Thirteen
“Guess what?” Elliot ran up to me, his eyes wide with enthusiasm.
“Uhhh…you found a cure for the common cold?”
“Okay, I’m not that smart.” He paused. “But, I did get a ‘B’ on our AP Lit exam!”
“No way! Are you serious?”
“Check it out!”
He held up his exam, shaking it obnoxiously in my face as the sound of crinkling paper filled my ears.
My eyes darted back and forth across the paper as I tried to make out the writing on the front while he continued to wiggle the flimsy sheet from side to side.
I shook my head and snatched the exam from his fingers, smiling when I saw his grade was an 82%.
“Hey, look at you, Mr. Smarty Pants! Congratulations!”
Without missing a beat, he wrapped his arms around my torso, pulling me so close that I could barely muster a single breath as the air was expelled from my lungs. A jolt of electricity shot through my core as he squeezed me tightly within his embrace, and my feet left the ground.
Like literally.
He lifted me up, twirling us in circles while laughing uncontrollably. When I returned to solid ground, our eyes met, and I found it impossible to look away. My heart raced as I gazed at him in wonder.
“I think some of your smarts are rubbing off on me,” he joked while running his hand through his hair.
“Or…” I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure. “You’ve been learning a lot more than you think during our study sessions.”
“Potato, putahto .”
“Seriously, give yourself some credit.”
“Clarke,” he chuckled. “Let’s face it, I would be nowhere without you.”
My eyes widened.
Did he really mean that?
I searched his face for some kind of answer, only to come up empty.
Elliot seemed as unreadable as ever. The two of us had been doing this dance recently, testing the bounds of our relationship.
Sure, it was safe to say we were friends, but it was the not-so-subtle glances and flirty comments that made me question my sanity.
I pulled at the hem of my rose-colored shirt, trying to appear casual.
“And without you, I’d still be playing mean girls with Meredith and drowning in a sea of unholy pickup lines with Ryan. Call it even?”
“Not until I pass AP Lit, and you become Prom Queen.” His eyes twinkled as he smirked down at me and winked. “Do you think we should take some of the same classes next semester?”
“I guess that’s probably a good idea. Do you have anything in mind?”
“How about art history?”
“I’d rather die.”
“ Ooookay ,” he drawled while leaning against the nearby lockers, crossing his arms. “What do you think then?”
I smirked at him.
“Oh, no, no, no.” He shook his hands emphatically as a wave of pure horror washed over his features. “There’s no way you’re getting me to take another AP class.”
“But, I could do your assignments! It’ll be an easy ‘A’ for you!”
“Ugh. What class is it?”
“AP Lang.”
“Dude.”
“I can’t help it that I’m a word nerd.”
Elliot broke into a hearty laugh, the sound bubbling out of his mouth.
I snorted loudly, causing me to slap both hands over my mouth, which only fueled his cackling more.
“Word nerd and snorting?” he choked out between broken laughs. “You’re such a loser.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I guess. Anything for my girlfriend .”
“Why, thank you, boyfriend .” I bowed at the waist, offering a slight curtsy as I looped my arm around his. “Ready for tutoring?”
“Nope,” he answered, gently pulling me toward Mrs. Hawthorne’s classroom. “Is it too late to squeeze in a smoke break?”
“Definitely.”
When we walked in, Mrs. Hawthorne sat at the front of the class reading some smutty romance books as per usual, while Elliot and I tucked ourselves at the back of the classroom.
I tried to focus on studying for our upcoming final exam, but my brain was a scrambled mess of fucked up alphabet soup. It felt like just yesterday I caught Elliot reading my journal.
It felt like just yesterday, I was sliding the straps of my Homecoming dress over my shoulders as I prepared for the dance.
It felt like just yesterday I was gossiping with Meredith and Kendra.
It felt like just yesterday I was in my bedroom, pen in hand, as I concocted the perfect plan to win Prom Queen.
As my mind did cartwheels, darting back and forth from one thought to another, I felt myself get tired as I stared at the cream-colored walls.
My eyelids became heavy as the familiar sensation of overwhelming fatigue had set in.
Every muscle in my body was aching. I needed a solid forty-eight hours of sleep, but sadly I still had responsibilities.
Stupid. Fucking. Responsibilities.
I tried to imagine that my eyes were being held open by some sort of surgical torture device like the ones they use for LASIK. Anything to stop the drowsiness from taking hold.
As I stared into oblivion, I eventually came to focus on Mrs. Hawthorne’s book. My mouth parted in disbelief. A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene. I just couldn’t believe the fifty-something-year-old literature teacher was reading another erotic novel in school.
