The Secret (Boston's Best 1)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Maddie

Rather than space the finals out over two weeks like most schools here seem to do, much like everything else here at BPA they have to be better than everyone else.

So, finals week here is literally every single subject in the one week.

My brain cells have been fried off this past week.

On Monday I had: US History (3 hour exam), and AP Physics-Paper One(2 hour exam).

Tuesday: AP Literature-Paper One (2.5  hour exam), and AP Physics-Paper Two (4 hour exam).

Wednesday: French (3.5 hour exam), and AP Calculus-Paper One(4 hour exam).

Thursday: AP Chemistry-Paper One(4 hour exam), AP Biology-Paper One (2 hour exam), AP Calculus-Paper Two (1 hour exam).

Friday: AP Literature-Paper Two (2.5 hour exam), AP Biology-Paper Two (2 hour exam), AP Chemistry-Paper Two (1 hour exam).

Evelyn and I are sitting at a table in the cafeteria studying for our final exam –paper two for AP Chemistry, and we both look like death to put it delicately.

Between the two of us we do every science and maths subject the school offers and doing well in the exams has been our top priority not looking good for once –because usually we do look quite fabulous.

The last exam slot for the whole school starts in an hour and forty-five minutes so the only senior students left actually trying to study are those of us who take AP or normal Chemistry, History of Art, Spanish, European History, and Psychology.

So while Ev and I are sitting beside each other, all around the table sits Darius, Alex, and Penelope studying for Spanish, Felix for History of Art, Brooke for European History, Nick for Psychology, and Matt finished his last exam —Algebra, this morning so he's just chilling.

Lucky bastard.

I just want to curl up in a ball and die.

Like I haven't been this tired for a while. And I do stand by my previous statement saying that the US curriculum is easier than the Irish one, but at least at home our exams are a bit more spaced out.

I don't even notice that I'm spaced out, biting my lip, tugging at my ear, and bouncing my leg –a lovely anxiety riddled trifecta, all at once, until I feel Matt's hand on my leg.

He was always sittin on the other side of me but I hadn't noticed him getting closer to me until now.

He rubs his thumb on my leg and keeps his hand pressed there trying to ease the jumpiness of it, I'm sure I was second away from shaking the whole table.

My leg continues bouncing and he keeps his hand there trying to discreetly comfort me. And I sound like the biggest hypocrite now but I just wish he was able to hold me in his arms and tell me to calm the fuck down in that loving voice that wouldn't sound like he's embarrassed or ashamed of me, just that he wants to be there for me.

He picks up his pen on the table and starts writing something in his notebook. After a minute he turns is slightly so that I can read it:

Calm down u idiot
u are the smartest person in the school
u know this course inside and out
And u have absolutely nothing to worry about

I nod and take a deep breath still holding my ear and I turn my head slightly to him and smile.

I take in his gorgeous hazel eyes and how his hair is starting to get a little bit long and fall in front of his eyes and how he constantly has to push it away.