Pulling out our class notes, I slide into my seat, eyes on my bag in front of me. Overly aware of students shuffling in, I refuse to look up and watch for the one person I don’t want to see. Uptight, irritated, and trying not to count down the seconds he walks in.
I have managed to avoid Dane in other shared classes all day and pretended he doesn’t exist, but I can’t in this one. He has to sit and work with me, and I am so not over yesterday at all. I am still nursing a lot of bruised feelings, confused emotions, and a simmering grudge, and the last thing I need is more drama.
Elisa yawns, balling her fist in her mouth and slumping beside me with a gentle thud on her desk. Her body heavy, nestling her head on her arm dramatically and staring up at me with those cute puppy dog eyes. She looks so done with today, too.
“I’m so tired. We should have gone to sleep earlier.” She lets out a long exhale. Her figure slumped more with every passing second.
“We ate too much sugar to sleep early. It’s the last class, so we can go home after this and pass out. Just hold it together for one more hour.” I pat her on the head, but I have to agree. I am feeling it today. We stayed up until the early hours, unable to drift off.
Partly because I was still simmering with rage at my stupid, idiot brother and partly because of today's anxiety. I have always been someone who loses sleep when things are on my mind, and I haven’t eaten enough to give myself extra energy with my zero appetite. We had two important tests in other classes, and now this. It’s been a hell of a grueling few hours for me.
“Hey, ladies. What’s up?” Taylor walks in first, his bag slung over his shoulder, doing the catwalk frat boy swagger. He makes a beeline straight for us and slides in the row behind after tipping his head down and giving us a wide smile. He’s all on form today, looking pulled together, chirpy, and acting like we have no reason not to be happy to see him. Oblivious to his sins.
I won’t be swayed by either of them when feeling this way. Tyler can be infectious with his good moods, but he gets a glare from me under a furrowed brow, and I go back to what I am doing. Flipping open the notes and setting my desk ready for the lesson.
“Hi.” Elisa sits up straight, suddenly animated and starts pulling her things out, her face reddening at the appearance of her crush, and it makes me eyeroll. Sometimes, I wish the girl could hold a bad mood and grudge for more than three seconds. She does not seem to remember that this moron manhandled her out of the way instead of standing up to bitches bullying us.
“Where’s Dane?” Elisa asks shyly, turning her head slightly towards Tyler so her hair falls over her face. She then hesitates as she glances from me to him again.
“You know you should keep this back like this.” Tyler leans forward, scoops her long bangs back with a smooth move, and tucks them behind her ear so she almost catapults out of her chair at speed. Elisa crumbles into mortified shyness, pulling away and tugging her hair back over her face again, probably electrified from having him touch her. I spin on him with a lightning reflex and slap his hand away from her.
“Leave her alone.” I tut at him and get an infuriating grin in response. Tyler is trying even on a good day.
“Why? She’s pretty when she isn’t hiding. Don’t you have a hair clip she can use?” He locks an infuriating, steady gaze on me, seemingly up for an argument, and I see the twinkle in the depths. Sometimes, it's disgustingly obvious why this is Dane’s best friend. They like getting reactions and preying on innocent girls if they think they can get another headboard notch.
Not today, Romeo.
“She does not want or need one. It’s her choice to hide behind her hair, and she can do it if she wants.” I snap, feeling the full effects of a bad mood forming as my nerves get tight, waiting for the inevitable jerk to appear. I know I am being touchy, and I am the one person always telling her to pull her hair back, but it hits differently when a boy suggests she do it because she is pretty. I want her to do it so she grows in confidence.
“Dane,” Elisa whispers at me and taps me to draw my attention. And sure enough, waltzing in the door almost late is Charmaine hooked under the arm of our asshole of the moment as he swoons in. He’s carrying two bags in his left swinging hand, one being hers, and using his other arm to lasso her into his body, side by side as they walk. He tilts his head to her as they speak to one another while walking, close enough to kiss, and the sight of it makes my insides tighten and clench as though he sucker-punched me. I turn my eyes to my desk and bite my lip to curb the instant painful stab in my chest. I suddenly feel like I might vomit.
