Chapter Fifteen #2
It feels like he just rammed the sharpest knife through my chest. I don’t mean to do it, but the largest gasp I’ve ever heard escapes my lips. One full of horror.
He gives me a face like I lost my mind.
“Sorry,” I say with a nervous laugh. “I was just shocked to hear you say that. I love to read.”
“Obviously. I always see you with a book in your hand.”
“You’ve noticed me?”
“Well, I have eyes, don’t I?”
“Everyone at this school has eyes, but they don’t know I exist.”
He squints at me. “Why do you think that is?”
I shift in my seat. “I don’t know…”
“If you make yourself invisible, people won’t see you.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You have a problem with the way I am?”
He holds up his hands. “Geez. I was just giving you advice.”
I lift my chin. “I’m perfect just the way I am. Someone shouldn’t have to change anything about themselves just to get another person’s attention.”
He’s thoughtful for a few seconds. “No one has that kind of confidence.”
“Of course not. But it’s a good message, no?”
“I guess.”
I dig into my pancakes and sigh like I fell into a dream. “Gosh, these are so good.”
He takes a clean fork from his tray and cuts a slice from my pancake. After making a face, he forces it down his throat. “Even I can make better pancakes than these.”
“I think the chefs here deserve more credit than that.”
“My family and I only want the best. What good is having second rate?”
My eyes catch sight of a guy striding into the dining hall and heading straight for the buffet tables.
It’s Damian. He makes a short stop when he notices me sitting at Harold’s table.
I beam at him and wave, letting him know I’m already working on the challenge.
He seems surprised at that, like maybe he thought I wouldn’t take it seriously. A small smile tickles his lips.
Harold takes notice of him, too. “I can’t believe she lets him attend our school. My parents are trying to convince me to be his friend. They want to get in with the Harrington Empire.” He rolls his eyes.
“What’s wrong with Damian?” I ask, watching him pile three varieties of pancakes on his plate.
He gives me a face. “You serious?”
“I’m not from your world. I don’t know his or his family’s history.”
“He’s a screw up and a shame to his family. What was Harrington thinking? That he’d make nice with the rest of us? He’s a pariah and he always will be.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? He can’t be that bad.”
He scoffs. “You obviously don’t know him.”
I want to retort and say that he obviously doesn’t know Damian, because the Damian I know has been kind to me. But it would be no use, and like I said, I really don’t know anything about his history.
I’m about to say something, but three guys appear at our table. I recognize them immediately as Harold’s friends.
“What’s she doing here?” one asks as he drops down at the table.
Harold shrugs. “She wanted to sit here.”
“Dude, did you hear what went down with Francesca and Pete yesterday?” the other guy says, completely ignoring me like his other friends. “Her parents caught them in his room. I’m telling you, things won’t be pretty.”
“Nice.” Harold slaps the guy’s hand. “It’s finally time to make my move. She’ll be upset over her boyfriend and I’ll offer my shoulder for her to cry on.”
The other guys chuckle.
They continue talking about other things, totally ignoring me. Even Harold doesn’t give me any attention. It’s like the last five minutes never happened.
Well, I guess Addie was wrong about him. He’s definitely not the right guy for me. Time to cross him off the list.
Standing up, I say, “I guess I’ll see you around, Harold.”
He just continues laughing with his friends.
“Harold?” I ask, giving him one more chance to prove he’s somewhat decent, even though I know with every fiber of my being that he isn’t.
One of his friends finally looks up. “What are you even doing here? There are enough empty tables for you to sit at.”
“For your information, I don’t have to sit at an empty table. I sit with my friends.”
“Congratulations? Seriously, what does she want?” he asks his friends.
With a roll of my eyes, I sweep my tray with my half-eaten food off the table and make my way to my usual table.
When I pass Damian’s table, I notice he has a sympathetic expression on his face. I lift my head, informing him that this won’t deter me. I will find someone to have a relationship with and I will prove that it’s nothing like my books.
When I reach my table, Addie, who wears a dejected look, says, “You okay?”
“Yep.” I lower my tray on the table and slide in next to her. “Cross Harold off the list. He was never much of a contender anyway.”
“Don’t lose hope,” Carly says. “Finding the perfect guy is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
“I’m not worried,” I assure her as I take a bite from my crepe. “I told you I’m winning the challenge.”
