|WATTYS 2021 Shortlisted| ❝Teach me.❞ ❝Teach you what?❞ ❝Teach me how to be a bad boy.❞
Elias Rodriguez has a crush on a certain cheerleader (since forever), but she has a thing for bad boys, not chemistry nerds. Lucky for him, the cheerleader's bes...
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Chapter eleven | Run in circles
"This year, I have decided not to shuffle the lab partners," Mrs. Smith announced as she gazed down at the papers in front of her.
I grinned at her statement and turned towards Andrea. Many students grinned in response too, but a few of them groaned in disapproval. Andrea had the same smile on her face, making her almost black eyes twinkle.
"So, it looks like we are partners this year too," she said, with an amused smile on her face.
"Yeah, I am stuck with you the rest of the year, unfortunately," I joked, making her elbow me lightly.
"You are mean," she said and pouted.
Just like before, my heart hammered wildly when I looked at her, forming cute expressions.
But something was different, making me frown.
She saw my frown and leaned towards me concerned. "Elias, are you okay?"
Her chiming voice pulled me out of the stupor. I shook my head and smiled reassuringly. "I am fine."
We soon turned our attention towards the teacher as she starting giving instructions for the year,
After the series of basics and a few experiments, we were writing our notes in the practical file. Sitting next to her and sharing small jokes here and there was a natural habit that we still followed through.
"Elias, tell me, do you like Cyn?" she whispered, leaning towards me.
Her question made me stiffen a bit. My guilt from yesterday emerged. The intensity was dimmed, but it was enough to freeze me in shock. Momentarily, I didn't know what I wanted to say.
"She is nice," I said nonchalantly, still looking down at my work. I avoided looking at her as my thoughts jumped around in my mind. I could remember the tears down her face as I made assumptions after assumptions about her.
My harsh words somehow had broken her down, and that was something that kept stabbing my heart with guilt.
Andrea groaned in annoyance at my answer. "I know she is nice," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "But I am asking, do you like-like her?" She wiggled her finger in front of me, in a warning.
I snorted at her statement, making her pin me under her glare. "How old are you again?" At my, words amusement lingered in both of our eyes, making us break into fits of laughter. My attempt at humor was an escape to forget about yesterday's event. It seemed to work as we could barely conceal our bursts of chuckles.
Our laughter gained attention, including Mrs. Smith's.
"Do you have a joke you might want to share with us, Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Lawson?" she spoke in warning, looking at us with her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.
