“What?” Mason says, not looking abashed in the least. He just grins a cheeky grin and winks at the other girls. “It is, though.”
Alexis glances at me quickly. “It’s Ji—Jihad,” she says, her voice wavering for a fraction.
The cement has sealed my mouth shut and is now trickling down my arms and legs.
“Sorry,” he says to me, not sounding the least bit sorry.
I manage to nod.
Alexis’s shoulders relax, and she grins back at him. The second bell rings. “See you at lunch?”
“I’ll be the one with this face.” He gestures at his mouth, and she laughs, but before she can leave, he catches her hand, tugs her toward him before planting a kiss on her cheek. Then he hurries away, and as soon as he’s gone, the girls burst into squeals, rushing toward Alexis.
“Oh my God!” Hayley shrieks.
“Did that just happen?” Alexis whisper-yells, a hand over her mouth.
“Yes! We all saw it!” Nicole shakes Alexis’s shoulders, jumping up and down.
I step back into shadows, the cement unbreaking and unrelenting.
No one brings up what Mason said.
I shove what Mason said out of my mind, getting to my next class. World history with Alexis and Hayley. I walk beside them quietly while they go on about Mason kissing Alexis’s cheek.
When we walk in, I spot Jamie sitting in the corner, working away on his laptop.
“Ji, right here,” Alexis says, patting an empty seat beside her.
“Thank you. Just one second.” I place my bag on my chair and make my way to Jamie.
“What’s up?” He smiles as I approach.
I fidget with my fingers and take a deep breath. “Thank you for sending the notes last night. Really saved me. I didn’t catch most of that.”
His smile becomes a grin. “You’re getting the cream of the crop when it comes to the notes.”
My lips twitch involuntarily. “Oh, am I?”
“Very much, yes. I’m organized, as you saw from the color-coded sections,andI add in extra information I find online to expand on certain topics that were vaguely discussed in class.” He waves a hand. “Cream of the crop.”
I smile. When I saw the different gray gradient of the sections, I thought they must be different colors, but I wasn’t sure. “I appreciate it.”
He nods. “Wasn’t any trouble.”
The warmth from his kindness spreads hesitantly from my chest, like it doesn’t know how to crawl through my bones and blood vessels.
I go back to my seat, only to see Alexis and Hayley staring at me.
“Um, what just happened?” Alexis asks.
I shrug. “He sent me notes, and I thanked him.”
“He has your phone numberandhe emails you?” Hayley says. “God, don’t tell Nicole. She’ll kill you.”
I frown. “He’s just helping me.”
Hayley ignores me, going back to her phone, but Alexis leans her head against my shoulder for a second, and sparks of happiness burst inside me.
