When Storm Clouds Hover

8: Dom - New girl in class

It had been two weeks since Dom got back to school, and he was struggling to concentrate in English class. Watford was the worst place for gossip. Since he'd been back, he'd keenly felt the gaze of prying eyes on his back as he walked the corridors and the hush that descended a room as he entered. He knew that people were talking, speculating on whether he was the baby's father. He didn't care either way, he was over it already. He stared at his notebook, unable to start writing.

The purple jacarandas were out and had spread a soft mauve carpet over the courtyard outside the classroom. He lifted his eyes to the window, imagining the moment his hay fever would kick in. Just thinking about it made his eyes water.

Their teacher, Ms. Zeiman, had tasked them to summarize the scene in Merchant of Venice where Portia's suitors select from one of three caskets to win her hand in marriage. He knew his teacher's modus operandi; she'd soon pounce on one of them to read their work back to the class. It didn't matter. He couldn't concentrate anyway.

Briefly, he wondered if he might still be in shock. He still couldn't believe Pascal wasn't coming back. She'd asked him not to call her, but he wondered if he should. He missed her so much.

When he'd spoken to his mum that morning, she'd instructed him that under absolutely no circumstances was he to contact Pascal. She'd said that things were going to be hard enough for her as it was, without Dom's drama. Her exact words had been things were going to be hard enough 'for that girl', but Dom hadn't the energy to pull her up on it.

His mum was right about one thing, though. The situation was hopeless, and he didn't want to make anything more complex for his ex. If that was what she was? They hadn't even had the chance to break up properly. In any case, what was he going to do? Drop out of school and take care of someone else's baby?

Even if he wanted to—and he really didn't! Both of their parents wouldn't allow it.

It didn't mean he could switch off the way he felt about Pascal, though. School wasn't the same anymore without her beautiful smiling face. Everything seemed like such a grind.

Dom's thoughts drifted to the time they'd spent together. Cal used to visit him in between lessons. She was like that; she never cared for what the teachers thought about her. They'd steal kisses when no one was in the classroom. And it wasn't even just the physical stuff he missed. He recalled the way she twisted her hair between her fingers when she was thinking about what to say next. He'd loved just watching her. His memory was so vivid. If he recalled kissing her neck, it was as though he could taste her skin. Christ, life sucked! It had been a long time since he felt this badly about anything. It was all he could do to resist the temptation to get up and walk out of class. He'd have to find something to take his mind off of this twisting, gut wrenching pain.

Though deep in thought, Dom imagined he could feel eyes on him. Looking up, he saw the new girl in class looking at him again.

Emma – was that her name? He'd been introduced to her as 'Em'. Could it be Emily, though?

Immediately he noticed her, she dropped her eyes. He'd heard she had a thing for him, and though he didn't think much about her, they'd been flirting with each other a bit lately. It sort of worked to take Dom's mind off Pascal.