Of Hotshots and High School

Chapter 16

Rory's POV

I hate Mondays.

One moment you're enjoying a blissful weekend, smiling at your success in finally getting your room completely moved into, enjoying some lovely home-cooked (by yourself of course, not the mother) meals, lounging around guiltily reading Pride and Prejudice, and then BAM! You're sitting in a cold, hard desk under bright fluorescent lights, trying to recover from your weekend happiness hangover.

It's a cruel world.

But at least that world is starting to feel like mine again. I've settled into a routine, one that I happened to doodle in my chemistry notebook while I waited for Lena to get to class:

1 - Laugh with Lena

2 - Tease Chase

3 - Get teased by Chase

4 -  ...but only when Adelaide isn't there :(

5 - Play soccer

6 - Homework

7 - Gripe with Lena about said homework

8 - Debate about whether I'm a horrible person for hoping Chase and Adelaide break up

9 - Live a life of denial

Okay, so maybe it's a little dramatic, but it's mine. And I'm happier than I've been in months. The soccer team has been great and I've kind of made friends with two girls, Darcy and Sherah, who everyone calls "Chatty," which I totally don't understand because she's not a huge talker and she's a master of the silent prank. Seriously. I've never seen so many cleat laces tied together unnoticed. Nobody's connected me to my mother yet, which is AMAZING because for once I've finally been able to just be treated like any other kid, and Lena is just plain awesome. I don't understand half of what goes on inside her head, but it's been so nice to finally have a girl friend again.

Even if said girl friend barges into class five minutes late in full yellow rain gear. Especially if.

As Lena slid into the seat next to me she shot me a smile.

"You can never be too prepared," she whispered apologetically. I chuckled until Mrs. White shut me up with a glare.

"Lab safety is not a laughing matter, Ms. Landon." I had the decency to look chagrined as I nodded in reply. Lena's hand shot up next to me. "Yes, Lena?"

"Are we by chance experimenting today?" Lena was pitched forward in her seat and I could see the anticipation in her eyes. Mrs. White smiled at her eagerness.

"Yes we are. Class, today you will be breaking into pairs to test substances which you will attempt to identify using indicators and by finding their pH. You must identify at least seven, but any group that identifies all twelve substances will receive extra credit." Lena turned to me, excitement written all over her face.

"We're gonna crush this thing." I was so glad Lena was my partner. Her excitement managed to get me through the next hour and a half, and I actually learned something. She was a pretty good teacher, and with three minutes to spare we'd identified all twelve, thanks to Lena's genius. As we were cleaning up one other group managed to get all twelve as well, and when Mrs. White congratulated Kyle Zipes and his brother, the smitten look on Lena's face was sweet enough to give anyone a sugar hangover.

"Girl, you've got it bad," I teased, poking Lena as we put away our equipment.

"I know," she groaned, running her hands through her braids and closing her eyes. "Is it really that obvious?" The hopefulness in her expression made me pause, but there was no way to put it lightly. I shrugged.