“W-W-What?” He sputtered
“If we’d been assigned partners like you said…..
” I paused for the sake of dramatics “Why were you asking to be my partner?
” I leaned forward and stared at him.
” T-t-that…
I…
We-e could switch p-partners if we wanted to” he rushed
“When was this decided?” I questioned in surprise assured that this definitely wasn’t announced and concluded in secret and although I was a handful, I made sure to not skip classes and the only day I could have been absent was….
“The day you had a fainting spell?” Welsh completed my train of thoughts
“Right.”
“And I was at the school clinic at the time. So I couldn’t make an input as well ” he added quietly while I nodded to show my earnest understanding” So the two absentees got paired up ” I muttered and he mumbled a quick yes right back at me.
” We need to plan.
And fast.
We’re a week away from the timeframe for the completion of the project ” Welsh was all business now.
I smiled at him and began to eat.
“Zoe?”
“We’re going to meet tomorrow. Right here for lunch and plan. Then we start.” I spoke after a while
“Oh. Ummmm… Okay?” He sounded uncertain
“I’ll be here okay?” I assured him after reading his mind
“Fine” he answered back and began to eat as well, ravaging the food the same way boys did.
Typical .
The next day, I went to school early and found E already seated like he was waiting for me.
His blue green eyes remaining affixed on my stature and when I sat down, we locked gazes and I was transfixed.
I knew that our attraction to each their was getting stronger than before because we’d been sitting together most of the time.
This had to change.
Somehow.
” Zoe” E began quietly still staring at me” Eamon” I whispered with a strange fervor.
His eyes travelled down my eyes to my nose, paused at my lips and reluctantly dragged themselves back to my eyes.
I’d almost begun to hyperventilate but then some other students started trooping in and the spell broke.
I tore my eyes away and locked gazes with Gary?
Now that was someone to take my mind off of Eamon.
It was fair enough that he shouldn’t have taken roots in my thought process.
Right?
I calmly reassured myself and brushed off Gary’s daily open mind reading probing.
I rolled my eyes at him and he returned it with a silly grin and an i-can’t-help-it shrug.
I sighed as the teacher walked in.
It was E’s favorite teacher.
The one who fed on fear.
I groaned internally and began to watch him carefully.
After class, Welsh and I colluded at the cafeteria to call I’m sick or apply for leave for the rest of the day so we could meet up at the restaurant and begin the project.
After my first day in school.
I was more than famous for; pretending to be Zeus Ephraim’s daughter and fainting in school as well.
So once I called in sick, I was granted quick approval.
How unsurprising.
At the restaurant, after we’d eaten, we decided to begin the project.
“I have a list of people I’d like for us to work with” Welsh began “Take a look and let me know what you think.” He handed a gray file over to me
“These people…..” I received the file then glanced over at him “How much access can we get to their information….. Their history…. Stuff like that?” I asked and turned the file and wanted to open it then Welsh scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.
“Well…” He dragged “I was hoping you would help then?”