Love to Hate You

Chapter Seventeen

“So, what do you think of Laney?”

I turn to Justin while Miss Myers hands out a couple sheets of composition paper to each student. His face shows no signs of amusement, no cocked eyebrow and no devilish smirk. Instead, grey eyes stare back at me plainly as he slouches back in his seat, his legs spread out sloppily in front of him.

I shrug.

What do I think of her? She’s obviously the definition of perfect: pretty, polite, friendly. I don’t have a real problem with her, besides the fact that she is flawless. She hasn’t done anything to me, yet, to make me despise her. All I can do right now is shrug. Shrug because I haven’t got a good read on her yet.

“She’s nice.” I say flatly, and give Miss Myers a nervous smile when she sets four pages of composition paper on my desk before she moves on.

“That’s it?” Justin asks suspiciously, his eyebrows furrowing together and he sits up slightly, unbelievingly. Goodness, what does he want from me? Does he want to see my jealous streak again? Is he surprised I haven’t gone on a tangent about the million reasons I’ve decided to love or hate her?

I nod to him and press my lips together tightly, playing with my fingers atop my desk. I really don’t need to be interrogated about his ex-crush before writing a literary essay. My hands have already started to become cold and clammy in anticipation of holding a pencil much too tightly and scribbling down ideas faster than my brain can function. Legs crossed, my foot jiggles anxiously, toes bumping against the leg of my desk. I need to focus right now.

“I don’t believe you,” he whispers when Miss Myers has returned to the front of the classroom whilst glancing up at the clock.

“Shut up.” I snap the same moment Miss Myers orders us to start writing.

It takes me a few extra moments to clear my head before starting. I tap my pencil against my lips, staring at the essay topic printed neatly on top of the paper in front of me. With a loud sigh, and a final glance at both Justin and Miss Myer, I press pencil to paper and begin the essay.

~*~

Biting the nail on my thumb, I stare down at Sean’s notebook and repeat the lyrics of a song we’re singing Wednesday in my head over and over again. He was nice enough to write them down for me after my failure to get them right on Saturday. Justin stands beside me, plugging things in as I lean against the control table. Faintly, I can hear muffled conversation between the other boys while they stand around Sean’s keyboard—acting like I can’t hear them.

“I like Laney just fine. Now, find someone else to gossip about, ladies.” I say loudly, not bothering to look up from Sean’s notebook but smiling in satisfaction after calling them ‘ladies’. There is some clearing of throats, and what I can assume to be knowing nods to talk about it later.

“Ears like a hawk.” Alex grumbles, most likely giving me one of his looks. Not that I’m paying attention anyway. I’ve got lyrics to learn.

“No, men are just too loud to gossip. That’s why women do it.” I shrug aloofly, objecting his statement.

“Not true!” Austin protests, snatching up his guitar. Ah, he would be the one to argue. He’s always the one to call me out when I say something that could be taken as ‘sexist’.

“Whatever,” I mumble, turning the page and running fingers through my hair as I squint at Sean’s rushed, choppy handwriting.

Justin steps back from the table, double checking that everything is plugged in before shuffling over in front of me and grabbing my waist. I raise an eyebrow and fold the notebook down, looking up at his cute, smoldering expression.