Still

Chapter Two

Harry was nowhere to be seen at school. Every time I was in the halls-- whether it was between a class or during my lunch break-- I checked for him. Obviously I had never searched for him on purpose before, but I felt awful for stealing his picture. It was kind of his fault though, since he rushed off after the final bell rang the other day, and didn't wait to get his drawing back. Maybe it was a sign that he wanted me to keep it, but it was too good to just be randomly handed out to someone he didn't know. Still, I kept it in hand whenever I walked around the school, hoping I would be able to see him, and hand it back.

I sat in the lunch room for the first time since, well, ever. Some part of me expected that he would be in there, drawing another new masterpiece that he definitely would not let me see again. Maybe he had friends who he would joke with, and they would throw wads of paper at pretty girls they had never even spoken to. Everyone knew that guys don't tell girls they like them, because then they think it would make them look like an idiot. Kerry used to write stupid pickup lines in his paper wads, and deliberately throw them onto tables with large groups of girls, hoping that at least one of them would actually open it and read it.

There was no use in just sitting around by myself. I grabbed my backpack, and slid it onto one shoulder. Harry's painting was the only thing that I had out, and I began walking around the cafeteria with it in hand. Everyone sat in their own bubble of a group, laughing to themselves about inside jokes and funny videos on their phones. Harry wasn't very distinct-looking, if that even made any sense. He was just kind of there, always brushing back black hair out of his eyes as he focused on whatever he was working on.

Then again, he wasn't really bad looking, either. There were freckles just splattered on his face, like a spread of constellations. They probably all connected into some beautiful picture, like the ones he was constantly drawing. He was always drawing in class, and I probably would have noticed it, even if I was seated across the room from him. Just staring at him made me feel calm, even though I never even had a full conversation with him. Or a conversation in general.

Did he have a significant other? He seemed like the type of person who would be dating, even if it was just for a few weeks. I could imagine him holding hands with some pretty brunette on the outdoor bleachers as they silently listened to music together. That's what I would have done, saying I ever had the time for dating.

I couldn't find Harry in the lunch room, so I just decided to give up. Plus, the mandatory thirty minutes given to us to eat was going to end soon, and I didn't want to be the last one to arrive to class. Even on the days when I hid in the choir room during lunch time, I still managed to get to US History early. It was probably the only class I enjoyed, since I had only read about America's history through books at my old school's library.

"Ms. Noble," Mr. Tsu greeted me as I walked into his classroom. "How has your day been so far?"

"Normal," I replied, just as I did every day. "You?"

"I ended up sleeping through my prep period," Mr. Tsu answered,"so in other words, it couldn't have been any better."

Mr. Tsu was an odd teacher, but amazing nonetheless. He was always asking about my old town, and the difference in culture between the two places. Sometimes I forgot that he was supposed to be a teacher at all, because of how youthful he was compared to literally every other adult at this school. The first day of class, he was sitting in a row of desks, cross legged and waiting for someone to find him. He also kept coloring books in the back of the class for people who finished their work.

"I started watching that one show you were talking about," Mr. Tsu told me as he began placing papers onto each of the desks.

"Which one?"