A Little More Than Xs And Os

Stupid brain of mine

This chapter is dedicated to MackenzieKoenig because...well there's a scene in here that I had explained to her way before I even wrote the chapter....so yeh! Here's to you Mack!

It was a long week. I've never had so much catch up work to do that had to be completed. This is the first time I've had to settle down and focus.

Blowing Peyton off was not intentional, but once I was almost through with the work that all my classmates had done through the previous school months, she texted. Though I did not reply at all until Monday morning and gasped when I realized what I had done. I had left her hanging for the whole weekend when we need to be working on the big project. If she threatens to kill me, I will not be surprised.

My morning is rushed and chaotic as I try to get my paper work in tact to hand in. I nearly completed all of this work in one weekend that took my classmates the first few months of school. Head rush would not even cover my mental state. Not to mention I need food, ASAP. No food for a whole weekend can really get to a person.

When I walk in the school doors, while still eating my breakfast that I got in a drive-thru, I spot Trevor talking to LeAnna in the courtyard and lazily walk over. "Dude, you don't look good." I rest my hand on the wall behind me and shrug, "Try catching up months worth of work in one weekend and only eating once. By the way, that same night I ate was the night I almost got run over and kissed Peyton."

Trevor and LeAnna both look at me with worry.

"You need to go to the nurse. You're going crazy." Trevor is an exceptional friend--he says things the way he sees it. But in this case, I am telling the truth.

The walk to homeroom is tragic. Trevor has to help prop me up as I walk and so does LeAnna. When I'm a bit more stable, maybe I'll consider why they were hanging out with no one else around and laughing to themselves.

I crash in a seat in the back and Trevor and LeAnna walk to their homerooms too. When Ms. Blalock calls out my name, it takes her twice to wake me from my phase. I am completely out of it today.

When the bell rings ten minutes later, I groan and start walking to the end of the hall to band. One of the other percussionists takes my place at drums--to my dismay--because I fell asleep in the middle of the run-through with chorus. When everyone splits up and chorus goes back to their class, Peyton comes over to me and I brace for her words.

"Go home." I pick my head up from my hand and look at her blankly. "Pardon?" I ask, and she grins. "You need to go home, you look awful. What happened? I mean, I know we almost ran over you, and then we kissed and so you're probably all traumatized over that but--"

"Peyton, slow down. First of all, I was busy catching up months worth of school work in one weekend and I only came up for air when I met you guys at the restaurant and I didn't even plan to eat." I realize I'm talking fast too when she starts chuckling. She stands up, but not before she kisses my cheek too. Then she disappears back in her own classroom.

That's when I go into shock. Did Peyton just kiss me back, or am I so sleepy that I imagined it? No, no, I felt it.

I shake my head. For the rest of the day. All I do is sit in the corner of all my classes and take notes on autopilot. After I look at my paper's after each class, I don't remember learning a single thing.

At lunch, I sit in the corner and try to re-read over the chapter for today's lesson in A.P world history, but I can't keep my eyes open. Until Trevor sets his plate down with a loud slam. It jolts me awake to see the whole crowd has joined me at a corner table instead of the center table.

Peyton and all the other girls sit across from us and start chattering. "We need more guys here." I nod and rest my head on my textbook. Trevor slaps my arm. "Adam, ever since you started hanging out with Peyton you've become boring." I wipe my eyes. "Sorry, sleep deprivation does that. And it's not Peyton, what makes you say that?" I whisper back.