Slow It Down

Part 7 •REWRITTEN•

I glance toward him again.

He's still watching me, but this time, his lips curve slightly, the ghost of a smirk playing on his face. Like this is a game to him. Like he's waiting for me to give in first. I roll my eyes, but the reaction only makes his smirk widen.

Annoying, cocky idiot.

I take a deep breath as I stand up, grabbing my notebook and bag a little harder than necessary. He's not winning this, even if it feels like he already has.

Some people are still finding their seats, but I can feel a few lingering eyes on me as I move toward Jackson's side of the room. I hate that I feel watched, like everyone can easily sense the tension between us. I keep my head high, ignoring the tightness in my chest, ignoring the way my pulse jumps when I finally reach the desk beside him.

The seat beside him is empty, waiting for me.

I don't acknowledge him. Out of habit, I go to place my bag on my right side, then hesitate when I realize that side is his. I drop my things onto the desk and slide into the chair with ease, shifting my bag onto the opposite side, away from him. Out of my peripheral vision, I catch the way his smirk grows, but he says nothing, simply leaning back in his chair with his eyes glued to his phone, arms crossed as if he's amused by my silent attempt at pretending he isn't there.

I shift in my seat to somewhat be turned away from him before crossing my arms and staring straight ahead.

Mr. Grey starts going over the project details, but I barely hear him from not being able to focus. My mind is tangled in memories I don't want to relive.

Kayce and Jackson always used to have my back. They were the ones who looked out for me, who protected me from anything that even remotely resembled trouble. That included scaring boys off, or even standing up for me when people said anything about me. I never had to worry about anything when they were around.

And then, they went to high school while I remained stuck in middle school. The moment my big brother and rebellious, protective best friend who was always looking for an excuse to fight weren't around, I was an easy target.

Kayce still defended me when he could, but once it got bad enough, we had no choice but to switch school districts. After we moved, it wasn't the same. And Jackson? He just disappeared.

I don't know why I expected him to stay friends with me. And I don't know why it still hurts as much as it does.

I stare down at my notes, but the words blur together. My fingers tighten around my pencil.

I shouldn't care. I don't care.

"That's all for today," Mr. Grey announces, brushing his hands together like he's just done us all a favor. "You'll have time in the next class to brainstorm ideas, but I suggest for the small remainder of class to figure out each other's strengths. Trust me, you'll want to figure out who's good at what before you get too far in."

With that, Mr. Grey walks back to his desk, and immediately the classroom begins to fill with several conversations between each pair. I remain silent, and Jackson fortunately does the same.

The class drags on, and for the most part, Jackson doesn't speak a word to me. He barely even looks in my direction anymore. But just before the bell rings, his deep voice cuts through the tense silence between us.

"How's your concussion?"

The question catches me completely off guard. I blink, looking away from my laptop and turn my head, my grip on my pen loosening as I glance at him.

For the first time since I sat down, he's actually looking at me—really looking at me. Not with amusement, not with annoyance, but with something else. Something unreadable and I can't quite place.