Alex hummed in agreement. “We could talk about social media addiction and how it affects people our age.”
“It might be hypocritical for me to talk about that,” Lola muttered.
“Same. Also, that topic is kind of boring,” I said, my tone flat and petty.
As Alex scrolled on his laptop, I watched his eyes roll in a subtle, annoyed way, and I almost scoffed. How dare he knock my idea like that? My suggestion wasn’t exactly innovative, but it was better than nothing. And who did he think he was acting so dismissively toward me?
Maybe I was a hypocrite.
“We could talk about the stigma around mental health and stress in college students,” Lola suggested softly. “I think that’s relatable to all of us, and there are a lot of good points we could make.”
“I like that idea,” Alex said.
I flicked my gaze at Lola. “So do I.”
I learned we had to create a five-minute-long presentation with data, examples, and videos. We were supposed to convince the audience of how our topic was harmful to society and the ways we could come up with to fix it. We needed to research and include precise details, so it was due at the end of the semester.
We spent the next hour brainstorming the layout of our slideshow and even tackled a little research. If I had to rate how bored I was on a scale of one to ten, I’d give it a fifty.
Whether or not I liked it, Alex and I were partners, so I couldn’t pretend he didn’t exist. To gauge his reactions, I spoke to him as I did to Lola. He responded to me just as he did her—like we’d just met. In a way, we did just meet, and I had no right to be pissed at that.
But it didn’t change that I was.
“It’s getting late, and I have to help Millie with homework.” Alex shut his laptop with a sympathetic smile.
“Same,” I said with a yawn. “But I don’t need to help anyone with homework. I need to do my own.”
Lola’s hand cupped her chin, and a playful smile tugged at her lips. “Jocks do homework?”
Ignoring the bellows of laughter from Lola, I packed my things. I wondered if she made cheap jokes like that to any of the other guys on the team, or if it was just a me thing. Regardless, she was only trolling, but I was disappointed in myself with my lack of rebuttals. I needed to step up my game.
Alex, Millie, and I said our goodbyes to Lola after we discussed another day to work on the godforsaken project. As we left the building, our paths lined up, so we walked in uncomfortable silence. I thought Millie would have helped with the tension, but she, too, was quiet. Her face was glued to the much more important iPad, causing her to struggle to walk in a straight line.
I kept my gaze on my shoes as we walked, before I gave into the urge to make conversation. “So… why did you join our group?”
“Lola invited me,” he replied simply.
“Yeah, but you were already in a group with your friend,” I intoned. “Not that I was watching you. I just pay a lot of attention to what’s going on around me instead of listening to the professor.”
Alex gripped Millie’s shoulder and pulled her from the edge of the sidewalk before wedging her between us. “Sounds like you were watching me.”
“Why would I be watching you?” I asked bluntly.
His gaze flickered to mine, over it. “You tell me.”
I came to an abrupt halt, causing Alex to slow and turn to me with furrowed brows.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I wasn’t watching you.”
Alex half scoffed, half laughed. “You noticed who I hang out with in a class of about thirty people? Logic says you were watching me.”
My jaw tightened. “Or I noticed because you were the last one standing in the middle of the room, looking lost and stranded, without a group to go to.”
He paused, scoffing as if he couldn’t believe what I had just said. “I was not, asshole.”
“You were, but who knows? Maybe it was because you wanted to be in my group.”
“Why would I want to be in your group?”
