Lab Partners by Montgomery Mora

Author:Montgomery, Mora [Montgomery, M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241455722
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2020-01-22T00:00:00+00:00

Come Now, Eli

Focus, Elliot, focus!

I kept my gaze fixed stubbornly on the number two pencil held firmly in my white-knuckled grip. I couldn’t look away, nor could I tune in to Ms. Dailey’s lecture enough to start taking notes. I just sat there with the tip of my pencil pressed against the blank notebook paper as I tried not to hyperventilate.

I didn’t know how I expected to make it out of this class without passing out, but whatever plan I’d had was tossed out the window the minute Jordan freaking Hughes took his seat beside me.

God, he was right there.

I had yet to turn and look at him, but then I didn’t really need to. I could practically feel his presence beside me, like a wave of heat sending goose bumps up my left arm.

A sudden escalation of noise and the rustling of papers meant Ms. Dailey was handing out the homework assignment. I bit my lip, knowing I was screwed for not paying any attention to the lecture. Sighing, I let go of the pencil and waited patiently for my paper to arrive.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Jordan brushed his knuckles against my forearm to gain my attention. I reluctantly turned to look at him and, seeing the genuine concern in his eyes, immediately regretted it.

“Are you okay? How are you feeling?” he asked. Instead of answering, I looked down at my pencil again to avoid making any sort of eye contact.

Conflicted. Confused. Mortified. Panicked. Anguished. Curious. Freaked the hell out. Shall I go on?

I didn’t trust myself to answer, so I didn’t.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he whispered as our papers came around. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I nearly broke at the sound of defeat in his voice. I couldn’t help but glance at him out of the corner of my eye. I shouldn’t have, though, because now I needed to add guilty to that list. I knew I needed to say something—anything, really. I opened up my mouth and forced words to come out.

“I-I’m just … freaking out,” I whispered honestly, keeping my gaze strictly on the pencil.

I could feel his gaze burning a hole through the side of my face, but I refused to turn and look at him. Thankfully, after a few minutes of excruciating silence, Ms. Dailey approached our desk and gave me the work I’d missed.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, finally glancing down at my worksheet on atomic theory.

“Feeling better, Mr. Goldman?” she asked. I nodded absentmindedly. She glanced between Jordan and me. “I figured Mr. Hughes here could catch you up on what you missed. If you have any questions that he can’t answer, then you may ask me.”

Isn’t that just the cherry on top?

I gave a faint nod and etched my name across the top of the paper. Hopefully I wouldn’t need any help at all. That way I could avoid both of them and just turn in my assignments at the end of the week.

Jordan, thankfully, remained silent as she walked away.

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