i'm paying very close attention in chemistry class today.

by "paying attention", i mean scoping out potential "jacks". 

i was mostly looking for left-handed boys and i had compiled a list of five people: boyce, graham, tucker, finneas and harper.

graham, as usual, was drawing with his left hand. bingo!

"i think i'm gonna talk to him," i tell boyce during our lab. "it's totally him. he's even drawing."

he stares at me like i've grown a third head. "you're gonna what? no, no, don't be stupid. it's obviously not him."  he yanks me back, hard, before i can do anything.

boyce's biggest flaw is that he talks a bit too loudly all the time. a couple heads turn at his exclamation, including the eyes of tucker, graham, harper, and finneas and james (boys who pick their noses who i usually give the same look they're giving me), and i drop the idea immediately.

"sheesh, could you whisper?" i hiss at him.

"sorry, sorry!"  boyce hisses back. i resist the urge to hit him because his "whisper" voice is still as loud as my speaking voice. "anyways, it's not him. you really think someone like him is gonna go for someone like you?" 

he's getting defensive. why is he getting defensive?

"what's that supposed to mean?"

"well, you're such a...good girl."

what the fuck? did he just...

"oh." is all i'm able to squeak. is it really boyce?

"maybe it's finneas? guy doing this seems like a coward." he chuckles and my certainty is gone in an instant.

"yeah. maybe," i respond uneasily, because what am i supposed to say to that? boyce says it like it's a bad thing, but if i ignore the nose picking, finneas is truly a nice guy.

i scan around the classroom one last time, dejected. 

just before i return back to my beakers, i see graham's eyes burn me with an intensity i've never seen before.