Pure Attraction

Chapter 12

I walk to the teachers' lounge with sweaty hands. I was told to go there to take my report card and to be honest, I feel like I am pissing my pants as I walk there.

You won't fail. You won't fail. I keep chanting to myself.

I made myself walk slower than usual so I don't have to get my report card faster and die on the spot. I think that I did okay in the tests but that doesn't mean that I can get really good grades.

I'm no Einstein.

But of course, some people think of me as that. It was stupid for them to think of me like that because obviously Cara is more smarter than me.

I sigh when I see the door of the teachers' lounge. No matter how slow I walk, I'm going to arrive at the teachers' lounge eventually.

"Ah, Paradice! There you are!" I give Mr. Charlie a small smile. "Here I am." He gestures me to follow him to his workplace. "You did very well, Par but I can't say that I'm surprise because you are the smartest kid I know." He says it like it's a fact and hands me the holy paper.

The holy paper? Seriously?

Good God, I'm going bananas here.

"Thanks, I guess." I accept the paper with shaky hands. Why am I like this every single time I get my report card? I thought in my head. "Don't worry, Par. You did great." He assures me and goes off to teach the other class.

I walk out the teachers' lounge and slowly walk to class. Shit, I swear if I don't get 5 As over 9, I am going to slap myself silly. I open the card with trembling hands and gasp.

I count again and again to check whether it was mistake or something but apparently it isn't.

Fucking hell.

Suddenly, I accidentally bump into someone. My report card falls onto the ground. "Fucking hell." I swear under my breath and take my paper from the ground. I look up to see who I bumped into.

He smiles down at me. "Hello Par." I give him a weary smile and stand back up. "Hey Austin." I greet him and brush away imaginary dust from my skirt. "What's that in your hand?" He asks and points at the report card.

"Oh you know..." I did a bored wave with my hand. "Just a one-way ticket to hell." He didn't look convinced. "You are already in hell. Is that your report card?" He asks while prying it from my hand. "No." I scowl, swatting his hand away. "What makes you think that?" I grit my teeth as I continue to hit his hands.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you don't want to let me see it for just a second." He sasses and in a flash, I stop hitting him and he take the chance to take the report card from my hands.

I mentally slap myself with a brick.

"Par, these are great results!" He declare and hands me back my report card. "Really?" I ask with a timid voice. He furrows his eyebrows at me. "You got 6 As out of 9." He points out. "To me, that's amazing!" Austin says as a matter of fact.

I shrug. "I guess." Then, he continue walking. "I gotta go pee now. My bladder is about to burst." I couldn't help but laugh. "Go then." I giggle, pushing him to the direction of the toilets.

~~~

"Par! Par! Par!" Katie calls out for me as I walk into the classroom. "So... How did it go? How much As did you get?" She asks while jumping like a kangaroo.

God, she's more excited than me.

"See for yourself." I tell her and give her my report card. She scans through and smiles. "6 As. That's cool! I only got - let's just say less than 4." I pat her shoulder. "You'll do better next time." She give me to thumbs-up. "Thanks, Par." I grin and walk towards my table.