Page 64 of Science Project

“I don’t need to,” he said, shaking off his coat. Underneath, his graphic tee was soaked through from the rain. He reached over his shoulder and pulled his shirt over his head. “You don’t need to apologize to me for anything.”

I opened and closed my mouth a handful of times, my wet shirt clinging to my body and making me feel so sticky. When he had pulled off his shirt and dropped it at his feet, I gulped and averted my gaze so I wouldn’t stare at him.

But, God, every time I was with him, he became more and more attractive to me.

Maybe it was because of how sweet he was, how safe he felt.

“You don’t have to sit in your wet clothes,” he said, peering over the center console into the front seat. “I think I have a spare sweatshirt around here somewhere.” He reached his skinny arm between the seat and the door, making a face. “Here it is.”

Once he gave me the Jujutsu Kaisen sweatshirt with the infamous Satoru Gojo on the front, I set it on my lap and played with the button of my shirt. Bruises covered my body from this evening, and I didn’t want him to see.

The thought of him finding out about what had happened scared the hell out of me.

But it was dark.

So, I quickly tugged my shirt over my head and yanked on the sweatshirt before he could even say a word. And luckily, Akio hadn’t noticed as he took my shirt and tossed it at his feet with his wet clothes.

“I can wash it tomorrow for you.”

“You would do that?” I asked.

His lips curled into a small smile. “For you.”

Warmth spread through my body, and a giddy feeling rose in my chest. I didn’t know how to react in this kind of situation, so I giggled behind my hand and watched water droplets drip off his hair and onto his face.

“Do you want me to take you back to your hou?—”

“No!” I exclaimed, then cleared my throat. “I mean, no.”

He scratched the back of his head. “I’d suggest coming back to my place, but I think my mom will be home soon.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do.” He opened and shut his mouth. “I mean, I … she …”

“Nobody likes their parents,” I whispered. “I get it.”

“We can go if you want. I don’t mind.”

I placed my hands on his shoulders. “Let’s stay here.”

Suddenly, two sets of headlights shone in through the rear windshield. Rain pounded down on the glass, but I squinted enough to see Mr. Avery, one of Redwood’s Literature professors, step out of the farthest car with an umbrella.

Akio peeled off his foggy glasses and wiped them. “Is that Mr. Avery?”

“Yes.”

Once Akio pushed his glasses back up his face, he moved closer to me. “What do you think’s going on?” he asked. “I’ve seen him do some business with my mom, but business doesn’t happen down this way because it’s usually busy at the Overlook.”

Mr. Avery stopped next to the driver’s side of the nearest car.

After exchanging a few words with the driver, the car lights turned off, and Sakura Sato stepped out of the car. Akio and I both gasped, turned around, and sank down in the backseat of his car so they wouldn’t see us.

“Is that Sakura?!” Akio whisper-yelled. “She’s the valedictorian of our class!”

“I know!” I whispered back. “What is she doing with him?!”

When he shrugged, I peeked my head up over the edge of the seat to look back out the window. Mr. Avery had Sakura pressed up against the car, her chin in his hand and his head buried into the crook of her neck.

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