The events of yesterday replay in my head in an endless loop.
Jace and I being tied for valedictorian? Jace and I only having a semester to beat each other out? Most of all, Jace and I spending the entire day together?
An identical fucking schedule? What the hell were they thinking? What does this do? What does this prove?
They can't be serious about this. Realistically, this doesn't work. They can't swap up our schedules when the semester started already. Right?
Please, whoever above, please let this nightmare be over with.
I walk into calculus, wanting to get this day already over with.
I keep myself busy - checking through my emails, scrolling through Instagram - stalling myself from logging onto my student portal to check my schedule.
I'm about to start logging into my portal, but Parker walks through the door with a beanie on, headphones in, and coffee in hand.
He catches my gaze, and his face brightens when he sees me.
"Good morning Juliana." He smiles at me, putting all his stuff down.
I return that friendly smile I'm getting used too. "Morning."
"Heard you won your match yesterday. Congrats by the way."
I stare at him in confusion. No one ever talks about tennis, so how did he hear this information.
He senses my confusion, and he clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, blushing slightly. "Um- I texted Madison asking how the game went yesterday, and she told me you won."
Now I'm the one blushing. Since Jace's jealous meltdown, I couldn't help but notice how, and I hate to admit it, he's right. Parker does show a bit more affection towards me, but it could just be his friendly spirits too.
"That's really sweet Parker." I smile a genuine smile towards him. Parker's a sweet boy. Always has been.
Parker's cheeks flare to a red color, and he turns away from me slightly to hide it.
He's embarrassed. How cute.
"You should come to a match sometime." I add to keep the conversation going.
Parker turns back to me, cheeks a little less red, with wide eyes. "Really?"
I nod my head. "Really. It's a public event anyways, so I mean, it's your choice. I can send you the schedule if you want. There's not many home matches left."
Parker looks at me confused. "Your season just started?" He asks in a 'duh' way.
"Yes, but the normal tennis season goes quick. We play three matches a week."
"Geez. That's intense, and I never knew that. what happens during leagues and districts?" Parker looks at me with genuine interest which is really sweet. I don't get to talk about tenbis much with anyone besides the team, coach, and my parents.
"Pretty much the same." I shrug.
"That's insane. Good for you though. I personally could never. I would cause a racquet with that schedule." Parker jokes. I laugh at his attempt at a joke. He looks at me and chuckles. "Horrible joke?"
I nod my head, still smiling. "Horrible joke."
"Hey. At least I got you to laugh a little. I think it's a win in my book." He leans back in his chair, smirking at me.
I feel the familiar heat raise to my cheeks. Parker is the perfect mix of nerdy cute and confident flirty, always knowing what to say to get me to blush.
We pass some time talking about anything as the classroom fills up with students. Every time someone walks through the doors, I brace myself to see Jace Lockheart, but so far, he hasn't showed up.
Maybe the administration was joking about making our schedules identical. Maybe when they meant they would make our schedules identical, they meant same classes, different periods.
My hopes are crushed when I see Jace walk through the door all nonchalant, wearing a hoodie with some sweatpants, yet he can pull off the look so effortlessly, looking like a model. When I wear the same thing, I look like a homeless person, and I hate that.
Jace walks over to Miss. Rice's desk as Parker continues to talk about hockey completely oblivious to Jace being in the same room as us.
This is going to be fun to explain to everyone our situation in every period we have.
Miss. Rice points to the empty desk behind me, and Jace nods, scrolling towards us.
Of course she put him directly behind me. Granted, it's the only available seat in our class, but come on. Couldn't she switch people around?
Jace walks down the aisle separating Parker and I's desk. Parker turns to look forward, still talking, but when he sees Jace, he instantly stops talking.
"Jace?" Parker asks shocked to see his hockey captain here.
"Hey Parker. How are you?" Jace asks causally like he's been in this class since the first day. Good to know this schedule change isn't effecting him.
"What- what are you doing here?"
"Oh. Julie didn't tell you?" Jace smirks at me. If looks could kill, Jace Lockheart would be dead right now.
Parker glances between Jace and I with a confused face as I stare Jace down while Jace continues to smirk at me. "Julie... didn't tell me what?"
I mouth 'don't' to Jace, but all that did is egg him on more. He smirks at me, and I raise an eyebrow, not sure of his next move.
He bends down and wraps his arms around me, squishing me into a tight hug. I smack and flare my arms around as he rocks us back and forth.
"Julie and I have identical schedules! Can't you see she's so excited?" He mocks me, using a tone that you'd use to talk to a child and not a 17-year-old girl.
