Don't Mess With Time

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sophie groaned.

"It shouldn't be! She's an annoying little know it all that has to always be right and never puts her books down! She's so smug and when she proves someone wrong she gets this little smirk that just lights up the room...," Sophie grimaced.

Hort gaped at her.

She didn't just like Nicola, she had it bad.

"Hort, what do I do?"

She asked it in a very quiet voice, sounding as if she didn't want to ask and was scared that Hort might actually make fun of her.

He'd never seen her this nervous, even when they were literally fighting for their lives.

"Ask her out?"

Sophie shook her head.

"She hates me."

Hort was about to argue with that, but then he remembered the glares that Nicola had given Sophie when they were in her class and he had to agree.

Nicola was not exactly Sophie's biggest fan.

"I don't know, Sophie, maybe try to be less annoying?"

Sophie gaped at him for a long moment.

"Thank you for the riveting advice!" she snapped before stalking off with a low growl.

Hort rolled his eyes and turned back to the library.

He went in, intent to find Ravan, but the other boy had already left.

Hort deflated and slumped back down into his seat.

He had had a chance...

To do what, exactly, he wasn't sure.

But it was important.

~

Nicola sighed as the bell rang.

She gathered her stuff and prepared to make the long trip across the two schools.

She had to go to Sophie's class next, which was definitely going to be the worst one of the day.

And yet...

And yet she found that she was excited for her class.

They had this really fun fight going where Sophie would try to to think of something Nicola didn't know and Nicola would prove her wrong by doing it in front of the entire class.

She had been studying more than ever lately.

She wasn't going to let Sophie get the upper hand... though she doubted she actually could.

She doubted Sophie would care enough to look things up in books or know more than Nicola about anything.

Was it pompous? Yes.

Was it so far proven true? Yes.

~

Nicola slid into her seat beside Dede and watched as Sophie hurried in a bit late.

Sophie pulled a few papers out and set them on the table, glancing up and making eye contact with Nicola for a short moment.

She looked down immediately and Nicola didn't notice the small red tint that Sophie's face gained.

Hort, however, did notice and stared at Sophie with open disbelief.

He'd never seen her so flustered before.

Sophie cleared her throat and glanced at her notes before she spoke.

"Can anyone tell me about the properties of spider silk?"

Nicola froze.

Spider silk.

She knew this.

She had to know this.

She'd read about this once, right?

Right?!

Except she couldn't remember and Sophie was staring at her.

"Nicola, perhaps you'd like to tell the class?"

She swallowed and went through all her information on spiders in her head at frightening speeds.

She couldn't remember anything about silk.

What was it?!

Sophie was suddenly grinning as she looked at Nicola.

"Do you know?" she asked with a fake air of innocence.

Nicola continued her manic search for any memory of spider silk, but she didn't find anything.

Nothing.

She slowly shook her head in defeat, watching as Sophie's emerald green eyes lit up with excitement and victory.

"Well, class, spider silk can be used for a number of things, should you be able to get enough, but its defining property is that it is impossibly stretchy."

Sophie grabbed some in her hand, a piece that was less than an inch long.

She pulled the edges apart and allowed it to stretch a good five feet before letting go with one hand and allowing it to snap back into place.

Nicola gaped at her.

Sophie tried not to stare at Nicola.

She always loved the smug face that Nicola made when she was right (although the weird butterflies she got whenever she saw it made her angry and confused), but the look on her face right now was even better.

She was looking at Sophie with genuine intrigue and surprise, like she was impressed that Sophie had known such a thing.

She found herself grinning and had to bite her lip to stop herself.

She'd impressed her.

That made her more happy than it should.