One of his teammates pa.s.sed him by. He lifted a hand for a high five and Colin obliged. That was when he noticed a blonde girl, standing near his next cla.s.s. Her eyes were blank. She was more lost in thought than he was.

He checked his watched. There was three minutes left before cla.s.s began again. He frowned.

He walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. She squealed.

Even with music in his ears, Colin heard it.

He removed an earbud and said, "You okay?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah" she cleared her throat, "I'm fine"

Colin watched her as she fixed her hair and straightened her clothes. She held a notebook close to her chest. When he thought she was done, she did it again.

She was fiddling Colin could tell. What got her so rattled?

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again, his tone more serious.

It seemed to wake her up. She blinked a few times and looked at him for the first time. Her eyes were brown, almost black, but they s.h.i.+ned. The fluorescent lights reflected on them, like specks on polished crystals.

Colin stopped breathing.

She smiled and a.s.sured, "I really am okay. Thank you"

Colin was a statue.

When he didn't say anything, Lauren awkwardly brushed a hair strand behind her ear and bid him goodbye.

Colin was no longer human.

The bell rang again, signaling the start of cla.s.s.

Mr. Smith walked down the hall. He hummed  as he did, timing it with his steps.  He was a little late on purpose, giving some time for the students to catch up.

Even from far away, he spotted a student standing near the door. His brows rose up, curious at what the young man could be thinking about.

When he reached the student's back and cleared his throat, there was no response. He did it again, still nothing. His curiosity grew.

Then, it hit him. The student's behavior could only mean one thing.

Oh, how Mr. Smith loved teasing.

He side stepped and nudged the student's shoulder with his, saying, "What's her name?"

He watched the boy's face. It was Colin Hale. He'd never seen him behave this way before. 

Colin seemed to wake up when he heard Mr. Smith's question. Then, slowly he answered, "I... I don't know"

Mr. Smith was taken aback. The young man actually answered him. He took a breath and wrapped an arm around Colin's shoulders.

"Come now, education first, Mr. Hale. Then, you can think about love"

Together, they entered the cla.s.sroom with Colin still in a daze.