Handwritten ✓

epilogue

THE START OF SENIOR YEAR / BISHOP HIGH SCHOOL

Junior year, Jake Tanner only took Chemistry to fill up his science slot. Mrs. Ackerman wouldn't get off his back, so he plucked it out of a list of courses that worked around all his other subjects. He was rather capable, too, if not a fan of it.

Senior year, Jake Tanner took AP Chem for a completely different set of reasons.

Sure, that there was only one AP Chem class this year — which meant his girlfriend would definitely be with him — helped a bunch, but surprisingly Jake found himself rather passionate about the subject. Maybe it was because he had only good memories associated with Chem, especially the indignant look on Nova Sanchez's face the first time Avalon chose to partner up with him instead of her.

Admittedly, that was only because Nova had been absent, but she had still blanched in horror when Jake arrogantly relayed the news to her in the cafeteria the next day.

Jake strolled into the classroom with drawn shoulders and a wide, easy smile. The teacher wasn't there yet, which meant he could sneak approximately five kisses from his girlfriend before she got annoyed and pushed him away. He walked right up to Avalon's desk and pressed his lips to hers.

She instinctively returned his kiss, though her eyes were confused and hazy with desire when he pulled away. "What are you doing here, baby?" Avalon asked.

"Going to class," he returned smoothly, still leaning against her desk.

There were about eight people currently in the classroom, but everyone knew to avert their eyes from the happy couple. Tanner would not let anyone's opinion sway him from PDA, so now the majority of the student body knew not to comment on it.

Everyone had made bets on when Jake — with a notoriously short attention span — and Avalon would break up, but the pair had progressively caused many students to lose a lot of money as the months ticked by. It had been almost a year since he'd fallen for her, but it felt like he was still going. Still falling deeper and deeper.

"You..." Avalon finally understood. "No way." She reflected on the past academic year, during which Jake took every opportunity to bitch about carbon chemistry and titration and reaction schemes. Since when— "You hate Chemistry."

"Turns out, there's a very thin line between love and hate," Jake smiled cheekily. "As you would know."

Avalon couldn't argue. She didn't argue when he bent down for a second kiss either, following his lips back as far as she could stretch when he pulled away. "So, what, does this mean you're going to bug me every single lesson?"

"That's the second step in the plan," he murmured, dropping a chaste peck on her cheek. Three.

"And the first?" Avalon wondered, smiling when he gave her a nose kiss. Four.

Jake whispered, "Top the class." Avalon immediately bristled, sensing her crown was under threat, but Jake claimed her lips in a searing kiss that had her forgetting all about AP Chem until the teacher walked in. "Tanner, get your butt into a seat."

While Jake obeyed, the anger flooded back into Avalon's veins. Chem is my thing, damn it. Find your own.

"Is that a challenge?" she said through clenched teeth, trying to still her frantic heartbeat. It was hard enough trying to focus in junior year with Jake in the same room, wafting his rich, overwhelming scent around her and 'accidentally' flexing those biceps in her direction.

If he suddenly upped his Chemistry game? She was either going to smack him with a book or jump his bones in her car after school.

Jake slid into the desk next to Avalon and began the dramatic show of pulling out his shiny new Chemistry textbook and workbook, cracking the spines to lay them open on his desk. "You bet."