Not too bad

Their classmates' heads snap up in unison as they hear the door open. There's a moment of silence, filled only with the sound of their own frantic hearts, before the room explodes into a cacophony of whispers and speculation. Dominic and Evie exchange nervous glances, feeling like everyone in the room has a spotlight shining on them.

Mr. Chester, their teacher, finally manages to quiet the class down. "I take it you two have a good excuse for why you were missing from class?" he says, his voice laced with sarcasm. Dominic swallows hard, his mouth dry. "Well, uh...Evie felt a little sick, so we went to get her some paracetamol," he says, hoping it sounds convincing.

Evie nods in agreement, trying to meet Mr. Chester's gaze. "Yeah, that's right," she says, her voice shaking. "I just wasn't feeling well, and Dominic was so nice to go get me some." There's a pause as they both wait for Mr. Chester's response.

Mr. Chester sighs, clearly unimpressed. "Very well. But you should have told me, Evie. Next time, don't leave class without telling me where you are. Now, take your seats and try to catch up with the lesson." His words feel like a dismissal, and Evie can't help but feel a wave of relief wash over her. She quickly sits down, glancing at Dominic out of the corner of her eye.

As the rest of the class settles in, Dominic takes his seat as well, his heart still racing. He can't help but listen in to the chatter around the room about their return. Grace, a gossipy girl in their class, leans over to her friend and whispers something about them “definitely fucking in the cleaners’ cupboard”. Dominic's face burns hot, and he glances nervously at Evie. She's trying to pretend she didn't hear, but there's a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.

The rest of the class passes by in a blur, as they struggle to keep up with the lesson. Dominic finds himself stealing glances at Evie whenever their teacher isn't looking, marveling at how brave she was to do this with him. Even though they're both terrified, there's an undercurrent of excitement and adrenaline that keeps them going.

As the bell rings for the end of class, Mr. Chester collects their assignments and dismisses them. Dominic and Evie exchange a nervous look before standing up to leave. They walk down the hallway together, their shoulders almost touching. "So," Dominic says, trying to break the tension, "what's the plan now?"

“well, as much as I’d love to spend some time with you, I have cheer now...so, I guess I better get going," Evie says, her voice sounding a little less convincing than she intends. She knows she should probably go, but she can't help but want to spend just a little bit more time with Dominic. They reach a fork in the hallway, with one direction leading to the gym and the other to the main exit.

“See you tomorrow, Dominic” she says before leaning in and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. It takes everything in him not to pull her closer, but he knows they shouldn't draw attention to themselves. With one last look, she turns down the hallway leading to the gym. Dominic stands there, heart racing, feeling the warmth of her kiss linger on his lips long after she's gone.

Standing there watching her walk, he doesn’t notice Shaun, Darrick and Callum walking over, having seen the kiss. “Ha! Look at you man” Darrick yells, grabbing him by the shoulders from behind, surprising him.

Dominic turns to face his friends, still a little flushed from Evie's kiss. "Aw you saw that?" He chuckles, knowing he wouldn’t hear the end of it on the walk home.