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Honestly, I’m curious who the guy is. If he really is a decent, kind-hearted guy who has real feelings for Chloe, I’ll relax. But if he’s a creep? I’ll give him a piece of my mind.
I plow my fingers through my light brown hair that’s getting a bit too long. Why is this messing me up so much? Maybe because as the only male member of the Junior Musketeers, it’s my job to protect the girls? Ugh. That’s so sexist. Chloe can take care of herself.
But at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt for me to watch over her.
“Clear your desks for a pop quiz,” Ms. Bhatt instructs as she walks into the classroom. Each student does as directed, except for Chloe, who’s still tracing her finger along her desk, her thoughts in a different place.
“Chloe,” I hiss.
No reaction.
“Chloe,” I say louder.
Again, nothing.
“Chloe!”
“Mr. Hastings,” Ms. Bhatt says as she comes to stand near my desk. “Do we have a problem? Or would you like to fail this quiz?”
I sink in my seat, my long legs scraping against the floor. “No, Ms. Bhatt. There’s no problem. Sorry.”
I glance at Chloe and find her brown eyes on mine, confused, like she doesn’t understand why I’m disturbing class.
Ms. Bhatt faces her. “Please clear your desk, Miss Barrington, so I may hand out the quiz.”
At the mention of a quiz, Chloe’s eyes get huge with panic, as if she has no idea what’s going on. Man, was she really not here and didn’t hear a word our teacher said? I’m worried that she’s so distracted. Didn’t she say at lunch that she doesn’t want this secret admirer thing taking over her life? So much for that.
After Chloe’s desk is cleared, Ms. Bhatt hands out the quizzes. The Junior Musketeers pride themselves on being good at school, so neither I nor Chloe should have a problem with this quiz. But as I peek to my left, I’m surprised to see her struggling.
Algebra is hard, but Chloe doesn’t normally have a problem with it. That darn note…
We get through the quiz and then the teacher begins the lesson. I know I should be concentrating, but I can’t stop watching Chloe. She’s just as distracted as she was all day. Is this guy really going to make her fall behind in school?
Ms. Bhatt calls on a few kids to solve some equations on the board while the rest of us jot them down. Her eyes skim over the students until they land on Chloe. “Problem number five, Miss Barrington.”
Chloe snaps in. “What?”
The teacher gestures to the board. “Please solve equation five.”
We learned something new today and I don’t think Chloe was paying attention.
She gets to her feet, slowly making her way to the front of the room like she’s walking to her death. Her cheeks flush as she tries to complete the equation, and I feel so bad when she’s completely lost. She solves it all wrong.
“That’s incorrect, I’m afraid,” Ms. Bhatt says with an apologetic look in her eyes. “Please sit down and…Liam, why don’t you solve the equation?”
As Chloe and I pass each other, I mouth, “Sorry.” I hate that I’m about to show her up. But she waves her hand with the Chloe smile that I love. It transforms her entire face, her eyes shine, and it makes me feel like all things are good in this world. Everything is better when she’s around.
“Correct,” Ms. Bhatt says with a proud grin.
The lesson carries on until the bell rings, and all the kids rush out of the door like this class is torture. If I wasn’t good at math, I guess I’d share their feelings. Chloe and I are the only ones who take our time packing away our things.
I lean against her desk. “You okay?”
She glances up as she stuffs her things into her backpack. “Yeah, why do you ask?”
“No reason. I just noticed you struggled a little with the quiz. And with that equation.”
Her cheeks redden slightly. “I know. Um, I know you’re not on board with the whole thing and I’m trying not to, but…” Her shoulders fall forward. “I can’t stop obsessing over the note. Like…I don’t know. The more we talk about it, the crazier I get. Ineedto know who he is.”
