09 | cuddle buddies

                                    

                                          
a/n in case y'all didn't know, i too suck at math and had unwillingly--it was the fam; i blame them--taken the course. i hated it and almost african parents failed. I'm also taking it next year so wish me luck? this chapter was sponsored, thankfully, by something edu.hk or another. not really sponsored but whatever. vote, comment and all the fun stuff cause we getting some rome action next chapter. love y'all <3
                          
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I trapped my bottom lip between my teeth, staring at the question that had stumped me for almost 15 minutes. My eyes scanned the sentences I'd highlighted, and the notes scribbled in the margins of the case study. At the back of my mind, I could feel my brain struggle to connect the dots that would lead to the answer. 
                          
In my peripheral vision, I saw Anne turn to face me, her mouth moving and saying words I couldn't hear until I pulled out my earbuds. 
                          
"What?" I struggled to bite back the frustration that tinted my voice. I released a sharp exhale. "I don't have the answer to the question for you yet; I'm still working on it." I moved to put my earbuds back in when she stopped me with a hand wrapped around my forearm. 
                          
"Um.. wait."
                          
Her hand paled in dichotomy to my dark skin. I raised an eyebrow at where she held on before she opted to drop her hand and instead placed it on her lap.
                          
"That—that's not what I wanted to ask."
                          
I held back the frustration from my voice this time, asking softly, "What?"
                          
"I wanted to ask if you had plans for this Friday." I didn't miss the way she purposefully avoided my gaze, and I internally groaned. 
                          
Well fuck, I broke the elf. 
                          
"With my bed and a Netflix series to binge, maybe." I cracked a painful smile, hoping for her to reciprocate and maybe wiped that look like I'd killed her puppy off her face. She cracked a small smile, allowed some sort of cushion for my joke that fell flat. 
                          
She rubbed her hands down the sleeves of her Christmas sweater. We were still a month and a couple of weeks away, but no one had the heart to comment on the barf nightmare of neon green and red once she started handing out candy canes. 
                          
"I have a party this Friday. It--it's my birthday, and I was wondering if you'd like to come."
                          
"Party?" I echoed. I barked out a short laugh trying, but failing, to resist rolling my eyes. I returned my attention back to my case study. "Please tell your brother I'm not interested in being the butt end of his jokes." I added after, "Happy early birthday, though." I tucked my earbuds back in, determined to finish the case study to lessen my workload after school and make space for my first tutoring session with Hakeem. 
                          
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anne slide a piece of paper with a scribbled address on the small note. Her mouth moved again and, she capped it off with a small smile. 
                          
The bell interrupted my thoughts, cutting through my focus about 20 minutes later, and I looked down, dejectedly, at the case study. I'd been unable to finish it and bit back a groan at the thought of doing more work after school. 
                          
After allowing the stream of students to filter out the room, I slinked over where Mr. Ortiz sat behind his makeshift desk formed of two student desks. His focus on his laptop never wavered as he continued typing, the corner of his lips ticking up, served as his only sign of acknowledgement. 
                          
"Can I help you, Addy?"
                          
I waved the package of stapled papers. "So, the due date for the case study..."