Charlie's POV
"Wait up!" Ryan called from behind me.
I felt so embarrassed.
I know it's impossible, unless Ace is a psychic, but it felt as if he knew exactly what I was daydreaming about. Him.
It's ridiculous, right?
"You okay?" Ryan asked, placing his hand on my arm, as if he were concerned. "Did Ace say something?"
"No." I assured him.
"I saw him whispering to you, then you got angry. What did he say?"
"Nothing." I continued walking.
"I'll kick his ass." Ryan seethed.
I turned to face him, grasping the sleeve of his shirt to hold him in place. "Ryan, it's fine. He didn't say anything bad."
He exhaled. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." I gave him a reassuring smile.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
I paused in my tracks and turned to face him. "School?"
He gestured to his car.
"I'm fine with walking, you can go back inside if you want."
He took a few big steps and blocked my way. "Nonsense. Come on, let's go for a drive." He winked.
I smiled, following him to his vehicle.
I hopped into the passenger side.
"Are you excited?" Ryan asked, checking for traffic before he started the vehicle and eased out of the parking space.
"For school? I guess." I clicked my seatbelt in.
"No, silly. I'm talking about your birthday."
"Oh, right." I gave it a thought.
I've always loved my birthdays. It's the one day of the year that's all about me, and only me, sometimes.
I couldn't say that Ella inviting the entire school to my birthday didn't tick me off, because it did. Im surprised my parents even agreed to let me throw a party.
To answer Ryan's question: I was not excited about my birthday.
"Yeah, it's exciting." I lied.
Ryan took a turn down a street that was in opposite direction of school.
"You're going the wrong way." I stated.
"We're taking a detour." He smiled.
"We're going to be late!"
"We are not! School doesn't technically start for another forty minutes."
"Are you kidnapping me?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Yes." He answered sarcastically.
I laughed as he pulled into an empty parking lot. "This is the drop-off point." He smirked, slowly leaning towards me.
I met him halfway, allowing our lips to come into collision. The kiss was nice, soft and slow.
I pulled away by an inch. "We better not miss homeroom." I warned him.
His lips slightly brushed against mine as he spoke. "Don't worry, we won't."
~
"I had an idea of what we could do for our science project thing." Ace said.
I dropped my pen and turned to look at him, a surprised look on my face.
"What?" His eyebrows knitted together.
"Nothing, I am just surprised." I answered honestly.
His curious facial expression turned into a smirk. That annoying smirk with a hint of mischief.
"What's your idea?" I asked.
"Coca Cola and mentos."
I rolled my eyes and scoffed at him, returning to my work.
"What's wrong with that?" He wondered.
"We need to have the best science project! Not some crappy idea that involves a four dollar bottle of cola and mentos!"
"Okay." He clicked his pen.
I tried to block out the sound of the clicking pen and focus on my work.
"What about... chemistry?" The word rolled enticingly off of his tongue.
"Do you even know anything about chemistry?"
"Sure." He stated. "Chemistry is energy." He explained, his voice calm and soft. "It's body language. When your heart rate rises meteorically."
Like mine was right now.
"It's electricity coursing in your veins." He continued. "Ever felt butterflies in your stomach?"
I nodded. I was feeling them right now, fluttering around inside me.
"That's chemistry."
I fought drooling all over my work. If it wasn't for Ace's incessant pen clicking, I might have.
I snatched the pen from him and smacked it down on the desk.
"Can you please stop with that clicking!" I snapped.
Everyone in class stared at me.
"Everything okay, Charlie?" Mrs Dandry asked concernedly.
Great, another embarrassing and public outburst.
"Yes, I'm okay. Sorry Mrs Dandry."
The teacher continued with the lesson as I continued to do my work.
"Maybe we should do a baking soda volcano, you'd both have a lot in common." He clicked his pen twice, just to annoy me.
I backhanded him in the arm.
"Ouch!" He shouted in a whisper.
"I told you to stop clicking the pen." I warned quietly, as not to upset Mrs Dandry.
He smirked at me, slowly clicking the pen again.
Smug idiot!
I punched him in the arm, hoping that it hurts like hell.
He gasped, a shocked look spreading across his face before he punched me in the arm.
I grimaced as his fist connected with my arm. "Ow!"
"Doesn't feel nice, does it?"
~
"God, Tommy looks so hot in a jersey." Ella practically drooled from beside me. "Don't you agree?"
We were sitting on the bleachers watching the football practice during lunchtime. Clayton had disappeared, no doubt to go and hook up with his mystery lady.
"Are you asking me if i think your boyfriend is hot?" I reached my hand into a packet of Cheetos and shoved a handful in my mouth.
"Yes, rate him out of ten."
This was beginning to feel weirdly uncomfortable.
"Uh, maybe a six." I said after thinking it over for a minute or two.
"A six? Are you blind?"
I chuckled. "Fine, maybe a six point five."
Ella just tsked. "Alright, what would you rate Benji Healy?"
I gave her a look that pretty much said 'who in the nine circles of hell is Benji Healy?'
"The guy standing next to Tom."
I looked over to see a familiar face. He was buffed and also had a mullet, which I found to be revolting. He was also one of Joey's sidekicks.
"Minus a hundred." Was my answer.
"Definitely." Ella giggled.
I shoved another handful of Cheetos in my mouth.
"What about Ace?" She wondered.
I spotted Ace on the field. I admit, he looked good in a jersey. Like, really good. The way the jersey clung to his perfectly sculptured body. And the pants were tight.
It was also the first time he wore anything other than the color black.
I watched as he brushed a hand through his damp chocolate hair, paused in the middle of the field, out of breath.
I think I may like football now...
"Charlie!" Ella snapped me back to reality.
"Huh?"
"Rate Ace." She ordered me.
"Uh, I don't know." I said.
My eyes drifted back to him as he kicked the ball into the air.
What my eyes should have done was follow the ball, rather then remain on Ace.
Because the next thing I knew, the football smacked me in the face.
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