Elevator

I was so dropping Bio. next year.

Hell, I'd drop it this year if they'd let me. I had complained to Miss Dwyer countless times that I was sorry, but my Bio. partner had forever ruined the magic of the subject for me - if there was any magic in the first place. I had begged her to let me swap partners or move me to a different class - anything.

But her answer is always the same; perseverance, Allyson, is the key to success. Quitting now will get you nowhere. Try to help Austin, to change him, to aid him in being a better Bio. partner.

Whatever. My name isn't even Allyson, it's Ally. And Austin is way too far gone to help.

Her speech basically translated to - look, if I let you leave, Austin won't have a partner and there's no way I'm inflicting him on some other poor unsuspecting student.

Gah.

I was on the verge of failing because he was supposed to be doing research on the freaking powerhouse of the cell and other various biological things I no longer cared about over the last month for our end of term project but instead he had done pretty much anything but that.

I had tried to explain this to Miss Dwyer - thinking that she, of all people, would show some understanding and not fail me.

Miss Dwyer was anything but understanding and had only given us two weeks to finish the project. The entire 3,000 word essay with pictures and diagrams and the whole shebang.

So yeah. I guess it goes without saying that I hate Austin Moon.

As usual, Austin arrive in class ten minutes late with lipstick on some part of his face, kindly deposited there from some girl. It was a stamp he wore proudly to most classes, and the teachers had given up on making him wipe it off about halfway through sophmore year.

They had also given up on giving him detentions for being late, because they obviously weren't working, so what was the point?

So Austin Moon was basically a free spirit at Marino High, allowed to do what he wanted when he wanted.

He dragged out his lab stool at the desk he sat at, unfortunately, next to me, making sure to drag the stool along the floor as noisily as possible, just because the noise made me wince.

"Austin." I say, through my teeth.

He nods at me. "Hey, shortie. What's cracking?"

"Could you, like, shut the hell up for once?"

"If I'm correct," He says, rummaging through his backpack for a a notebook to pretend to take notes in. "You talked to me first."

"Only because you dragged you chair like you always-"

"Miss Dawson," came a voice from the head of the room. I looked up. The teacher was scowling at me. I repressed a groan. Crap. Now I was in trouble.

"Can I ask why, all of a sudden, you think it's acceptable to speak in my class?"

I can hear Austin snickering behind his notebook.

And I've had enough.

"Austin was just asking me if he'd be able to take after-school Bio. classes."

Austin's laughs turn to choking.

"What?" he gasps.

Miss Dwyer blinks, looking at Austin. "Really, Austin?"

"I - I mean, I don't - "

"Oh, he's just shy," I sigh, patting him up the back. I hear giggling from the far side of the classroom. "But he really wants to do well in this class. He told me himself."

"Oh," says Miss Dwyer. "Well, in that case, Ally, how about you tutor him?"

Now it's my turn to choke.

"No, no, I feel like Austin would do better if you taught him.

"Nonsense," she scoffs. "you could teach him just as well as I can."

What is happening.

"But Miss Dwyer-"

"You will tutor Austin after school and that is the end of it. Now, class, turn to page three-fifty and..."

Kill me. Kill me now.

"If you had only apologized and just took your punishment like a man," Austin exclaims as we walk out of the Bio. lab.

"I'm a girl. And if you had just pulled your lab stool out quietly, like a normal person, we wouldn't have this problem."

"There is no way I'm letting you tutor me."

"As if I want to tutor you!"

"This is your fault."

We stop as we reach the elevator. I sigh at the thought of thirty seconds of being in a small space with him, but I'm just too exhausted by now to take the stairs. The expression on his face tells me he feels the same way.

He pushes the button and we wait for the door to open.

"It's more your fault than mine," I tell him. "If you were a normal student without a record that's almost criminal, Miss Dwyer would have no problem tutoring you."

"Why the hell did you even suggest tutoring in the first place?"

"Why are you such an asshole?"

"Oh, sure, I'm the asshole," he scoffs as the doors open and we step into the lift. We're practically screaming at each other and yet nobody takes any notice, because we're Austin and Ally. When are we not screaming at each other?

"You are! With your stupid hair and your stupid, obnoxious attitude and your stupid face that always has stupid lipstick all over it."

"Did you just call my hair stupid?"

"Damn straight I did."

"You take that back." He says, eyes narrowing.

"Make me."

He scoffs, leaning against the wall. "I would, but I don't feel like doing life in prison for murder." He flops his hair out of his face, and I actually have to admit that it's not stupid at all. Golden, yes, but not stupid.

We just stood in silence for the last few seconds when the lift shuddered and stopped.

"Oh my God," I gasped, unthinkingly grabbing Austin's arm. He grabbed my other one, forming a shield around me with his body as the elevator shuddered once more and one of the glass ceiling lights broke and fell.

Finally, the shaking stopped, and as we both realized that I was practically cradled in his arms, it got real awkward real fast.

"Um," I said.

"Oh." He said, releasing me. "Uh, Sorry."

"No, it's-" I paused, staring at his arm. "Austin, you're bleeding."

"I'm...?" He trailed off, turning his arm to look at it. "Oh. Crap."

The cut looked pretty bad, and I started to panic. Austin's face paled.

I took my backpack off of my back, sitting on the ground and searching for tissues. Austin slouched to the ground, too, but it looked involuntarily.

"Are you okay?" I demanded, my eyes darting for his face to the tissues I had found. Both were nearly the same color.

"I..." He gulped. "I'm fine,"

"You don't look fine," I told him, tugging his arm out of the palm shirt so he's left in his tank top, and pressing a wad of the tissues to the gash in his arm to try stop the bleeding. He winced, but sighed and then let me treat him. His eyes slid closed and I started to get worried.

"Austin?" I call again, biting my lip.

"I'm fine, Ally," he sighs. I take him at his word because he actually used my name and he only ever does when he's serious.

But, just in case, I ask, "You sure?"

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds, and I'm not sure if he's going to answer when he sighs, opens his eyes and turns to face me.

"Blood freaks me out, okay?"

I look at him. "Oh,"

"I mean it really scares me. The look, the smell..."

I nod, kicking the bloody shirt I had taken off him into a corner. He notices and I see the hint of a smile tug at his lips.

"Thanks," he mutters.

A voice comes on, on the intercom, loud and deep.

"Hello? Can you hear me in there?"

"Yeah," Austin is the one to answer.

"Okay, how many people are in there?"

"Two,"

"Are any of you injured?"

"Um," I say. "One of us is injured."

"How badly?"

"A cut,"

"Is it deep?"

"Kind of,"

Austin groans, and I whisper a 'sorry'.

There's a lot of mumbling, people talking to each other, and then a reply. "There's a possibility that you two may be in there overnight."

"What?" we yell.

"Look, we're going to need some time to get you out safely.

"I have a date tonight," Austin whines. I roll my eyes.

"We'll do out best," Then the intercom switches off and we're left in silence.

I sigh and show Austin how to hold his makeshift bandage to his cut properly, and then I go to sit on the other side of the elevator.

It's going to be a long night.

I might delete this story, depending on what you guys think, so if you like it, please tell me.

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