I Hate You, but I Love You!

Chapter 9: The Calculus Moves!

"How the hell am I supposed to do this question?" I mouthed to myself as I stared at my textbook. I flipped through the pages in frustration and confusion. I was usually always good at Calculus, but this year everything seemed to be going downhill. It was becoming a serious problem.

As I stared at the textbook my phone rang, causing everyone around me to hush loudly. My fingers grabbed at it in my bag in a desperate attempt to shut it up.

When I finally got it I immediately answered it.

"Yes?" I whispered as quietly as possible. It was no use, everyone shushed me again.

"Chloe! The best news! So I went, just like I told you I would, and -"

Hazel was practically yelling into the phone. I assembled my stuff as quickly and as quietly as I could and left, with my phone in my right hand and with my coffee cup - now empty - in my left.

"Okay, okay, slow down. I need to actually be able to understand you when you talk."

I heard Hazel take a deep excited breath. "Okay. Okay." There was a pause before she excitedly let out, "We're going out on date! He kept apologizing for last night and said that he was determined to figure out a way to make it up to me and BAM! He asked me out. It's got me thinking that maybe things could actually work out between us"

"That's great news Z," I said. I was walking out the library, trying to ignore the death stares stressed out college students were sending me.

"Isn't it? We talked and I don't know, Chloe. It just feels so right being with him, even if I've only known him for a couple weeks. Gah! We're going on a date this Friday!"

I smiled. This was so Hazel-like. "Z, I'm really happy that you're happy. I hope it works out but please, just make sure that he treats you right. And that what happened last night doesn't happen again."

"I know, don't worry. I'll be careful. But Chloe, I think it's really going to work out." I felt my eyebrow go up, thinking about how Hazel hasn't changed since adolescence at all.

I heard background noise as Hazel said, "Well, I gotta go. I just wanted to let you know. I'll call you later!"

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Oka- wait! Wait wait wait! I completely forgot to tell you something. Guess what? You're name came up afterwards. Well, Johnny couldn't remember your name, but his cousin could."

Suddenly my stomach dropped. I pretended I couldn't feel the butterflies growing.

"Oh, did it?" I asked, attempting to appear casual.

"Yeah! Apparently his cousin...what was his name?

"Brian?" I offered, and cursed myself for it.

"Yeah, I think. The hottie you don't like. That one. Anyway, yeah, Johnny said that Brian mentioned you to him when we left, which he said is weird because he almost never remembers girls names, let alone talks about them."

I forced myself to roll my eyes. "Creepy." I said.

"No, not creepy, Chloe! You hear a boy that could model for Giorgio Armani showed an interest in you and you say it's creepy."

I forced myself to roll my eyes again, since it seemed like what an unaffected me would do. "Thanks for the info, Zel." I said, hoping to put an end to the topic.

"You're impossible, you know that? I'll talk to ya later."

"Bye." I said as we hung up.

I put my phone back in my pocket and tried to shake the butterflies out of my stomach. I repeatedly told myself that what Hazel just told me had absolutely no effect on me. Nope. None. Not even a little bit.