Meet Me After Class

Chapter 18: Mom, Dad, Meet Mr. Scott

"Why on earth couldn't they just schedule our rehearsals during the mind-numbing math or science periods? Why does it have to be during study hall?" Penny groaned, flipping through travel books at Brown's later that day.

Adam let out a sigh, rolling the ladder attached to the bookcase and unloading classic books.

"Because we need to learn those important subjects?" I muttered, stealing a glance over my shoulder.

His eyebrows furrowed as he followed my gaze. Penny, a few feet away, was leaning against a shelf, airing yet another complaint that day. "And because our asses can't escape high school without passing those brain-draining subjects," he added.

Penny made a face. "Boohoo! Obviously, I know that. I'm not an idiot. It was a rhetorical question. Duh!" she snapped, arms crossed over her chest, scowling at Adam.

Adam and I exchanged a glance and snickered. He stacked books against his chest, carefully descending the ladder, handing the books to me.

"What's Little Women and Huckleberry Finn doing in anthropology?" I asked, while Adam moved the ladder toward the next shelf near Penny.

"Why are you even here, Penny?" Adam questioned, ascending the steps again. "Last time I checked, books put you to sleep."

I smiled, reuniting classic titles in the classic section. Penny narrowed her eyes at Adam, pouting. "Nothing. I just thought to hang out with you guys before I head out to Inked," she said, tapping her foot and heaving a light sigh. "Hey, Adam, I... ah, I forgot to say you did well. I mean, for a moment there, you actually had me thinking you had something for Wendy."

Every bone in my body stiffened, blood rushing to my head. I glanced at Adam for a reaction, but my gaze didn't linger. I quickly turned away, staring at The Secret Garden in my hand.

The world seemed to grind to a halt as I shifted my gaze from Penny to Adam, the awkward silence hitting me like a wrecking ball, bigger than what Miley Cyrus was riding in her music video.

Then, I heard Adam jump down from the ladder. "Ah..." was all that came out of his mouth, placing three heavy books in my arms as he passed by.

"He was that good, wasn't he?" I found myself saying, shoving the somewhat bizarre feeling off.

Why in Squidward's name would Penny even say that? She already told me about it. Why did she also have to repeat it? And this time, in front of Adam.

"How's that assistant gig working for you?" Adam suddenly asked Penny, a teasing smile accompanying the question.

Penny stared at him, her expression blank.

"No more sweeping the floor and doing some real inking, I hope," he continued.

The casual mood in the store evaporated quickly when I noticed the way Penny was staring at him—a mixture of shock and utter displeasure—as if suddenly he wasn't the same Adam as a minute ago, but some douchebag replica of him.

"Do you think some thirty-year-old dude would just let some seventeen-year-old draw doodles on his skin? It isn't that easy, Adam. You'd have to be old to gain some trust around here," Penny retorted, emphasizing her point with hand gestures and a narrowing of her eyes. She then walked past us, picked up her bag from the floor, and announced, "I gotta head out. I can't be late. See you guys tomorrow."

She left Brown's with a sullen look on her face.

"What was that all about?" Adam asked me.

I shrugged. "I think you hit a nerve?"