An ex-couples rivalry for the spot as student body president becomes even more convoluted when two new, unexpected candidates enter the race. Chloe and Preston team up, each vowing to get one member kicked from the competition-- but when they both e...
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"You ready for today?" Hank's voice snapped me from my thoughts, which were already far away from the chemistry worksheet in front of me.
The two of us were sitting at one of the many long black science tables in a classroom filled with hushed conversations. Mr. Robins was at the front, not seeming to care about the clear lack of focus his students were exhibiting. Many of them had one or two of Chloe's treats with them— the trashcans had already been filled with wrappers from the chocolate bargaining devices. It was a dirty tactic, but I was only mad that I hadn't thought of it first.
"What?" I questioned, a daydream of brown hair and dark, fierce eyes fading from my mind. It wasn't the first time I'd caught myself thinking of Emily without even realizing I was doing it.
"Last wrestling meet until we find out if we're getting cut or not...?" Hank elaborated, clearly confused that he needed to.
My eyes widened as he said the words, and my hand lightly hit the desk in frustration. I cursed, already fishing my phone from my jacket pocket, knowing Mr. Robins wouldn't even notice, let alone care.
"Don't tell me you forgot?"
"I didn't forget," I defended myself, pulling up my conversation with Emily, "It just slipped my mind."
"Captain of the wrestling team and he can't even remember when we're supposed to practice," Hank joked, shaking his head. I could feel his eyes move to my phone, where my thumbs hovered over the keyboard. "Emily?" he questioned, obviously unfamiliar with the name.
"Yeah, Emily," I answered through the fog in my brain as it tried to formulate some sort of message that wouldn't make me sound like a jerk. "The girl you'll be voting for come election day."
"Mystery girl? Since when do you talk to someone like that?" Hank asked, laughter in his voice. "And since you quit, I'm voting for Finn."
"No," I insisted, setting my phone down and facing him, his eyebrows raising at my suddenly harsh tone. "A vote for Finn is a vote for Chloe— she's helping him and I'm helping Emily. It's a long story, I was gonna explain everything when the whole team was around. I need all of you to vote for her."
"You're kidding," he deadpanned, studying my serious expression for a few seconds before letting out a heavy breath. "I mean yeah, I'll do it of course, but damn, man. This is a longshot, even for you."
I shrugged, turning back to my phone. "I know."
A moment of silence passed before Hank spoke again. "So... are you planning to actually send her a message, or just stare at the chat for the rest of class?"
I sighed, placing the phone down again. "I need to tell her I can't come over until five, that I have practice... I don't know, Hank, she makes me nervous, it's freaking me out."
"What, you like her? Oh my God, you like her." He put his head in his hands. "Preston McMillan, captain of the wrestling team, one of the most popular guys in school, best friends with me... could have any girl he wants and he picks the one nobody's even heard of."
