Teenage Millionaire

Chapter 35: Fascinating

"How'd your presentation go?" he (Jacob, today) asks as soon as I exit the biology classroom.

"Relatively smoothly."

"So you feel good about it?"

"Yeah."

He smirks a little. "That seemed like a noncommittal 'yeah'."

"I mean, I'm sure other people are better at presenting than me. Like you," I say, grinning and gently bumping my fist against his shoulder. He rolls his eyes and puts his arm around my shoulder, starting towards the physics classroom.

"I think that if you joined one of my sessions with Jackie, you'd be a natural performer."

"You say I'm a natural at everything."

"You are."

"I can't be. That's impossible."

"Okay, fine. You're not a natural at being relaxed and in the moment, but you're much, much better than when I first brought you to my house."

I roll my eyes as we walk into the physics classroom. Ms. Jenson eyes us like we're plotting something. She's the only teacher who doesn't seem to be thrilled by Jacob's lack of tardiness or absence this week- I think she believes he's conspiring against her somehow. All the other teachers have pretty much credited me with his good behaviour, but it's really him. Everyone believes he's stopped slacking off, when in reality he's now doing twice as much school as everyone else. My parents would adore him. That might be a good way to introduce him to them (as a friend, this time), if I ever get the chance.

Physics ends, and he accompanies me to my locker. "We finished the English thing, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, we still have tomorrow's class time to touch some things up, if we need, but it's pretty much done."

"Good. Wouldn't want you worrying about that on your birthday," he says in a singsong voice.

I duck my head and focus on putting things into my backpack. "It's not a huge deal. I just can't work after school tomorrow, because my parents will be home early. That's all."

"Todd, you're turning 18. It's a huge deal. You can- legally- drink now! And do things without needing parental consent!"

"I'm still 17," I remind him.

He rolls his eyes. "You're like, a day away. I'm sure it wouldn't kill you to have a beer tonight instead of waiting another 24 hours."

I raise my eyebrows at him, and he smirks.

"I'm kidding. I know you would never break the law. You'd probably spontaneously combust."

"I definitely wouldn't be able to sleep until I turned myself in to the police, or at the very least told my parents."

"You would turn yourself in to the police for drinking when you're one day underage?"

I scowl. "No, I would just never do it in the first place."

He grins at me while I close my locker, before slinging his arm around my shoulders again as we leave the school.

People look at us, still. Initially people were just shocked we were walking together. Now, since it's been much longer than he spends with anyone else, and our almost constant close proximity, I think the common rumour is that we're dating, or at least sleeping together (since he drove me to school on a Monday morning, everyone started getting curious about what we were doing together over the weekend). The fact that I'm not opposed to it (the dating rumour, at least) is pretty strong evidence for Raymond's theory. I choose not to think about that too much.