Page 61 of The Prom Queen Project
“If you don’t want it—”
“No, I do!” He yanked the book away from me. “I just…I wasn’t expecting this. None of my friends have given me presents before.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“But, it is. Thank you.”
My cheeks felt as if they were being kissed by the devil, deepening my blush. “So, ready to study?”
“Uh, yeah.”
I settled into my usual seat, bringing one of the textbooks closer.
Elliot paused briefly before stowing the book in his backpack and taking a seat next to me. I could tell there was something weighing on his mind, but he remained quiet and left the words to linger on the tip of his tongue.
“Any reason why you wanted to study instead of playing video games? Kinda out of character for you.”
He gave me a smile as I snapped him out of his trance, rescuing him from the thoughts that were consuming him.
“For my sister.”
Fourteen
I picked at my nails impatiently as I stood in front of Mrs. Hawthorne’s desk. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elliot plucking at the fabric of his jeans.
The class was empty aside from the two of us since everyone else was gathered in the gym for the winter pep rally. Mrs. Hawthorne seemed to enjoy every minute of our agony as she took her time marking our exams with a frilly pen. The lines on my forehead became pronounced as I nudged closer to Elliot. When I looked up at him, his eyes locked onto mine. We shot each other apprehensive looks.
“Well.” The teacher cleared her throat. “This is shocking.”
Elliot’s face contorted. “Uh, does that mean we passed or…?”
She pursed her lips. “Ms. Taylor, you received a 98%, which brings your overall grade for the class to a 95%.”
“Yes!” I bounced on my heels while clapping excitedly.
She scowled at me, prompting my face to immediately drop as I clasped both hands in front of me and stood in silence, my spine erect.
“And Mr. Keller,” she deadpanned, while glaring at him. I could practically see the lump in his throat. “You received an 84%, which brings your overall grade to an 82%.”
His eyes lit up as he pumped his fist in the air. “Fuck yeah!”
I glared at him just as Mrs. Hawthorne scolded, “Language! Or would you like another round of detention since you seem so keen on swearing?”
“No.” He sulked. “Sorry, ma’am.”
“Good. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by both of you this semester. You both have really proved yourself to be somewhat decent students.”
“Thank you,” we both said in unison.
“I expect nothing less next semester.”
I nearly choked on air.Next semester?What the hell was that supposed to mean? Elliot mirrored my expression, but he was able to find his voice before I found mine.
“Next semester?”
“Both of you seemed to have enrolled in my AP Language Arts class. So, it looks like we are all stuck with each other once again.”
I clenched my eyes shut. I could feel the heat of his gaze on the side of my face. Letting out a timid sigh, I looked up at him.
