State of Grace | ONGOING

Chapter 8

Nine in the morning wasn't anyone's favorite time for a class, even a morning person. I always woke up with more than enough time to get ready and make it to class, but I often got caught up in getting ready or chatting with Billie, who was also up for a class at the same time. Then I would find myself half-jogging to class with a dry bagel in my hand just so I wasn't late. Today, however, I was on time for my business class. Early, actually.

I took the same seat I've been in for the last two classes, I moved as far as I could from the hot business girl–Theo. I still hadn't fully wrapped my head around the fact that Theo was the new player, the girl who'd walked in on me naked, and the hot girl from my business class. Reconciling all of that was difficult.

My butt had barely landed on the cushioned seat in the far back corner of the room when a body slid in next to me. I looked up and groaned. Actually groaned. Out loud. Even though I'd talked about this with Bo and my roommates and I'd sworn to be on my best behavior. I'd promised I'd try to like her, get to know her, at least. I didn't know why I just reacted like that automatically.

"Good morning to you too. Is this seat taken?" Theo asked casually, hazel-green eyes full of amusement as she looked down at the tote bag I'd haphazardly tossed next to me, a lab manual for my plant bio course and a copy of my latest smutty fantasy read peeking out of the top.

"Good morning," I said, refusing to address the sound I'd just made. "Go ahead." I lifted my tote bag off the seat and stashed it beside me against the wall.

Theo sat down and pulled her laptop out of her backpack, all business. It felt mocking even if she didn't mean it to be. My therapist was working with me on the social anxieties that accompanied my ADHD, including the fact that I often just assumed that someone hated me based on my own overthinking about a situation. Theo probably didn't think I was a complete weirdo for being uncomfortable about my boyfriend lying to me. She probably didn't replay walking in on me and Bo in her mind. She probably just thought I was a complete stranger who didn't know her yet. Which I was.

"Did you have practice this morning?" I asked, trying not to cringe at how awkward I sounded. Especially when I knew the offensive team had practice this morning since Bo had texted me good morning at five thirty in the morning.

"Yeah, coach runs us hard," Theo replied lightly. She ran one hand through her slightly damp hair and the smell of her shampoo wafted over me. She smelled tropical, like coconuts and something citrus-y. "It's good, though. The team's amazing, they've been pretty cool about the whole 'I'm a girl' thing."

"That's good," I said lamely, my finger starting to tap against the spacebar on my laptop, anxious for the professor to come in and start class already so our awkward small talk could be over.

"You know Bo talks about you all the time," she tried, a kind smile on her face, not the smirk I'd come to loathe irrationally after a few encounters. "Like, non-stop. You've got him whipped."

"Good to know," I said. I didn't particularly want to engage with her. I didn't need to be her friend, hell, I didn't even care if she liked me, something unheard of with my anxiety. I just wanted to get through this semester, the season would be over in January at the very latest, and then I would never have to hear her name again.

"I wasn't bullshitting when I said I'm not interested in Bo," Theo sighed, looking at me with her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was able to read my thoughts and could tell I didn't like her.

"I don't care if you are," I lied.

"Yes you do," she retorted, and I turned to face her fully now, shifting my whole body in my seat until our knees touched and I was grateful for her dark jeans for providing a barrier between our skin.