Flame and Leah

“Did Callie ditch again?” Leah asked Dylan during lunch period later that week. They were seated at their usual place, in the furthest corner of the quad. It was the only place they could sneak cigarettes and not be caught.

Nodding, Dylan chewed on some Doritos. “Second time this week,” he added. “She’s gonna fail out if she isn’t careful.”

Leah drank her Snapple and thought to herself. She wondered why Callie was always so self-destructive. She slept with guys as soon as she met them; she drank excessively, getting sick and having blackouts regularly; and she ditched school constantly. Whenever Leah or Dylan brought it up to her, though, she either got pissed off and flew off the handle, or she ignored them with a rude comment.

“What do you think of the new guy, Chuck, she’s seeing?” Dylan asked, interrupting Leah’s thoughts.

“He seems okay,” she said. “I mean, I don’t know him very well, but I do know he’s called her a couple times this week, which is a step up from most guys that she sees.” Leah didn’t want to mention that she hoped Chuck was okay since he was Flame’s friend; that seemed too selfish. “Of course, if he does turn out to be alright, I’m sure Callie will find something wrong with him or get freaked out and bail. That’s what she always does when anyone seems genuinely interested in her.”

Dylan had to agree with Leah. Callie had a tendency to date losers, and when she accidentally ended up with any halfway decent guys, she always found something wrong with them to complain about or she would just never call or see them again. Dylan didn’t get it; despite Callie’s abrasive demeanor, she could be a really funny, cool, interesting person – and on rare moments, even compassionate. He didn’t know why she wouldn’t let herself just get together with a good guy that would treat her right.

“Speaking of failing out,” Dylan said, suddenly remembering something he wanted to tell Leah. “Looks like, thanks to you, I won’t be doing that. I got an 85 on the trig test. Thanks so much for your help studying last weekend.”

Leah smiled as she snuck a cigarette out of her backpack and discreetly lit it, holding her hand behind her so no teachers could see. “I’m so glad,” she said, slowly blowing out some smoke. “Anytime you need help, just let me know.” She took another drag and handed the smoke to Dylan.

Taking a drag himself, Dylan smiled back at Leah. For a moment, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was; her eyes looked brighter green than usual today, and the metal ball style necklace she wore hung right around her collarbone, showing how petite and delicate she was. Closing his eyes to keep from staring, Dylan chided himself. He hated that he couldn’t help feeling the way he did for Leah. But he couldn’t.

“I think I’m going to head in,” Dylan said abruptly, handing Leah back the cigarette. Feeling guilty because of the puzzled expression on her face, he began gathering his belongings. “Social studies test,” he lied. “I should probably study a little before class starts.” He stood up and looked down at Leah, who still looked a little bit perplexed.

Leah stood up next to him. “Okay,” she said. “I guess I’ll head to my class, too. Sitting out here alone feels weird.” Leah followed Dylan back into the school, wondering if she had said or done anything to annoy him. “Call me tonight?” she asked as they began to head down separate hallways.

Looking back at her, Dylan smiled awkwardly. “Absolutely,” he promised her and headed toward his classroom.