Chapter 6

The next day seemed to fly by absurdly fast. The more I wished for time to slow down, the quicker it sped toward biology class. I dreaded sitting next to that jer*k and having to interact with him. A familiar feeling of fear and despair squeezed at my insides as I made my way to biology.

Josie wasn’t in school that day, so I had virtually no moral support except for Madison, who was on the opposite end of the building for her classes.

I hadn’t realized where I was until I was already walking through the door. I gingerly sat down at my desk and waited for him to arrive.

I heard the chair next to me scrape against the floor and caught the pleasant scent of Asmodeus’s (probably very expensive) cologne.

"Today at four... go to Jessica's house to work on the project," he said stiffly.

"Um, okay...?" I gave him a puzzled look.

"Kade and Milo are going, too. They can work on theirs."

"Did they get assigned to each other for this project?" I asked.

"No. It's different."

"Huh?" I asked, and he turned to me with an annoyed expression.

"They don't take this class. It's a different project," he replied, as if I were clueless. I rolled my eyes.

"How was I supposed to know that? As-s-hat," I muttered under my breath, and he pulled out his notebook, clearly done with the conversation.

"You're a really bad conversationalist, you know that?" I told him. "You’re so dry."

"And you're so annoying," he retorted without looking at me.

"Said the guy who spilled Gatorade on my white shirt," I countered, pulling out my own notebook.

"At least I know how to walk," he mumbled under his breath.

"At least I'm not an arrogant prick," I shot back. He was about to respond but stopped himself, letting out a frustrated sigh instead.

I thought, I win this round.

Mr. Gletzo walked in and reminded us that we wouldn’t have any more class time to work on the project.

At one point, I reached for my pen to jot down some quick notes, but at the exact same moment, he also tried to grab it. I looked up at him incredulously and yanked the pen from his hand.

"That's my pen," he grumbled.

"Actually, no," I denied, but as soon as I started writing, I saw the ink was black—not the blue I always used. Crap.

Too stubborn to admit I was wrong, I simply looked back up at the teacher. Feeling his eyes still on me, I turned to glance at him, but he just rolled his eyes and focused back on the teacher.

Time seemed to crawl by in biology. I stared at the clock, anxiously waiting for the bell to dismiss us. As soon as it rang, I turned to Asmodeus.

"Where does Jessica live?" I asked.

"5 Memorial Lane," he replied before walking away. 5 Memorial Lane??? I had to pass that street on my way to the supermarket.

I would always glance down that street and be awestruck by the beautiful mansions. I hadn’t even noticed he had left until he was already out of the room.

When I opened the door, I dropped my bag and flopped down on the couch. I checked my phone—it was around 3 PM.

I had about an hour to get ready, which was more than enough time. I dragged myself off the couch and headed upstairs.

I closed my bedroom door and opened my closet. After about 10 minutes of deliberation, I finally decided on leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. What? I felt like being comfortable!

I brushed my hair and pulled it into a high ponytail. After washing my face and reapplying mascara, I received a call from Josie.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey!! Sorry I was out today. Did you run into any more hot guys?" she asked.

"For the last time, he walked into me. And no, I didn't," I replied, and she chuckled at my stubbornness.

"Anyway... Do you maybe want to hang out at 4:30 and see that new movie we wanted to watch?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm meeting Asmodeus at—"

"OH MY GOD, WHAT?!" she interrupted.

"I have to go to Jessica's at four to work on a project with Asmodeus," I finished, trying not to laugh at her reaction. She sounded like she was hyperventilating.

"Okay, I'm on my way," she said and hung up the phone. Huh?

Less than five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find a very frantic Scarlet.

She walked right in and headed straight up to my room. When I entered, she gave me a once-over and looked at me like I had three heads.

"What the heck are you wearing?" she said, heading over to my closet.

"Comfy clothes," I replied, sitting on my bed. In just a few seconds, she had already picked out about five outfits.

She chose jewelry to match each outfit and made me try them all on. Most of the outfits were cute sundresses or shorts.

"Okay, let's make a compromise," I said, and she tuned in. I took the oversized sweater from one of the outfits and put it on, keeping my leggings. It looked like my decision truly pained her as she took a deep breath.

"I don't get it. Most girls would book a freaking spa day if they were meeting up with Asmodeus at Jessica's house, and you won't even wear a decent outfit?"

"Well, if I want to be comfy, I’m gonna be comfy. Plus, I’m still not at my comfiest. You’re lucky I’m wearing a bra," I said.

She chuckled and shook her head. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she looked behind me.