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Chapter 37

Finally, it was time for History. I grabbed a testing laptop from the class rack and sat down next to Abigail. She was wearing a beautiful silk scarf around her neck. When I sat down, she made a show of adjusting it, and I could see a hickey that she had poorly covered with make-up. I am sure I knew who made that mark on her neck, and it gave me an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Ms. Barnes came into the class and set down a briefcase. "Please go to the testing platform and login. We will be beginning our exams in precisely 10 minutes. Most of you have had me the previous year, so you already know, but I have an announcement for those who did not. The person who finishes first with all the correct answers will receive bonus points for their midterm.

"So basically, Robert." A boy with a cable-knit sweater and the school's soccer emblem said in a playful tone. I had noticed that all of Robbie's soccer teammates were always trying to impress him. It was difficult not to roll my eyes.

"Alright, Mr. Collins, please keep the cute comments to yourself," Ms. Barns said sternly.

We started the exam in precisely 10 minutes, just as she said. The class was very quiet. Ms. Barns sat at her executive style desk, looking at her computer, which displayed all of our screens.

I finished my test quickly. It seemed as if I had overstudied; I knew all the answers instantly. This was nice to know since it meant I could dedicate less time and still ensure an A in the class.

"Looks like we have our first submitted exam. It looks like their answers are all correct as well," The teacher announced.

"Great! Robbie finished. We can stop trying now, guys." I heard a voice say from the back of my classroom.

The whole class groaned.

"It may surprise you, Mr. Medina, but Mr. Bennett was not the first to submit the quiz with all the correct answers."

The whole class became eerily quiet.

"Good job, Ms. Gomez. Nice to see someone give Mr. Bennett some competition for once."

I felt a wave of heat that settled on my cheeks.

"A babe and a nerd." I heard Chris say behind me as he playfully tugged on my ponytail.

Abigail was stiff next to me. I could see her biting her cheek.

I wanted to turn around to see what Robbie's reaction was, but I was too terrified to even move.

I took out the book I had to finish for art history and mindlessly read two pages, but my need to look at him won. I raised my hand.

"Yes, Ms. Gomez."

"May I go refill my water bottle?"

"Of course. Please leave quietly."

I nodded and grabbed my bottle. As I walked out the door, I looked at the back of the room. Robbie sat leaning back in his chair, looking right at me. His eyes were narrowed and he was chewing on the inside of his cheek with an amused look on his face. I felt a wave of heat run up my body and almost dropped my water bottle.

I didn't really have to refill my water bottle. So, I drank some water and decided I would just top it off to bide time. I walked down the hallway to where I remember seeing a water fountain. Behind the fountain was a beautiful stained-glass window. The glass was arranged to an image of a bird flying towards the sun. When the light came through the bird's wings looked like they were on fire. I angled my bottle to fill it up as I gazed at the window.

"Good-job." A smooth voice said next to me.

I jumped and spilled water on my loafers.

He chuckled.

I looked over, and Robbie stood next to me. He was wearing black uniform pants and a dark green sweater over his button-down. He had rolled the sweater and shirt up to his elbows. He looked like a model ready to pose casually for some preppy sail-boat magazine.

"Jumpy," he said with a lopsided smile that showed his straight white teeth.

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect anyone behind me. I didn't even hear you coming."

"I took you for someone who would be more aware of their surroundings."

"Well, you're like that creepy cop from The Terminator. Someone should get you a collar with a bell."

"Pick one out for me," He teased.

"What do you want, Robert?" I asked, suddenly impatient.

"Nothing just wanted to congratulate you. It isn't often someone does better than me on a test."

"Yeah, well, things change, I guess," I said with more confidence than I currently had. I screwed the cap back onto my bottle and started walking back to class.

"Want to study together? You obviously can help me out." He said, walking next to me. His long legs went at an easy stride, and I noticed I had to quicken my pace to keep up.

"I am more of a solitary studier."

"That's not true. I saw you and Liam at the coffee shop down the street."

"That was a one-time thing," I said, caught off guard by his accusation.

