Tutoring Mr. "Bad" boy.

Chapter 29

I fight a giggle, thinking  about how we've had to go eat our lunch under the bleachers since Monday.

"You're such a meanie." I pout and Audrey fakes a yawn.
"Oh darling, that's no news. Tell me something I don't know," she tells me with a smirk.

"You like Allen and you're actually so bad at hiding it," I blurt without thinking

Ooops!
That wasn't supposed to come out so loud.

Her eyeballs widen in their socket as she gasps.
"You take that back, Mandy! Right now!"

Yup, she's in denial!

"Take what back? You like the guy and you know it," I challenge, staring her right in the eyes and daring her to lie to me, which she totally did.

"Well that's a lie and you know it, Mandy,"She lies in my face without even blinking.

"So, if it's a lie, then why exactly are you so worked up right now?" I counter.

"I'm not worked up. I'm calm....very much so, actually." She inhales deeply and smiles. "See? Very calm."

"Seriously? You really want to do this?" I roll my eyes in annoyance.
"Trust me, I don't like Allen....I don't care for him. How could I possibly even like Allen? He's loud and annoying and sarcastic and dumb and HAVE YOU NOTICED THE WAY HE CHEWS ????.....it's annoyingly LOUD!!! He chews like a friggin' goat, Mandy? And when he's excited, he does these weird movements with his eyebrows. It's just so creepy! Only thing that's probably more creepy is the way he cracks his knuckles! You'd think he's transforming into a real life zombie or skeleton or something!"
I shake my head in amusement as she rants on and on about things I didn't even notice about Allen.

"What?" She asks as I finally break out into a big grin.

"Nothing..." I shake my head, my grin widening by the second.

"What do you mean 'nothing'? You're smiling. What's funny?" She probes further, totally clueless.
I spend the next minute fighting a giggle, before deciding to just say what's on my mind.
"Look, he's annoying, I get that totally. What I don't get, is how you observed all these things about him, Audrey. I mean, why bother, right? Especially since you don't 'care for him' ."

"Because I'm an observant person?" She attempts lamely.

"Observant person? You? Yeah right, I'm not buying that. You failed science practicals three times in a row because you couldn't observe a simple color change, Audrey. You and observant are two things that don't belong together in the same sentence," I tease.

"Ouchhhh! Low blow, Mandy....low blow."

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. He chews like a goat? How'd you find that out?" I wonder out loud, trying to remember what Allen's chewing sounds like.
Unfortunately nothing comes to mind. I can't even picture him eating. All I see is just him being his usual annoying self.

"We all sit together at lunch!" She points out matter-of-factly and I fight a grin.
She's trying too hard to prove a point that's doesn't even exist.

"Fair enough," I concede.
"His eyebrows move in a weird way when he's excited??" I raise my brow questioningly.

"It's hard to miss that, Mandy. Now look who's unobservant," She throws back at me immediately the question leaves my mouth.

"He cracks his knuckles loudly? I didn't even know he cracks his knuckles. I really want to hear you try to talk your way out of this one," I tell amidst hysterical laughter.

She opens her mouth as though to say something, but closes it right away.
Followed by this is the look of realization on her face.
"Shit! You might actually be right, Mandy," she finally whispers.