The It Girl [COMPLETED]

Chapter 14 - "I'm going to need your muscles."

"You will have all week as well as the weekend to complete this history project," Mr. Helmich said. "That means you will have no excuse for it not to be done come Monday." He smiled, a grin that stretched across his broad face. "This is an easy project, viewing history through something that you love. It's a piece of cake."

Definitely was. Though Courtney was still on the fence about cake right then. Maybe one day she would make peace with cake again.

The bell rang.

"Okay, have a good day. Tomorrow your essays are due."

The class rose and gathered up their stuff, streaming towards the door. Courtney hung back, the stream too strong to handle with crutches. As she finally exited, she found Aubrey waiting for her.

"Are you coming to practice?" she asked. "It's really not the same without you."

Behind Courtney, someone snorted and a second later Max walked by. Aubrey stared at her retreating back.

"What's her problem?" she asked.

"She has some cliché hatred of me that I'm hoping will eventually fade."

"Seriously?"

Yup and it's getting a bit annoying.

"It's whatever. Lynn's doing a good job with the squad, right?"

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "She's amazing and knows so much. But, I don't know. It just feels different when you're there. Brighter."

She laughed at how silly that sounded even though Courtney held onto the words.

"Well, Coach said I should be back on my foot...feet, come Friday so I'll at least sit in for Friday practice."

Aubrey clapped in excitement. "Good! I should head to practice. I'm glad you'll be back."

That makes two of us. Friday can not come fast enough.

Courtney headed towards the parking lot, scanning the mass of fleeing students for Micah. Fleeing might be dramatic but from the look of it, some of these people looked like prisoners set free.

Courtney didn't find Micah but Aiden found her. They stood before each other in some strange limbo of not talking and having too much to say.

"Look," Aiden said. "I'm sorry about Saturday, I shouldn't have kissed you."

Courtney relaxed a bit even though Aiden looked agitated.

"This whole thing is confusing."

Confusing when you were the one to dump me? Not sure that makes sense.

"I really miss you, Cory. And I made a mistake by breaking up with you."

"But you did it for football because it was the best thing for your future."

He dragged a hand through his hair and looked around him. "It's complicated."

Oh yay, exactly what my life needs more of, complication. She did not have the energy for this. Not after dealing with Lynn and her friendship still dangling over a cliff edge. Man, she hated cliffhangers.

"Aiden," she said. "I need time and I think you do too."

No organizing or charts for us. Time is apparently the solution. Which Courtney still felt like was a crap solution. Charts sounded easier.

Aiden let out a heavy breathe and nodded. He took a few steps away from her but turned back.

"Did I screw this up? I mean us. Did I screw it up beyond fixing?"