk?" I asked, throwing up my arms.
She flashed me a quick grin and a chuckle before composing herself. Oh my God, her full-on smile was something. I bet it could cure diseases. There was something about her eyes that made her smile. You couldn't take one single part of her face and take it out of her smile. It all worked to make her face beautiful.
I shook my head again and focused on her act. She was looking around more erratically now, like she was in a panic.
"Panic." I stated. Her hand went flat and wobbled, giving me the universal symbol for 'Kind of.' She then scratched her head and threw up her arms in frustration. I wasn't sure if she ran out of ways or was still acting, but after, she just put her finger to her lower lip and thought. She looked confused.
"Confusion," I said lamely, as a last guess. She grinned and nodded. "You got it!" She said happily, and we sat down. We were by no means the first group to get it, but we at least weren't the last. I looked at Blondie and his friend to see that they were still struggling. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face.
My smile didn't last long, especially since Mr. Salvador told the class after everyone was sitting that it was now B's turn to act. I sighed as he called us forward, and joined the huddle. He was already assigning students by the time I got there.
"Callum, you'll be 'Tired.' Hanna, you're 'Longing.' Uhh… Adam. You're going to be 'Shy.'"
That was totally a remark on my character, but I smiled and nodded. This would be too easy. As I was walking back, May was still sitting on the ground, and flashed me a thumbs-up with one of her trademark smiles. I gave her a thumbs-up back as she stood up.
"Go ahead!" Mr. Salvador called out, and the auditorium was once again filled with shouting.
I swear I didn't do anything I wouldn't normally. I just stuck my hands in my pockets and collapsed my shoulders inward.
"Shy." May guessed. I nodded. "Really?" she asked me, beaming. "C'mon, let's sit then." She added giddily.
Mr. Salvador noticed how quickly we sat down. He gave a small nod in my direction, letting the smallest of smiles form on his lips.
***
The class was over sooner than I would have expected. When the bell went, Mr. Salvador called out, "Alright, good work. See you all tomorrow."
Most of the class cleared out immediately, though I was surprised to see that May was sort of lingering around. She approached me and said softly, "Thanks for being my partner today."
"You're thanking me?!" was the first thing my mind thought. Of course, my mouth went off with the same words without giving me a chance to think about it first. I cringed, thinking it was a stupid thing to say.
She gave a small, adorable laugh. "Well, yeah. To tell you the truth, I moved to this high school from a little bit away, so I don't know anyone here. It's just kind of overwhelming." She paused, then noticing I wasn't going to speak, asked, "What's your name? All I know is 'Mr. Watson.'" she said, imitating Mr. Carrozza's voice.
I chuckled. "I-I'm Adam." I said, probably more shakily than I'd like.
She nodded. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Adam." She said,
"Nice to meet you too, May." I added a bit quickly. I bet she noticed my discomfort, and was just being kind to me. That's all it was.
"Well, see you! Good luck running for student council." She gave me another playful wink and walked off.
The council! I had forgotten all about it. Thank goodness for her. After she walked off, I ran to my backpack and dug into it, looking for the sheet. When I did, I had enough time to see Mr. Salvador, walking out of the auditorium.
"Mr. Salvador!" I called out. He stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"Hello." He said in his commanding voice.
I ran up to him and asked, "I'm running for student council and was wondering if you would maybe consider advocating for me. If not, that's okay too." I cursed my mouth.
He looked at me for a second, then said, "Of course." He started making his way towards the stage, then put the paper on the edge. He sat down and began to sign. "Next time, I expect you to use fewer words when asking. Don't waste my time."
The guy loved brevity. 'Don't waste my time' wasn't as harsh as coming from him. "Good work today." he added as he kept signing. "If you hadn't shown me your ability today, you wouldn't have gotten such a recommendation." He got up and gave me the sheet.
I remembered his love of brevity. "Noted." I simply said. He nodded and began to walk out again as if nothing had happened. I got my backpack from the floor and started to walk out myself.