"So... you're telling me that here," Reid points for the billionth time to the same verse we've been trying to analyze together for twenty minutes, completely losing our time. "She means she's speechless?"

"Yes! God damn it, Reid! That's what I've been trying to tell you! What part of 'stand irresolute' and 'a mind undone' do you not understand?"

"But..."

"Oh for God's sake, read it again," I demand and he lowers his head obediently to try and get how I know what Edna St. Vincent was trying to transmit in her beautiful piece.

I'm not one to read poetry in my free time, more like romance, dramas, thrillers, and fantasy. Though this poem has totally stolen my heart. I read it yesterday before bed when I was trying to organize which text Reid and I would analyze in class and our "project session" in the library. I stumbled upon this one in our list and seeing that it wasn't too long, I chose it for today but he has a hard time understanding romance, let alone metaphors and figurative talking.

He sighs and looks at me. "Would you read it again?"

I roll my eyes and huff. "Fine," I take the sheet from his hands and clear my throat.

"When I too long have looked upon your face,

Wherein for me a brightness unobscured

Save by the mists of brightness has its place,

And terrible beauty not to be endured,

I turn away reluctant from your light,

And stand irresolute, a mind undone,

A silly, dazzled thing deprived of sight

From having looked too long upon the sun...."

I stop and look at him. His eyes are attentive, lost... like his mind is elsewhere. I snap my fingers in his face and he blinks. "Did you even listen to me?"

"Why did you stop?" He asks with a smirk instead of answering my question.

"Well, because I saw that eight miserable lines were too much for your pea-sized brain to handle," I say with a bit too much of honey coating my tone to let him know I'm actually being sarcastic.

He chuckles and grins wider. "Finish it, I'm all ears,"

I sigh. "But did you get-"

"Just finish it and we'll talk after that. But you interrupted my art-analyzing aura so you will have to start again,"

"Everything okay here?" Ms. Zimmerman says as she walks through the classroom to check up on the other teams.

"Yeah,"

"No,"

Reid and I say in unison and I turn to him confused as to why he said 'no'.

"Actually, my partner here is being a little bit too demanding with me, I can't seem to get the poem and when I ask her to read it for me, she says no,"

"What?! That's-"

"Blair, be a little more understanding with Reid, he's a bit slow on the reading and writing department," That makes me roll my lips into my mouth to keep in a laugh and contorts Reid's face into outrage. "But that is why he's with you so that he can develop new skills and overcome his obstacles, right Reid?" She directs a smug look to Mason who is grinning and shaking his head with his arms crossed. I snort and start laughing behind my hand as my teacher leaves us to continue working.

"She took your side," Reid says, flabbergasted but amused at the same time. Ms. Zimmerman has sass.

"Well, that's one of the perks of being me. And she totally saw through your bullshit,"

"You still owe me a poem,"

I sigh and look down to the white sheet again. "Where I left off or..."

"I want to hear you say the whole thing without interruptions," He nods and I roll my eyes but don't find the energy to fight his silly request. I think he's just doing this to get on my nerves.

"When I too long have looked upon your face,

Wherein for me a brightness unobscured

Save by the mists of brightness has its place,

And terrible beauty not to be endured,

I turn away reluctant from your light,

And stand irresolute, a mind undone,

A silly, dazzled thing deprived of sight

From having looked too long upon the sun.

Then is my daily life a narrow room

In which a little while, uncertainly,

Surrounded by impenetrable gloom,

Among familiar things grown strange to me

Making my way, I pause, and feel, and hark,

Till I become accustomed to the dark."

I finish and find him with his head resting atop his hand, his elbow almost crossing the line to my desk. There's that lost look on them again like he's thinking but not quite.

"Did you get it?"

"I don't know... I guess I got that she's in a dark room. That's all I got," He eyes are blank again, bored.

I sigh heavily and smack my forehead with my palm. "Stop taking a poem literally! It's a love poem, and poems have metaphors, allusions... comparisons. Try thinking in a more... romantic way. How would you compare watching someone you like or have feelings for?" I prompt him.

