Always Gonna Be You | Ongoing

28| Chemisty Chaos

After a long morning of classes, lunchtime couldn't come fast enough. Skipping breakfast had been a mistake, and my stomach growled in protest. As I made my way to our usual spot under the tree, I noticed Kayla and Jordyn already sitting there, but Mila was nowhere in sight.

I joined them on the grass, returning their smiles. "Sorry I'm late," Mila's voice called out from a distance. We turned to see her running towards us, her hair bouncing as she moved. She plopped down beside us, quickly tying her hair into a messy bun.

"Where have you been?" Kayla asked.

"Mrs. Lewis kept us late for no good reason," Mila huffed. "She gave us that 'the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do' speech and wouldn't let us leave until she finished her explanation."

"Agh, of course. I hate that woman," Jordyn said, her face twisted in disgust.

"Same," I agreed.

Kayla, ever the optimist, chimed in, "I don't know what you guys mean. She's sweet."

The rest of us exchanged incredulous looks. "No, she's not," I said, shaking my head.

Kayla changed the subject. "Okay, we all know why we're here. To talk about Kiara and her manz." She wiggled her eyebrows, making me laugh despite myself.

They all grinned at me. "So spill. Tell us everything about how you ended up with him," Jordyn said, eyes twinkling with anticipation.

I recounted the story, fielding their questions and squeals along the way. Mila, ever the romantic, leaned in with a serious question. "I know I asked you this yesterday, but I need to know again. Do you like Grayson Taylor?"

I bit my lip, trying and failing to suppress a smile. "Yeah, I do," I admitted, my cheeks flushing.

Their reactions were immediate. Mila fell back on the grass, kicking her legs in the air. Jordyn squealed into her hands, and Kayla punched the air triumphantly.

"Agh, I can already see it," Jordyn said dreamily, raising her hand to the sky. "Kayson."

I laughed but quickly sobered. "I don't even know if he likes me back."

They all gave me knowing looks. "Girl, he likes you," Kayla insisted. "We've seen it. He never acts the way he does around you with other girls. He's always smiling when you're around."

Jordyn nodded. "And if he somehow doesn't like you, I'll sue this school. He shows all the signs, Kie."

Kayla added, "Have you heard he's threatened other boys to stay away from you?"

My eyes widened. "No, I didn't hear about that."

Mila smirked. "And Gemma is furious that you've gotten his attention so quickly. She's been trying for years and still can't."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of Gemma. "Okay, enough about me. What's going on with you and Nathan?" I asked Mila.

She blushed slightly. "Nothing major, but we're getting closer every day. I'm happy he apologized."

We all "awed" at her words, and she playfully rolled her eyes.

In Chemistry class, the usual group of girls and boys were assigned to work on an explosive experiment. As we sneakily chatted and laughed, chaos erupted on the boys' side of the room.

"Shit!" Nathan yelled, drawing everyone's attention.

I turned to see some kind of explosion that clearly wasn't part of the experiment. The girls and I couldn't help but laugh at the scene. Grayson was laughing too, his dimples on full display, making me smile even more.

"I told you not to put that in," Logan yelled at Nathan.

"Well, it's not my fault I can't listen properly," Nathan shot back, holding a metal tray with the ruined experiment. He rushed to the sinks at the back of the class, and Logan joined in the laughter.

As Nathan returned, he tripped over a table leg, sending the tray and glass equipment crashing to the floor. "Fuck!" he yelled, and the entire class burst into laughter.

Grayson leaned on the table, laughing hard. "What did you do?" he asked Nathan, who was clutching his hand in pain.

"Nathan, you better clean that up before Mr. Kavanagh gets here," a classmate advised.

Nathan scrambled to clean up the mess, quickly replacing the broken equipment just as Mr. Kavanagh walked in. The room fell silent, everyone pretending to focus on their work. I glanced back at Nathan and noticed his hand was bleeding.

"Uh, sir, can I go to the bathroom, please?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, you may," Mr. Kavanagh replied without looking up from his computer.

Unexpected Moments
After class, we all walked out together, and I noticed Mila stealing glances at Nathan. We had a free period, so we decided to sit outside.

"Are you okay?" Mila asked Nathan, her eyes full of concern as she looked at his bandaged hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle," he reassured her.

We watched them, the tension palpable. They sat close, their eyes locked. Suddenly, Mila stood, grabbing Nathan's uninjured hand, and led him back into the building. We exchanged knowing glances.

"What on earth are those two going to do?" Logan asked.

"Who knows," Jordyn said with a shrug.

"She was really worried about him," Kayla noted.

Logan nodded. "Yeah."

Jordyn turned to Grayson with a mischievous grin. "So, weird question, but you and Kie?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn't help but look at Grayson. He had a smile on his face, and I watched as he licked his bottom lip.

"What about us?" he asked, still smiling.

Jordyn grinned and looked at me. "Don't you dare," I warned her.

"Well, the girl likes you," she said anyway.

My face burned with embarrassment. I wanted to disappear.

"Oh, she does?" Grayson asked, tilting his head slightly and grinning.

"Mhm," Jordyn confirmed.

Grayson turned to me, his eyes soft. "Well, little does she know," he said, "I like her too."

I couldn't help but smile, feeling a rush of warmth. I looked away briefly, running my tongue along my teeth, still smiling.

I turned back to the girls, and Kayla winked at me. "See, I told you," she said, referencing our lunchtime conversation.

♡
As the day wound down, I felt a sense of contentment. Despite the chaos and unexpected confessions, everything seemed to be falling into place. For the first time in a long while, I felt hopeful about what the future might hold.