Away With Him

22 - Breaking Grad

"And so on December 5th 1933, prohibition in the United States ended, once again granting Americans permission to drink alcohol that they had been so desperately starved of for more than a decade." Logan gave a not so subtle wink as he concluded the presentation, receiving quite a laugh from the class and even a slight chuckle from Mrs. Hannigan. Hell, I even smiled. Though that was more out of relief.

We had done it. The presentation was over. And I had made it out alive and mostly unharmed.

And what's more is that the school year was over too. It had been an eventful year to say the least. Fairytales in France quickly lead to torment and torture as I returned to Texas. But with a little help from my friends and family, okay a lot of help, I was able to do a bit of good for someone else. And I guess my life got much better too.

"Thank you Riley and Logan for a very impressive presentation. I can see that a lot of work went into that," Mrs. Hannigan exclaimed as I made my way back to my desk. I'm pretty sure I felt a literal weight lift off my shoulders. I know it was only a few days ago that Logan and I were paired together but it honestly felt like the end of the world. And I know that I didn't handle it perfectly but it's over now and that's all that matters.

"Tiffany and Finn will present next on women's suffrage," Mrs. Hannigan announced and I couldn't help but chuckle a little internally. Obviously Tiffany didn't agree to the first Super Bowl as a presentation topic. Actually, Finn and Tiffany might have had an even more dramatic few days than Logan and I. Especially considering that they broke up a few weeks ago. What I would give to have been a fly on the wall in that room.

Logan stopped right beside my desk as he was walking back from the whiteboard. I thought he was going to say something to me but he pulled out the chair at the desk next to mine and sat down.

He was smiling like I had never seen before. Actually, now that I looked at him, almost everything was different. He was holding his shoulders back, his back was straight, he held his head upright. And the biggest change of all was to his jet black hair which today was pushed back and styled up at the front so I could see his eyes. Was this the same Logan as last week? The bully and the homophobe.

Though when he turned, caught my eye and noticed me staring at him I swear I saw a darkness descend over his eyes. Maybe even his whole face. But it was only for a split second. Then the weird cheerful expression returned.

"That was pretty good," Logan beamed as his wide smile seemed to cut right through me.

"Stop," I spat out, perhaps a bit too abruptly and before I could think of anything else to say. I'm pretty sure I looked just as shocked as Logan. "Logan I don't want you to sit beside me."

The trace of a smile on Logan's face disappeared altogether, but I continued. "We're not friends."

I let the statement hang in the air.

Logan began to push his chair back away from the desk.

"If we have to work together next year, that's fine but I think you need to remember what you did to me."

"But I told you why-" Logan retorted quietly.

"I get why you did it, but that doesn't make us better."

My eyes were fixed straight in front of me, pretending to read the board. After a heavy sigh and the screeching sound of the chair legs on the floor, he eventually faded out of my peripheral vision. His plodding footsteps echoed as he retreated to the back row of desks in the classroom.

Only when I was completely sure that he was gone did I dare to let a breath out and rest my head on my desk.

Clearly I hadn't been paying any attention to Finn's presentation because he was sitting in the seat previously occupied by Logan when I turned my head over a few seconds later.