The head boy

Part 30 - Booty call

(Ida's POV)

The leech is here, devouring Tom with her eyes and even though every time she touches him it looks like someone just stuffed a huge broom up his arse, I can't help but feel a little bit jealous.

They're childhood friends, they're families are friends, they grew up together and he even wrote her a poem, maybe two...Thinking about that makes me want to stuff a huge broom up his arse!

I'm upset, I thought it would be a chance to do some karting for fun but no, something went south, the leech is here. I'm gonna do it anyway, even if it makes me look like I'm doing this out of jealousy. I'm gonna do it because I want to, because I want to try it and because it increases our winning probabilities.

Someone just explained to us how it all worked and it's obviously an amateur race so it won't be really fast or dangerous but still, this has potential.

"What were you saying to these people earlier?" Tom is preparing himself too, his kart is next to mine.

"What people?" I frown and untie my hair.

"One second you were with us while we talked to Mrs. Beaumont and the next you were busy chatting with some strangers. How did that happen?" He stops what he's doing to focus his attention on me, only me.

I shrug one shoulder, not really knowing what to tell him, "a girl motioned for me to come talk to her and from there she told me I looked like her little sister who's an influencer too and I told her she didn't look like my older sister but that it was okay because she wasn't an influencer. It made her laugh and then her boyfriend, then her friends and I don't really know how it happened after that but in less than two minutes I was surrounded by people I didn't know. But I liked it. I like to meet new people, especially when they seem nice and easy-going. Don't you?" I have a tiny little bit of hope he's going to say he enjoys human bounds too and that he can't wait to go clubbing with me when school is over.

"I see..." His reaction, or rather, his lack of reaction surprises me. I thought he was gonna snort or say something about focusing on work but instead he just looks...lost.

"Did it bother you?" I venture, starting to fidget with my fingers. His reaction worries me.

Tom shakes his head, "I know who you are. I think I'm realising for the first time how different we are. I've always been able to tell that our mindsets differ on many things and subjects and our personalities are clearly as far from each other as they could be but somehow...it's seeing you charm all these people you didn't even know that opened my eyes," he takes a step forward and is now towering over me but not in a menacing way, "you are you, Miss Abberline, and I am me, it might be a threat but it also might be a strength, after all, most companies find their strength in diversity, in the wide range of products they offer. Maybe you and I can gather a lot of products together and become a market-leading company."

I've never received such a bizarre love declaration.

A grin cracks on my lips and my hand goes by itself to brush a curl of hair off of his forehead, we don't want it bothering him while he's driving. "I wish you were my economics teacher."

I see the glimpse of a smile playing on his lips before I turn around to start preparing myself for the race, I think it's about to start.

I'm putting on a helmet when a hand snatches it from my hands, "hey!" I complain until I find Tom standing in front of me with my freshly stolen helmet in his possession.

"Are you sure you want to partake in this?" He asks, staring down at me.

"Yes, it's going to be fun!" I try to get my helmet back but he just lifts his arm in the air and out of reach for me. "Come on, give it to me, don't act all cavernman with me again."