The REM Trials

Chapter 19

I let out a sigh as I finally leave school after an excruciatingly long day of classes and the added time in detention thanks to a certain 'new friend' calling me and getting me caught by a cranky teacher. "Finally free! Heading over now for our study session." My phone clicks as I type out and send the text to the group chat.

There's a smile that tugs at my lips as I get on the subway and head to Peter's. It wasn't until today when I officially rejoined my two favorite nerds that I realized just how much I missed them.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see an incoming call from Harley, "What is it with you and calling?" I quip as I answer the phone and climb onto the subway. "It's like your some old man who thinks texting isn't proper communication."

Harley laughs, and I can hear him tinkering with stuff in the background. "It's a personal preference, I guess. Texts leave too much to be interpreted and mistaken." He pauses for a moment, "Sorry for getting you detention by the way, but in my defense, how was I supposed to know you were in class?"

"Because it's a Monday?" I tease and shake my head at his logic sometimes. "It's fine though. It gave me some time to convince myself to stop stressing about studying with Peter."

He replies immediately, not missing a beat as he asks, "Wait, do you like Peter?"

"What?" I sputter and try to form a string of coherent words to counter the comment, "No, we—we're just friends. I'm not exactly in the kind of place to date someone anyway."

"So that's a yes then. Otherwise you wouldn't have made an excuse about not dating." Harley laughs, and I swear, I could strangle him for being too inquisitive and perceptive. "What's the trouble?"

"You mean—besides the obvious?"

"It's not like you can't tell him."

"No, Harley, I can't." I snap, and immediately feel bad for it when I hear the tinkering go quiet on the other side. "I'm sorry, it's just—it's more complicated than just that. He likes someone else, and I can't ruin our friendship like that."

"If he's even worth your time, it wouldn't ruin anything." He tells me, and I nod my head even though he can't see. "Plus, for all you know, he could like you more but think he doesn't have a chance."

"Very funny, Harley." The subway pulls to a stop as the screen's flash the information for the stop, and I do my best to navigate through the hoard of people to get off. "Trust me though, you haven't seen that lovesick puppy look he gets when she's around. So, yeah, I highly doubt he likes me."

"You never know." He tells me as he resumes his tinkering. "So, what exactly are you guys studying? I thought being a Stark meant automatic genius status."

"For most things, yes. Unfortunately, the genius chemist gene seems to have bypassed me."

"Does anyone know you're dyslexic?" He questions, which makes me let out a sigh. "That's a no."

"I don't exactly just go around telling people that, and I don't technically have dyslexia. Trust me, my mum got me tested with everything they have. So it's hard to explain that I mix up numbers in certain settings."

"You really think they wouldn't get it?"

"They probably would, but it's not something I really like to talk about. Which makes the fact that you managed to get it out of me really weird." I joke hoping to change the topic. "I swear, you probably know almost as much about me as my best mates who have known me since we were toddlers."

"What can I say? I've got that kind of face."

I abruptly stop in the middle of the sidewalk at the comment, which earns me a few nasty glares from people. "Harley, I haven't seen your face."