Counting Down with You(20)

I take out a piece of paper and try implementing my latest anxiety coping strategy. Clear, coherent thoughts written out onto a page.

Everyone in class is looking at me. Everyone in class is looking at me. Everyone in class is looking at...

Ace.

People are looking at me, because Ace is sitting next to me. Is looking at me a bad thing? Are they judging me? It’s not like I did anything, right...?

No. I definitely didn’t. Ace is the one who sat next to me and smiled. They’re probably curious about how I tie into this (and frankly, so am I), but they’re not judging *me*.

Ace is the focal point of this situation. I might be a part of the frame, but I’m just a blur. And yet everyone is. still. staring. at. me.

I sigh and stop writing. That didn’t help as much as I hoped it would.

English class has never gone by so excruciatingly slowly.

When the bell rings, I’m ready to drag Ace into a corner and chew him out. However, before I can say a word, he stands up and walks over to Miss Cannon.

I can’t hear what he’s saying, but she looks so overjoyed that all my anger deflates. Fine. Whatever. Instead of bothering with Ace, I walk over to Nandini and Cora, who are sitting on the opposite side of the room, still packing their things.

“Boys are clowns,” I say under my breath, eyes darting to the front of the classroom where Ace is taking his leave.

People are still staring at me, and I really wish they would stop. Ace isn’t even in the vicinity anymore. But I know there’s nothing I can do to dissuade my classmates, short of yelling, which would only draw more attention to me.

As soon as Cora finishes shoving her things in her bag, she grabs my hand. “Forget lunch. Let’s find an empty hallway.” She pulls me toward the door without a second thought. “I baked cookies last night for the student council meeting today. They’re in my locker, and no one will notice if we eat some.”

“And when we’re done, we can try to figure out whether mercury is in retrograde, because Karina’s life is devolving into chaos,” Nandini suggests, following us. “Maybe some witches on TikTok hexed the moon again.”

I groan and let Cora drag me toward her locker. As we enter the staircase, I see Ace in the corner of my eye, leaning against the wall. He’s looking at me and, when he catches my eye, he winks.

Winks.

I contemplate flipping him off, but Cora drags me away before I have a chance.



11


T-MINUS 24 DAYS

I don’t even bother waiting for Ace to show up in the library. I have ninth period free when I don’t have gym, so I make my way to the chemistry wing, a scowl on my face. Cora had to ask a friend of a friend, but I eventually found out Ace’s locker is right near my old AP Chem classroom on the second floor.

Nandini and Cora screeched in my ear all through lunch. It was mostly confused screeching, but still screeching. Rumors have spread through the junior class quickly, and everyone in my grade keeps looking at me as if I’m some kind of alien who randomly landed my UFO on top of Midland High.

No matter how much I want to, I don’t say, What are you looking at?

Nandini does it for me a few times, though.

I was prepared to wait for Ace, but he’s already sitting there, earphones plugged in and head leaning against the wall. His eyes are closed, which is good, because I just stand there for a moment and stare at him.

I’ve been trying to figure out all afternoon why he sat next to me in English, and I haven’t come up with a single answer. Ace is supposed to be this broody bad-boy delinquent who doesn’t give anyone the time of day. He’s still kind of all of those things, but he’s also so much more. He’s ridiculous and mischievous and smiles more than I ever imagined he could. He’s also a pain in the ass.

The longer I stare at him, the more fired up I get. I run with that metaphor, imagining my nonconfrontational exterior melting off like a second skin, heated by the fire inside me and pooling at my feet in a disgusting puddle. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it works for me.

Finally, I walk over and wrench the earphones out of his ears with more gusto than I would with anyone else.

Ace immediately opens his eyes, his gaze flashing with irritation. “What the fuck—?” He cuts himself off when he sees me, and his eyes light up with recognition. “Ahmed.”

That one moment of animosity is more in tune to what I’ve heard about him than anything I’ve personally seen. But now he’s back to the Ace I know, his expression relaxed. It’s strange and perplexing.

“What were you doing today?” I ask, voice hushed. The hallway is void except for the two of us, but classes are still ongoing down the hall, and someone could step out at any moment to use the bathroom or water fountain.

Ace raises an eyebrow. “What was I doing today? Hm. I got up this morning and had some oatmeal. I drove to school. I had AP Physics, Gym, Russian, English—you were there, of course—lunch, AP Calculus—”

“That is not what I meant.”

“Clarify next time.” Ace grins and his dimples press into his cheeks, little indents that brighten his entire face. “Can you rephrase your question?”

“Oh my God,” I say, mostly to myself. I’m going to kill this boy. “Why did you sit next to me during English?”

Ace tilts his head. “I didn’t know we had assigned seats.”