The Girl Unnoticed

23. Stares

Focus, Lei, focus.

I grabbed the apparatus and started working on the experiment. I filled the measuring cylinder with some water and started mixing in some chemicals. While I was working on it, I felt uneasy like someone was staring at me.

I took a glance at Austin and there he was, looking cute and angelic as ever, staring at me. It couldn't be, could it? Austin couldn't be staring at me? I mean, I'm overthinking this. Maybe, he was just dreaming and coincidentally landed his eyes on me.

"Are you going to help me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Uh..oh yeah, I am going to," he spoke, chucking nervously after that. I realized he always does that.

We started carrying out our experiment and then just then, I felt another pair or eyes looking at me but this time, from behind. Austin was trying to pour the chemicals from one test tube to another carefully so I turned my head back to have a peep.

It was Jackson who was staring at me.

What's up with these stares out of the sudden? I felt uneasy having to know that and I saw him getting uneasy too when I caught him staring. He looked down for a while and then looked back up again.

I looked over to his side. He was grouped with Clarissa Madens, the rich and popular girl in Linden High. She always have parties at her house during Friday nights or Saturdays which I've attended once before and it didn't end up well.

He should be happy since I'm pretty sure I still remembered them making out in a room at the party. I shuddered at the thought of it.

I broke off the small staring contest with Jackson and diverted my attention back to Austin. His head was a little tilted to the right when he poured the liquid into the test tube carefully. His brown hair looks so messy and soft which makes him 10 times more attractively cute.

He turned around to me and I saw his dimple forming on his right cheek again.

"I did it," he said, like he was proud of a tiny achievement of his. I mentally 'aww'ed at that.

I smiled back at him, "Well, let's try it out now."

We carried out the experiment and we recorded the results and handed them in to Mr Gabes. The bell rang just on cue when we finished. Everyone packed up and left, the room filling with loud chatters.

I left the room with Austin beside me and I felt my pulse racing again. What am I going to do now?

I saw Austin looked at me and started," Hey, it was really fun with you. We totally nailed that." He laughed lightly.

I laughed at his choice of words.
" Well, at least we had a result. It was better than nothing." I replied with a goofy smile.

He did that stare-into-my-eyes thing again and my hands started sweating again. Why does he always do that?
He even bit his lip a little and I had to control myself from fangirling at his seductiveness.

I was going to excuse myself but I saw Tifanny jogging towards me in the hallway. She looked jolly today and her blonde hair was newly straightened.

When she approached me, I saw her expression turned into a cheeky one.

She eyed me from up to down and glanced at Austin, " Oh, hello there, Lei. What you got here, huh?"

I rolled my eyes at her and laughed at her wiggling eyebrows which she does everytime to mock me.

" Alright, stop it, Tiff. Let's go grab lunch."

Her eyes brightened up at my mention of lunch and she suddenly pulled my arm with her out of excitement which I had to shoot an apologetic smile at Austin over my shoulder. She pulled me along with her and I saw her smiling as she talked.