Salty Licorice

Chapter 62

Emily's POV

I know it shouldn't bother me but it does, I know I'm just being jealous or whatever but I have a right to be. It's not like I'm jealous of the amount of flowers Liz has been getting because I'm getting far more valentine grams then her. But it's The Who she is getting all of her flowers from. Every class period she gets delivered at least one rose with a note, and a thing of Candy or a small stuffed animal they have offered from the school's valentine grams. That's all just from Avery herself, then there's her small single rose from Marisa that gets delivered everyday in art. Any second now they're going to come in here and pass out this hour's grams.

I'm just trying to not make my glares obvious towards the small pile of red roses on the table in front of me. They're all from Avery from today alone and there's already 3 with a small teddy bear sitting lamely next to them. I don't necessarily think it's because of the fact that Avery got her valentine grams in general, but the fact that she got such an abundance of them for her and I have yet to get anything from her.

Just as I suspected there was a knock on the door and two choir kids walked in with a cart full of grams to deliver. They called out some girl in our class then some other kid before calling my name. I get up and walk over to them grabbing my two pink roses and cards for each before walking back. I look at the cards one just says;

'thx for friday nite', no name but I know who it is from. John, third baseman on the baseball team.

The other one is a bit more cryptic;

'Dear Emily T, I don't know how to say this so here it goes. You're the one who sweetens my life, almost as much as that sweet tea you drink. I just fear telling you my true feelings, because I'm not sure how people will react. But one day, maybe. -yours truly'.

I don't know many people who talk like that, cheesy but also dorky except for one. I look up towards Avery, but she is looking at Liz as she sits back down with her two roses, one red and one black. Avery must have sensed my eyes because she meets my eyes with a small head tilt with her brows furrow, holding a silent question in those ocean eyes. I feel my heart beat quicken as she holds my eyes with her own for what feels like forever.

Unfortunately Marisa's near silence chuckle draws her attention from me. I look to see what's amusing to find Liz's face as she glares up at Marisa with a card in her hand.

"Really?" Liz deadpans.

"I thought it was funny, still is if you ask me," Marisa shrugs clearly amused before going back to her book.

Liz rolls her eyes with a ghost of a smile on her face before looking at her other card and her face slowly contorts to confusion, before she sighs hard.

"What's wrong?" I am curious what Avery could have possibly put on her card.

"Math," Liz groans. She flashed me the card, it read 'Solve for i, 9x-7i>3(3x-7u)'.

"You have to solve it," Avery grins with clear excitement. "It's a simple one, not even complex algebra."

"Avery, I'm no good at math," Liz groans looking at an excited Avery.

Avery just smiles at her encouragingly. Liz eventually gives up and starts her poor attempt at solving the equation. I don't know how long it would take me but it wouldn't take me as long as it's taking her. Liz has a face of agitation on her face. I'm starting to think her face will be stuck like that from how long she's been wasting on this problem.

"Told you math was a bad idea," Marisa snorts a laugh towards Avery.

"I believe in her," Avery murmurs softly as she sits with her head balanced in her palm watchin Liz work quietly.