Yin & Yang

Chapter 9: Algebra (Gabe)

I quickly grabbed an apple off the counter, asking if Alex wanted anything. I wanted to get away before my mom arrived, because I knew that she would bother Alex to no end. Lilith had already made her getaway. But then I heard footsteps. I was too late.

"Hi, honey, how was your day?" I cringed inwardly as my mom walked into the room. "Wait a minute, who's this?"

"I'm Alex," Alex said, extending her hand. She towered over my mom. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Asta."

"Alex, this is my mom," I jumped in. "Alex and I are doing a project together."

"Call me Jen," my mom said. "Nobody is that formal in this house. But anyway, how long have you been at Tekonsha High?"

I sighed as my mom started questioning Alex on her entire life story. I let it go on for about a minute before interjecting. "Hey mom," I said pointedly. "We need to work."

"I'm so sorry you guys!" my mom exclaimed. "I've let myself get carried away. You kids go get some work done!"

Alex and I turned up the stairs, heading toward my room. "I'm really sorry about my mom," I told Alex. "She doesn't really know when to stop."

"It's okay, I liked her!" she said. "She's really nice."

We turned toward my door, but before we could go in, Lilith's door across the hall opened. She stepped out, opening her mouth to say something. She had the same odd expression on her face that she'd had in the car. It seemed like a mixture of pride and relief and something else I couldn't quite place. Maybe sadness? But what would Lilith be sad about? But before she said anything, she shut her mouth and the door swung shut.

"That was weird," Alex said.

"Lilith is kind of awkward. She's not unfriendly, she just has trouble expressing herself in social situations." I realized, suddenly, that I was also describing myself. I'd talked more to Alex in the past week than I had talked to anyone else, excepting my mom and sister, in years. Alex was the first person I'd felt comfortable around in a long time.

I pulled up a second chair as Alex sat down at my desk and pulled out her math stuff. I did the same, and we got to work.

***

Two hours later, we'd made a lot of progress on our project. Alex wasn't as mathematically minded as me, but she had flashes of brilliant thoughts that I would have never even considered. We worked well together.

Suddenly, Alex shifted her chair closer to me. The bare skin of her arm brushed up against my forearm under my rolled-up sleeves. I was acutely aware of how close she was getting to me. "How about we take a break from math for a little while," she said softly. She shifted a little closer in her chair and her side also made contact with mine.

I turned my head ever so slightly toward her. She was staring at me intensely. Her brown eyes began to swallow me. "We should-" I started to protest, but suddenly, Alex's lips were on mine. An electric jolt shot through my body, from my head all the way down through my toes. I was suddenly even more conscious of every sensation. She smelled like lemon - I'd never noticed that before. I lost myself in the warmth of her kiss. I knew I shouldn't be doing this, but I didn't want to stop.

A soft knock on the door sounded like a boom across the room, and we hastily disengaged, only a fraction of a second before my mom poked her head in. My cheeks were warm, and my heart was pounding. I shot a quick look at Alex and saw her cheeks were similarly flushed. "Are you kids hungry?" my mom asked. "I can have dinner ready soon if you want."

"We're fine, mom," I said hurriedly.

"Actually, I should probably get going soon," Alex said. She sounded a lot more composed than I did. "I'm probably needed at home."

"Are you sure?" my mom asked. "You're welcome to stay."

"No, really, I'll be fine." Alex gathered up her papers and stuffed them in her backpack. I got up as well.

"I can give you a ride home if you need."

"That'd be great." Alex smiled shyly at me. My heart fluttered as she turned away and we headed downstairs for me to take her home.