Chapter 3
Ren
“Alright, pens down,” Mr. Sharpe ordered.
I set mine aside and watched Ivy out of the corner of my eye, trying to get the last multiple-choice question answered. Clearing my throat, I shaped my hand into a C on the desk. Ivy smirked, circled the letter, then quietly put her pen down.
“Thank you,” she whispered as Mr. Sharpe started down the aisle to collect our quizzes.
“While I mark these, I want you to spend the rest of your time forming groups of four. One member of the group will pick a topic from the coffee cup on my desk, and that will be your final assignment for the year.” The class groaned.
“Yes, this is mandatory. Yes, you will need to do a presentation in front of the class. Yes, I expect you all to have equal parts in the project, and yes…”
Mr. Sharpe stopped at my desk and looked down at me as he picked up my quiz. The class stayed quiet as he continued to stare and then held his hand out for Ivy’s paper.
“You will get bonus marks if you find a way not only to make the topic interesting but also to demonstrate your talking points.”
Not that I was nervous, Mr. Sharpe had always been fine with me, but it really felt like he was signaling me out before he walked away.
“Alright, make your groups,” he said, and I turned to Ivy.
“Yes, the answer is always yes. Not only are you my best friend, but you’re the smartest person in the school,” Ivy said, making me smile.
I looked around for Blake, but he was nowhere to be seen. Shit.
“Have you seen Blake?”
“No, not since lunch. Is he in this class?”
“Yeah, he is. I’m worried about him.”
“Me too,” Ivy mumbled. “I feel so torn with—”
She stopped as Zigzag dropped down in a vacated seat in front of us.
“Hey, can I be part of your group?”
“Sure,” I said.
“No,” Ivy said at the same time. We looked at one another, and she sighed. “Okay, fine, you can be part of our group. Just don’t think this changes anything between us.”
He smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, I’m the best researcher in the school. With my skills and Ren’s brain, we are going to ace this assignment.”
He held out his knuckles for me to hit.
I raised an eyebrow.
“So, you want to be in our group because of Ren,” Ivy asked, and I pressed my lips together, wanting to run from the room and this situation.
“Well…isn’t it the reason you want to be in her group?” Zigzag shot back.
“Only half the reason. The other half is that she’s my best friend.”
Ivy crossed her arms, glaring at him.
“Well…it’s only half my reason as well.”
He was blatantly flirting, and Ivy’s cheeks flamed a bright red.
“I’ll be back,” I said, and quickly got out of there before it got any weirder.
Ivy hadn’t said anything new about him, but they’d obviously spoken again. The sexual tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.
When I reached Mr. Sharpe’s desk, he looked up and then back down again.
“Yes, Ms. Davies, how can I help you?”
I almost corrected him, but now wasn’t the time.
“I wonder if you still want me to TA, now that I’m back. If you already have the spot filled, I completely understand, but I would enjoy the challenge and the opportunity to give back.”
He took off his glasses and set them on the desk, then he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. I looked around, but no one was nearby.
“Did I do something to upset you,” I asked, tentatively.
“Where were you this morning for AP Human Geography?”
Oh crap.
“Um…” I felt my face turning red. Damn Nash. Damn hormones made me all stupid. “I’m sorry it won’t happen again.”
He stared at me for a moment and then picked up his glasses, using them to point toward Blake’s empty seat.
“Do you know where Mr. O’Brien is?” I shook my head. “I’m not sure I believe you, but I’m going to let it go. Please speak to him and let him know that if he’s going to start skipping again, we’re going to have an issue.”
“Mr. Sharpe, you may not be aware, but his mum was just killed. Blake is dealing with a lot,” I said, my hackles rising, regardless of whether Blake was here to hear Sharpe’s callous words.
“Be that as it may, this is a school, and I can’t give him marks for absence and unfinished assignments. Please make him aware of the situation, or I will,” Sharpe said, picking up his pen and focusing on the papers again.
Annoyed and fuming, I stood there for an extra minute trying to hold in what I really wanted to say. Which, at the moment, was not very nice.
“Was there something else?” Sharpe didn’t look up, and I wasn’t sure being his TA was so great after all.
“No.”
Turning, I only got two strides away before he called my name.
“Ren?”
When I looked back, he was holding out my quiz. I grabbed the paper, but he didn’t let go. My face gave nothing away, but all I wanted to do was jump across the desk and strangle the arrogant ass.
He finally released it, then silently pointed to the cup with the topic choices. My teeth ground together as I picked one out and walked away.
It didn’t look like the time alone had solved the issues with Ivy and Zigzag. He was leaning on the desk, going through her bag before swiping her phone.
“Oh, look at how sweet Sabastian is,” Zigzag mocked.
“Give me back my phone, now,” Ivy said, standing and holding out her hand.
Zigzag cleared his throat.
“Why don’t you have a password?” He shook his head at her. “Seriously, it’s the first rule of security. Let me see here. Hey, what are you doing? This class is such a snoozefest. I wish you were here, Guppy.” Zigzag cringed. “Guppy? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Ivy stomped around the desk, everything cute and sweet gone from her face. She looked like she was ready to murder Zigzag.
“It’s because I can’t swim. Now give me back my phone,” she ordered, but he just held it higher in the air.
