As class started, Jon brought out his textbook and flipped to the appropriate page in his notes. His eyes, however, drifted over to the boy seated next to him. A second later, he ever so casually rested his elbow on his desk, his hand propping up his head in a classic bored but attentive pose and conveniently covering up the blush returning to his cheeks.
What was wrong with him today? He had never blushed so much in his life. Plus, he felt so giddy? But why?
His eyes darted back towards Ronald, and the butterflies came back. Perfect.
Get a hold of yourself, Jon. You can't afford to get distracted with so much at stake!
Determined to keep focused, Jon took out a sheet of paper and began drawing out a little map of the school. Carefully, he drew an X on the spot where he had lost the rock. Tapping a manicured baby-blue nail in his notebook, he worked on recalling where he had searched already. First, he trailed his pencil along the route he had taken right after lunch, eventually leading back to Karyn's science class. Then, he outlined the path he took a few minutes ago, ending at the point where he had bumped into Ronald. Once more, he caught himself getting warm.
Stop it! Stop-it-stop-it-stop-
"You okay, Jon?" Ronald whispered, making him jump. "You look kinda tense."
Jolted back to reality, Jon placed his hand over his drawing and gave what he hoped was a casual smile. "I'm fine. Just, um, remembering I have a test coming up." Brushing a strand of auburn hair from his face, he added, "Thanks for asking."
Curiously, Ronald's gaze lingered on Jon's face for a bit before he nodded and faced the front again.
What was that about? Great. Now he thinks I'm weird. Jon took a peek at his hand-drawn map. Then again, I am weird. I'm searching for a magic rock, and I'm sure my grandfather's faking his own death. I don't have time to worry about what Ronald thinks of me. In fact, I don't have time for a lot of things!
With that, Jon raised his hand. "Um, Mr. Redding? I've gotta go to the restroom." When the teacher granted his permission, he quickly left the room. Of course, it was a ruse. This would give him another chance to keep looking for his lost artifact, at least for a few minutes.
However, he only got two steps out the door when he heard Ronald say, "Mr. Redding, I've gotta go, too."
Jon pursed his soft pouty lips in frustration. Now, he actually had to go to the restroom in order to keep up appearances. Still, if he could get done faster, maybe he could lose the boy along the way. Determined, he picked up his pace.
Ronald followed Jon out of the room, trying not to laugh at the boy's efforts to lose him. By now, Jon had lost a few inches of height, and though his legs kept most of their length, his pursuer had little trouble keeping up.
I'm not letting you out of my sight until you're done changing, Jon, Ronald thought. He had almost forgotten that he had Jon to thank for his new magical item, something he knew from his first accidental wish. Then, he had caught a glimpse of the boy's worried look, and it all came back to him.
Absently, he patted his pants pocket, feeling the solid lump of the rock. One wish could simply erase Jon's memory of the thing. Problem solved, right? On the other hand, this secretive side of the strange boy made him so intriguing. Perhaps, it would be more fun to see how things progressed from here and save the rock just in case he got too close. In fact, if girl-Jon proved to be particularly moonstruck, she might not even mind if he happened to "discover" her rock later.
For now, Ronald decided to act oblivious and enjoy the show.
