Jem hated his seat. He was seated at the perfect angle in the cafeteria so that he had nowhere to look but at the cute new girl. He hated the fact that he noticed how her eyes weren't just gray, but gray with flecks of blue. He hated that he found how her nose scrunched up when she was referring to something she was passionate about adorable. He hated how he found her absolutely stunning. He hated how he was so obvious about his opinions. Suddenly, Jem became aware of his best friend Will staring at him. "The new girl is cute, isn't she." Was what the Asian boy heard whispered from next to him. "I hadn't noticed really." Was all he stammered out. Jem liked to think he pulled it off, but the fact that his face was bright tended to counter his hopes. The blue eyed boy just smirked back and nonchalantly declared "You're going to ask her out." Tea was soon choked on. "In no way am I going to ask Tessa out-" He was cut off by a fairly amused Herondale "Its Tessa now, is it?" "Well, she does have a name." "But does she have a number?" Jem groaned in frustration. "Look, if you don't ask her out, I will do it for you. I will not sugarcoat how you've been staring at her for the best five minutes. Chances are she'll think the way you blush and stammer is cute. The way he had to send up his cocky best friend is not." "I have not been staring." "That's not what I saw, and since I'll be the one telling the story..." His voice trailed off. The fact that she might think he was cute pounded in his ears like an ancient war cry. It was a fairly accurate description, really. In a moment of pure courage (or stupidity) the violin prodigy started to walk over to her table. Blushing furiously, he struggled out " Doyouwanttogooutsometime?" Mortification for his whole situation set in. He found himself scratching the back of his neck and taking a step back. Why didn't he fake being sick? Jem's mollification was replaced by confusion as he noticed her cheeks were tinted red. Tessa looked at a girl he vaguely recognized as Sophie Collins for advice. To which the girl nodded a bit too enthusiastically. Jem definitely wasn't mistaking her blush for something else, now. He looked over at Will while she was scribbling down her number. Like always, William looked smug, and a tad too amused. In no shape or form did it help his embarrassment. So the Chinese exchange student gingerly took the girl's number and scurried back to his seat, where his best friend promptly said "So, do you think I'de have a chance with her?"
