Tallulah “Tallulah.” Mr. Dace called my name just before I left his class. The other students were clearing out quickly, and, if I was honest, I wanted to see Nash, but I couldn’t ignore my teacher. “Yes, sir?” I asked, turning back to face him. He was still sitting at his desk. Today he looked younger than normal. He had on a football T-shirt that fit snugly, like the guys on the team wore, and a pair of jeans with the classic-style Adidas tennis shoes. He could easily pass for a college student. The girls in the class had noticed too. As if they needed any more of a reason to flirt with him. They all swore they were in love with the man. He was nice. He was a good teacher, and I was thankful to have the teacher’s assistant job this semester. It would look good when I applied to colleges this year. He glanced over my shoulder as the others left the room and waited a moment before responding. Then he moved his gaze back to mine. “Close the door. It’s loud out there.” I did as told, then walked back over to his desk. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long. “I’ve got three periods’ worth of tests to grade, grade logging on the system to do, and study guides that need to be typed up and sent out via e-mail to all the students in all my classes. Then there is football practice. I really need your help after school. I’ll give you extra credit points for this.
There is no way I am getting it done without you helping me.” I had already worked in here with him during the day. I didn’t want to miss my time with Nash after school. We hadn’t spent time together since he was suspended. With a sigh, I forced a smile. “Sure. I can work on it all last period and then after school.” I might need that extra credit. Mr. Dace gave me a grin that showcased his dimples. The girls in class loved his dimples. They talked about those all the time too. Most of the time they whispered when they should be doing their classwork. And tugged their shirts down to show off as much cleavage as they could in hopes of getting his attention. I figured that was why he had asked for me to be his student aid. I didn’t sexually harass him. “Great. I knew you wouldn’t let me down. I’ll show you everything I need last period. This is a huge help, Tallulah. I can’t thank you enough.” I smiled easier this time. I could see Nash after I helped Mr. Dace. He’d understand. “No problem,” I assured him, then finally got to leave the room. It was time for lunch, and the hallways were silent. I’d almost expected Nash to be out here looking for me, but I didn’t see him anywhere as I made my way down the hallway toward the closed doors of the cafeteria. The sound from inside could be heard the closer I got. I used to dread walking in those doors, and there was a point that I just wouldn’t do it. I started to smile as I reached them because I wanted to go inside now. I had someone I wanted to see. I belonged. To many, that was something they took for granted. But not me.
I never would. I knew what it felt like on the other side. Squeals and high-pitched screams stopped me just before I went inside. I had just enough time to move out of the way before the door swung open, and a girl with dark brown curls bolted through them still screaming. She was covered in what appeared to be a blue raspberry slushie from the machine inside the cafeteria. Her hair was saturated with it, and the white polo shirt she wore was blue and dripping as she ran for the restroom across the hall. Laughter rang out from inside, and I looked in there to see Haegan Baylor in front of it all. With that camera in his hand. That small square thing the teachers hadn’t taken from him. It was almost as if they were scared to force him to stop filming in school. He made sure to blur out faces, distort voices, and the like, but it still seemed unfair that he was getting away with it. Haegan winked at me with that annoying amused grin of his. Had he done that? Surely he hadn’t? If someone had actually poured a slushie on her, they’d be in the office with a ticket home for several days. “Where you been?” Nash asked, pulling my thoughts off of Haegan and the slushie. “Mr. Dace needed me,” I said, then pointed toward the restroom. “What happened?” Nash looked like he was trying not to grin. “Paige got spooked. Thought the rubber snake Haegan put under the slushie machine was real. No one else had noticed it, but she saw it just as she finished getting her drink and screamed, tossing the slushie in the air. Damn thing went all over her.” I didn’t think this was funny, nor did I see why he did. “Why would Haegan put a rubber snake there?” I asked,
already knowing the answer. Nash shrugged. “He does shit like that. Pranks and the like for his vlog. Gets more viewers. People laugh. It’s why he’s famous.” He was famous because he humiliated people? “That’s terrible.” Nash frowned. “She’ll get to go home early. It’s just a slushie. Won’t kill her.” No, she’d survive. But the whole student body would remember. The world would see it on his vlog. And she would be humiliated because, although her face wasn’t seen, the kids here would know it was her. “Have you ever been the one everyone laughed at? Do you know how it feels to hear laughter directed at you? Ever been humiliated?” I shook my head for him. “No, you haven’t.” “Aw, come on Tallulah. It wasn’t that big of a deal.” Not to him. Not to Haegan or any of these other insensitive people still snickering and mimicking her. But to her it was. It would be. She’d never forget it. “I need to go help Mr. Dace. He’s got some work for me. I’ll be late after school, helping him get things caught up,” I said, and turned to walk to the restroom. I was going to see if I could help the girl. “What about after school? My house?” Nash called out. “I’ll stop by when I’m done.” He didn’t look okay with that. But I didn’t care. Right now I was being reminded of the guy who laughed at me last May. The guy who found humor in my pain. I didn’t like that guy. I liked the one from the water tower. But was that even
who Nash was? “Fine. Go help Coach Douchebag. See if I give a fuck!” Nash called out, then stalked off as if I wasn’t there. He didn’t give me a chance to respond. But what would I say? I was seeing a Nash I wanted to believe didn’t exist. The guy who had been kind to me since elementary school, that was the one I was falling in love with. But this Nash... I didn’t think I could even like him. Going inside the restroom, I heard the sobs immediately. My chest hurt. I didn’t know the girl. I’d seen her before. She had a big group of friends. She was in the band. This wasn’t something she had experienced, until now. I walked over and got some paper towels. “I can help you get it out of your hair. Then we can get you to the office before they all leave the cafeteria, and you can go home.” Paige looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes and nodded. “Thank you.”