Chapter 35
EVERETT
D ay One of competition: super unprepared.
Again, I’m not one to get all nervous, but walking into this dingy hig h school and seeing the other students haughtily walking around in suits and rehearsing definitely got to me.
They were good; I could tell. Suits were pressed, shoes were polished, everything was smoothed down, and everything looked so perfect .
It was also nerve-racking because I didn’t know most of these kids.
It was a national tournament, so most of them were from different states, which meant I had no way of judging how I would do.
Every single person I competed with could either be very bad or very good and I would have no clue. But it was probably the latter since this tournament was the tournament to be at.
Jahnvi had it worse than me though.
Not that you could tell she was nervous by looking at her. Her hair was held back with a small black clip, her red skirt suit was wrinkle-free, and her heels were clacking on the tiled floor in a confident rhythm.
No matter how embarrassing it was, I wouldn’t hesitate to admit that I really did look forward to speech days just so I could watch Jahnvi strut around in her suit.
She came alive at speech competitions; she really did.
Her eyes were wide, her smile was bright and ready to charm a few judges, the entire thing.
It was always the smile that got to me. The way she smiled as she talked to other competitors like she was reminding them that she was better was just so perfect.
She looked perfect .
I was lucky that there were so many people around us. Or else, I don’t think I would’ve been able to stop myself from grabbing her by the waist and...
“You ready, Everett?” she asked, distracting me from my thoughts.
Only I could tell that she was extremely nervous because as she linked her arms with mine, I felt her waver.
She was absolutely shaking, but no one could tell.
She was setting an example for the rest of the team, and it was working.
There was a high spirit among us as we set our stuff down at a table in the school’s cafeteria that would serve as a home base for us; people were joking around and not stressing about the upcoming days.
She was just such a great captain.
I took her lead and smiled down at her. “I’m ready to rip Carly M.’s head off. Do you see the way she’s staring daggers at me? If looks could kill.”
“Um, actually,” she said, leaning toward me and touching my tie. I felt butterflies erupt in the pit of my stomach almost instantly, “I think she’s staring at me. She has a big crush on you and, well.” She jangled our intertwined elbows.
“Ooh,” I nodded. “That would make sense.”
“Yeah. Well, let’s give her a show. Your tie has a stain on it.
” And before I could protest, she reached up to take my tie off.
When the edges of her fingers brushed the delicate skin of my throat, my entire neck erupted in goosebumps.
She noticed that my breath was labored now, and she was happy.
She met my eyes underneath her black lashes and smiled.
Jesus.
Even after she took the tie off, her hands were still on my collar. “Do you not carry another tie?”
“Jahnvi, I don’t think I even own another tie.” I smiled; who does she think I am?
“Well, good thing Mr. N always carries an extra one.” With a final smoothing of my collar, Jahnvi walked away to get me a tie while I was still reeling from her fingers on my throat. The only problem was that the new tie she got me was not a clip-on like the one I had, but a real tie.
“Shoot, I don’t know how to tie a tie.”
Jahnvi rolled her eyes and in a quick motion hung the tie around my neck.
Ugh, and just when I thought I had recovered.
I stopped breathing altogether as both of her hands circled my neck and fixed my collar around the tie. Her head was right below my chin, and I balled my hands into fists to maintain some version of control as some of her flyaway hairs brushed my chin.
She was...infuriating.
I looked away from her to see that most of the team, and even a few other people, were looking our way.
People from other teams were trying to be inconspicuous but their eyes were unwavering from us, and some were even whispering about us with a smile.
Our team, on the other hand, didn’t try at all to hide their stares.
Jaws were slack, eyes were wide, and one sophomore who did some type of drama loudly asked her friend, “Didn’t she, like, put shaving cream in his shoes like a few weeks ago? ”
Jahnvi did indeed put shaving cream in my shoes two months ago. I performed with wet and soggy feet and still beat her, which was a great accomplishment on my part.
I was enjoying this. Raising my eyebrows questioningly at the loud drama girl, I continued to meet the eyes of all the people who were staring, silently challenging them.
Once everyone looked away or started violently digging in their bags, I gave myself a mental cheer.
At least now all those speech guys would mind their damn business instead of trying to talk to her.
Now that that was over, I turned my attention back to Jahnvi.
“How, um, do you know how to tie a tie?” I asked, embarrassed at how hoarse my voice sounded. The hands around my collar froze for a second before continuing a bit more hesitantly than before.
Could she tell what she was doing to me?
“Remember?” she spoke, still focused on my upper chest. “Those Fragrance uniforms that you keep making fun of have ties. I tie one every day.”
“I just assumed they were clip-ons like mine.”
“My dad says that those ties don’t look as good.” She tightened the knot around my throat and looked up at me. “Is that too tight?”
She bit her lip.
I shook my head, and she smiled down at herself like she was proud of her work. With a final fix of my collar, she smoothed down my shirt and blazer before stepping away. “You look great.”
I took my phone out to check. The new tie had a rougher texture that made it seem more expensive and was the color of a stop sign. It was actually almost the same color as Jahnvi’s suit, and it made me smile that we were matching.
“Maybe your dad was onto something. I really like it.” I inspected the tight knot with my camera.
Jahnvi scoffed. “Maybe because it isn’t highlighter green, Everett. You were probably safe biking at night with that other tie.”
“It was a fashion statement.”
“Please. No it wasn’t,” she said as she sat down at the table. People were starting to leave for their first rounds and the cafeteria became quieter. She exhaled sharply and I could actually feel the nervous energy coming off her.
I sat next to her, nudging her with my thigh. “What? You’re going to let Carly M. stress you out?”
“Everett, I’m absolutely—” All of a sudden, she went silent. I looked up, expecting someone approaching us with her sudden silence but no one was around. The only person around was Julia Ramirez, who was walking past us to her own round. She gave me a sharp glare.
“What is it?” I asked, noticing how all of a sudden Jahnvi’s face had totally changed. Her expression just went...blank. She quickly stood up and grabbed her purse with her water bottle and scripts she never used.
“Nothing.” She waved me off. “I’m gonna get going to my first round. Good luck to you, Everett!” And without waiting for me to respond, she stalked off toward the stairs. She didn’t look anything like the girl who had been clutching my arm and shaking as she walked into the building.
I understood almost instantly.
We were close, Jahnvi and I. She trusted me so much and helped me with my restaurant. She was a shoulder I could lean on, and I could trust her too.
But right then? Right there?
We were still competitors.
And I was especially someone that couldn’t be trusted.