Falling Away #Watty 2023

•Chapter 21•

"You kissed Liam," Gemma said as we walked toward my locker.

"You've got to be kidding me, that's not possible."

"I thought so, until it happened before my eyes at Anna's birthday party last night," she continued. "You were drinking so much, everyone thought you were trying to get over something."

I opened my locker and grabbed the book I'll be needing for my next class. "How come I don't remember doing that?"

"Because you were drunk. Liam was shocked, everyone was shocked, and I wasn't excluded," she muttered as we walked down the hallway.

I spotted Liam walking our way, and my stomach started to form knots. From the way he was staring at me as he approached, I felt my cheeks burning up. I stood there, holding my book to my chest.

Swallowing hard, I cast a glance at him as he reached us, one amused eyebrow raised. "Hey, Zoey," he said, showing off his perfectly white teeth.

"Hi Liam, any problem?" I asked, immediately trying to hide how red my cheeks had suddenly become.

He smiled. "I just wanted to know how you're feeling now?" He ran his hand through his hair, making his wavy blond locks fall gracefully.

"I'm fine," I said simply and started to walk away. He followed me, causing a few people around us to glance in our direction.

I turned, realizing I wasn't the only one staring in anticipation. He noticed and walked away. I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and exhaled slowly.

"What else happened at the party?" I asked Gemma as we took our seats in our supposed class.

She brought out her book and placed it on the table. "After you and Liam shared a, uh, moment, he carried you to the car while you poured your heart out to him."

I didn't really understand what she meant by that, and I didn't want to.

"What!" I whispered loudly, causing the rest of the class to turn toward us. Tilting my head closer to hers, I continued, "Why did I even attend that party?"

"Because it's your teammate's birthday party," she whispered back.

I nudged her shoulder. "I know." Mrs. Bennett walked in, and I pulled away from Gemma, grabbing my notebook and placing it on the table.

"Before we start today's class, I'll be pairing everyone into groups. You have one month until your final exams," Mrs. Bennett announced, turning to the projector. "These are the names of your partners. After today's class, you're to meet with whomever you're paired with to discuss your project. You'll be presenting what you decide on before your exams."

"I can't believe they paired me with Tony Walter. That jerk," Gemma winced.

I peered at the projection, scanning to see who I was paired with. To my shock, it was Liam Crawford. I looked toward his direction and saw a weird smirk plastered on his face.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask now," Mrs. Bennett said.

I raised my hand, signaling to Mrs. Bennett. "Can I change partners?"

"You can't, Miss Hughes. Any other questions?" She inquired. When no one said anything, she continued, "I'm going to elaborate more on the project tomorrow. You can see me privately if you need any further explanations. Please sit with your partner; all I need for this project is cooperation."

Cooperation? My jaw dropped forming a perfect circle. Yeah, right!

Gemma stood up. "Talk to you later," she said before plopping down next to Tony with a melancholic smile.

"You've been ignoring me, and then the universe decided to pair us together," Liam grinned as he slid into the seat next to me.

"Mrs. Bennett, not the universe," I corrected him, with the urge to wipe the stupid grin off his face.

He laughed. "Well, last night was memorable."

My cheeks burned in embarrassment at his remark, based on what Gemma had told me. It wasn't that bad, right? Just a kiss and some words said while I was tipsy. Normal stuff, right?

It only depended on the magnitude of the words and how he perceived them.

"You're such a pain in the ass!" I almost squealed, trying to control my mood and act brave. "Last night doesn't exist to me. Keep swimming in your fantasy."

He shrugged and didn't offer any more words, but the stupid smirk still remained as the bell chimed, signaling the start of lunch break.

I plodded out of class with my book pressed against my chest, making my way to my locker. After tossing my bag inside and slamming it shut, I was shocked to see Liam standing opposite me.

"Jeez, Liam. You scared the shit out of me," I whined. "Why are you stalking me?"

He gave me a confused look. "Is that what it looks like to you?"

I wasn't sure how to respond to that question.

"I've been looking for my partner to discuss our project, but she thinks I'm stalking her," he said. His words sounded distant, like they were coming at me from a tunnel. I held my breath and exhaled slowly.

Now he had a reason to be around me.

Sighing in resignation, I said, "Let's discuss it in the cafeteria. I'm hungry."

He shrugged, and we both walked toward the cafeteria. After all the drama that had occurred, being noticed wasn't part of my usual routine anymore, though I still had my popularity when it came to basketball.

Walking into the cafeteria with Liam, I felt uneasy as it seemed like everyone was staring at me. Their eyes glued in our direction. Normally, I would be waving and smiling, reveling in the attention. But this was different. I was dreading it, especially with Liam enjoying it.

I placed my tray on the table and slid into a seat, my ears perked up at the sound of my name and Liam's.

-What's Zoey up to this time?
-Are they dating?
-I had a crush on Liam, and now she's hanging out with him.
-She must have bewitched him.
-I hate that girl.
-This is cool, bad ass dating jerk ass.

Fuming with anger, I balled my hand into a fist and hit the table hard. "Shut up, you simpletons, dementia fools!" I shouted. They all stopped staring at me, their gazes dropping. Oh, that feeling!

Realizing my temper, I tried to calm myself. "I mean, we're not dating. Liam is my partner for a school project, and we're together because we want to discuss it." Waving my hand, I continued, "If you don't mind, do what you came here for. I know you must've forgotten—you're here to eat lunch."

"Why didn't you kindly explain before screaming like a psycho?" Leo shouted, cracking up.

"You know what's funny, needle eye? Your face," I snorted before taking my seat.

"Do you have a degree in being mean? Because you're good at it," Liam commented.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at my lunch. "We're here to discuss our project, remember?" I said.

"Of course. I was thinking we should work on creating an app," he stated.

"An app?" I sipped from the juice box on the table.

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