"A good friend knows all your stories, a best friend has helped you write them."
A few days later||
After my crazy first day of school, the rest of the week went by a blur and it was finally the last day of the week. In this one week, Jelly and I became quite friendly, Candy tutored me for the computer class- though I didn't need it- she took her words back for not wanting to be seen with me in public and also revealed the fact about why she agreed to tutor me in the first place.
'Yesterday night. At the library.' I sang in my head to begin the flashback.
"Hey, Candy!" I greeted her with a smile as I slid onto my seat across her.
She sighed. "It's Cady."
I grinned. "I know."
I didn't reveal the fact that I had this weird problem with remembering accurate names. I even named my maids - Daisy and Pocahontas!
Yeah, the duck and the fossil-princess.
I was pretty sure Pocahontas was never called the fossil princess.
I didn't see that movie though.
Never mind.
Candy only knew that I was messing with her but that wasn't the only reason. Candy and I had this usual bickering going on. We'd disagree on things more than agree on stuff. She never talked about her family or something personal-
Not that I wanted her to.
She liked to stick to studies. And I admired that.
But unlike any other day, when we only studied, today was different.
Because today, I was about to ask her the actual reason of helping me out with notes and tutoring me in the first place. Hopefully, she'd give me an honest answer. If she didn't, I'd have to press further. I didn't like to stay in ignorance - and I hoped she knew that.
"So...what was the last thing we studied?" She asked - more to herself than me- as she turned the pages of the text book.
"Hey, Candy?"
She let out a breath but didn't correct me. Maybe, she understood that I wouldn't stop calling her that.
"Yeah?" Her brown orbs fixated on the book.
"Can I ask you something?" Okay, you can do this, Jake. Take deep breaths.
"Shoot." She deadpanned.
Taking a deep breath, I asked her. "Why are you doing this?"
Finally, she looked at me - eyebrows furrowed, nose scrunched a little. "What do you mean?"
"Why are you tutoring me? You never answered me when I asked you the first day."
I don't know why but I needed to hear this. I needed to know why she was tutoring me. Even the principal knew I wasn't the type of student who needed tutoring. So why? In fact, when the principal -Clara? Right, Clara. So, when she started to explain, Candy cut her off and immediately agreed.
Let's not forget the whole eavesdropping thing where I found out that she- if I'm not wrong- was in trouble for something she didn't do. I didn't know why but I hoped that she'd be honest about this. My heart pounded against my chest, nervousness spiraling in the pit of my stomach as I waited for her to reply.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" she asked, her voice a whisper. She didn't meet my eyes anymore. I was curious. What happened?
"No."
"Why do you care?" She snapped at me.
"Don't mistake my curiosity for care. I couldn't care less." A hint of hurt flashed across her eyes but then it was quickly replaced by a blank look. The quicker I said that, the quicker I regretted my words because I knew it sounded harsh.
But then again, I didn't have a control over my mouth sometimes.
"Then why do you wanna know?"
"Because I'm curious and I'm not going to let this go until you tell me. So speak." I said, sternly.
"You're stubborn, you know that?"
"You're changing the subject."
"Fine." She paused for a second before continuing. "Do you know Alex Snow?"
I nodded.
"I hacked into the grading system because she wanted to change her grades." Somehow, I didn't believe her. That couldn't be the only reason because that did not match with what I heard before.
'It's not my fault, Principal Clara. Just hear me out.' Her voice rang in my ears.
If she hacked, she was definitely at fault.
And wait- Alex Snow?
The Lone Wolf?
She had a friend? A friend name Candy Harrington?
There was more to it. I was sure.
She did something big, but wasn't going to trust me with it. Alright, let's give her the benefit of the doubt.
"So, let this go?" She asked me after a few minutes that snapped my back into reality. I hadn't realized that she had been staring at me and deducing my reaction towards what she revealed. Even after pressing her to give answers, she settled on a lie - or well, a little truth.
She could make one hell of a spy!
(Future Jake: Yeah, kids.She did.)
I grinned. "yeah, sure."
She let out a breath of relief as if she was trying hard to keep her secret but there were more questions in mind,
Questions related to Alex Snow.
________________________________________________________________
'Flashback over, readers!'
"Okay, so what did the proton tell the neutron when neutron asked,' are you sure you lost an electron?' " Jelly asked excitedly, as he opened the chemistry textbook in front of him. Today, the teacher who was supposed to take my Chemistry class was absent so my class had to merge with Jelly's class. Hence, the same Chemistry class.
"I'm positive."
He grinned. "Damn right, you are!"
We were waiting for our chemistry teacher to walk into the classroom and start the class as soon as possible. The students in the class couldn't care less. The girls were gossiping, giggling. The guys were chatting and well trying their best to not harm the other using the chemicals and then there was Jelly and I.
Making Chemistry jokes.
Frankly, it was fun hanging around with Jelly. He'd been nothing but a dork, a goofball and an awesome friendly person.
Well yeah, I don't make friends that quickly.
Some of the girls glanced at me and fanned themselves, some even shot me - I don't wanna use the word- looks. And sometimes -only sometimes- the guys would glare at me.
Well, gentlemen, you have competition!
"-now, what happened to the person at the bar who also, apparently, asked for water?"
I grinned. "He died. Because he unknowingly asked for hydrogen peroxide."
Jelly ran his hand through his hair - he did that often when he thought something. "What do you say, we give the guys hydrogen peroxide?"
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why do you wanna waste hydrogen peroxide on these jerks?"
yeah, they were the likely definition of jerks.
"I guess you're right. I don't wanna waste such valuable thing on these jerks. Hydrogen Peroxide deserves better than that."
We both laughed at that.
"Oh look, even the hydrogen peroxide bottle is laughing!" Jelly took the bottle in his hands and laughed with it.
"Well, well well. Look who's here!"
"The girlfriend of the newbie!" someone spat.
"The Bloody Lone Wolf!"
"Aroo!" The whole class mimicked the sound of the wolf- except Jelly and I, of course. Jelly looked at me in disbelief and I clearly knew what he was going to ask. Even in these few days, I completely forgot how I met Alex and the whole 'couple thing' she made up. She told me that we didn't have to pretend, perhaps because she knew no one had listened.
Guess she was wrong.
My head snapped to the direction of the door and there I saw - standing her ground and trying her best to not beat anyone up.
Alex Snow.