10 Feet Down (Original Version)

Chapter 8

I didn't meet with Tre for the next three weeks. It was really weird because after our kind of heated discussion the last time, he has been talking to me more inside and outside of class. Honestly, he's the only one that really talks to me anyways. Besides Sam and Reina, I haven't made any new friends yet. There are some people in my classes who I've had some small conversations with, but nothing like Tre does.

He walks into every class and he sits a few rows behind me, not in the very back like before. Once he sits down he always says my name. He still doesn't call me Eva, only Evangeline, and I turn around to his smiling face asking how my day has been. I try to not act like I'm not feeling butterflies in my stomach and make small conversation, asking him how's his day is. I still think I'm awkward when I make small talk, but I don't think Tre notices. He's too busy staring at my eyes, which makes me even more nervous knowing he can see everything in mine. I feel like he can read every thought in my mind. His eyes are always too intense for me to keep looking at him.

"Evangeline." Tre walks into class and sits right next to me this time.

I stare at him with wide eyes because he has never sat next to me in class before.

"What?" He asks as he sets his backpack on the next seat and stretches his legs out in front of him.

I shake my head. "You've just never sat right next to me."

"So? There's nobody else that sits here. It's not like there's assigned seating here."

I turn back to my bible, smiling down at the pages.

He leans towards me. "You carry that thing around with you everywhere huh?"

I look up at him and nod. "Yes I do. And it's not a 'thing' it's a bible."

"Bible, thing, same difference." He shrugs and crosses his hands behind his head.

"A thing is an inanimate object that's used to describe something that can't be fully characterized by someone," I say and then hold up my bible. "A bible is a book."

"Isn't a book an inanimate object?" He quizzes with a smirk.

"It's an inanimate object but you can describe it. You don't use the word 'book' to replace another word because you can't think of how to describe what you're trying to."

"Evangeline West—a walking dictionary that is ready to contradict everything that you may say to her." He jokes and I bite my lip to contain my smile.

"Is that such a bad thing?" I ask and his eyes lock on mine.

"No," he replies and his dark eyes, I feel, are again looking directly into my soul. "No it's not all."

Professor Garrett walks in and I break eye contact with Tre, just now noticing all of the students that came in while we were talking. I am thankful for class starting because I don't know how much longer I could take of Tre's look. His stare makes me so nervous I have to make sure I slow my heart rate down. I rub my clammy palms on my maxi skirt and put my bible aside, grabbing a pencil and listening to the lecture.