𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 ( 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡 )

𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚

walker and i faced each other. i couldn't hold back my smile at the pitiful situation we just had to deal with. "so," he said, a grin forming on his lips and obviously staring at mine, "we can't deny our chemistry— i mean, we can't keep stalling on reviewing the chemistry."

what did he just say? my smile shrank into a skeptical, tighter one. i raised an eyebrow, second-guessing whether i heard that right. i had to have though, because walker's face was visibly heating up by the second. why was that little slip up making me feel things? anyways...

"you're right," i acknowledged. "let's see." i still had to roll with that chemical bonds fib. "chemical bonds..."

mrs fennel sat up. she said, "alright, let's see how we did." she walked around the room slowly, just to build up anticipation. i hate her. "you," she said, pointing to walker. my heart sank. "what is changed if a neutron is added to the nucleus of an atom?"

he reddened even further. "sorry, mrs... uh, i don't know. i wasn't here—"

"very well. y/n, could you help him find the answer?"

shit, shit, shit. i know this! "uhh... the atomic number?"

"close. it's the mass number," mrs fennel remarked. "you need to study."

my lips parted in disbelief. was this class just infested with people who lack basic social skills? plus, if mrs fennel watched the brain-rotting first twilight film, then she would have forgotten something like this too.

walker inched closer to me and muttered in my ears, "is she always like this? like a witch that makes me want to drop out of school again?"

i chuckled softly, trying to ignore the fact that the hair on the back of my neck was standing tall.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

"jordyn, it was insane. like, movie level, wattpad fanfiction level crazy," i raved. "i feel like i should be getting kidnapped by the evil mafia boss and then he comes to save me or something."

we were sat on the floor in gym class, the only period i have with my cousin, since he's a junior. it had only been three since chemistry. gym is a nice break in between the two fennels, i have ap world fifth. it was just starting, the teachers taking attendance.

"his name is walker?" he spoke quickly and quietly like this was confidential information, even though walker sitting next to me was already spread around the school like wildfire within minutes of mrs fennel saying, "you're going to have a pop quiz tomorrow!" as we walked out of class.

"yes. why?"

he lifted his arms defensively. "i just think it's unlike you to crush on someone with such a stupid name."

"first of all, i don't have a crush on him — that was an eighth grade thing," i nullified. "second, that's a pretty cool name compared to... i don't know, jake? at least it's unique. and i've been researching him. his siblings also have less common names."

"alright. well if he's an actor then why don't you cast him in your short film? seems like a no-brainer to me."

"hmmm, maybe because i just met him? i'm gonna give it some time."

the gym teacher called out my name. "here," i said.

"jordyn l/n?"

"here," he responded.

"walker scobell?"

"here," said a voice coming from right behind me... and from above me? i jumped. i was not prepared to have another class with him, and i had no clue why he was standing a few feet away from me.

"walker? what are you doing here?"

"i didn't mean to scare you," he laughed. "you were just the only person i've talked to here. i figured i would just walk over and sit next to you again, if that's okay."

"yeah, that's totally fine." i aimed to come across as amiable when i said this, but i don't know if i did. i think i just stared blankly at him because i was still a little shaken from his arrival, and worried that he had heard jordyn's yapping about him being in howl at the sun. so i swiftly made a bright smile as he sat down beside me.

jordyn, on the other side of me, reached out to shake walker's hand. "what's up, i'm y/n's cousin, jordyn."

"i'm walk--"

"walker scobell. i don't think you need to introduce yourself to anyone, man. let's face it."

i nudged jordyn in the shoulder. i wanted walker to not have to feel like someone so different then us. i bet he's like any other teenage boy. oh my gosh, i take that back. i actually hope and pray he's not like any other teenage boy. if he turns out to be annoying and cold like the rest, i think i might have to enroll in an all-girls school.

"no, i agree," said walker. "i didn't realize so many people would recognize me! in my last class, some kids were recording me. i'm used to being on camera, but, ya know, not like that."

"yeah, totally," i said. "you're probably gonna have to get used to that. this school gets one ounce of fame and they roll with it."

"like, like remember," jordyn laughed, "when that one kid singing the national anthem terribly in the cafeteria went viral and then the dean had to make a school wide assembly on internet safety and cyberbullying."

"sounds like i found myself in an... interesting school." but why? i thought to myself.

i gave him a sympathetic look. "you've got that right."

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

after school, maeve came over so we could get the ap world homework over with. but we could barely focus; all we could talk about was how crazy today was. so we gave up on the textbook annotating -- it was due by that friday anyway -- and started debriefing. she held up the gatorade bottle, which was long empty and starting the condensation process. "this very bottle was once in walker scobell's bookbag," she said in awe.

"yep." i nodded sarcastically. "and that very bottle got my icky saliva all over it, too. maybe don't touch it too much."

"shut up. it's not like you licked all over it."

"of course i did! walker scobell himself held it!"

"shut up!"

we cackled. my laughs with maeve always sound like they came from a lion-wolf-yoda hybrid. but, unfortunately, those laughs are at my peak genuineness. there's only a few select people in my life that can make my stomach hurt from laughing, which is by far the best pain.

once we caught our breath, i said, "i bet i could sell this for like a thousand dollars."

"at least." she pointed at me and said, "you, y/n, are one lucky girl."

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thank you for reading chapter 3!

( credit for the art at the top: me )