You Are the Shell to My Tortoise | ✓

23

AN: Aaaah thank you so much MariaMansfield for the beautiful cover you made! It's so CUTE I can't stand that cute little green tortoise on the yellow font ♪(ﾉ'∀｀*)ﾉ also a shout out to her for her encouraging comments and also her awesome teen fiction (which I totally love) Back At Ya, Bro! Totally recommend it for those who love humor/romance.

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I yawned again.

Ashley, who had just entered the classroom, stopped at my desk.

"First period hasn't even started yet, and you're already sleepy?" she said, looking down at me and raising an eyebrow.

"Good morning to you too, Ash," I said, closing my eyes. "Hey, we still have fifteen minutes before class starts, right? I think I'm going to take a short nap. Do you think you could wake me before Mr. MacMillan comes in?"

"A nap in the morning?" She stared at me. "Nolan really is rubbing off on you."

I glanced over to my left, where Nolan was blissfully snoozing away, unaware of Ashley's accusations. How did he get the energy to wake up so early in the mornings to get ready for class? After we had stayed up into the wee hours of the morning yesterday, Nolan decided it was time to call it a night. I was too exhausted to climb up the rope into my room—not that normally I would have the energy to make it all the way up four stories' worth of rope—and he ended up carrying me on his back and climbing up the rope.

I fought off a blush that threatened to surface at the memory. There was no way that was happening again. I had to start practicing climbing the rope myself. Relying on him for everything wasn't a good idea, because the embarrassment of wrapping myself around him just about killed me.

The whole adventure was so fun, though. I had to practically force myself to lie in bed without moving so that I could eventually fall asleep. My brain was going into overdrive at all the things I had seen and done that night, which were far more exciting than anything else I had ever done.

I only had three hours left to sleep, and I squandered one of those hours on being excited and looking forward to the next week. My mind insisted on staying awake like a child defying their bedtime because there were so many other things to do.

"I guess you could say that," I said, before laying my head down on my arms. "Wake me up, okay?"

Sighing, Ashley patted me on the head. "Alright."

I felt her presence move away. Almost instantly, my mind drifted off into unconsciousness.

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As a true friend would, she woke me a couple of minutes before class was supposed to start. Mr. McMillan came in just a few seconds after, and then there was no time to sleep anymore. I envied the way Nolan could just freely sleep like the desk was his bed and nobody except for Mr. Jameson bothered to wake him.

The unfairness made me want to wake him by shaking his arm off. I refrained from acting on impulse, although the itch in my fingers only intensified the more I entertained the thought.

I also just wanted to see the look on his face if I did that.

During the classes before lunch, I alternated between dozing off and taking notes. None of the teachers called me out, likely because they were able to see that I was trying to stay awake. Still, they all gave me concerned glances.

The only good thing was that I didn't have English today. I couldn't bear the thought of disappointing Mr. Jameson once more and having him look at me with that disapproving gaze.