Groaning, I smacked my quiz down on the desk and hit Zigzag with a glare.
“Give Ivy her phone, or you can find another group,” I said, and then looked at Ivy. “He’s right, put a password on your phone, and not your birthday.”
Zigzag looked at me and then Ivy’s furious face before rolling his eyes.
“Fine, the messages were boring anyway. Who the hell wants disgustingly sweet messages like that? All it means is that he has shit he’s trying to hide and wants to distract you with this romantic crap.”
Zigzag held out the phone to Ivy, and she swiped it from his hand.
“I’ll have you know that Sabastian and I are great, and he doesn’t have anything to hide.”
Zigzag snorted. “Sure, keep believing that.”
The bell rang, and Zigzag grabbed his backpack before sauntering away.
“Our topic is the psychology of social media use,” I called after him.
“Whatever,” he said, and disappeared.
“Ugh, he is so frustrating,” Ivy growled, slamming her stuff into her bag like she was trying to punish it.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said yes so fast. I thought you two were good now, what happened?”
I picked up my laptop and packed it away, but kept my eyes on Ivy.
She sighed and rubbed her face before crossing her arms.
“He kissed me,” she whispered.
“What?” My mouth popped open like a goldfish. “When? How? Where? And all the other questions.”
We grabbed our bags and headed for the door. Ivy kept looking over her shoulder and biting her lip.
“Come on! Out with it. How did this happen?”
“God…how did I get myself into this mess?”
Ivy sucked in a deep breath like a fire-breathing dragon, and I prepared myself for the rant. It was coming. I felt it like a storm in my bones.
“He’s been bugging me to go out for a coffee with him, and I kept saying no. Then three days ago, while I was getting ready to move back here, he texted me with Glitch, it’s 911 important that we speak.”
I grabbed her arm, and she came to a halt.
“Wait, Sabastian calls you Guppy, and Zigzag calls you Glitch? That is so adorable. Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”
Ivy’s cheeks turned cherry red.
“Ugh, please, girl…you get cute names like Snowflake and Princess. I get a weird little fish with a flashy tail that the other fish want to eat, and a computer issue. Seriously, if that doesn’t just say it all.”
I nudged her shoulder as we resumed walking.
“Well, I think it’s sweet.”
Ivy rolled her eyes.
“Getting back to what happened…I went into town and met him for coffee. I thought it was a nice public space on neutral ground. Not. He flirted with me the entire time, kept telling me that Sabastian was no good and that I needed to watch out for his horrible family. Yes, I know the family part is true, but Sabastian’s not a bad guy like everyone thinks.
Anyway, I marched out, and when I got to my car, he told me he was sorry he’d broken up with me, and then he kissed me.
Like full-on grabbed my face and kissed me.
Then he told me he loves me and that he was sorry like a dozen times. What the hell?”
“Did you kiss him back,” I asked, and she groaned and covered her eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes. Do you still have feelings for him?”
“I don’t know, maybe…yes…oh god, what am I going to do? I can’t stop thinking about it,” she said.
I braced myself for the cold as we pushed out of the hall and into the bitter wind.
“Did you tell Sabastian about it?”
“No,” she said, sounding totally dejected. “I don’t want to start a fight between them, and I’ve been keeping my distance, but Zigzag’s being relentless, and now, I just feel so guilty. What should I do?”
“Oh boy, don’t look at me. I just kept adding them rather than choosing,” I said, making Ivy laugh.
“That’s true, but I don’t think I’m going to get that lucky. They hate one another,” she said as we reached the main doors.
Pulling them open, Ivy stepped in before me. We moved to the side outside the cafeteria doors, where the alluring scent of coffee hit my nose.
“Look, I know it will be tough telling Sabastian, and I also get not wanting to start a fight between them. But think about how Sabastian will feel if Zigzag blurts it out to be a jerk or to cause trouble.”
“You really think he’d do that?”
“No clue,” I said with a shrug. “But it could happen. Jealousy can make people do weird shit. How would you feel if some girl kissed him and he didn’t tell you? All I’m saying is think about it, but I’ll support whatever you decide to do.”
Grabbing Ivy, I pulled her into a hug.
“Hey!” She pulled back and stared at me with wide eyes. “You haven’t stuttered once.”
A smile spread across my face.
“Yeah, I’ve been working really hard, and now it only crops up when I’m under high stress, but thanks for noticing.”
“Bitch, that is awesome! I’m so proud of you, I can’t even imagine learning how to talk all over again.”
“I had all the support anyone could ask for. Others are not so lucky.”
“Girl…when are you going to own how amazing you are? Seriously, you always deflect. Enough with the, yes but, sentences. Just say thank you, I’m a total boss.”
I hooked my arm with hers and dragged her into the cafeteria. We hadn’t even made it to the coffee station before Myles ran up.
Taking one look at his face, I grabbed his arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Could be nothin’ but was Blake in class with ya?”
My blood turned as cold as the weather outside.
“No.”
“I’m gettin’ worried, he won’t answer any of me texts or calls,” Myles said.
I looked at Ivy, and she waved me off.
“Go, go find him. I hope he’s okay.”
“Me, too.”
With a nod, I jogged out of the cafeteria with Myles.