between what we learn and how it affects the world.”
Tate
snorted, but A.J. gave her a rueful smile. “I’ll support that petition, if you
want to get it started.”
“That
is an excellent idea,” Chrissy said brightly.
Rebecca
was the only one who didn’t seem caught up in Chrissy’s joke—if that was
what it was. She stared at Connor for a few more seconds, one pale eyebrow
raised questioningly.
***
Amazingly,
a single word from Jared managed to erase any anxiety or guilt about being in a
love-triangle and turn all of Connor’s thoughts into complete mush.
That
one word was “hi,” and Jared said it kind of quietly as he slipped into the
desk next to him before their anthropology class.
“Hey,”
Connor replied, then bit his lip to keep from smiling so idiotically.
Jared
smirked and turned away, busying himself with dragging a notebook out of his
bag. “So, I’m sorta tied up for the rest of the week. Coach has us doing extra stuff
to make up for getting lazy over Thanksgiving…but I was wondering, if you don’t
already have plans, maybe I could come by on Friday?”
“Um…sure,”
Connor whispered back, trying not to scoff out loud at the thought of already
having plans for a Friday night. But maybe all that was about to change. Maybe
from now on Fridays would be about Jared’s incredible smile and soft, strong
lips.
A
blush crept up his cheeks, and he quickly turned his thoughts to the safer
territory of French structuralism before his body could get any more ahead of
itself.
Friday.
He’d have to wait till Friday.
Chapter Five
Connor
opted for a bag of chips and a soda for dinner, too nervous to do anything
other than peruse the Internet for mind-numbing entertainment. He half-expected
Jared not to show; after missing both a tutoring session and class that
day, it seemed possible Jared had changed his mind about whatever-it-was
they were doing.
He’d
just started compiling a list of all the reasons for Jared’s rejection when the
knock at his door came in a familiar rhythm.
Rap-rap-a-tap-tap, rap rap.
It
was cheesy and so unlike anything he could imagine Jared doing. But then again,
he’d never imagined being kissed by him, either. Looked like he was going to
have to adjust some of his stereotypes about jocks.
“Hey,
you,” Jared said as he entered. He walked past Connor and settled on his bed. “Sorry
it’s kinda late. Did you already eat dinner?”
“Um,
yeah.” Connor hovered awkwardly until Jared grabbed his hand and tugged him
down.
“Yeah?
I never see you at the Observatory dining hall for dinner. Do you go all the
way to Newcomb?”
“Oh…I…I
don’t usually eat dinner at the dining hall. Sometimes I just grab a snack or
whatever to save time.”
“Save
it for what?” Jared prodded, a smirk playing on his lips.
Connor
shrugged and looked away. Why couldn’t Jared just drop it?
“Okay,
so you gotta tell me, what’s with the shyness? Were you like, the fat kid in
elementary school or something?”
Resentment
spurred Connor into a retort. “What? I wasn’t fat. Maybe I wasn’t as athletic
as the other kids, but that doesn’t mean I—”
“Whoa,
whoa, I was totally kidding, dude. But it looks like I struck a nerve.”
Now
embarrassment did rear its ugly and familiar head, but as soon as the blush hit
Connor’s cheeks, Jared threw an arm around him and pulled him close against his
side. “Hey, hey, I’m just kidding. You gotta take me with a grain of salt, you
know.”
“Y-yeah…whatever,”
Connor mumbled.
Jared
chuckled and squeezed him a little tighter into the side-hug. “All right, as
much as I’d like to have you all to myself right now, it’s Friday night, and we
should really go out.”
“Out?”
“Yeah.
Some friends of mine are throwing a house party. It should be pretty low-key—right
up my alley. You in?”
Connor
hesitated, sucking in a deep breath as he gathered his wits. “I…I don’t really
party
Tate
snorted, but A.J. gave her a rueful smile. “I’ll support that petition, if you
want to get it started.”
“That
is an excellent idea,” Chrissy said brightly.
Rebecca
was the only one who didn’t seem caught up in Chrissy’s joke—if that was
what it was. She stared at Connor for a few more seconds, one pale eyebrow
raised questioningly.
***
Amazingly,
a single word from Jared managed to erase any anxiety or guilt about being in a
love-triangle and turn all of Connor’s thoughts into complete mush.
That
one word was “hi,” and Jared said it kind of quietly as he slipped into the
desk next to him before their anthropology class.
“Hey,”
Connor replied, then bit his lip to keep from smiling so idiotically.
Jared
smirked and turned away, busying himself with dragging a notebook out of his
bag. “So, I’m sorta tied up for the rest of the week. Coach has us doing extra stuff
to make up for getting lazy over Thanksgiving…but I was wondering, if you don’t
already have plans, maybe I could come by on Friday?”
“Um…sure,”
Connor whispered back, trying not to scoff out loud at the thought of already
having plans for a Friday night. But maybe all that was about to change. Maybe
from now on Fridays would be about Jared’s incredible smile and soft, strong
lips.
A
blush crept up his cheeks, and he quickly turned his thoughts to the safer
territory of French structuralism before his body could get any more ahead of
itself.
Friday.
He’d have to wait till Friday.
Chapter Five
Connor
opted for a bag of chips and a soda for dinner, too nervous to do anything
other than peruse the Internet for mind-numbing entertainment. He half-expected
Jared not to show; after missing both a tutoring session and class that
day, it seemed possible Jared had changed his mind about whatever-it-was
they were doing.
He’d
just started compiling a list of all the reasons for Jared’s rejection when the
knock at his door came in a familiar rhythm.
Rap-rap-a-tap-tap, rap rap.
It
was cheesy and so unlike anything he could imagine Jared doing. But then again,
he’d never imagined being kissed by him, either. Looked like he was going to
have to adjust some of his stereotypes about jocks.
“Hey,
you,” Jared said as he entered. He walked past Connor and settled on his bed. “Sorry
it’s kinda late. Did you already eat dinner?”
“Um,
yeah.” Connor hovered awkwardly until Jared grabbed his hand and tugged him
down.
“Yeah?
I never see you at the Observatory dining hall for dinner. Do you go all the
way to Newcomb?”
“Oh…I…I
don’t usually eat dinner at the dining hall. Sometimes I just grab a snack or
whatever to save time.”
“Save
it for what?” Jared prodded, a smirk playing on his lips.
Connor
shrugged and looked away. Why couldn’t Jared just drop it?
“Okay,
so you gotta tell me, what’s with the shyness? Were you like, the fat kid in
elementary school or something?”
Resentment
spurred Connor into a retort. “What? I wasn’t fat. Maybe I wasn’t as athletic
as the other kids, but that doesn’t mean I—”
“Whoa,
whoa, I was totally kidding, dude. But it looks like I struck a nerve.”
Now
embarrassment did rear its ugly and familiar head, but as soon as the blush hit
Connor’s cheeks, Jared threw an arm around him and pulled him close against his
side. “Hey, hey, I’m just kidding. You gotta take me with a grain of salt, you
know.”
“Y-yeah…whatever,”
Connor mumbled.
Jared
chuckled and squeezed him a little tighter into the side-hug. “All right, as
much as I’d like to have you all to myself right now, it’s Friday night, and we
should really go out.”
“Out?”
“Yeah.
Some friends of mine are throwing a house party. It should be pretty low-key—right
up my alley. You in?”
Connor
hesitated, sucking in a deep breath as he gathered his wits. “I…I don’t really
party
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