Did she think we wouldn’t notice? The cover was inconspicuous enough with a single red rose in the center, but did she not realize we had access to Google? I mean, someone could easily pop the title into their search bar, and BAM , smutty book on the first page.
Elliot quietly cleared his throat.
When I looked over at him, he was trying to follow my line of sight with his hands as he gestured at Mrs. Hawthorne.
He tilted his head to the side. After exchanging a few not-so-subtle glances, I realized we needed a way to talk freely without her hearing, so I ripped out a piece of paper from my journal and scribbled a note on it.
Elliot gave me a knowing look while drawing something below the words.
I squinted my eyes as I watched him sketch a petite girl with a shit-eating grin on her face. The last thing he drew was a book clutched in the girl’s hands with the title Fifty Shades of Grey . I looked away with pink-stained cheeks.
“You look like a tomato right now,” he whispered.
My nostrils flared. “You look like you can’t solve for x.”
“Stop trying to deflect.” He smirked deviously. “So, all those books in your room…they’re…rated R?”
“No!” I fumed quietly. “My mom is a romance author. I just know books.”
“ Sure .”
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to insult your tutor?”
“It’s worth it.”
“You’re lucky I can’t smack you right now.”
“Ooo, I’m so scared,” he feigned.
I stretched my arms above my head while cracking my spine.
In an instant, my foot collided with Elliot’s shin. He puffed out his cheeks as he clenched his eyes shut. I faked a cough to mask the sound of his groans. His face turned beet red.
“Now, who looks like a tomato?”
A flurry of muffled curse words left his mouth as he buried his head in his arms. Just when I was about to apologize, Elliot looked up at me through hooded eyes.
“Yeah, okay.” He nodded. “Maybe I deserved that, but you deserve this.”
“What are you—”
“Stop trying to flirt with me! I’m trying to do my work!” Elliot yelled.
My eyes widened as Mrs. Hawthorne scolded us for being, and I quote, ‘lousy, no-good children.’ When she was finally done with her rant, I spent the rest of the time thinking about ways to make Elliot’s life a living hell.
“Ah, look who it is. The infamous Clot,” Andrew teased.
I shook my head while Elliot and I resumed our normal seats around the small circular table in the lunchroom.
“Ugh, please don’t call us that.”
“Fuck off,” Elliot said, snatching the slice of pizza out of Andrew’s hands.
“Not my fault that your names merged together sounds like a gross disease.”
I glared at him. “Clots aren’t diseases.”
“Yeah, but you are.”
“Have you tried—oh, I don’t know—being a decent human every once in a while?”
“Have you?”
Elliot looked back and forth between the two of us, breathing a heavy sigh. “Do you guys want to get a room or something?”
“I’m gay.”
“And I’d rather be gay.”
“Jesus,” Elliot mumbled under his breath while staring at me. “And I thought we used to hate each other.”
Dani cleared her throat. “ Anyways …you guys ready for another round of COD tonight?”
“I’m definitely ready to kick Andrew’s ass again if that’s what you mean.”
“That was one time!”
“Try three.”
“I’m going to kick all of your asses.” Dani smirked. “So, don’t even bother trying.”
“Actually, Clarke,” Elliot piped up. “Maybe we could study for our AP Lit exam?”
My fingers twitched as I nearly dropped the sandwich I was eating out of my hands. Andrew and Dani had the same reaction as we all gawked at him, dumbfounded by the words that left his mouth.
“Study?” Andrew muttered. “The fuck?”
“Are you running a fever or something?” Dani asked as she pressed the back of her hand against Elliot’s forehead, causing him to swat it away promptly.
“Who are you, and what have you done with my boyfriend?”
“Chill, it’s not that deep. I just can’t afford to flunk her class, okay?”
Andrew cocked his brow. “Weren’t you yelled at yesterday for playing your Steam Deck in class?”
“Yeah, but that was Geography. Who gives a shit about which state is south of Kentucky?”
“Elliot.” I tugged at his arm. “We don’t have t—”
“I want to.”
Sucking in air, I placed my hand on top of his. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
“No,” Andrew cried out in annoyance while flinging his arms in the air. “Not okay! You both suck.”
My amusement grew as I watched him puff out his lower lip and recline back in his seat.
The muscles in my jaw tensed as I clamped my mouth shut, trying to resist the urge to laugh in his stupid face.
Dani shrugged, supporting herself on the table with one elbow, while casting a brief look at Andrew.
“Guess I’ll just have to settle for kicking your ass.”