Page 11 of We're At It Again

I scoffed at his inability to trash talk before running over to steal the ball from him. However, no matter how hard I tried, their romantic exchange was still lingering in the back of my mind.

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7

LUNA

AS THE MORNING LIGHT filtered through the frosted windowpanes, illuminating the classroom in a soft glow, I sat at my desk in the English classroom, my notepad opened in front of me. With delicate strokes of the pencil, I traced the contours of a flower, each line etched into the paper. Lost in my sketch, I didn’t notice the figure that approached until he slid into the seat beside mine. Hudson flashed me a mischievous grin.

“You should draw a fire-breathing dragon next.” He said. “That would be epic.”

I tensed at the sound of his voice. My grip on my pencil tightened. Ignoring him, I focused on my drawing, hoping he would take the hint and leave, but Hudson was never skilled at social cues. His breath hit my neck as he peered over my shoulder, admiring my sketch.

“It looks amazing, Snow.” He said, his tone sincere.

I felt a flicker of pride at his compliment, but I pushed it aside. Letting your guard down around Hudson was a risky move.

“Thanks.”

My lack of response didn’t satisfy him. With a playful grin, he leaned closer for a glimpse of my drawing. I pulled my notepad closer to my chest to block his view.

“Don’t be like that.” He teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I shook my head. My resolve hardened.

“Forget it, Wilder.”

Mr. Morrison interrupted our banter, entering the classroom with a stack of papers. The class settled down once he cleared his throat.

“Now that we’ve gone through everything we need to know about Hamlet. You will work in pairs for a written report on all the major themes.” He said. “Your partner will be the person sitting next to you.”

I froze and dropped my pencil, but it was inaudible over the chatter. Hudson turned to me with a face-splitting grin.

“Hey there, partner.”

There was not enough air for me to breathe to calm down. I clenched the sides of the table with inhuman anger. Hudson leaned back in his seat with a complacent grin.

“The assignment is due next Wednesday, so I would advise you to work on it immediately.” Mr. Morrison said before sitting at his desk.

“Meet me at the diner after school.”

Hudson sat up with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Are you asking me on a date?”

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance.

“I am not failing this because of you, so you better be there.”

He put his hand to the side of his head in a mock salute with a phony serious look on his face.

“Sir, yes, sir.” He said before dropping his hand. “Just one more question. Do you prefer flowers or chocolate?”

“Why?” I asked with knitted brows.

“I can’t show up to our date empty-handed. My parents raised me better than that.”

The blood in my veins boiled as I punched his arm, wincing as I took most of the hit. I rubbed my knuckles. As class ended, I gathered my things, determined to get through this assignment without drama.

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