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I follow her inside, and we walk back towards the tables along the back wall. We come upon our table, and she slides onto her metal stool, dropping her bag on to the tabletop.
She’s quiet, but every now and then I see her eyes move to the corner, trying to catch a glimpse of me. “You can stare at me. I know I’m pleasing to the eye.”
She scoffs. “Can you tell your hoes that I need my locket back?”
“Locket?” I pretend to not know what she’s talking about, but I know full well what she’s missing. She seems to think it was the girls who fucked with her while she was having a meltdown in the pool. It wasn’t. I took the locket out of her backpack, and it’s in a special little place. I opened it up, there was nothing special in it. Just the words, fly and little birdie. It means something to her, but fuckall to us.
“Yes. A locket. It was in my backpack and now it’s fucking gone. Surely you know what a locket is? Tell your chihuahuas to give it back.” Her fists curl up, and I can start to see the panic in her eyes. Sorry, Red, I’m doing this to break you.
“I’ll ask, but I doubt they would mess with that. They have Tiffany and all that other high-end stuff. They don’t need cheap jewelry from a scholarship student.” Fuck. I’m an asshole.
Phoenix drops her head down to her book, and I can see her fighting with herself. Probably not sure if she wants to deck me or start throwing things at me.
I’ve noticed over the last couple classes I have had with her this week, she takes notes in her notebook instead of the iPad.
“You know, taking notes on here,”—I tap the iPad—“is a lot easier.”
“Maybe I’m old school,” she says as she scribbles away.
“Ormaybe you don’t know how to. I can show you.” I pick up her iPad, grab an extra Apple Pencil I keep in my bag, and open up our notes app on it for her. I create a tab for biology class and get it set up and ready for notes today. “All you have to do is write like you would in that, but on this. You can keep it organized by date and class. And up here you can search for dates, classes, or specific terms. Save a tree.”
For a moment, she stares at me, crinkling her face. I think it actually might hurt her to say something nice to me. She takes the pencil and her iPad and places it in front of her. “Thanks,” she murmurs.
Yeah, being nice is killing her. I can visibly see her relax a little next to me.
So now I know how to break her down. Kindness. Thank you for showing me your weakness, Red.
“I can copy my notes from Tuesday into here for you. This way you won’t have to rewrite them. Also, you can download the syllabus and add it to each section so it’s easy to reference. You know, in case you lose the paper one they hand out.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” She turns her head towards me, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.
I shrug. “Just trying to be friendly.”
“Why?” she presses.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a king. You apparently rule this place and can get anything you want. Why be nice to me? All of the sudden, I might add. What do you have to gain? What’s your end game, Mason?” She eyes me, waiting for me to give her the motive behind it all.
“Not all of us are assholes, Red. Besides, I’m still waiting for you to agree to let me take you on that date.” I wink at her.
“Not happening, Turner. Not ever. Also, you are an asshole. Personified.” She presses her lips into a thin line.
“Fine, I can settle for being friends.”
Her beautiful little mouth drops open, but before she can come back with a retort, the teacher walks in, and class begins. I face forwards and smile, softly laughing to myself. I know it’s killing her that I got the last word in.
Halfway through class, we partner up to do some stupid exercise together. I turn in my seat to face her as she scrolls through the iPad, reading the exercise for us to work on together.
“So, how come you weren’t in study hall?” I place an elbow on the table and study her. She straightens up and tenses. She looks at me, and for a moment I see a slight panic in her eyes, but it leaves in a flash.
“None of your fucking business,” she bites.
“Just trying to make conversation, Red.”
“How do you know I had study hall? Are you in that class too? Why the fuck do I have one of you assholes in each of my classes? You all are the most annoying gnats in the fucking world. Just won’t go away. It’s none of your fucking business what I do and when I do it. So please, and I say this as nicely as I can, get fucked.” Her face turns red with obvious anger, and I’m honestly turned on by her attitude problem she has.
Before I can respond to her, she has packed up her stuff and is leaving the class. Except class isn’t over.