Game of Alphas

~ Chapter 44 ~

Chapter44: Were you planning to ask me out again?

|||Ashley

We were working on the Physics project once again but this time it seemed to be going by quicker. However, the only reasoning for that was because Mathew didn't seem to be even doing much work which also meant he wasn't asking me questions over and over. Every few minutes, he would scribble something down but most of the time he was just tapping his pencil and staring at me. I didn't even have to look at him to know it because every time, it made me feel fidgety.

"So, I was thinking..." Mathew finally spoke, immediately breaking off.

"Don't hurt yourself."

His comeback didn't follow and I turned to meet his gaze. His mouth was slightly open, preparing to say something but he seemed to decide against it, "Nevermind." Turning back to the page, he began to tap his pencil on the desk.

I just raised a brow, "Were you planning to ask me out again?"

He laughs, his eyes on his page, but something was off about the sound. "Actually," he trails off, seeming to think it over before meeting my eyes, "I was just gonna suggest that we work on this outside of school."

I scanned over the work, assessing what we had left to do. The lab was done on the first day and now we just had to organize the data in an appealing way. "Actually, even if we don't use lunch blocks, we should still be able to finish it in school."

He hums, "Right. I guess that's true." The way his voice trailed off was kind of weird but I ignored it, figuring his attention had drifted back to the work. I got back to my own work but a few seconds later, his eyes were on me again. Why does he keep staring at me? And why is it making me feel this uncomfortable?

I forced myself to focus on the sheet and soon enough, his gaze was off me again but the burn of my body wasn't. What the hell is this asshole doing to me?

-=-

A yawn left my lips as I wandered to the fridge, pulling out some grapes to snack on. The rest of the week had gone by pretty quickly and I was honestly starting to think that Mathew and Felix would drop the bet soon.

Felix's attention seemed to be elsewhere and normally, I wouldn't even find him at my locker in the mornings. Mathew on the other hand still followed me around but that was the issue. He seemed to be trying to spend every waking minute with me and had proposed working on the project together multiple times. Clearly he was starting to get tired of this bet.

Not that I was complaining.

"...that sounds like chaos."

My gaze snapped to the back door as it slid open and two familiar women walked in. It didn't take long for them to notice me, pausing briefly. I awkwardly glanced down at my pajama shorts and oversized T-shirt before looking at them with a fleeting wave.

"Oh, Ashley. Morning, hun," Ava grins.

"Morning," I responded, wandering to the counter and leaning on it as her and Sheila wandered further into the house.

"I'm going out with Mary and Sheila today for a girls day. We're just waiting on Mary, apparently she can't find the right purse or something," she informed me with a chuckle. Before I could give a fleeting response and scurry away, her eyes lit up, "You should totally come with us. You're not doing anything today anyways. We haven't done a girls day in a while."

I could see Sheila pass me a glance that said it all – she didn't like me much after the dinner.

"Uh... thanks for the offer but... I can't. I have a thing to work on," I blurted, instantly wanting to smack myself. She raised a brow, clearly picking up on the shitty lie and I quickly blurted out something that was totally gonna bite me in the ass later, "I agreed to work on my Physics project with my partner."