Eighteen Below Him

ra's

ring day d

faster. I hoped I would not have to deal with any more group projects. I had been p

r to executing my plans, and yet every time

tugging my arm away from the wall. "

argue, but Amanda elbowed

knowing look. "Your jaw is l

se my features. "I am evaluating t

"Call it what

n announced a new group project that required paired oral presentations. I silently hop

sted all of

h Calvin Simms." she sai

nced over at me with an expression that mixe

from the front row. She stared daggers at me the next second, her

the noise and continue

der my breath, the sarca

y agreed to some secret pact. "Looks like we ar

is gaze. "You might want to focus more on the

d that was controlled and ef

a had already coached me on how to handle these moments. St

sh page. "Let us focus on the

for our arms to brush. I felt the contact instantly,

is voice dropping an octave.

ied, though my pulse h

r hallway toward the science wing, hoping t

g into my path with calm conf

e." I said evenly,

my route without actually touching me. "Y

her. I did not know why he was

ause you are

to a shadow of a smile. "Yo

Our shoulders brushed in the process, and th

tly behind me. "You alm

t turning around to look at hi

ight of his gaze on my back until I

indifferent while unwrapping my sandwich, but my attention kept drifting toward Calvin. He was laughing with Denver and Frederick, look

g of jealousy tigh

n my expression immediate

I said, taking a deliberat

at said she did not beli

is eyes landed directly on mine. I looked down at my tray as if the

at." Novia

" I replied, though

quiet of the library, hoping Calvin would not show

as alrea

k, flipping through a heavy textbook. When I entered, he looked up imm

ves, pretending I had n

ce called out, cuttin

cou

sat down across from him. He studied

make some

as I wil

more than once while we both reached for the same pages. Eac

se." he obse

focu

s a diff

to meet his. "D

sary, then returned his attention to the t

ronized. I corrected his interpretations when I disagreed, and he challenged mine with measured, smart arg

up our things, the pro

expected." he said while slid

nds like

is n

eyes. "Do not

tly, a look I hadn't seen bef

, Amanda and Novia

sked the moment

ogress." I

my face for any

I replied. "It

was slow, knowing, and fa

this tension was becoming. Yet the more time I spent around Calvin Simms, the more complicated the plan felt. He did no

ted every

tient. Calculating. Quietly confident. And I was beginni

would shift. I could feel it in the air. I just was not sure