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Chapter 39

Cleo's POV

The next five days of suspension were easier, but not great. Via and I took to sending each other photos throughout the day- ones of me at the diner, ones of her and Cara at their lunch table. I was just glad she had somebody with her.

Cara had dropped out of the student council race after the video was posted. I was surprised, and so was Via. Instead, she ran for vice president alongside Via's campaign, and that was that.

I'd been spending my days at Speedy's and my nights at Via's, when her mom was out of the house. We'd study, or campaign, or mess around. Sometimes we went on drives and parked in hiding spots around town. We'd watch movies and eat together. It felt good to have a routine with her, outside of school.

After pressing me, Via found out that I was failing four classes, and not doing too well in the other half. She took it on herself to make sure I didn't fail. I was thankful, but it made me nervous. She basically doubled her schoolwork just so I wasn't expelled.

I'd be coming back the next Monday, and Via seemed anxious about it.

"You know," I said. "Not all of this is bad. At least now we can touch in the hallway."

She smiled. We were sitting on her bed, running over the next week's campaign plan. "Yeah. We can basically throw away the rules."

I feigned a gasp. "Throw away the rules? Who are you, Olivia Hansen?"

"Oh, whatever. We don't need them anymore is all I mean."

"Yeah," I replied. "We don't need them." I grinned and leaned closer to her. "At school now, I can kiss you here-" I said, pressing a kiss to her jaw- "and here-" one on her shoulder- "and... here-" another on her neck. Her breathing was hitching and it made me smile.

"Where else?"

When we weren't spending our afternoons at Via's, we were at Speedy's. I waited tables while she studied, only ever really looking up to send me a smile. When I passed her booth, I'd pass notes I'd scribbled into receipts. I could tell she liked it. I spent my breaks with her.

"Hey cutie," she read from a receipt, sliding it across the table and smiling. "Cutie? Really?"

"You're not even addressing the illustration."

Under the line of words, I'd drawn a cartoon of Via and I, heart eyes and all. She took the receipt from me and flipped it over to the blank side where she wrote, 'CLEO IS A DORK' in big, bold letters.

"Takes one to know one."

I pocketed the receipt and she shook her head. "Very mature."

When I first entered the school building Monday morning, I realized Via must've been sugar-coating her experience these past days. People weren't afraid to stare and whisper.

"Back already. She punched Andrew, you know."

"I can't believe she even came back."

"Are those two still a thing? Olivia and Cleo."

I caught a glimpse of her at her locker, looking down at a textbook and muttering to herself. I made a bell one for her.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Can't talk," Via rushed out, her nose dipping into a textbook before glancing upward. "Oh, sorry. Hey, Cleo." Her eyes returned to the book immediately.

I pressed a finger to her textbook and pushed it down so she'd look at me. "What're you so busy with?"

"Pre-cal test," she said. "I'm making a 93 in that class so this test will either hurt my grade or bump me up at an A+." Olivia shivered noticeably, like she was freezing. "I'm hoping for the latter option."

"You've been studying all weekend. You're gonna do fine," I said, leaning against the lockers beside her and watching her frown dip lower.

"Don't jinx it," she whispered.

She wouldn't look at me, so I planted a quick kiss on the crown of her head and swiped the book from her hands.

"Hey!" she said, reaching for it back. I held it above her head, smiling down at her. "You asshole. Give it."

"Huh-uh. I'm walking you to class and if you're nice, maybe I'll consider letting you study."

She exhaled deeply and closed her locker. "Fine," she said. "You're as stubborn as they come, Cleo Roberts."

I tucked the book under my arm and started down the hall beside us.

"Everyone's staring," she whispered as faces blurred past us. They were staring. And whispering. I hated it, but Via hated it more, so I slung and arm around her shoulders.

"Let them," I replied. "We're giving them something nice to stare at.