Sometimes

Chapter thirty-one

    “No, Miss Collins.  Just as I thought, you weren’t listening.”

My cheeks flushed at his accusing tone and I found myself looking to Cassie.  She was watching me with a confused expression.  She didn’t have to be on speaking terms with me to know that something was wrong.  I mean, I always listened in class.  I was usually the only one listening.

    “Sorry,” I said, glancing down at the floor in humiliation. 

I felt Mr. Henderson’s hard gaze on me for a moment longer before he looked away and resumed his speech.  I tried my best to listen, keeping my eyes on the board so it looked like I was, but my brain was on the email again.  Under normal circumstances, I would have told Cassie by now but, seeing as we were giving each other the cold shoulder, I knew I couldn’t confide in her.  That only left one option.

                                          ***

    I gave Lara a smile as I bypassed her lunch table, on my way over to Aiden.  I’d never eaten lunch with him before.  I’d half expected him to go home for lunch, fixing him as the type of person who wouldn’t hang around in an educational environment for any longer than necessary, but I’d spotted him almost instantly when I’d entered the canteen. 

    I felt suddenly intimidated as I noticed the three other guys occupying his table.  They were laughing over a book they had open on the table and I couldn’t help wanting to know what book it was.  My curiosity overpowered my nerves and I found myself at the edge of their table, my arms folded over my chest, guarded, but my expression light.  The conversation they were having died down at my arrival, two of the guys looking up at me with confused expressions.  Aiden didn’t seem to notice that no-one was listening to his joke, so I tapped him on the shoulder.

His head snapped up instantly.  I was surprised to see that he was wearing a startled expression, but then it seemed to evaporate in favor of his familiar cheeky grin. My heart stopped thudding so dramatically when I saw it.

    “Hi,” I said, still aware that all three guys were now staring at me.

    “Hey, Sexy.  What brings you to the cool table?”

I couldn’t help smiling.  Whether it was at my nickname, of the fact that he’d declared himself cool, I wasn’t so sure.  The guys he was sitting with looked anything but cool, and I hated myself for coming to that conclusion, but it was true.  They looked like they’d be more at home eating lunch in the library.

    “I was wondering if I could eat lunch with you?”

His eyebrows raised ever so slightly before he turned to look at the three guys sitting opposite him.  The one with dark hair and glasses looked like he was going to have a heart attack.  The other two, equally as stereotypically nerdy looking, started eating their lunch again as if they felt like they hadn’t been invited into the conversation.

    “Of course.  I’ll let you borrow some of my cool.”

I rolled my eyes before taking the seat next to him.  “Thanks.”

    “No worries.”  He stabbed a chip with his fork while he watched me take my lunch box from my bag.  “On second thoughts, you can have a little bit more cool on top.  I didn’t know seventeen year olds were even allowed to own lunch boxes anymore.”

    “Only the coolest are allowed,” I replied, ignoring his laugh and opening a packet of crisps.  “Want one?”

Aiden shoved the chip on his fork into his mouth quickly before taking a crisp from my open bag.  “Thanks.”