Baker Boy

Chapter Twelve

There was an unwritten guideline when it came to dressing for exams; clothes worn should be as comfortable as possible without breaking any school rules. T-shirts were not appropriate for normal classes, but most students would wear a sweatshirt or jacket over them. Jeggings were godsend and some dancers even wore their warm-up booties into the exam hall.

"You ready for chemistry?" asked Julia, rushing to catch up with Andy and Casillith. She took long drags of coffee from her travel mug.

"Who is honestly?" retorted McKayla.

"I am," said Casillith quietly.

McKayla rolled her eyes. "You're not counted, neither are you human."

The doors of the hall were opened and the students filed in. Silence fell upon them as they took their places at the neat, precise rows of tables and chairs.

Andy's hands were shaking as the chief examiner read out the instructions to the candidates. The teachers handed out the papers and the order to begin was given.

Now, Andy would have liked to say that she had no trouble doing the exam, but that was not to be. She blanked out and stared at the first page for a good ten minutes, then struggled to remember enough content to construct any answers.

At the half-hour mark, she raised her hand and asked to use the washroom. Her anxiety hit its peak as she walked out. Thankfully, she got to the bowl in time to hurl her guts up.

"Are you alright, dear?" the teacher asked.

Andy grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and dabbed at her mouth. "Just the jitters."

Nodding, the teacher waited as she washed her hands and face before escorting her back into the hall. Suddenly, the paper did not seem that hard. Andy rushed to complete it in the little time she had left.

Julia and McKayla walked out wailing about the paper, whereas Casillith hugged her notes to herself and smiled in silent victory. After saying 'goodbye' to them, Andy headed over to the Brew House to check on Deacon who was alone since Sarah and Andy both had exams.

There was a small crowd, but Deacon was doing fine. He made Andy a hot chocolate to celebrate her finishing her papers.

"There's still the Winter Gala. Principal Richard is going to kill me." She sipped the piping hot creation.

Deacon shrugged. "Madame Carolyn's alright."

"You're bloody lucky," said Andy.

Deacon grinned. "I guess I am."

As he went to take another order, Eli walked out of the kitchen. His grey eyes locked on Andy and he walked toward her.

"I need to talk to you," he said, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her along with him.

Andy tried to fight back, digging her heels into the ground and attempting to wrestle her arm free. "I'm not off work yet," she lied.

"You don't have work today, I checked." He got her out the door, leading her to the back where his motorcycle was parked.

Tossing her a helmet, he put his on, and then looked at her. Andy was too afraid to run, despite the fact that he was not holding onto her. Obediently, she put on the helmet that was much too big for her.

"Get on."

He helped her onto the bike before getting on himself. Andy's scream was lost as he did a sharp turn then pulled onto the campus' roads.

"Where are we going?" she asked, gripping onto the bike for dear life.

"Somewhere," was his infuriatingly simple reply.

"Please, slow down, I'm scared," she said.

Eli stopped at a traffic light. As the traffic passed, he reached behind, grabbing Andy's hands.

"Maybe... Maybe it'll be better if you held me here," he said, bringing her arms around his waist.

Then he proceeded to sped all the way out of the campus to a closed down garage. Killing the engine, he got off the bike, not waiting for Andy as he got in through the door beside the shuttered main entrance.

"Is this illegal?" asked Andy.

Eli shook his head and turned on the lights. "This is my father's garage."

There was a disembodied chassis sitting in the centre of the workshop. Rust covered most of the tools and dust covered everything regardless. Andy sneezed, her allergies acting up.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.

Leaning against a dirty worktable, Eli turned to look at her. "We have to talk. I want you to leave me alone."

"I have to do my job. I'll do nothing more."

He pushed himself off the table. "Nothing more? You mean that you don't want to know about me, who I really am, or all of my deepest secrets?"

"Trust me, Eli, you're not that interesting." Andy folded her arms across her chest.

"There's a reason why you won't leave me alone," he insisted.

"Uh, yeah," Andy rolled her eyes. "You always pull stupid stunts when you're supposed to work. The only deep, dark secret you have is that you're extremely immature. You lack common sense and discipline."

He was closer than she expected when she turned around. Andy jumped then took a step back. Hugging herself, she walked towards the wall behind her, studying the framed pictures that could only have been Eli when he was younger.

When she turned, she found herself trapped between his arms. She fixed her brown eyes on his cold steel grey ones, as if her gentle brown irises could inspire any fear in him. Slowly, his eyes flicked down to his neck as he lowered his head.

Before he could plant a kiss on her neck, Andy's hands connected with his chest. She put everything into the shove, the element of surprise aiding her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, keeping her hands up.

"First, you're weak as fuck," he said. "Second, I was testing if you're attracted to me."

Andy frowned. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because I'm trying to find a reason as to why you keep trying to be good. No one would care so much if they weren't in love."

"Wait, love?" she spluttered. "You're a nut job. Take me back to the academy."