First Class Part 3 (Continued)

Paige Stevens

Kazuki came marching forwards, Jin turned to her, of all people. It was insane, but in that moment, in Jin's dark eyes, smiling at her, she was all people. The only person.

"Not running?" He asked.

"No"

"You sure? Getting scary." He mocked.

Her jaw set, "No."

"Oh well."

"Look out!" Paige screamed.

The bell rang.

Everything stopped, compulsory silent reading was done, time for roll call.

It shut the buzz down. Chairs scraped back into place.

The wind beneath Kazuki's wings became a vacuum, hands pulling and yanking until he finally turned and disappeared. Jin spun on his chair and faced Paige, he was smiling but she couldn't match it. Hers was pained and stretched, the energy needed couldn't or wouldn't be mustered.

"Jin… Fukuma sensei could be here at any moment."

"He won't, class head will likely have to do rollcall."

"What makes you say that?"

Jin pointed out the window with the limpest of gestures.

There were two news vans with two 'beautiful people' at the gate. Fukuma sensei was there, flanked by the principal and grounds keepers.

"So," Jin began snapping her out of her funk. "I'm assuming people disappearing was a pretty big deal?"

She smiled; it felt how he looked.

"I was one of 'them' so I don't know the nitty gritty but governments sent out search parties, even if they didn't know where to. You should talk to the librarian to get a detailed story. Don't know why, but she's been asking me about it, others too."

"Like who?"

"Not sure."

"Okay, moving on, the news?"

"It's weird, things kinda went up and down, most especially when I came back." She paused, "'Came back' It's a weird thing to say. Because I didn't, I was exactly where I was, dressed as I was, but it was a week later."

Jin simply nodded, thoughtful, his every move was exactly as she remembered, like recognising a smell.

"Er…" she wanted to keep talking, the muscles in her mouth getting exercise in parts she forgot, even her 'er' was freeing.

"And then?" Jin asked.

"Then we were famous, for a day, I dunno. I think all the wrong people got famous. All except Naya, but-"

Paige shut up, catching herself too late,

"Naya? Are you for real? I didn't see h-" Now he shut up… "I didn't see that coming… but your eyes are telling me 'but', so Mrs butt, What's the but?"

She sniffed despite herself before laughing and wiping her eyes.

"You leave my butt alone."

"Hey, I've been away for a month, I'll take what I can. You wouldn't leave me hanging?"

"Shut up."

"Fine. You don't know what you're missing, but… you know…"

He fell silent just watching the teachers negotiate.

He reached out to her, palm out.

It took a second, but she sighed and passed him her phone. His fingerprint letting him in.

"You're not sulking because I said her name right?" Paige asked.

He stopped, it was one of the most 'I'm not mad, I just wanna know why' deadpan faces ever.

"Who Pay'ge?"

There it was, Pay'ge or rather Paeghge

"Naya" Paige said, plotting her gravesite.

She bit back a smirk. It was worth it, if anyone had said that that same morning Jin had yelled at her, twice. It wouldn't have registered.

"Firstly, I don't care about Naya, if she vanished for a minute, a second, forever."

"Well, then I guess you don't care about how she's denying the whole thing."

Jin stood erect.

"What?"

"Eyup."

She had to rub her chest, she was getting choked up, it was important to keep her cool. Him so captivated was rare.

"She says her mother took her on an emergency trip."

"Oh yes, people are disappearing and her family were like 'time to get on a plane' after all, entire planes don't disappear, ever."

Paige burst out laughing, snorting and covering her face. It was so loud! That made her laugh louder, her hands her only safety from the outside world.

"Hey, that's the news!"

People ran for the windows, Jin and Paige grinning.

"You don't think I'm going to need to talk to the police?" He asked.

"Of course! You should!"

Jin stared at either her chest… or a world beyond her vision. She should have been offended but where else would he stare?

"Did you put out a missing person's on me?" He asked her chest.

She wished she could see wherever he was really looking. An old commercial advertising flat screens clicked on proving her mind was cruel.

"Yeah." She said.

"How'd you get that picture?"

"Old man by your house."

"You can call him my dad. You talk to him?"

"Not really… he's… not much of a talker." She mumbled, less than willing to look Jin in the eye, even her words ran away.

"Yeah, that's who he is. I've never heard him so much as yell at me with more than a few words."

Her chest fluttered; they were crossing into unknown territory.

"I'm guessing, he didn't put out a case, at all?" He asked.

Paige's lips formed a smile that doubled as a shrug.

He reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry, I… um… never got the chance to thank you for looking for me." Jin said.

Paige was grateful he turned back to his seat. It let her bury her face into her hands, using her blazer as a pillow to muffle the dry heaving as she wept.