Heart and Soul [bxb]

Chapter Nine

Carter and Melanie met after practice on Tuesday.

He waited for her in the corridor, after saying goodbye to Seth and Joey. She eventually came out of the locker room with Jenna Torres and two other cheerleaders. Jenna blew Carter a red-lipped kiss with a quick wink, while the other girls shot him small, alluring smiles before following her out.

Carter's last time setting foot in the library must have been in freshman year, he realized that as he stepped inside with Melanie by his side. She greeted Mrs Lewis politely as they passed her desk. Their librarian was a short, elderly lady, with her grey hair always tucked into a low bun and her glasses always perched on the tip of her long nose. Cater smiled at her, after she returned Melanie's pleasantries.

Mel guided him past the busiest tables between shelves of books, to the far end of the room, where smaller tables were set. This area was nearly empty, except for a pair of underclassmen and Johnny.

Carter's eyes found him immediately, at the farthest corner, with his earphones plugged in and his gaze set on his laptop screen. When Johnny glanced up to see Mel, he offered a polite head nod and a brief smile. He barely even looked at Carter before focusing back on his computer. Carter bit his lip, unable to comprehend the strange tightness around his stomach. Maybe Mel had been right. Maybe he really was used to people instantly seeking his approval. And, when they didn't, he found himself needing theirs.

"Would you like to start with something specific, or should we just start at the beginning and make our way to where we are now?" Mel asked in a low voice, pulling a chair two tables away from the pair of underclassmen.

Carter took the seat opposite her. "We can just start at the beginning," he muttered. Roy had sent him the materials he promised, but Carter hadn't really given them a good look yet.

Melanie took out her pink hardcover notebook and a slim green binder with review sheets and printed exercises. She opened the notebook on a perfectly organized page of pretty handwriting, highlighted in two different colors. Carter took out his black-cover notebook with all-blue scribbly notes and they got started.

The underclassmen eventually got up quietly to leave. Carter looked over his shoulder to see them quickly avert their eyes from him, like inadvertently staring. In front of him, Mel was deep in concentration with the equation on her hands. 

Carter chanced a quick look at Johnny, across the room. The other boy was leaning comfortably into his chair, while he chewed on his thumb nail absently. Carter had never seen him do that. Could it be a nervous tick? Why would Johnny be nervous now?

"I think I got it. Check if it makes sense," Mel told him, sliding her notes over to him.

Carter's attention snapped back to her, looking down at the long equation she'd been trying to solve. He swept his eyes over the resolution, only half thinking it through before nodding in agreement. Mel smiled, pulling the notebook back to her and flipping the page to move on. 

Carter glanced at Johnny, who was now typing something on his laptop, eyes still trained on the screen. The light from the window next to him cast a soft light on his dark brown hair, turning it a warm cinnamon color.

Twice or more, Carter thought Johnny was about to look up and their eyes with meet. The first time, his heart jumped with a strange sort of anxious feeling and he prepared to look away before getting caught staring. When he looked back, Johnny wasn't looking at him at all. The second time, Carter almost wanted Johnny to see him staring. He tried not to wonder why, though.

They left when Mrs Lewis came to tell them, in a low breathy voice, that the library was closing. Carter and Mel gathered their things. Johnny lifted his gaze only then, to return Mel's smile as she said 'goodbye'. He barely even deemed a second of his attention to Carter.