The Nerd's Dark Side (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 3

The rest of the day goes by quick for Thomas; he hasn't even registered the new materials from the classes in his head. The only thought in his head is: Who is that guy?

By the last period, Thomas is mentally tired and sobered up. He stumbles a little into the classroom after Wes has clamped a little too hard on Thomas' shoulder during passing time, a sign that the teacher didn't suspect a thing about Wes' homework. After he finds his seat, Thomas sits down, wishing for the day to end already.

"Tough day?" someone from his left asks in a quiet voice. Thomas nods slowly. "Then I take it the liquid courage went away?"

Thomas' confused. How does he knows about the--

He looks up to see the guy from earlier. His jaw drops, while at the same time the bell rings. The teacher up front takes attendance, (where Thomas learns the new guy's name is Gabriel), and almost immediately starts the lecture. Thomas closes his mouth and turns his head to the front, leaving Gabriel amused.

Halfway through class, the teacher finishes talking. "This is what I'd like for you to do," he says. Opening the presentation for the class to see, he adds, "For today, you and your partner will complete a worksheet by figuring out the clues for each problem. I expect at least a third of the page done by the end of class." He talks a couple more minutes, then lets the students pair up.

Thomas stands up awkwardly and tries to find someone he can tolerate. He sees Chad, another nerd, and waves for his attention. Chad notices, and shakes his head no. He's already with Amy.

"Am I suddenly not good enough to work with?" Thomas hears Gabriel say. Flashing a smile, he adds, "I can assure you I'm more than a pretty face."

Thomas rolls his eyes. "Cut the crap, dude," he says, monotone. "I'm sure you can find someone else."

"Is someone feeling bothered by me?" the new guy teases.

"Hell no."

Almost everyone else has a partner. Gabriel, Thomas, and 2 others are left. Thomas takes a step forward for the girl, but she quickly grabs the boy, flashing a triumphant look towards Thomas' direction.

"Is everyone done?" the teacher asks. After a pause with nodded heads, he starts passing out the worksheets. Thomas grabs one, and shares it with Gabriel.

He tries his best to focus on the problems. To Thomas, they were pretty easy to solve. Gabriel, on the other hand, doesn't even bother picking up his pencil. He leans back and watches Thomas write down the answers.

"I thought you said you're smart," Thomas says. He doesn't stop writing.

Laughing, Gabriel answers, "I said I'm more than a pretty face. I didn't say I was smart."

Thomas groans in irritation. "That's what it usually means, dumbass."

"So I'm the dumbass now?"

Keeping his mouth shut, Thomas finishes the worksheet. He brings it up to the desk. The teacher's busy reading the newspaper. Thomas waits until he's done before handing his work over.

"Finished?" the teacher asks. "That's unusually fast. I take it you and your partner thought they were easy?"

"He didn't even help," Thomas says. "All he did was annoy me." Without turning back, he knows Gabriel's watching.

The teacher huffs. "Then I'll have to talk to him about teamwork. Who is he again?" Thomas reminds him, and he writes it down. "Alright. You may return to your seat."

Gabriel raises an eyebrow when Thomas walks back, but doesn't say anything. Killing the rest of the period, Thomas takes out a book to read, a victorious smile etched on his face.