book #1 | be with me | jenzie

12

chapter 12 - study dates

"since you've been around,

i smile a lot more,"

[edited - 19.12.18]

k e n z i e

"you know, if you keep chucking stuff at my window, you are going to have no stationery left and you have to pay for my window if it breaks," i sighed, opening my window before turning to johnny, while he sat casually in his chair, spinning around. guess what game we were back at again? that's right. the disturb-mackenzie-because-she-does-her-homework-too-slowly game.

"why did you close the window, then, darling?" he asked, with that familiar smirk of his while i groaned. somehow, i could see his face perfectly clear through the window, and his voice was still loud.

i tried setting up a noise-free environment to study, but apparently it didn't work very well, because johnny's voice was still ringing out from all directions, and that was a big distraction. i had resorted to closing the doors and the windows, even though it was like a thousand degrees here because my air conditioner broke.

to my utmost horror, when johnny realised that i wouldn't say anything anytime soon, he decided that chucking stationery at my window was the absolute best plan in the world. and let me tell you this. if you are trying to read up on physics, but you can occasionally hear the irritating sound of a pen hitting your window before dropping onto your lawn, it actually means you learn nothing in the end except that gravity works just fine.

sighing in exasperation, i looked down and not surprisingly, there was an array of stationery littering our beautifully cut lawn. what a beautiful decoration. mom's going go up in flames if she sees them.

"what do you want? seriously, if you are gonna make me watch another movie with you, that's not happening," i shook my head at him, my hands already poised to hold onto my window with my life if he tries to force himself over.

"actually, i just want you to help me with my mathematics homework," he said, grinning, while i deadpanned.

"you mean all these time you have been playing around, you finally realize you need some help?" i looked at him incredulously, while he shrugged.

"are you that stupid? didn't your math teacher go through them already?" i snapped, holding up my math book that was already completed a while ago. how i had managed with the racket he had been making, i don't even know.

"yeah, so you need to help me," johnny shot back and i looked at him, exasperated. for someone who had such a high iq, saying that he was stupid was such an insult to people who had normal iq - me. seeing as he wasn't giving up anytime soon, i grumbled as i held out the window for him.

"fine, come here, i'm too lazy, i don't want to go there," i opened my window, rolling my eyes as he grinned victoriously at me, climbing into my room slowly. homework. it's all about homework, i reminded myself, plopping down into my chair again.

"why is it so hot?" he asked, fanning himself as the heat in my room hit him. lucky him, he must have had the air conditioner notched up really high.

"that's because i was here," i smirked, a small smile tugging at my lips as he crossed his arms and smiled.

"is that an ego i hear?" johnny put a hand to his ear and wriggled his eyebrows at me, causing a laugh to erupt up from my stomach.

"i only learnt from the very best," i pointed my nose in the air while johnny shook his head, taking a seat beside me.

"well, come on, miss ziegler, do explain this question," johnny turned towards me, his voice low and husky, as my heart thumped. that was-. i turned away, a faint blush dusting my cheeks as i grabbed the book.

"whatever, listen, for the first question, its x+y+z. so its actually equivalent to-" i trailed off as i saw him staring at me instead of the math book opened in front of us.

"are you even listening?" i demanded, my hands on my hips as i glared at him. here i was wasting my brain juice on him, while he turned a deaf ear towards me.

"nope," he popped the 'p' at the end, grinning at me as i tore at my hair in frustration.

"you come here to ask me to help you, and you don't pay attention? johnny orlando, i-" i stopped halfway through my sentence as no insults could conjure up in my brain.

"come on, let me teach you, since your brain is obviously overheating" johnny grabbed the pen from my fingers lightly, his fingers brushing against mine, causing a tingle to shoot down my spine. what-. i clenched my hands into fists and shoved them under me as i sat on them, gritting my teeth. it was going to be a long day.

. . .

i watched on in fascination as johnny explained all the questions patiently, writing down the answers in an organized manner. finally, after he finished explaining, he beamed at me, putting the pen down while i looked at him in amazement. it took me a whole two hours to tackle the entire chapter, but it barely even took him 15 minutes. god gave the brains to the wrong person.

"so you actually knew how to do all these questions?" i asked him, my eyes widening, before realising what i just blurted out. of course he knew all these questions, he wasn't the smartest in school for nothing.

"yes, i'm the smartest in school," johnny teased playfully, while i registered the fact that i just spilled everything on my mind.

it's really, really very unfair that johnny gets to be both smart. and handsome. i looked at myself in the mirror hanging on the wall. it's alright. i wasn't pretty or anything, but i've got the brains, and i just got to make them work.

"you are pretty," johnny was staring at me with an unreadable look in his eyes, something unfamiliar.

"i said what was on my mind again, right?" i sighed, but my heart couldn't help but do a tiny leap at his words.

you are pretty. i blushed.

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