Page 44 of Caged in Flames

I haven't seen Sawyer in the halls all day and he's not currently in the cafeteria. I can't stop fidgeting at lunch. Gunner has to put his hand on my leg to keep it from bouncing and vibrating the entire table.

"I haven't seen him all day, G. Where the fuck is he?” I’m sure the smile he’s giving me is meant to be reassuring, but it does nothing. "What if he doesn't show up?"

"Then we do it ourselves. You know Coach doesn't give a shit about the presentation anyways. We can handle it, Nixy." Gunner picks up my tray and I follow him to the trash, hoping that moving around will help distract me.

He's got a point. I try to remind myself of this over and over as we walk into the classroom to find that Sawyer isn't here either. Gunner leads me to our seats and we see that all the groups have been listed on the dry erase board for our presentation order.

We're second.

As soon as the bell rings, the first group gets up and begins. I don't hear anything they are saying. Instead, I’m trying to focus on slow deep breaths.

When they're finished, Coach shouts for the next group.

Gunner looks over at me with another smile. It does nothing. Just as I am about to give into the panic, the door crashes open to reveal Sawyer.

At least I'm quite sure it's him. It's hard to tell considering he's wearing a wig, dress, and fucking lipstick. He gives me a quick wink while he struts to the front with me and Gunner.

This fucker dressed up in drag to look like Susan B. Anthony.

Gunner clears his throat, but he's still smiling. I can't help the giggles that come out, somewhat hysterically. G covers for me by starting the presentation. We each take turns talking about our three points. I make no effort to contain my glee the entire time.

"And while it was pretty awesome that the 19th amendment was passed, allowing women to vote, it's important to remember that this was specifically geared towards white women. Women of color, and even men of color, still had their own battle to fight. Thank you." Sawyer grabs both mine and Gunner's hands to take an overly dramatic bow, setting off the class with laughter.

"Alright, Samuels. Go get out of that crap before practice." Coach gives the order without making any eye contact with him. Sawyer heads out of the room without argument but looks back and smiles at me before leaving.

The rest of the class goes through their presentations, but once again, I don't hear them. I'm trying really hard to remember that I'm mad.

When the bell rings, Gunner and I walk out to find Sawyer waiting for us. As soon as I see him, I erupt into hysterical laughter again.

"Quite the show, man." Gunner surprisingly holds out a fist so they can do the whole dude bump thing.

"I figured I'd have to pull off a grand gesture to make up for the foot in mouth bullshit from the other day. I'm sorry I was late. It took me a lot longer than the videos online showed." He's trying to come across casually, but the stare he's giving me demands a response.

Sucking up my own pride, I tell him, "it was perfect. Thank you, Sawyer."

It was. It reminds me of the days we spent hiding in the book stacks. When I would read and he would pick random times to ask me to read out loud. Sometimes it would be something silly, sometimes it would be something smutty.

I look at him and smile. He smiles back at me as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

"You're so totally welcome, Princess."

I roll my eyes and walk away. "Don't call me Princess."

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