𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐩𝐬 ✓

54

After my episode, Chase and I took the whole next day off from classes and spent the day in bed cuddling and watching movies. But because life keeps moving even if you stop, here we are back in class.

Chase walks me to Calculus and we take our seat and tune in once the professor begins to speak. "As you all are probably aware, your December exams are quickly approaching. In your tutorial sessions, you will be reviewing the main topics on the exam that we've covered thus far, including multi-variable and vector calculus, celestial mechanics, Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity and the relationship between physics and calculus. It will be important to make sure that you are comfortable with many applications of these concepts such as computing orbits, rocket trajectories, force fields, and the laws of electricity and magnetism." We all scramble to copy down the topics to study for the exam.

"It's not like it's rocket science," Chase says sarcastically. "Oh wait, it is." I laugh, still copying down whatever I deem important. This exam is probably going to kick my ass, but I didn't work this hard to get a scholarship just to throw it away on one exam. Most of my exams are going to be difficult, but at least Statistics will be easy.

The day goes on like this. Professors droning on and on about electrostatic potential and capacitance, semiconductors, statistics, and cryptography, all of it blending together as I mindlessly take notes when necessary. Chase seems distracted all throughout classes, barely teasing me like he usually does. I bump into his shoulder as he, Reece and I leave our last class of the day. "What's on your mind?" I ask him, concerned.

"Oh it's nothing," He says, pasting an ingenuine smile on his face to appease me but I don't buy it, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What Chase? I know something is up." I prompt him and he sighs.

"I just wish that I could go home for Christmas. I have some money saved up but my parents won't even be in the country, and my sister will probably be too busy." He looks disappointed and it makes me feel awful.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm staying here. It's still a bit tense between Tat and I with everything that went down, but Eli might come up." I offer.

He smiles at this. "You'd want to spend Christmas with me?" He asks, unsure.

"Of course I would. I'm not really used to doing anything for Christmas anyway, my parents didn't celebrate holidays that only include family. If you can't invite your business partners over then it isn't worth the trouble." I shrug.

"Oh Lexi, Christmas with me isn't like any old Christmas. Call me Saint Nick." He winks, pulling me closer to him by my waist.

"Are we going to study or not?" I hear Reece say from beside me, completely forgetting that he was there and that we were supposed to be going to the library.

"Yes, we are," I say enthusiastically.

After hours of looking for, and reading through books relating to redox phenomena, photovoltaics, and rare earth complexes, we all mutually decide to take a break. "I will never look at a solar panel the same way again." Chase groans into his hands, his face resting on the table. Reece laughs from his spot on the other side of the table where he sits studying vector spaces, direct sums, and linear transformations which is simple compared to ours.

"Yes it's tedious, but it's so interesting. Like the concept of using strontium aluminate as an afterglow redox sensitizer!" I say. Trying to keep my voice hushed so as to not disturb anyone.

"Nerd." I hear someone say from behind me, I pout at Chase before twisting in my seat to see Crystal approaching our table.

"Are you lost? This is the li-bra-ry." I sound out to her as if she can't understand the concept. Reece and Chase smirk. Crystal just crosses her arms across her chest and smiles at the boys.

"Bet you boys just can't wait to get away for the weekend huh?" She asks completely ignoring me, obviously in on something that I'm not. Chase winces and mouths to me, "later" and I nod, not allowing Crystal of all people to make me react badly to something, obviously trying to take away Chase's opportunity to say it himself.

"Yeah everyone is really excited, but we're kinda busy with our innovative technology right now, so..." I trail off, staring her down as she steps closer to Chase. She rolls her eyes at me and smirks. "How was your Halloween by the way? I didn't see you at the house. Got uninvited?" My face falls and Reece gasps. Tears start to build in my eyes as I direct my face away from her so she can't see me. I catch a glimpse of Chase and see that his jaw and fists are clenched like he wants to punch something or someone.

"What the fuck Crystal, are you seriously that much of a bitch? No decent person would bring up something like that. Nobody, not even you deserve to get something like that thrown in your face. And definitely not Lexi." Reece snaps, which is so unlike him, standing up and moving over to me quickly. He grabs my things and Chase holds me as we stand and move to leave. I turn back to see Crystal's face scrunch up in confusion as we walk away.

"Didn't you hear? I heard that guy Michael raped her." Someone from behind me says to her and I don't even allow myself to flinch. I hear and see everything, but I feel so numb as the boys lead me away from the library, away from the pitying stares.

Poor little Alexis.