She couldn’t tell if he was smiling because she wasn’t going to look at his face. Some would call that a show of weakness but she didn’t care. “Like I said call me Rob. So you’re my escort huh? Couldn’t they find anyone prettier?”

Ouch! Who did he think he was? He wasn’t a catch. She may not like confrontation but she was no pansy. “Come on our next class is starting soon.” Maybe she was a pansy. But at least it was only for today. She could deal, right?

He followed her strutting, making her cheeks heat from embarrassment. The laughing ensued, following them both down the hall.

“Hey Disaster has a boyfriend!” More comments assaulted them as they approached Mr. Clint’s classroom for English Literature.

“Disaster…..“ Rob chuckled. “Classic.” He kicked up his feet on her chair with his arms behind his head looking up at her with a smug smile. “Well Liv are you going to just stand there?”

She looked away. What was with this guy? Did he delight in torturing her already? Did she have a big kick me sign on her back? “Please move your feet.” Her voice was quiet but steady. She was used to this, when she was younger she would cry, but not anymore. Now she just took it stoically. Maybe it made her weak to take it, but then what could she do? That was school right? That’s what her mother said. Not that she was sober at the time but it was true. Some kids get picked on and some do the picking. It was a fact of life.

Surprisingly he moved his feet immediately. She sat down getting her papers and book out keeping her eyes down. Her report on medieval folklore. Oberon, Tatiana and Puck, fairies and the unseen court. It was a report she’d been working on for weeks and was proud of. Maybe it wasn’t print worthy but it was her best work and paralleled the play the high school drama club was putting together for the spring festival. A mid Summer’s Night Dream.