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7
Ican’t concentrate in physics and it’s all Rory’s fault. Everyone else has picked either chemistry or biology, but physics has always appealed to me. I’m the only girl in a class of strangers. Our teacher, Mr. MacDonald, is an elderly white-haired man with a droning voice that reminds me of bees. He wears earth-colored tweed and keeps glaring at me like I’ve done something to offend him.
The only thing I’ve done is exist.
I sit out the way, at the far side of the classroom, beside a boy with neat brown hair. His pens and pencils are all lined up in an even row against the edge of his foldable ruler, and I have to wonder if he’s actually a serial killer.
We’re tasked with an experiment, and my mind’s still so focused on the contorting bodies of Rory and Li that it’s not until the guy beside me turns around and says in a polite tone, “I’m Daniel,” that I realize things are happening.
“Jessa.”
“The American?”
I nod, resigned to this being my identity forever.
The rest of the lesson involves playing around with an electrical circuit, using semiconductors and insulators. I’m thankful. It’s something I’d already learned in Greenvale, and I honestly don’t think my already overwhelmed brain could take in much more new information.
Daniel’s actually nice to me, though I can’t tell if it’s because he’s stuck sitting beside me or he’s just a decent guy. When he helps me to set up the circuit, I almost feel bad for thinking he could be a potential serial killer.
“So in this state,” Mr. MacDonald concludes from the experiment, “when each silicon atom is surrounded by four other silicon atoms, its resistance will be extremely high and it will not conduct.”
I wonder what Li was even thinking, getting together with that jerk? The idea of it legitimately repulses me. Does she know he thinks girls aresnowflake bitches? But then, do I know any of these people? No. Li is as much a stranger to me as Rory. We’re just together out of necessity, due to the genitalia we have in common.
Genitalia that I now know Rory likes.
I slam a palm against the side of my head, willing my thoughts to shut up. Daniel gives me a worried look.
And Finlay? What’shisproblem?Say nothing, and yet creep on them beside me? The whisper I almost didn’t hear —Do you want tae?Was that an invitation to, what, get off right there and then in the library like Li and Rory? Or was he joking?
He must have been joking.
His warm hand around my wrist, gripping me tightly like he owns me, both of us openly perving over ourclassmatesas they reach the crest of some overwhelming ecstasy.
Are you jealous?
“Are you okay?”
I jump.
Daniel peers at me, his kind brown eyes looking vaguely concerned.
I realize I’ve been toying with the circuit, casually flashing the light bulb on and off for the past few minutes by tugging at the wire.
“Yeah. Sorry. My head is… Never mind.”
It’s not much better in math, the final class of the day, but at least this time I have the girls with me. There are two sets for math: upper and lower. All the girls have made the upper set, and I sit beside Freya. Rory and Luke are also with us, positioned at the back of the class as usual. I thought the elite prided themselves on their gifted intellect but to my surprise, Finlay is in the lower set.
As he passes by on the way to his desk, Rory glances at me. There’s something about having his singular attention on me that burns into my soul, as though he’s trying to figure all of me out.
I can’t even meet Li’s eyes. She doesn’t know what I know, and in no universe did I ever imagine seeing her O-face the day after being introduced to her.
“Oh, hey, today we are inmath,” Luke says brightly, and there’s something about his voice that isso goodat disguising biting sarcasm. It’s almost too dry and deadpan to be detected, but I’m on my guard and my back stiffens nevertheless. “I cannot wait to studymath, it is my most favorite-without-a-usubject.”
Freya turns round in her chair. I almost think she’s about to stick up for me, but instead she chirps, “Is it actually? I love trigonometry!”
As my heart sinks, Luke laughs.
It’s getting more and more obvious. I can’t rely on people to stand up for me. I need to do itmyself.
