Page 15 of Ancient History

And the guy opened his door again! I was inches away from having an accident. We were like two people who couldn’t pass each other in the hall.

This time, he got out and slammed his door shut. Amos glared at me through the windshield. He lookedfinein slim cut jeans, fitted plaid shirt, and knit tie. But I was in no position to ogle him.

He walked past me. I managed a half-wave and a weak “what are the odds” smile. He didn’t respond to either.

I finished my parking job, maneuvering my car as far away as possible from Amos’s. When I got out, he was standing on the curb, checking something on his phone. That was a good sign.

The complete lack of friendly smile on his face was not.

“Hey. Sorry about that,” I said.

“It’s fine.” He had a leather messenger bag slung diagonally, which did wonders for showing off his chest. I used my old backpack, frayed on the bottom.

“I thought you were waiting for me to pull in. Looks like we got our wires crossed.”

“I think it’s customary for the driver to let the other person get out of their car first.”

“Actually, I think the other driver waits until the car pulls in to get out.”

A tight smile barely hung on his lips. “Agree to disagree.”

It might’ve been spring, but there was a heavy cold front this morning.

“Sorry about that. You heading inside?” I gestured to the school, where other teachers filtered in.

Mrs. Tomski, my old history teacher, walked up to us. She was old when I was a student; her white hair and liver-spotted hands made her seem ancient.

“Hutch, I heard you were coming back. It’s lovely to see you! You’ve turned into a strapping young man.” She patted my arm in that good job way that grandmas did so well.

“Mrs. Tomski! It’s great to see you. We’re colleagues now. Isn’t that wild?”

“Coach Legrand said wonderful things about you.” She looked between Amos and me, seemingly oblivious to the underlying tension. “Weren’t you and Amos both in my class? I could’ve sworn I once caught you passing notes.”

“I have to get inside.” Amos looked down at the sidewalk and marched into the building.

My heart lifted as I thought about those times in class when we’d sneak looks at each other, or when I got to watch his ass as he walked up to the board.

Kinda like how I was watching his ass now as he walked away.

* * *

I never really vibed withthe expression to know something like the back of my hand. I knew my palm better. I once had a palm reader explain the meaning behind the creases and how it told my fortune. I forgot what she said, but I’m assuming it came true.

Even though it’d been a minute since I was last here, I found my way through the halls of South Rock High like they were the palm of my hand. Memories burst out of the walls, the waxed-floor smells, the familiar sounds of creaky lockers and din of students buzzing around. While there’d been cosmetic changes here and there, like new bulletin boards and signage, the bones hadn’t changed.

But I had no time to reminisce with myself. I wanted to catch up to Amos and start to lay the groundwork to be on friendly terms. Maybe I could get us to the point where he’d be open to talking.

I fucked things up royally back in the day. There was no previous chapter button for our DVD. Honestly, I still cared for Amos. Those familiar feelings sprang back to life when I glimpsed him in the hall the other day. But they’d have to chill next to my dreams of playing major league soccer again.

I wasn’t looking to get back with Amos. That ship had sailed, sprung a leak, and lay at the bottom of the ocean. But maybe we could learn to be colleagues, possibly acquaintances?

My heart did a little somersault when I reached the hall of history classrooms on the second floor. Amos stood outside his class chatting with a pair of female students, laughing along with him like the cool teacher he was.

I approached slowly, a soldier entering enemy territory.

His beautiful face went devoid of emotion when our eyes met.

“We’ll definitely continue this convo in second period. But no spoilers. I’m only on episode four,” he said to the girls, his smile turned on. He waved to them as they trotted off.

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