Blackstone Academy: The Rogue

26. Nova Rose

Nova  P.O.V

Date: October 16, 2238

I pressed the button to call the elevator and waited off to the side for its arrival with my arms crossed. Just as I predicted, the day had indeed been long. The unexpected but pleasant dream about Troy had been the only highlight. And thanks to our friends, there hadn't been a single moment we were alone so I could speak with him. Pulling him to the side would only raise their suspicions and garner a shit ton of questions I didn't have the answers to.

It simply wasn't worth the risk.

I audibly exhaled as the elevator doors slid open. Uncrossing my arms, I hurried inside, trying to speed up the journey to my room. Relaxing with a nice hot shower was all I wanted right now. My problems could wait, and stressing over them wouldn't solve anything.

"Hold the elevator!" A deep voice yelled as I mashed the third-floor button.

The doors started to shut, and for a fleeting moment, the thought of letting them close crossed my mind. But in the end, I pressed the button to reopen them.

Larry slipped inside, smiling gratefully as he stopped beside me. "Thanks," he said, lightly panting for the short run.

"No problem."

He leaned forward, pressing the fourth-floor button as the doors shut. The elevator began its ascent, and for those first few seconds, neither of us spoke, just stood side by side, our shoulders slightly brushing.

Larry cleared his throat and looked over at me with his head cocked. "Am I the last person in the world you want to see right now?" He quietly asked.

I shortly chuckled and shook my head. "No, that spot belongs to Dr. River's."

He nodded, rubbing the stubble covering his square jaw. In the elevator light, the short strands appeared a shade lighter than the hair on his head. "How long is the list?"

"Just you and him." I immediately answered and quickly realized my words shortly after. "Oh, sh-" I covered my mouth with my hands. "I'm sorry. I forgot that's your dad."

Way to go, Nova. I bit my bottom lip wishing that I could take back my words. No matter how frustrated I was, it was no excuse to be rude. An awkward silence settled over us as I waited for his response.

"No, no. It's fine. I like it when you're honest." He finally spoke, waving off my apology. "I know he can be kind of an asshole."

Hit by a weird feeling of deja vu, I glanced around the elevator before shaking it off.

"Kind of?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow. "He scheduled an exam on the first day back! And the only information he gave was that it has twenty-five questions and will cover some of everything we've learned since school began. And... oh yeah, it will include a lab experiment."

"Yeah, that's bad. Now I understand why everyone's been glaring at me."

I hummed.

"How long do you think it'll take for everyone to forget?"

I scratched my ear and cheekily replied, "Graduation."

He chuckled, and as soon as his laughter quieted down, his expression turned serious. "I'm sorry about what I blurted out."

"It's okay. Most people are talking about the exam, so I guess I should thank your dad for that."

"I have an idea on how I can make it up to you."

"You don't ha-"

"I want to." He replied, his voice low and husky as he gently grasped my elbow.

My breath stuttered as his thumb gently caressed my skin. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and lightly tugged my elbow until he released me.

"Okay, what is it?" I cautiously asked.

"I can help you study. I can tell you which areas to focus on more than others."

"Are you serious? Because I can use all the help I can get?"

He nodded.

"Well, actually. Stacy, Jax, Troy, and I formed a study group. So would you mind helping all of us?"

"Jax and Troy?" He looked up at the screen over the door, displaying the floor while tugging on his ear.

"And me and Stacy," I said as the elevator stopped. "So, will you help us?"

"Ye-yeah. Of course, I'll help. We can get together later."

I nodded and exited the elevator, narrowly avoiding bumping into Stacy.

"Hey, Larry!" She greeted him as her eyes shifted back and forth between the two of us.

He waved at her just before the elevator doors slid close. Neither one of us attempted to hold them open. I pulled Stacy away, leading her down the hall.

"What were you two doing together?" She asked.

"We weren't together. We just happened to meet."

"Uh-huh."

"And I'm glad we did. Because he offered to help us study."

Her eyes widened as she unlocked the door to our room. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"That's sweet of him. But umm... Nova, did he offer to help all of us or you?"

"I wasn't going to leave you guys out." I bumped my shoulder into hers, dodging her question.

"Uh-huh. Okay, well, good luck."

"Good luck with what, Stacy?" I begrudgingly asked as she pushed open the door.

"Good luck with choosing between Mr. tall, dark, and handsome or the red-headed heartthrob."

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*Author's Note* I seriously doubt anyone is reading this, but ... Yeah. I'm sorry I'm not good at cliffhangers so you probably won't see a lot of them in the upcoming chapters.

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