Anna walks towards the biology lab after lunch. Before she enters the class, she turns to look for Zack, but he has already disappeared into the crowd of students. She sighs deeply and enters the biology lab. Anna walked past the long lab benches with smooth black countertops and light-brown bases accented with blue cabinet doors, to her usual spot at the far-left side of the room. She pulls out the black bar stool and places her purple backpack on the counter, to take out a pencil case and a notebook, then she places the purple backpack on the floor, so it leans against the counter. As she waits for the rest of the class to arrive, her gaze roams over the tall wooden cabinets with glass doors, lining the left side wall. Inside she scans the neatly stored supplies along with the preserved specimens and a few anatomical models, including a cross-section of a human head.
Besides her Mandy and Erika were seated. Erika has straight, medium-brown hair that falls just past her shoulders and she is wearing a light grey cardigan over a darker top. Mandy has long, blonde, curly hair and is also wearing a grey-toned outfit, including a sweater and a loosely wrapped scarf. Normally Anna doesn't pay much attention to their conversations because they usually just gossip about stupid things. "I was sorry to hear about you and Steve, what happened?" Erika asks Mandy with a fake sympathetic voice. Mandy flips her hair slightly over her shoulders and sighs frustrated. "He is such an idiot. So, I tried to change him a little bit. Give his look more class. What's the big deal, it is not like he wasn't getting something out of it." Mandy complained. "So, what? He dumped you for trying to change him?" Erika asked. Mandy nodded and folded her arms over her chest. "Something about not loving him for who he is or something." Mandy mumbled. "Oh, that's so sexist. Boys like us pretty and clean, with sexy clothes and make-up, but God forbit we ask them to change slightly…" Erika said irritated.
Their conversation is interrupted by Mrs. Williams entering the class, wearing her usual white lab coat. She walks to the front of the class and greets everyone with a warm smile. She shifts her silver framed glasses on her face as she looks down onto the desk, at an open notebook. "Alright, today we are looking at support systems in animals, please turn to page thirty-four." Mrs. William says casually, and she turns on the projector overhead to display a detailed image of a skeleton. Anna tries to pay attention, but her focus drifts back to the conversation she heard earlier. Mandy and Steve had been going out for the last two years. They were a typical popular couple, with Steve being on the football team and Mandy being a cheerleader. Anna remembered how annoying she though they were in the beginning, always all over each other, making out wherever and whenever they could. She couldn't help but draw a comparison between that and her current relationship with Zack. She swallowed hard as she considered the similarities, started off lustful… Mandy wanted to change Steve… and now there are broken up. She couldn't help but wonder if the same thing would happen with her and Zack is she kept trying to turn him into a responsible student. Would he begin to resent her?
After the bell rang, indicating the start of the second period of biology, Mrs. Williams told everyone to look through a case study while she went to do something. While Anna tried reading the case study, highlighting important matters, Manda and Erika started talking again. "So, are you going to try to win him back or get revenge?" Erika asked. "Both. I am going to a college party this weekend. I am going to make Steve regret ever dumping me and beg to take me back," Mandy says confidently. Mr. Williams re-entered the class and said, "Alright, lets discuss the case study. Throughout the period Anna's mind kept wandering back to the conversation she overheard and her relationship with Zack. When the final bell rung, she mechanically packed her things away and started walking towards the library. Then she saw Zack, looking as sexy as always, leaning against a wall near the library entrance, waiting for her. The way he straightened up when he saw her and pushed off the wall and started walking towards her, made her heartbeat faster.
"There you are," he said, his voice carrying a mix of relief and impatience. "Took you long enough. I was starting to think you ditched more for some other loser." Anna smiled when she saw him. "Don't be silly. I would never ditch you for anyone," she said and kissed him on the cheek. Zack's irritation melts away at her reassurance, a genuine smile replacing the frustrated scowl he wore moments before. The quick peck on his cheeks sends a familiar warmth spreading through his chest. "Good," he says simple, catching her hand and lacing their fingers together. "Because I would not have let you anyway. Come on, let's find somewhere quiet before the library fills up." He tugs her toward the library entrance, navigating around clusters of students still loitering in the main lobby. His grip on her hand is firm but gentle, claiming ownership without being aggressive. "Found us a table," he announces quietly once they are inside the quieter stacks section. He leads her to a secluded corner with two large wooden tables tucked away between shelves filled with history texts.
Anna nods, her mind far away. "Okay, good," she says softly and places her purple backpack on the table and takes out her biology and chemistry books. Zack watches her unpack her books with a sense of satisfaction settling over him. The quiet corner of the library feels worlds away from the noisy hallway chaos outside. He drops his own backpack onto the opposite side of the table and settles into his chair, leaning back with deliberate casualness. "You know this whole homework thing isn't half back. At least we get to sit next to each other."