Breaking The Bad Boy (Completed)

Chapter 47: Final Assignment

[A/N: Dedication to rebekka_mickaelson for being absolutely amazing. Songs for the chapter:
- Florence + The Machine // Cosmic Love
- Birdy // Tee Shirt
- Demi Lovato // What To Do]

Nerves prickled through my skin and the hairs on my nape stood tall, alert at each word that came out of Ms Smith's thin lips. Her words failed to reach me as if my head was submerged in water so I edged closer to Tyler, tiptoeing to catch a glimpse of her over his broad shoulders.

"Chill Ash," He whispered over his shoulder, casting me a brief glance before turning to the front again.

"I can't!"

How could I relax when were going to bake our semester's work for the entire class to taste and judge before it was to be graded by Ms Smith?

Our Home Economics class currently stood in a single file outside the classroom, impatiently waiting for Ms Smith's recitation of the rules before we progressed into the final practical lesson. Nobody wanted to go first but with a clipboard and pen, our teacher barked the names of each pair and beckoned them to enter the room to begin. The order that each pair entered the room determined the reverse order that the cakes would be graded.

And we were first.

That meant our cake would be graded last which was either really good or really, really bad.

Panic graced my features when I detached myself from my partner's side and sloped past the long line of students, unnerved by the weight of their gazes as I shot into the classroom and dumped my bag onto my desk. Stripping off my coat, I toyed at the hemline of Tyler's aqua jersey and he rose an eyebrow at my choice of outfit.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I breathed as he loped an apron over my head, silencing me by brushing his fingertips over my nape.

"No reason," He smiled softly to himself and stepped back, gripping my hand and dragging me to our work station at the far back of the classroom.

We stood in silence as all the other groups piled into the classroom and stood behind their graphite counters like we were on a cookery show.

"Okay class, you know all the rules," Ms Smith pointed at the mountainous clock that she had hung up for the occasion. "You have two hours starting...now!"

In a split second, the silence in the class was filled with buzzing activity and everybody jumped into action. I stood rooted to my spot, completely motionless until Tyler tugged at my curls, gently snapping me out of my trance and flashing me an impatient frown.

"Ash! Come on! We have to start!"

Swiftly nodding, I darted around him and emptied the bottom cupboard, spreading six bowls onto the counter before looking at Tyler for directions. He frowned at me, noticing my jittery nerves and pushed me to my side of the counter where we would each prepare three individually coloured cake layers, just like we planned a million times before.

"You know what to do," He clamped a hand on my shoulder. "Stop blinking like a lost puppy and get a move on!"

Tyler snatched three bowls and turned his back to me, already cracking eggs and measuring out the flour while I blinked at the empty bowls in front of me.

"Come on Ashley," I muttered under my breath, hoping to encourage myself although my fingertips continued to drum the graphite surface.

After a while, my eyes found the clock and bulged out of their sockets. I just wasted five minutes loitering around doing absolutely nothing but panic. Tyler had already finished the red cake layer, gently easing it into the preheated oven while I stared at my gleaming, clean equipment with a blank mind.