Page 4 of Perfect Chemistry

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January, why do you hate me? Not only did we get way too much snow over the weekend, but because of the numerous holiday weekends, midterms were moved up. Normally, the whole school took exams during the same two week period. This year, they crammed it all into one.

Annnnnd because I was repeating chemistry as a senior I really couldn’t afford to fail this class. I had spent a lot of time studying with Taylor and a few other classmates since winter break, so I wasn’t as stressed as I thought I would be. It didn’t mean I could relax. I rocked the labs, but sucked at exams.

I looked over at the clock and realized it was later than I thought. I stood up from my notes and stretched. When I heard the phone ringing, I smiled. Taylor was such a spaz about study time.

“Katie, it’s for you!” my dad yelled through the house.

Midterms were next week, and I needed to do well. I had turned off my phone and made sure there were no distractions while I studied. Leaning over to grab a cordless phone sitting near the bed, I answered the call, covered the mouthpiece, and yelled back, “Got it!”

I listened and heard the main house phone disconnect from the call before I responded, “Hello?”

“Hey,” a deep voice said back. One syllable and I knew who it was.

“Hey,” I repeated. “I wasn’t expecting you to call me…. What’s going on?”

There was shuffling on the other end of the line, followed by a thump noise and whispered cursing. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Um, this a bad time?” I asked, giggling.

“Shit, yes. I mean no! Ugh! I need help damnit,” Kai admitted over the phone.

“Yeah, ask your girlfriend taking the AP honor classes at the private school to help you,” I sneered into the phone and started to hang up.

“Stop! I broke up with her right after Homecoming. Please! I really need your help to pass this class,” he whined through the phone.

“Seriously, Kai? You called me now? Where the hell have you been during labs the past two months? Suddenly, you can talk to me because you dumped her?”

There was a long pause before he said anything. “Can you just meet me at the library? I can tell you about it if you care, if not, I still need your help to pass this class. Please, please, please,” he pleaded through the phone.

“Fine,” I agreed. “But you owe me a coffee and an explanation, butthead!”

“Deal!” he agreed. “Meet you in about thirty minutes?”

I looked at the time. It was already seven o’clock. “Yeah, I can meet you in thirty.”

We said goodbye and I stared at the phone for a few moments. He broke up with her? I didn’t even notice the smile that crept across my face as I packed up my study materials.

Kai was single…

It took me fifteen minutes to get to the library, but Kai was already there waiting with what I hoped was a steaming cup of coffee. It was freezing cold outside.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with,” I said with as much detachment as my screaming heart would allow. We stayed there until the library closed, reviewing everything I could think to cover with him.

“You’ll be fine, Kai. Just review the labs and remember the formulas, and you’ll do fine,” I encouraged him, packing up my stuff.

“Hey, Katie,” he called as I walked to my car.

I turned around to find him just behind me. My breath caught for a second before I remembered that Kai didn’t like me. I was just his tutor.

“Yeah?” I asked.

He was quiet for a moment, studying my face. “Thank you. I really appreciate it,” he finally said, patting the pile of papers I had given him.

“Oh. Yeah. Sure. No problem. I’ll see you Monday in class,” I mumbled and got into my car. I refused to look at him. I refused to see something that didn’t exist. Just friends.

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