Wait a minute.

"Wait, I saw you leave in the other direction. How did you know Liam and I studied together in a coffee shop?"

He glanced down at the floor and shrugged.

"Did you drive back to check up on me?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"No, not to check up on you per se. It's just—Are you dating that guy?" His voice was smooth and disinterested, but his eyes told another story.

"What if I was?" I challenged, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well, then I would say that between him and Chris, your taste in men is concerning."

I looked at him with my mouth gaping.

"You are so unbelievable. Might I remind you of whom you are dating?"

"I'm not dating anyone."

"Liar," I said and gave him a pointed look.

He shrugged.

"Hypocrite," I muttered.

"Fine. Yes, Abigail is not a walk in the park —but Liam is a horrible person."

"I am sure he would say the same about you," I said, pursing my lips.

"Has he? What did he say?" He sounded both curious and upset.

"You know what you did."

 He took a step towards me, "I don't, but whatever I may have done, it was probably justified. Look, you can date whoever you want but be careful what you do or say around Liam."

"Why do you care?" I asked.

He looked taken aback. As if I had gone off the script. He hadn't planned on me asking this question. 

"Because you're my sister's friend."

"So is Lana, and I don't see you harassing her about the guys she dates," I said, arching an eyebrow. I noticed I had also taken a step forward, and I told myself it was because I wanted to make sure we were not yelling in the middle of a school hallway.

His hand came up, fingers outstretched as if he wanted to touch my face. He thought better of it, and his hand came down to his side, hand balled into a fist.

"Yeah, but you aren't like Lana."

"What do you mean?"

"Lana can handle herself with guys."

My jaw dropped in a loud scoff, and I brought my hands up to his chest to push him away. He grabbed my wrists and brought them down, holding them to my sides. My chest was flush against him. His face was close. I could feel his breath. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest. He paused, looking down at me, and he looked like he was arguing with himself. Then he cleared his throat and stepped back, his hands leaving my wrists. Calm. Composed.

"I mean, it's not a bad thing. It's just, you're just really nice and people take advantage of nice people."

"I'm not stupid," I said. My head felt dizzy, and I could feel my skin burning from where his hands touched me.

"No," He shook his head, his hair falling over his eyes. My fingers had a sudden itch to push it back. "That's not what I meant. I mean, people like you don't think the same way people like Liam think. You believe everyone is kind like you and that they don't have ulterior motives; you don't realize that some people aren't what they appear to be."

I sighed.

"Thanks for your concern, but it's not necessary," I said, annoyed, and turned around to go back to class. I was gone for a while now and didn't want the professor to think I was skipping. That would really ruin my chances of getting a letter of recommendation.

"Wait, Lia." He said and grabbed my arm to stop me.

I turned and looked at him expectantly.

"If anything happens with you and Liam, please tell me."

"You want to know if Liam and I hook up?"

He winced and shook his head.

"God, no. I mean, if he does anything—never mind," he said and rubbed his neck, another nervous habit of his I had categorized in my mental encyclopedia of Robert Bennett.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes again.

"Whatever, Robbie," I said and opened the door to the classroom.

We both walked in together. I noticed instantly that Ms. Barns and Abigail took special notice.

Ms. Barn's notice was due to having paired everyone up for a project in our absence. This meant Robbie automatically became my partner.

When I went back to my desk, I heard Abigail mutter "unbelievable" under her breath.

Class ended, and she shoved her books into her bag and stood up angrily "watch yourself." She said quietly.

"What?' I asked at first, confused whether she was even talking to me.

"You know what you're doing, don't act cute." She said, her blue eyes meeting mine with a hard look. Then she turned with a flip of her blonde hair, walking out of the class.

Robbie came up next to me; his bag slung over one shoulder.

"I guess we will be working together," He said, smiling.

I ignored my accelerating heartbeat and grabbed my things. Before I left the class I pulled up Lana's name on my phone and typed up a message. Text me the list of names at the party. It said. I hit send and walked out to go to my next class. 

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A/N

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