Counting Down with You(13)

I don’t buy into any of it and I don’t really care, either. But I do know that he has a certain kind of intimidating aura that makes it hard to stare at him for too long, much less hold a conversation. On occasion, I’ve seen people stop by his lunch table and speak to him briefly—maybe his old friends? But they’ve never stayed long enough to still be considered that.

Most people can barely say Hi! to him in the hallways without being met with a glare. I, however, can insult him and receive nothing but apathy in return. I wish I understood anything about what was happening right now.

My confusion grows when Ace says, “So what’s your deal, Karina Ahmed?”

“My deal?” I repeat. “What do you mean?”

“I mean who are you? Obviously, you’re the best student in our English class, but that’s all I know about you.”

I don’t know how, but Cora is responsible for this entire situation. I know in my heart I’m here because of her. “We’re supposed to be studying.”

“We have three months to study,” he says, waving off my concern. His rings glint in the sunlight streaming through the shop’s wide-paneled windows.

Without meaning to, I admire his hands; how long his fingers are, the slope of his knuckles, the rings on his middle and pinky finger—and a hint of something dark on his wrist that I can’t quite see past the sleeve of his leather jacket.

I realize he’s waiting for an answer and look back at my notes. “You also have three months to get to know me, so let’s do that another day. We should spend as much time studying as possible. I want you to do well on the Regents.”

Ace presses his lips together before nodding. He reaches for his ice cream and says, “I’m listening.”

Surprisingly, he does.

I outline the first chapters of The Scarlet Letter, because it’s clear he’s not going to read it. Not today, at least. Maybe in a week or two, once I’ve shown him English doesn’t have to be boring. I manage to keep my cool the entire time, which is nothing short of a miracle.

I lay out the themes and write down discussion questions for our study session tomorrow. Ace doesn’t interrupt me, but he also never contributes, so I’m not sure who’s winning our little tug-of-war. I would say it’s me, because my grade doesn’t hinge on this, but I also just lost an hour of my life, so...yeah.

As I explain, I pause to eat. The cheesecake is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had, and I kind of understand why it’s eight dollars. I think Ace can tell, because there’s a hint of mirth in his eyes—which now look more green than blue, but are still somehow a mix of the two—when he sees me take my last bite.

“Would you like another slice?” he asks, and I get the distinct feeling he’s making fun of me.

“I’m fine,” I say and glance at my phone for the time. I nearly have a heart attack when I see 5:30 p.m. “Oh shit,” I say and start shoving my things in my bag, not bothering to put my papers back into their assorted folders. “I have to go.”

My parents are going to kill—oh.

I falter and stare at my own hands as if they’re strangers. My parents are eight thousand miles away. They’re not here.

“Ahmed?” Ace says, looking at me with a bemused expression. “Are you okay?”

“Sorry, I—” I don’t know how to explain the irrational anxiety that rose up inside me at seeing the time. I don’t know if he would understand. I’m not scared of my parents—but I am scared of disappointing them. “Sorry,” I finish weakly.

“What’s going on?” His eyebrows are furrowed now. “Do you need me to take you home?”

“No, it’s not—” I stumble, trying to find the right words. Finally, it seems easier to tell the truth, if only the bare bones of it. “I have a curfew, and I thought I broke it. But my parents are out of the country right now, so it’s fine. Just a force of habit, I guess.”

Ace looks at his watch with a frown. “You have a curfew of 5:30 p.m.?”

I smile bitterly. “5:15, actually.”

He blinks at me like he’s unsure what to say, and I don’t blame him. I’ve seen enough movies and read enough books to know that most sixteen-year-olds have a curfew of 8:00 p.m. at the earliest. But I’m not like them. My parents are the way they are, which means there are a million things other people can do that I’ll never be able to.

“So are you...all right? Are you going to be in trouble?” he asks.

I shake my head. “They don’t come back for a month,” I say and bite the inside of my cheek. Ace doesn’t need to know about my family life. In fact, this conversation doesn’t need to happen at all. “I should head home anyway. We’ll reconvene tomorrow in the library? You’ll actually be there this time?”

Ace keeps staring at me, and my stomach twists. The look on his face makes me feel like he understands more than he’s supposed to, and I’ve known him for all of a day.

“Well?” I ask, forcing myself to speak up despite the unease weaving through me.

He leans back in his seat and flicks his fingers in another salute. “Yeah. See you then.”

I nod and gather my stuff in a calmer manner. I put everything away neatly before grabbing my paper plate and milkshake to throw out. “Thanks for the food.”