HIDING FROM THE TRUTH ✔️

CHAPTER 4: ZAPATOS

4.
"Please Avery," Luke begged, "you know I'd do it for you!"

She rolled her eyes as she tucked a strand of orange hair behind her ear. "No, you wouldn't."

They sat in the library with Micah and who had been watching them argue for twenty minutes now. They all had the same free period except for Maeve and Josiah.

"Yes I would," Luke insisted even though they all know that was a huge lie. "I already told Gavin you guys are in my study group, he'll question it if you're not there!"

"That sounds like a you problem," she scoffed. "Micah will join, won't you?" She batted her lashes at the boy who wasn't interested whatsoever.

"I suppose," he shrugged.

"Thank you!" Luke exclaimed, wincing when the library shushed him from her desk with a harsh glare. "I mean thank you," he whispered this time.

Luke made a move to hug him as thanks but Micah flinched back. "No touching."

"Right, sorry," he moved back. "Come on Avery. Be a good friend like Micah."

"I already have robotics club and biotech that I have to keep up with. I don't have time to entertain your stupid study group. You know we all work better alone anyway."

"What if I do your anatomy homework for the whole semester?" he gave her his best puppy dog eyes as he jutted out his bottom lip.

Her resolve cracked at how sad Luke looked. Puppy dog eyes were her weakness. "Fine," she gave in, making Luke smile widely. "But you have to do my geometry too."

"Deal." They shook on it.

"I've yet to comprehend the reason behind this, Luke." Micah didn't bother looking up as he continued writing in his notebook.

"It's not important," Luke tried to brush it off but Avery smirked at him and he already knew he was done for.

"It's because he's in love with Gavin."

"Stop saying that!" he whisper-yelled at her, "I am not!"

"Love?" Micah snorted. "That's plain ridiculous. No such thing exists."

"Oh Micah," Avery resisted the motherly urge to pat his head, "you'll understand one day."

Micah's usual blank expression twisted into one of disgust. "I think not."

"Come on guys, we need to focus," Luke interrupted. "What do people even do during a study group?"

"I don't know. Compare notes? Quiz each other with flashcards? Which I don't know how we'll do, considering he's in senior classes."

"He's in lower-level classes since he isn't able to understand the upper ones," Luke explained. "And even then, I'm familiar with all the material anyway. It's not hard."

"Okay then, Mister Genius," Avery snickered. "Whatever you say."

"You say that like you aren't one of the smartest kids in our grade," Luke shot back.

"And you say that like you aren't the smartest kid in our school." She shuffled through her backpack to pull out a textbook. "We get it. You're intelligent. Congrats."

Luke bit his lip, keeping his mouth shut. He didn't like it when people defined him by his school performance. And just about everyone did.

He wanted to be more than "the smart kid". Yet that's all anyone ever saw him as. He found it funny how Owen and him were bipolar opposites, but at the same time, were viewed by society as something they hated.