“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath and tilt my chin to focus on my notebook pages. Trying my hardest to ignore them as they come up near my desk before separating, and Dane stalks past me. He nudges my arm with his bag before he sits behind me and kicks his feet under my chair as though trying to goad me. I can feel the static charge in the air between us, and it’s not hard to pick out the subtle hostility from him. He seems pissed at me too.
I grit my teeth at the slight knock against my heels, the arrogant way he came in and blanked me, and his overall aura. Temper swirling that he didn’t even try to say anything to me as he was all cuddled up with Charmaine, that overly irrelevant slut. They are the perfect pair, and both make me sick.
“Right, everyone knows what we’re working on today. I have a lot of catch-up marking to do, so I want you to work on your essays. If you need to go to the library, go….I have full trust you will work and not slack off. Only bother me if you have a genuine question.” The lecturer waves us from his lounging position in his seat, and I side-eye Elisa, seeing the perfect excuse to get out of there. I am itching to distance Dane and me now he’s here.
“Come on. The library is quieter than here, and we can get on with this.” I tug her sleeve and immediately get up, pulling her with me, and she does so without argument. I make a point of not once looking back and pretending he no longer exists as I slide my book and pencil case with me.
This is how I aim to deal with him until I can let go of what a jerk he was at the beach. He doesn’t deserve my time or attention. He doesn’t deserve my bruised heart, either.
“What about us?” Tyler interjects, realizing they are being abandoned, and I shrug and avoid Dane’s eye completely. I catch him in my peripheral vision, glaring at me from under a lowered brow and using his hair to conceal the fact he’s looking my way.
“Come if you want, but only if you are going to contribute. Or stay here and compile a list of questions for our couples and pick who you will interview. Use their contact info and make the time.” I add in sarcasm, making it clear Dane shouldn’t bother and nodding that Elisa hand over the information list. It’s not like he has anything to offer. Instead of bothering us, they can figure out who they should talk to and plan to do it.
“Still sore about yesterday, sis?” Dane snorts at me under his breath, and I grit my teeth at the breathy chuckle I hear even though I have my back to him. I watch Elisa pass off the paper, her eyes wide with the obvious brewing war, before I make a move.
“Go choke,” I mutter, keeping my tone low and throwing my tutor a wave and smile to signal we are heading out. He nods, writes something on a book beside him, and I lead the way. Elisa coming after me with a hesitant half trot.
“We staying?” I hear Tyler asking Dane as we leave, a note of concern that this might affect his grade and have a moment of remorse before sense shakes it out of me again. It’s not like we must stay grouped to organize notes and information. We have a week, and we can always rough draft and give Tyler a copy to alter later. I can email him anything, and it’s not like he wasn't part of pissing me off yesterday.
“Shouldn’t we be…?” Elisa starts when we hit the hallway, but my glare silences her, and she nods, following me quietly along the walkway to the second-floor library. I guess she realizes the topic could bring out my fierce temper side, which rarely shows face.
This library is the quieter of the three in the school and is only manned by one staff member. It’s mainly used for class releases like we are doing, not the busy ground floor catch-all where they keep most of the school's books. This one is more like a computer lab with a few bookshelves.
I pick a table in the far corner, the most distant from the door, next to a row of four computers with their secluded desks. We can browse the net if needed, but no one will bother us here.
“Ummm.” Elisa draws my attention with a weird noise and then subtly waves her finger at the door behind where I have sat, and I automatically turn to see what she’s spotted.
Tyler walks in with one of the girls Charmaine sits with normally, while Dane wanders in behind, holding Charmaine's hand as they peruse the room to look for a seat. Charmaine is all push-up cleavage and the shortest of skirts, practically dry-humping his side. Seeing them that way winds me, and I swallow a heaving lump that chokes me.