DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
Part 2
By Toni

Andie struggled to keep her attention on the teacher. His relentless droning was not only uninteresting, it was about to put her to sleep. She sighed for the fifth time in ten minutes and propped her chin on the heel of her hand.

Dawson Leery, sitting in the seat in front of her, had heard her sighs and leaned back raising the front legs of his desk from the floor. His nonchalant movement went unnoticed by the teacher. He spoke to her without so much as turning around. It was obvious he had mastered the art of talking in class without getting caught. An art taught to him by Pacey Witter, the Artful Dodger himself, no doubt.

“Andie,” Dawson whispered. “You all right back there?”

“Fine!” she said a little too harshly. “Everything is just rosy.”

Her response caused him to return the front legs of his desk to the ground with a soft thud. He then turned to face her, his questioning eyes filled with a big brother’s compassion. The kind of compassion her own brother Tim had possessed.

A tear escaped from beneath her lashes giving away that she was being needy again. She quickly flicked the proof of her emotional state away hoping Dawson hadn’t noticed.

He had.

“You don’t seem fine to me.”

“Leave me alone, Dawson,” she said, through gritted teeth. Her eyes shone with tears as they darted to a position just over Dawson’s shoulder.

He followed her gaze.

“Mr. Leery,” said the teacher standing directly behind him. “It seems you don’t find my lecture on Julius Caesar thought provoking enough. Very well then.” He contemplated a moment. “Tomorrow you will present the class with a ten minute report on Mr. Caesar and his escapades.”

Dawson hung his head and spun back around to face front.

The bell rang but not before the teacher belted out, “And whatever grade Dawson receives on his report, you all with receive the same.”

Dawson could hear the groans echo down the hallway as the students filtered out the door. He stood and gathered his books. This was exactly what he needed. More homework AND a lacking social life. Could the day have ended more perfectly? Before he could answer his own silent question, he felt someone’s eyes on him. He turned to find Andie standing there glaring at him.

“All I can say Dawson Leery, is that you’d better get an A on that report. I don’t want *my* grade to suffer because *you* were caught talking in class.” After her tirade was finished she stalked out the door moaning with the rest of the class.

“Geesh, what has gotten into that girl?”

To be continued