“I believe you’ll have a boyfriend when all this is over,” Addie says.
“I believe I’ll have a new book boyfriend when all this is over,” I inform her. “Although, maybe not. I can’t imagine anyone being better than William King.” I sigh happily as I picture him in all his romantic glory.
“You really need a real boyfriend, Sophie,” Carly says.
“I really don’t.”
At that moment, the bell rings. I quickly gobble down whatever I can and follow my friends out of the dining hall. We hug goodbye, Addie reminds me to look over the list again so I should know who to approach, and then we separate to our classes.
I have chem now. I really hope Damian reviewed the notes I sent him last night because I have a feeling Mrs. Sullivan will give us a pop quiz. She tends to do that whenever we cover a difficult topic.
When I enter the classroom, my eyes immediately snap to the back table to see if Damian is there.
Maybe I’ll sit with him today. I haven’t in the past because it seems he prefers to be alone, but it would make our tutoring sessions so much easier if I knew whether or not he understands the material.
But I notice that Carter McMillian sits alone at a table. I know for a fact that his partner is sick with the flu. Considering he’s on Addie’s list and was her pen savior, maybe I should try my luck with him? I can always sit at Damian’s table tomorrow if things don’t work out with Carter.
I stop before his table and swing my backpack to the floor. “Hey, Carter. You need a partner, don’t you?”
He raises his eyes from a game he’s playing on his phone and his forehead creases. “Don’t you have a partner?”
Geez Louise. Am I really that invisible that he doesn’t know I sit alone at my table? Other than Damian, everyone else has a partner. We haven’t yet had a lab, so I wasn’t asked to team up with anyone. I’m pretty sure my teacher would tell me to be Damian’s partner.
“Actually, no,” I say.
“Why not? You’re like the smartest kid in class.”
My cheeks flame. “I’m, uh, not really…”
“You’re the first one to raise your hand every time Sullivan asks a question.”
“How do you know that?” I ask as I sit down next to him.
“I notice things like that.”
“Sullivan doesn’t always call on me, though,” I say with a laugh. “I think she might be sick of me.”
He laughs softly. “Doubt it. Don’t teachers worship teachers’ pets like you?”
For some reason, I don’t like the way he said it. He might be joking around or teasing me, but there’s just something about it…
“Or is it that teachers’ pets worship their teachers?” he says with another laugh.
Wanting to change the subject, I say, “Addie thanks you for saving her pen, by the way.”
His brows furrow. “What?”
“That time she dropped her pen and it rolled under your desk? You picked it up for her because you didn’t want her to fall behind in class.”
He looks even more puzzled. “Sorry, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Addie Hayes? The girl who was almost kidnapped in November?”
“Oh, her. I saved her pen?” He shrugs. “Okay.”
Well, this is disappointing. He might seem okay, but I sense something about him that I really don’t like. Raven said to trust my instincts. My instincts are sounding the alarm bells.
At that moment, Damian walks into the classroom and heads to his table in the back. He once again notices me with another guy, and his face fills with surprise. But then he makes a face at Carter, like he also doesn’t like the guy.
“Well, I guess I have a partner after all,” I say as I get up and grab my backpack. “See you.”
I march to Damian’s table and plant myself in the empty seat. “We’re having a pop quiz. Please tell me you reviewed the notes I sent you.”
“How do you know we’re having a pop quiz? Isn’t the point of a pop quiz that we’re not supposed to expect it?”
“I know Mrs. Sullivan. She can be really predictable if you’re paying attention. Did you review the notes?”
“I decided to boycott them because I specifically instructed you not to do it.”
“Then you’re a real idiot,” I mutter. “Because I did them anyway, and now you’re going to fail the pop quiz.”
“I am a real idiot,” he agrees. “But I won’t fail the quiz.”
I narrow my eyes. “You did review them.”
He just shrugs.
“You’re so annoying! Why can’t you just admit that you studied?”
He chuckles. “It’s fun pushing your buttons.”
“Oh, I’ll show you how to push my buttons—”
My words are cut off as Mrs. Sullivan walks in. She instructs us to clear our desks for a pop quiz.
“What did I tell you?” I say as I slide my notebook and textbook off my side of the table, leaving only my pen.
“What can I say?” he says with a wry smile. “I do have the best tutor in the world.”
I turn my head so he won’t notice my intense blush.