Lessons In Butterflies

Chapter 13: Put a shirt on.

Shella's POV (1st Person):

After practically blurting out my entire lack of a love life in front of the two hottest teachers at school, I hurriedly returned the ball to the physics lab and replayed the embarrassing moment over, and over and over again. 

Every time I think about it I can feel my face flushing all over again. Why did I even say that? Never been kissed? Ugh.

Now, heading into physics, I was determined to push it all to the back of my mind. 

Mr. McAlister would be his usual self—kind, relaxed, and thankfully not likely to make any weird comments about girls or kissing. 

I found a seat toward the middle, and as usual, Dani and Juliet were nowhere to be seen yet. 

Typical. 

They'd probably stroll in just before the bell. I pulled out my notebook, doodling aimlessly on the corner of the page when I suddenly noticed movement beside me.

Ezra.

Great.

He slid into the seat next to me without saying a word, pulling out his own book and pen.

I stared at him for a moment, my mind racing. 

Why was he sitting here? There were plenty of other spots. Not that I cared, but still—wasn't there another girl who was, I don't know, prettier? 

Skinnier? 

That wasn't me? In fact, that was pretty much everyone else.

"Uh... hey?" I ventured, unsure of what to say. Was he just going to sit there in silence?

"Hey," he responded, not looking up, just flipping through his notes like this was the most normal thing in the world.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, not used to having to make conversation with him. "So, why are you sitting here?"

Ezra finally glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"

I blinked, a little taken aback by how casual he sounded. "I mean, there are, like, a million other seats."

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, but you're smart. Figured I'd sit next to someone who knows what they're doing."

That caught me off guard. I wasn't used to compliments—especially from someone like Ezra. I gave a nervous laugh. "I guess. I mean, physics isn't my worst subject."

"Better than mine," he said with a slight grin. "I was hoping I could copy off your notes."

I rolled my eyes. 

Great. Another one of those guys. 

But I couldn't help but smile, even if just a little.

As I began flipping through my notes, I could feel his eyes on me, like he was studying my every move. It was weird—he wasn't acting like how I thought a guy like him would. Not cocky or dismissive. 

He actually seemed... interested.

"Okay, serious question," Ezra said, breaking the silence. "Do you actually like physics, or are you just good at it?"

I laughed. "Honestly? I kind of like it. It's like putting pieces of a puzzle together."

"That's cool. I'm just trying not to fail," he said, leaning forward a bit, resting his chin in his hand. "You're into, like, science stuff, then?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied, feeling more comfortable now. "What about you? What do you actually enjoy?"

Ezra shrugged, glancing down at the desk. "I dunno. Sports, I guess. But not like, hardcore or anything. I like swimming."