Jacqueline || BWWM

Chapter Thirty

Hazel and I sit on the school's front steps for the next ten minutes. She talks about everything she can possibly think of movies, friends, enemies, teachers, latest gossip, while I listen and occasionally mutter a fact or two about myself. We're getting into deeper subjects such as family and our home lives when Finn finally graces my eyes-and apparently Hazel's judging by the sudden spark in her eyes with his presence.

"IknowIknowIknow." He rambles right at the bat, eyes focused on my face, trying to read my reaction.

I'm not mad at all that he's the late-ninety-nine percent of the times he's been right on time. The other one percent is usually spent being early. With all this clearly in mind, I keep my face neutral-for what reason, I don't know as I bore my eyes into the side of his too handsome head.

Finn, reading my state of neutrality for anger, starts rambling faster than a fired bolt. "I was talking to Mr. Rolfe-you know that bald E.L.A teacher?"

"Yea!" Hazel eagerly interrupts, yet acts like I was the one who did something wrong when I fire a 'seriously?' look at her. "I hate that guy. He almost failed me last year, and not because I was stupid."

"No one's stupid. Some people just don't understand some criteria as easily as others." I peep in while she's taking a breath: that's seriously one of the only times Hazel will allow someone that isn't her to talk. Yes, I fear that day she learns how to breathe while talking.

Finn, probably noticing that Hazel won't shut up and allow me to leave anytime soon, takes a seat beside me. He's cool hand grabs mine off the step and starts tracing little circles over my knuckles. I grasp his hand tighter, turning away to pay attention to my still chatting friend.

"Yea, Yea, whatever. I failed because I gave Rolfe advice on how to be a better teacher." She shrugs, nonchalantly. Her pale-paler than Finn's, shocking I know- face openly claiming that what she did was right in her point of view. "Though he says that it was because I never turned in any assignments."

"Did you-"

Why do I even bother?

"Thing is I actually did turn in all my stuff. They were just a bit late because ya know. I never knew when they were due and stuff."

I nod quickly and turn to Finn before she has a chance to cut me off again. "Why were you talking to Mr. Rolfe?"

Frustration clouds over Finn's once relaxed face. His silver eyes narrow into little slits and his mouth twists into an angry sneer. "He gave me a 95% on the test we took yesterday. A ninety-fucking-five!"

That's bad?

I'm struggling to keep my grades at an A- average. I know, it's kinda sad, especially since we've only had five days of school. I should have a hundred percents in everything, but somehow I don't. I find it crazy because I do all my assignments and turn them in on time. I'm always studying in my free time, and I take notes on everything the teacher says. In the end, however, I always end up with a high B or an A-. It's like my efforts don't count.

"That's still really good." Hazel steals the words out of my mouth, leaning forward to smile at the boy on my right. He, in turn, glares at her as if she's just uttered the dumbest words in existence.

"No, it's not." Finn's frustration seems to blossom with every gritted out word. Stress Linda appears on his forward as he turns away from Hazel and I, dropping my hand in the process.

I'm at loss for what to do. It's clear that I should say something to comfort at least one of them, but I don't know how I'm supposed to do that. I've never had to comfort anyone before. Growing up I was mostly put into foster homes with no kids so I never had a little sibling to look out for. In my early teen years the only thing I did was keep myself together, a task harder than it sounds. When I meant Anaya, the first person I truly cared about in this life, she was already strong. She has never needed me for anything.

"I'll see you on Monday, Jacqueline," Hazel whispers softly, grabbing her backpack off the ground.

I wrap my hands around her in a loose hug before she stands. "See ya."

"Hey," Finn shoves his hands in his pockets, staring up at Hazel with a genuinely sincere look. "Sorry for snapping at you."

Hazel blinks a couple of times, looks at me for some type of confirmation I don't have and nods at Finn before running down the steps to her mom's Black Mazda six.

"De ce sunt așa de mizerabilă?" Finn mumbles to Hazel's back. His accent is thicker than ever as he closes his silver eyes tightly, grabbing his hair in a rough fist.

A wistful sigh escapes my lips and disappears into the warm, dry air. I watch the bright afternoon sun glare down at the earth for a moment. Shutting my eyes for a flash of a second, I hope for the correct words to say. Nothing comes to mind after a little while, but I still know I have to say something.

"Come on, let's get home." Not the most supportive words-actually, not at all supportive to say to someone who looks as defeated as Finn does at this moment, but they are words.
To me, that's enough for now.

But to Finn, it's not.

"You go on ahead." He tosses me his keys, not even bothering to look at me as he does so, and goes back to looking at the last few kids still huddled together in front of us. One by one, at a pace slower than one of a snail, they start to make their way home. "I'll walk."

I stand up right in front of him and wait for him to look at me. "What's wrong?"

He stares at me unblinkingly, saying nothing.

I've always been good at reading facial expressions, always been good at finding the truth hidden in a person's face without them uttering a single word. With that in mind, why can't I figure out what Finn is thinking?

I lift his hand off the step and try to pull him up. The keyword is trying because after a minute of what feels like heavy lifting, Finn is still in the same spot he was a minute before. Good news, the little spark that keeps me pulling at his hand with all my might, is that he looks a little less miserable. He seems to almost be back to the carefree guy I like.

"A little help?"

Finn scrunches his dark eyebrows together as if debating it. "Depends. Where are we going?"

"Home." He tries very hard not to let it show, but somehow my aware eyes latch onto the way he's face drops slightly. "Or you could come home with me? Jaylin is hosting her weekly girls night in so it will be super loud with a small, obnoxious group of girl screams every moment, but we could find a nice quiet place to re-due your test."

"You want to do my test?"

"Well, no, but since your grade is bugging you, I figured we could find a way to change it. What do you say?"

Finn grasps my hand tightly and stands when I pull, allowing me to think that I did the heavy lifting. "Let's do it."

______

Hey people! Thanks for reading! Please vote, comment and share if you liked this chapter:)

Can you believe it? We are almost near the end of this little-long story. I have plans for 20 or fewer chapters before I mark it complete!

Thanks for making it this far, everyone. Special thanks to those readers who vote and occasionally comment.

Love all of you, Liv

DP: Nov.8.17
WC: 1,174