I’d help him practice.”
Her grin widens until it looks a little unnatural. I don’t think anyone’s ever told Alanna that sometimes, she gets a creepy clown smile. “Good, he’ll need it. Let me get my other set of cards, and you can use those with him.”
She ducks down and grabs a rubber-banded set of at least five hundred cards. “That should keep you guys busy, though I’m sure he’d rather be busy other ways.”
I give her a pained grin, because I seriously don’t think she knows it’s super socially awkward to talk about other people’s sex lives to their face. Not that William and I have a sex life. Or that I have a sex life. Or… I undo the rubber-band on the study cards in order to stop my idiot brain and prevent it from saying any of that shit out loud.
Incubation Period: Interval between the receipt of a pathogen and onset of a clinical disease.
Yippee. Science cards. My least favorite. Luckily, William arrives quickly, hopping up into the van with an easy grin when he sees I’ve saved him a seat.
“Hey.” He comes and sits beside me, strapping in. I can’t tell if it’s an accident or intentional, but his leg ends up pressed against mine. I wait for the tummy flutters to start, but before they can arrive, Janie St. James shows up.
As soon as she spots William, she beelines for us and straps in on his other side.
My stomach curdles like rotten milk. Well, this is gonna stink.
“Willie, hey.” She reaches up a hand and ruffles his hair.
She calls him Willie? And he lets her? I’ve never heard a more limp-dick nickname in my entire life. If I was him, I wouldn’t allow it.
William doesn’t seem too bothered by it though. He just smiles at her and says, “I’m gonna study with Katrina now. Okay?”
She makes a little pouty face. “Oh, I thought we could study together.”
Alanna pipes up. “Studying is much better one on one. I can help you, Janie. I’ve got tons of cards. Do you want to come sit by me?”
Janie eyes the way William’s leg is still touching mine. “No. I’m good. Thanks.” When William turns toward me, her eyes turn into daggers and I know I’m going to have to watch my back.
I briefly wonder if William is worth the hassle of turning Janie into an enemy. But then I check myself. If? I’ve been crushing on this guy for years. Of course he’s worth the hassle!
A skeptical, errant little thought inside of me says, You wouldn’t have that hassle if you kissed Raz instead. Or Akor. Or Van. Zolroth. Kastros.
I chase that little thought around in my head so I can beat it with a baseball bat. But the little fucker hides and snickers at me.
I end up giving William an overly bright smile, one that probably looks just as creepy as Alanna’s clown grin. “Ready to get started?” I ask, because I’m incapable of making small talk with him like a normal human being.
“Sure,” he responds, shifting slightly so that his back is to Janie and he’s facing me. I turn a little toward him and my skirt rides up. As I tug it back into place, his eyes dart down. Then they slowly travel back up my torso, lingering on my chest.
And for some reason, that doesn’t make me as hot as it should. Maybe that’s because Kastros slams shut the back doors of the van at that moment, or because Tim, Wade, and Darrel come piling into the van at that time, filling the van with the ripe scent of teenage boy.
They pile in, quoting Monty Python as they do. “I fart in your general direction!” Tim says with a horrid French accent as he slides into a seat next to Alanna.
The other guys collapse into giggles as she rolls her eyes. “We are not watching those dumb movies again the entire drive.”
“Yeah, we are,” Wade retorts. And then he sets up a tablet, and the three stooges proceed to argue about which Monty Python to start with, until Rochambeau determines that Monty Python and The Holy Grail is the winner.
Kastros climbs into the front of the van. He’s so huge that the van rocks as he climbs in. He fiddles with the GPS for a second before honking loudly. That’s when my worst nightmare occurs.
Raz gets into the front passenger seat. He turns around and glares at us. “Alright. I’m the second chaperone for this tournament.