Page 15 of Silent Desires

“Hey, Angel, are you okay?” he asks tentatively.

I nod and give him a small smile.

He looks at me like he’s expecting me to say more, but when I don’t, he just nods and pulls out his textbook, placing it between us. I pull out my coloring book and stare at it. Why did I let Max know I could do the math? I was supposed to be playing down my intelligence and pretending like I don’t understand. That’s what my mother expects of me, and I’m not sure what she would do if she found out what I’m capable of. I have a feeling if she knew I could write and potentially communicate with people, she wouldn’t let me leave the house again, and I really don’t want that to happen. I’ve had a little taste of freedom and don’t want to give it up.

Class goes a lot like yesterday, except I already know what Mr. Yang is teaching today. He has the class work on the questions in the book for a while. I continue coloring since I already answered all the questions yesterday when I was in the library.

At one point, I start watching Jasper work through the answers. He seems pretty good at it, but eventually, I notice him make a mistake. I hesitate, unsure if I should tell him. It’s not a test or anything graded, so I don’t think it’s considered cheating.

Hesitantly, I lean over and point to the question he got wrong.

He frowns and looks at me. “What is it?”

I shake my head.

“No?” He thinks for a second. “Do you mean I got the answer wrong?”

I nod, feeling nervous about his reaction.

He looks back at the question, reviewing his work. “Oh! You’re right. I got the wrong number here.” He looks at me, like he’s trying to figure something out. “Do you know the answers to all of these?”

Oh my god, this is like math all over again. I tentatively nod.

“Can you do other ones in the book?”

Another nod.

“Up to what chapter?”

I flip the book closed, showing the back cover.

“All of it?” he asks with raised eyebrows. “Wasn’t yesterday the first day you’d even seen a chemistry book?”

I nod.

“Holy shit…” he whispers as he stares at me. His intense gaze starts to make me squirm, so I turn my attention back to coloring.

He doesn’t say anything else after that, thankfully, and it’s not long before class ends.

“We’re going to eat in the cafeteria today. You think you’re up to it? You’ve been doing so good in class,” Jasper asks as he praises me. My cheeks heat in embarrassment for being complimented for doing something as basic as sitting in a class.

I nod. I don’t want to disappoint him. And if he and Max are there, how bad can it be?

Chapter nine

“Hey Maxy!” A high-pitched, female voice cuts through the cafeteria noise, pulling my attention to the girl standing beside Max, where the three of us are seated. I turn to see her—a stunning girl, slim in all the places I’m not, with sleek blond hair that falls perfectly to her shoulders.

“Tiffany, I told you I don’t like that name. It’s Max, not Maxy, not baby, and definitely not honey.” Max’s tone drips with irritation, and I bite back a small smile behind my sandwich. He really doesn’t like her.

When we got here, the boys pulled food out of their bags and placed half a sandwich in front of me. I tried to give it back, but they wouldn’t hear of it. So I reluctantly started eating. The sandwich had some sort of meat on it, cucumbers, lettuce, cheese and some sort of white sauce, and was the most delicious one I’d ever had. Eating it wasn’t a hardship. I was glad they weren’t trying to feed me as much as they did yesterday, the last thing I wanted was to vomit in front of a cafeteria full of students.

Tiffany places a hand on Max’s shoulder, making my hackles rise in anger, and speaks again. “Oh, you’resofunny, Max! That’s why we get along so well—we have such a similar sense of humor. You’re coming to the party on Friday, right? I thought you could give me a lift?”

Oh god, this girl. My hands tighten on my sandwich. I want to rip her hand off his shoulder and punch her in the face. Max is my friend, and I don’t want him to be friends with her. Is that weird? He must have other friends, but the thought of him being with other girls makes my blood boil.Get a grip, girl, he’s not yours!

“Sorry, Tiffany, I don’t think so. If I do go, it’ll be with Jasper and Mina, not you,” Max says bluntly, gesturing toward us.

Oh no, why did he say my name? My eyes widen in fear when her sharp gaze lands on me, and her scowl deepens before she smooths it out into a fake smile. She reminds me of my mother, the way she can change her expression so seamlessly.

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