"I don't know... How do you talk about watching a girl's ass in a romantic way?" He smirks and I glare at him.

His amused expression fades as he sees mine morphing into hopelessness, though his eyes' mischief and the ghost of a grin are still present. "You're gross," I state as straightforward as you please. Before he can even continue acting like an airheaded idiot, I continue. "If you're not putting an effort I won't make it my mission to save you, Reid. You're the one who wanted my help, but if I see no contribution here, I'm done,"

"I am trying," He rolls his eyes and that makes my anger flare. "You're just not explaining me clearly,"

"You know you're not trying," I hiss and cross my arms over my chest. "You know, for someone who was expelled and came out of the military-" My mouth freezes, my eyes bulge and I feel cold guilt run through me as I see his eyes widen. Before I can apologize the bell rings and a thick, brick wall has been raised between us. I can no longer read his eyes that are always wide open, observing, taking in his surroundings... They've grown cold and guarded. I see his jerk attitude coming on, but this time I feel like I deserve it.

He looks dark and imposing when he raises from his seat in his dark blue shirt and black jeans. His tense jaw making him look dangerous. "For someone who claims to be all about not judging people and minding your own business, you're fucking judgmental," He hisses mere centimeters away from my face before going out the door and leaving me stunned behind.

*****

"He said what?" Danielle says as we bring our trays out to sit on our usual lunch spot.

"He said I was 'fucking judgmental' and left me there... I don't think there'll be any 'tutoring or project-sessions' soon," I shrug and try to act as if he being mad doesn't bother me but I feel so bad for pulling that card on him earlier. That was a low blow to pull on him, but he was making me angry with his smartass attitude and lack of effort now that we had become partners again.

"He'll come around. I mean, it's not like he'll be able to handle the project and those math quizzes on his own," Danielle says.

"Who won't be able to handle that?" Meri asks and Camille and Tori tune into the conversation.

I sigh. "Reid got mad at me today," I say and avoid their eyes ashamed.

"Why?" Camille asks confused.

I bite my lip nervously. "I might've accidentally let it slip that I knew about him being expelled and the military stuff..."

"Ouch," Meri cringes and takes a drink before saying: "Girl you know I love you to death... but that was a dick move,"

"I know, but he was being kind of an ass. He was acting as if his life had just been resolved since we became partners again and... well it came out. He got mad at me and told me I was 'fucking judgmental'," I pout and pose my head over my folded hands. If there is something that I hate is people hating me... when it is actually my fault.

"Well... this might sound harsh but you weren't telling him anything no one knew already," Danielle points out. "Maybe he's just mad you called him out on that. I mean, he wants to keep going on about life, getting people to do things for him and you saying that makes him realize that he's still a piece of shit,"

"That's possible," Camille mutters. "Not that he'll ever tell you,"

"Anyway... girl, I think you should-"

"Excuse me, ladies," We all turn to the source of the voice but Merina, who looks up at the ceiling and mutters something under her breath and then shuts her eyes tight.

Oh right. I almost forgot about the arrangement.

Kyle approaches our table with confidence exuding from his being. His blue eyes and dazzling smile are on display, aiming to disarm anything with a vagina that interferes with his purpose. "Sorry to interrupt your talking but I'm afraid my girlfriend here," He turns his gaze to a glaring Merina. Of course he made emphasis on 'girlfriend'. Douche bag. "is sitting at the wrong table, right love? Did you forget?"

That grabs the attention of almost everyone in the vicinity. There are a few gasps, murmurs and shocked faces. How could Kyle Evans having a new girlfriend had gone under their radar?

Merina grunts noticing the unwanted attention before standing and offering Kyle her super sarcastic smile with a slim hip jutting out and a defiant smile worthy of a queen. "Of course I forgot. Is not like I could possibly miss the chance to be with you, on purpose. That's nonsense, right... love?"

Kyle laughs but I can see the clench of his jaw and fists. He waves off Meri's attitude and drags her away from us and the prying eyes of their little audience. Merina looks at us with an apologetic smile and I shrug at her and smile at her encouragingly.

