Chapter Twenty Three: Reports
RILEY'S POV
"Never have I ever liked looking dumb," he said suddenly, making me choke on my own saliva.
Is he talking about me?
I never said I liked it. I only said I didn't mind… and how did he even know that? I didn't say it out loud.
I coughed, which immediately made everyone turn to look at me. Laughter broke out around the circle, and for a brief
moment, I thought I saw Xander smirk.
Reluctantly, I reached forward and picked up a candy.
"Seriously?" Jason said, laughing even harder.
________________________________________
I walked into my room, dropping my bag on the floor before falling face-first onto my bed.
By the end of the game, I was pretty sure I had eaten the most candies.
But my mind kept drifting back to Xander.
Did he seriously think I liked looking dumb? Who in their right mind would enjoy that?
I huffed and turned onto my back, staring up at the ceiling.
And if he knew what he was doing, why didn't he just stop explaining everything like that? He could have simply done his part without acting like he was tutoring me.
He was probably just putting on a show—trying to look like a considerate project partner.
Right?
________________________________________
Monday arrived quicker than I expected.
I walked into class and took my seat, noticing the chair beside me was still empty. That meant Xander hadn't arrived yet.
A few minutes later, the teacher started walking around the classroom, collecting our reports.
That was when Xander walked in.
"You're late," the teacher muttered, holding out her hand for his report.
He handed it over without a word before taking his seat, ignoring the curious looks from the rest of the class.
"Alright, class," the teacher said as she returned to her desk. "Open your textbooks and revise everything we've covered this semester. And no noise."
I pulled out my book, suddenly remembering that exams were only one week away—and I hadn't started studying yet.
At least this was the third semester. Summer break was getting closer.
I sighed and glanced around the classroom. More than half the class wasn't even pretending to read.
My eyes drifted to Xander.
He was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed like he was taking a nap.
As if he sensed me staring, his eyes suddenly snapped open.
I nearly jumped.
I turned away so fast I was surprised my neck didn't snap.
For the rest of the period, my eyes stayed glued to my textbook.
The moment the bell rang, I quickly packed my things.
The teacher began handing out our reports as students lined up to collect them. When it was my turn, I took mine and stepped out of the classroom.
When I saw the A+ written at the top, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Under it, the teacher had written: Good job.
I was still examining the paper when I suddenly felt someone pat my head.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
Xander stood behind me, his hand already back in his pocket like he hadn't done anything unusual.
"What was that for?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
He glanced at the paper in my hand.
"Good job," he said simply.
Oh.
My face immediately grew warm.
"You read it already?" I asked, lifting the paper slightly.
"I didn't need to," he replied with a shrug.
"You looked like someone who just survived a heart attack."
I scoffed. "It's called being relieved.".
His gaze lingered on the paper for a second before he spoke again.
"What did you get?"
"A+," i said looking up at him.
He nodded "See you later, Rachel" he said walking passed me.