Parker eyes the two of us suspiciously. "Uh- sure."
I jab my elbow into Jace's stomach, and he finally lets my go. I pull out my phone to check the damage he'd done to my hair, and not surprisingly, the french braid I did this morning is completely ruined.
"Nice hair Julie." Jace says, rubbing the top of my head.
"I fucking hate you Jace Lockheart." I smack his hand as I take apart the braid.
"Don't worry sweetheart. I hate you more." He smirks at me.
I roll my eyes causing Jace to grin even more.
"Can someone explain this to me?" I almost forgot Parker is here with us for a moment.
I look to Jace who's sitting happily in his seat on his phone, not even acknowledging Parker's question.
I sigh and start explaining to him the events of yesterday from being called down to the office to the news of having an identical schedule and fighting for valedictorian spot.
"This all happened yesterday?" Parker asks in disbelief.
"Yep." Jace and I say at the same time.
Parker stares the seat in front of him, where Madison normally sits, but she went somewhere. He shakes his head, clearly in disbelief and confusion just like Jace and I. "That's actually crazy."
"What I said yesterday." Jace chimes in.
Parker shakes his head again, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, but I can't wrap my head around this and I'm not even the one in this mess. I can't imagine how you two feel."
I shrug. "I've come to terms with it at this point."
"Same here." Jace adds.
Madison walks back into the room with a large stack of papers in her hands.
"Ok class, since Madison is back from the printer, we can start. All you're doing today is working on a graded partner assignment." Miss. Rice starts.
Everyone groans around us. Not another one of these.
"I know. I know. These aren't fun, but get with a partner and get started. You must turn this packet in by the end of the period!"
"Juliana-"
"Julie-"
Parker and Jace say at the same time. Their heads snap towards each other quickly, looking at each other shocked that the other said something.
Parker clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence. "You go first Jace."
Jace shakes his head. "No you."
"No. No. I insist."
"No. I insist."
"Well I insist that I'll take Juliana here." Madison stands next to my desk. She winks at the two boys. "Thanks boys. Have fun."
Madison pulls me away from the two bickering boys to the opposite end of the room.
Once we have a seat, Madison sits and stares at me with a smirk on her face. "Those two are clear smitten over you."
I look at Madison the same way I looked at Mr. Davenport yesterday when he dropped that bomb on Jace and I yesterday. "What?"
Madison nods, nonchalantly. "You heard me. They clearly both like you. Question is who are you going to choose."
She leans against the back of the chair, eager for me to answer her question.
What is she talking about?
Parker might like me, but he could just be friendly. Jace though is a whole other ball park. It's a never in a million years type of ball park.
My lack of response makes Madison look at me puzzled, until realization fills her face. "Oh my god. You don't know that they like you. Do you."
"No?" I ask. My voice raises a couple of pitches, and the statement comes off more like a confused question more than anything.
Madison smacks her head against the table lightly multiple times. She locks eye contact with me, disappointment clearly shown on her face. "For a girl who is so incredibly smart, you are so dense at the same time."
"What do you mean?" My voice raising in volume.
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? Girl, they are clearly interested in you." Madison matches the tone and volume of my voice, but her voice gets drowned out by all the conversations around us.
"I'll give it to you for Parker, but he could be acting friendly towards me." I say, working on a problem at the same time.
Madison looks at me dumbfounded. "What guy would ask their cousin they barely talk to how you performed in a match?"
Her words slap me in the face. "Wait, you're cousins, and he asked about me?"
Parker asked about me? I just assumed he asked Madison about her game, and she told him about our doubles match. Not that he asked her directly how I performed.
"Yeah. You didn't know that? And yes, he asked me how you did. Honestly, it's quite sweet." She admits, scribbling some numbers down on her paper.
I blush again. "Yeah it is."
"Don't get me wrong, Parker definitely likes you, but I think Jace has the larger crush."
Once again her words slap me in the face, and I start laughing. It started as a light laugh, until it became a full blow laughing fest. "Madison you're so funny."
"I'm not joking." She says in all seriousness.
"I'm not joking either." I stop laughing, a playful tone still laced in my voice. "Jace and I never get along. We practically hate each other, and I think we make it pretty clear to people."
Madison rests her head against her hands, swooning at me. "Ah. Classic enemies to lovers trope with the twist of academic rivals and another man in the mix. How cute."
I scoff in disgust. "Yeah. This isn't that type of story."
"Oh just you wait and see. Next thing you know you'll fall in love with each other."
I scoff again. "Yeah right."
Jace and I falling in love? Impossible.