"What just happened?" Tori looks utterly surprised and I turn back to the girls, who look as confused and shocked as ever.

"Kyle said that he would forgive Merina for trying to erase the pictures if she pretended to be his girlfriend," I say and Camille gasps.

"That... asshole!" Camille exclaims, completely outraged and I chuckle at her use of the word 'asshole'.

"That's the arrangement Meri told us about?" Tori exclaims surprised.

Danielle looks at me with her amber eyes wide and angry. "What a fucking... motherfucker,"

The bell rings and I sigh standing up. "Well girls, see you later. I have math with Mrs. Greene," And a surely awkward encounter with Reid as well.

*****

He ignored me.

Through two painstakingly slow hours of algebra, he ignored me. I tapped his shoulder to try and apologize but he made his point clear when he dragged his chair away from my touch, further to the front.

I felt even worse with myself when that happened. I felt foolish and rejected, so I stopped trying and returned to minding my own business and complete my work.

Now, I'm idiotically standing out in the parking lot, next to his navy blue Lariat to apologize, as I assumed he wouldn't attend our 'project/tutoring sessions' at the library. I've been here for thirty minutes under the scorching sun and almost everyone has already left.

I sigh and lean against the metallic surface. Maybe he'll think I'm giving this too much importance and make fun of me for caring about what I said. He'll be cruel and go back to how things were when we fought over Paul. Maybe he hates me now and will start saying horrible things about me to everyone at school. Maybe he-

"What are you doing?"

I let out a shrilling scream before turning around with a hand over my rattling heart. I gasp and laugh lightly. "God, Reid you scared the shit out of me,"

He remains serious and I clear my throat before speaking. "Listen I... I didn't mean to say-"

"Who told you?" He inquires and starts walking nearer, his brown eyes never leaving mine.

At that, my stomach tightens with nerves. It was Danielle or Merina, I don't remember clearly, but what I do have clear is that I won't tell on them. "I heard,"

"From who?" He continues his trail and I start walking back, but for every step of mine, he takes two. Before I know it, I stop walking and he's towering over me but I refuse to let him intimidate me.

"I won't tell you who. It doesn't matter who told me, everyone knows this," I say defensively. "It's a small town, people talk," I look down at my fidgeting hands and wait for him to say something.

"That's something I'm trying to leave behind and it was pretty fucked up of you to throw it back at my face,"

"I wasn't throwing it in your face," I say and he looks at me with an expression that says 'Oh, really?'

"I swear! You were just... not working and not putting an effort that I grew impatient. I was going to say that for someone with your situation one would think you'd work harder,"

Reid chuckles sarcastically. "Is that supposed to be better?"

"No, but the truth hurts, pal. I mean it. Not because we're partners again means you have the easy way out," I tuck a loose tendril of hair that escaped my braid from the wind and watch as Reid thinks this over.

"I guess... I guess I unconsciously thought that it would be easier. Hearing you say that reminded me of... well that I - that I'm still the idiot who left a year ago. And leaving was supposed to end with that,"

"It only ends when you want it to. Leaving and returning won't magically make you different. It's you. It happens when you realize you're better than what you're settling for,"

My words seem to have sunk him deep in thought and after some seconds I offer my hand in peace. "Forgive me?"

Reid smirks slowly with mischief but his eyes are gentle pools of brown once more. "No pretty please, Bear?"

"In your dreams," I roll my eyes and start walking out of the parking lot.

"Ah, there's the eye rolling I love so much," He says and I laugh, still on my way out.

"Where are you going?" He asks me and I frown confused.

"Home?"

"How?" He smiles.

"Walking..." I tilt my head to the side and he chuckles. What's so funny?

"I'm offering you a ride, Bear," He smiles wider and I smile at him just as bright before walking over to him, getting into his navy blue truck and getting out of there.

*****

Hellooooo everyoneeee!!! Busy week this week sorry for not updating. I hope you guys like it. The poem Blair and Reid have started to analyze is "When I Too Long Have Looked Upon Your Face" by Edna St. Vincent. It is one of my favorites!!

Comment, vote and share pleaseee?

Love you!!