The Opposition

Chapter 29: Sadie

"Why are we going to this dinner, again?" I ask Carter. "Especially when the Principal's List comes out tonight."

"It was a last resort," his reply is muffled as he pulls on a white button up, immediately rolling the sleeves up his forearms.

If I'm being honest, I don't mind going out to dinner. It's almost like a celebration. A reward for absolutely crushing our last two partner debates. I don't know what happened, but I can only imagine that yesterday's events sparked some fire in Carter and I. We were relentless. Opposing every point the other team made, filling up every second of our time, and scribbling enough notes to support three debates. Our real victory was our last debate, when the judges announced with smiles stretched on their faces that we got a perfect score. A perfect fucking score. I've never heard of that in the history of JW Debate. Winning felt like second nature. And I hope it always feels like that.

After Carter is done adjusting his shirt, he turns towards me and asks, "Ready to go?"

I take in his outfit. It's no different than everything else he's worn this week, but I find my eyes straying towards the muscle definition under his thin shirt, the rings twinkling on his fingers, the dimples that sneak up around his smile, and his eyes. His gorgeous fucking eyes that make me feel like I'm drowning in a sea of green. It's a lovely feeling.

I realize that I haven't answered his question. "Oh, yeah. I'm ready."

For some reason, that makes him smile, flashing pearly whites and a dimple. I walk closer to him and smile when I can make out the freckles dusting the bridge of his nose. He doesn't say anything and just lets me stare. I'm glad he does because I don't know if I would be able to turn away.

And then I realize what I'm doing. I'm soaking up Carter's presence, hoping to not have to let it go. I clear my throat, "Let's go."

We wander down the hall and towards the elevator. We're going straight down to the first floor, where Gracie and Felix are waiting for us. She was excited when I invited her to come. She said that she hasn't really been able to doing anything because her debate partner is, as she put it, "a fun sponge." That makes me wish that we met sooner because I would have loved if she came bowling with Felix, Carter, and I. She's definitely coming go-karting tomorrow, though. I wasn't up for it yesterday.

We spot them right away, standing by the check-in desk and stealing packs of mints out of the glass candy jar, clearly ignoring the "$1.00 Each" sign above them.

I sneak up behind Felix and lean into his ear. "Those aren't free," I whisper.

He immediately drops the pack of mints and spins around, screeching in the process. "Oh my God, Sadie! You fucking scared me!"

I just laugh.

Gracie grabs onto my shoulders and pulls me into a hug. Pulling back, still gripping my shoulders, she says, "You look fucking beautiful! Green looks so good on you, and with the gold jewelry. You are so fucking hot."

Laughing at her comment, I take in her appearance. She's fluffed up her hair and rolled her bangs, making it look like she got a fresh blowout. She's wearing a simple black dress with lace details that hugs her figure perfectly. There's a silver locket hanging around her neck that matches the straps of her heels. Similar to mine, her makeup is minimal, with mascara, eyeliner, and nude lipstick. She looks absolutely stunning, and I tell her just that.

"You flatter me," she gushes, waving me off with her hand.

"What about me?" Felix pouts.

"You look very nice, Felix," I tell him. And he does. He's wearing a black dress shirt and dark jeans. His hair is a mess, per usual, but it works for him. He's switched out his gold glasses for a silver rounded pair. They suit him.