Page 9 of Perfect Chemistry

“Yeah?” he asked, looking every bit as angry as I was just minutes ago.

“Thank you.”

His face relaxed and he nodded. “Yeah, yeah.”

By the time I got home, I couldn’t sit still. I had no idea what the fuck I was going to do, but it needed to wait until after midterms. First, I needed to pass my exams. Then, I could plot how to get my girl.

By seven o’clock, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I didn’t understand half the notes because I had missed so many labs back in November. I needed help, and I couldn’t put shit off any more. Midterms were next week.

I paced my room weighing the options. I didn’t just need help with the labs. I needed to know if there was a guy or not. Kat wasn’t talking to me, but I knew the key to getting her to open up. I was on my way to the coffee shop before I called. Thank god she agreed to meet me at the library. I needed to graduate to get my scholarship, and I had to pass chemistry to graduate. Having Kat as my study partner filled all the gaps I had. It was the perfect excuse to see each other.

Not only did I pass the midterms thanks to Kat’s amazing notes, but I found out she wasn’t seeing anyone. I wanted to tell her everything about Kristin, but there was no way I was opening that wound up. I did tell her that I was involved in a criminal case, and my parents pulled me to give witness statements. It was enough to explain why I was quiet, and not enough to show how fucking stupid I had been for not taking her to our last homecoming.

This season’s baseball team was solid. We won our first three games and tied the fourth. Before I knew it, February was over and March was upon us.

I was sitting with Bradley watching TV at his place. I had to tell him. I was nearly bursting and I just needed to tell someone. “I did it.”

He was quiet for a long while. Didn’t say a word until the show ended. Then he looked over at me, and I had no idea what he would say.

“Sooooo, you finally lost your virginity?” he asked, looking at me for a minute before adding, “Again.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. This guy was such a dick. He knew exactly what I was talking about but was going to make me say it.

“I let Kat Preston know how I feel about her,” I told him as I jumped off the couch and grabbed us a few drinks from the kitchen.

Bradley’s jaw dropped, and I knew he was shocked that I finally made a move. He had been sick and tired of listening to me talk about my crush since we met in our first year here. He was going to ask her out, and I stopped him with some bullshit excuse as to why he shouldn’t. He immediately called me on my crap and said, “Dude, if you got a thing for her, all you had to do was say so. How can I help you?” We’ve been best friends ever since.

“Kai!” He ran after me to the kitchen smiling. “What did you say? What did she say? You aren’t asking to hit my parents’ minibar, so it couldn’t have gone bad… What happened?”

I leaned against his counter, and laughed. I knew he would be happy for me. “She hasn’t said anything. Yet.”

Bradley’s smile slowly calmed down. “Ok. Did you actually make a move on Kat Preston, or do you still hope she understands your weird way of flirting, aka cock blocking, as some sort of interest?” he asked with one raised eyebrow.

I just smiled as I took another drink of my soda, “She can’t misunderstand this one.”

Chapter 3

Katie’s POV

I stared at myself in the mirror, debating whether I could do this or not. How the hell was I going to face Kai today in class? I had become used to the corny gifts over the last few years. I was expecting another corny gift this year….

Imagine my shock when my gift went from a Bevis and Butthead t-shirt to three lace thongs. Everyone knows that a gift of lingerie means the person hopes to see you in said garment. But when the hell did Kai ever see me like that? Was he desperate to get laid? Was his hoping to make me his end of school slum fuck?

No. I couldn’t think like that. But fuck if my heart wasn’t pounding in my chest. What if he did see me as someone he liked? What if he liked me for me? Yes. That was it. Kai was telling me that he liked me. This had to be it. That or he was really fucking confused and gave me the wrong gift.

I walked into chemistry class and took my seat as usual. I was not sure how to show off the birthday present for Kai shy of dropping my pants and parading through the halls. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself, but I wanted him to know that I really liked it. A lot. I honestly didn’t think that he knew my preferences so well, cause they were super comfortable. Maybe he had been paying more attention than I thought.

I sat with my back straight at my desk, one leg crossed, and began reviewing my notes before our Chemistry test. I saw Kai come in just before the bell and moved past me to take his seat. I leaned forward in my seat and heard him trip. His breath caught as he walked past me, but I pretended I didn’t notice.

Mr. Tinneson began to explain the test, and we all cleared our desks. As I bent over to put my books in my bag, I heard Kai whisper to me.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, almost growling.

Was he angry with me? I couldn’t turn around to see him, so I decided to play innocent, “I don’t know what you mean? I am just putting my things away.”

“What the hell are you-” his next question was silenced as Mr. Tinneson dropped a test packet on each of our desks.

“There will be no talking. If you finish early, you may bring your packet to me and step to the back lab tables while the others complete their test. You may not use your cellphone’s calculator. If you need a calculator, there are several on the front table. You may begin now.”

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