Trust In Love - Chapter 244

“Who came up with the idea to have history, math and science in one morning?!” Xiera complained, walking out of the doorway. Her shoulders slumped from exhaustion.

The bell rang, signalling their lunch break. The students from the other classes also filled up the hallway. They passed by quietly, keeping the chatter at a minimum. None of them laughed too loud or shouted out of nowhere. Everyone used the right lane, depending on the direction they headed for.

“I don’t know. I actually enjoy World History with sir Jefferson.” Kate shrugged. She hugged her books close to her ċhėst. A wind swept through the halls and fluttered her bob haircut.

“I did too.” Alex trailed behind them. Her gray eyes lit up. They decided to drop by the locker area. They wanted to dispose of their books before taking their lunch. “He’s more eccentric than most history teachers. I don’t think I even need to write down anything. I still remember most of the lecture. I don’t think I missed anything.”

Xiera yawned, glancing over her shoulder. She darted her gaze between the two. She tsk-ed. “Should have known that Alex would be as studious as Kate.”

They reached their lockers, standing side by side. Xiera was separated by one locker. The administration saw the outer lines as the seats where students paid the least attention from. They also made sure that the number of students in each class were as equal as possible. Accordingly, 3C-07 remained empty as the classrooms were filled up from the center going outwards.

Alex felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She placed her books inside the locker and fished it out. She pressed it against her ear, using her shoulder for support, “Hello?”

“Hey, Princess.” A melodic voice perked up from the other end. A loud obnoxious yell echoed in the background. Lockers opened and shut close with force. The noise engulfed the air. It almost made it hard for Alex to hear the caller.

“Please no,” she objected, squeezing her eyes shut for a second. Her body cringed as she arranged her things. She kept switching hands as she tried to fit the books for afternoon classes in her small bag.

Why did her family even buy her a new one? Her old backpack worked just fine. She had picked it for its size and its durability. This one seemed to be for flaunting. Something she never cared about.

Logan chuckled. “Not that one, huh?”

Alex closed her locker. She heard the lock click into a place. Leaning her back against the door, she dropped her gaze to the ground, “Why are you persistent on a pet name?”

“Because I want something unique. It’s not my fault you rejected sėxy macaroni.”

Her eyebrows scrunched together. Even if he couldn’t see her, she made a face. “Who in their right mind would even say yes to that?”

Boisterous laugh flowed into her ear. It rose above the background noise.

A smile bloomed on her face.

“I just wanted to see how you’d react to it,” Logan admitted, recovering from his fit of laughter. “Anyway, it’s lunch time for you too, isn’t it?”

Now that he mentioned it, a question appeared in her head. “Yeah, how did you know when to call?”

“Simple, Alex. I had your schedule memorized. How was Math?”

“I think I just saw the homework you answered for me flash before my eyes on that board.” Alex chuckled. Her eyes widened at the sight of the lesson. It gave her flashbacks to when Logan explained why he didn’t make it to the party.

She had tried to solve the examples before the teacher could. Then, she compared them, testing if she still remembered the right solutions. She got them all of them right.

“Did you answer correctly?”

The corners of Alex’s lips stretched further. She found it amusing that their thoughts were synchronized. It didn’t happen a lot since they mostly disagreed.

“I did.”

“Well, I am a great teacher.” Logan praised himself. Her eyes rolled reflexively. “Did you ever thank me for that?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you going to say that I owe you then?”

“Nah, that was erased when you kissed me inside the closet.”

Alex went pink in the ears, posture becoming rigid. Her eyes popped out of their sockets. A lump formed in her throat. Why did he have to bring it up? While they were both out in public, no less! What would people think?

“That’s it. I have to go.” She pushed herself off the locker and placed her weight on her feet.

Yet, she kept the phone close to her ear.

Logan was unfazed by her curt tone. “Did I say you’re cute yet today?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think so.”

“But you did!” Alex defended, “Just this morning!”

“Okay, okay.” Logan surrendered, trying not to laugh. “I don’t need to say it for the third time then.”

Alex rolled her eyes again. His teasing voice told her that he actually knew about it. She frowned, gazing at nothing. This shower of compliments flustered her easily, especially the ones coming from him. It sounded both natural and unnatural.

After all, they started out with insulting each other when they met. How in the world did they get here? She kind of missed those moments. They were much more fun.

Probably because she mostly won those arguments.

“I’ll just save it for the evening.” Logan interrupted her thoughts. “Enjoy your lunch, babe.”

“Ew, no.”

“What?” Alex could almost see the fake innocence on his face. “Does the food suck?”

“That’s not it—”

“You really are cute.” He cooed into the speaker. He doubled in laughter, unable to stop it anymore. He would have said over and over again except he wanted to keep his phone call rights. If he did it too much, his number would get blocked.

Now, he was just doing it on purpose, Alex fumed. A deadpan expression painted on her face. She would have to knock the guy down by a few notches. One kiss and his head grew bigger. He always used it to catch her off guard. Well, it won’t last much longer. Two could play this game!

For another time, at least.

“I’m hanging up.”

Logan chuckled. This time, he let her off. “Talk to you later, Alex.”

Alex ended the call, profanities flying out of her lips. She needed a counterattack soon. These continuous flustered moments had to stop. She just didn’t know how yet. Rejecting compliments wouldn’t do any good. She might ask Emily for some advice. That girl always knew how to come out on top.

She shifted to her left, raising her head.

She jumped.

Two pairs of eyes stared with unwavering gaze. Xiera had her chin tucked on Kate’s shoulder. Alex hadn’t even noticed that Kate moved from her spot. She also hadn’t expected them to be waiting for her in this way. She would have thought that they had a conversation by themselves.

Xiera flashed a mischievous grin. Her eyebrows wiggled at Alex. “Was that your boyfriend?”

“No?” Alex scoffed. Unfortunately, it came out awkward. She cleared her throat. She hoped they’d take the crack in her voice as a result of a dry throat. She stepped around them and led the way to the cafeteria.

“But you’re seeing someone?” Xiera tried again. She jogged to catch up, keeping her mocha eyes on Alex’s face.

“Yes?” Alex flinched. She realized it was the first time she said it out loud—to someone outside of her circle. Most of the others had received the news from Logan. She let him handle their interrogations while she protested if he ever swayed away from the truth.

It happened more times than she predicted.

“Why aren’t you in a relationship yet?”

“Because it’s not in my list of priorities.”

“So…”

“So what?” Alex took a left, climbing down the stairs. She cursed Logan in her head. She hoped he’d sneeze and trip over his feet. It was his fault that she ended up in this situation. Since they were in the same class, she wouldn’t be able to escape the hot seat.

Xiera had to shift her attention to her feet. Her mind buzzed with adrenaline and excitement. That phone conversion—though one-sided—was the most interesting thing she heard all day. It energized her more than any dose of caffeine. Her drowsiness from morning classes has dissipated.

“So spill!” She exclaimed as soon as they reached the first floor. “Who is he? Do you have a photo of him? Does he have his own car? Is he from your previous school? Will he come visit anytime soon?”

“That’s a lot of questions.” Alex scowled ahead. She picked up the pace. If she couldn’t hide then, she’d do her best to run. She prayed for anything to come and distract Xiera.

“It would be more useful if she used that curiosity in class.” Kate snorted offhandedly.

“Hey!” Xiera began to object. Then, she thought better of it. “Well, that is true but I hardly care for it. This is much more interesting and important.”

“If that’s a lot then,” she turned back to Alex. “Let’s start with the basics! What’s his name?”