Rabastan just wanted to get onto the roof. Ever since Rita had started those rumors Rab felt like the eyes of every person in the school were constantly trained on him, weighing his every action and judging his every move. Things that had been so natural before, like how he and Amycus always sat together, now seemed awkward and strange. He had never felt so exposed in his life.
So as soon as class ended he grabbed his things and all but ran from the room, not waiting for Amycus like he normally would. He needed to paint. He walked as quickly as he could down the corridor, not watching where he was going, when he suddenly stumbled back. He looked up and saw that he'd walked right into Adelaide, causing her to drop all her book.
He knelt down beside her, helping her gather her belongings, and stuttered out an apology.
"N-no, really, I-I was the one n-not l-looking. A-are you, a-alright?"