Rat Boy looks at them both suspiciously.
“Wait,” Adrianna says, her eyes shifting from me to Olivia. “I thought you said she was going to tu—”
“Hey, Ads,” I abruptly cut her off. “Why don’t we take a rain check on that dinner,” I say, trying to distract her and divert the conversation so Olivia doesn’t end up in an even bigger hole.
Adrianna’s eyes sparkle in victory.
“I better get going,” I hear Olivia say, scurrying off to avoid further questioning, while Adrianna begins to talk my ear off. I almost go after her, but I don’t want to blow her cover.
Once Rat Boy and Delilah leave, and I tell Adrianna that I’ll do dinner with her sometime, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket with a new text. It’s Olivia, telling me to meet her in the back corner of the library.
“You’re a really bad liar,” I tell her once I find her. “You really dug yourself into a hole back there.”
She lets out a groan, hiding her face behind her hands.
“Why don’t you just tell him the truth?” I ask gently, taking a seat across from her.
She sighs, removing her hands and shaking her head. “It’s more of a hassle than it’s worth,” she admits, defeated.
“Finch, you can’t just tiptoe around him forever.”
“I know, I know,” she whines, massaging her temples, looking like a real headache is starting to come on.
Feeling bad for her, I decide to let it slide for the time being, wanting her to smile instead.
“I have to admit, this whole situation is very Romeo and Juliet, though. What next? You going to start throwing rocks at my window and professing your feelings for me?” I tease.
She shoots me a glare, standing up and grabbing her pens and highlighters before taking a seat next to me, scooting close. “Just shut up and give me your arm.”
Fourteen
Jersey
I walk into the anatomy lecture hall feeling nervous. Like last time, there’s a low murmur over the classroom, students quizzing each other and quickly scanning their notes one last time.
I look up a few tiers and spot Olivia sitting next to Delilah, an empty seat between them as they each review their notes.
As if feeling my gaze on her, Olivia lifts her eyes to meet mine, and she gives me a soft smile.
I jog up the stairs to our row and take a seat one away from Olivia. It’s protocol to leave a seat open between each student on test day to prevent cheating.
“Hey, Finch.”
“Hey. Ready?” she asks, looking anxious.
“I hope so,” I admit nervously. “But I had a great tutor, so I’m pretty confident,” I say, causing her to blush.
For the past month I’ve met up with Olivia a few times a week to study, and I can only hope all of our time together will pay off. I’m almost positive it will. She’s truly a great teacher, but my old insecurities can’t help but creep in.
What if I fail? Then I’ve wasted all of her time for nothing, and I’ll feel absolutely awful.
No, Bronx, I tell myself.You’re going to ace this fucking test and she’s going to look damn good in your jersey at the homecoming game this weekend.
Suddenly feeling very determined, I’m ready for the professor to walk through the door and hand out the papers so I can get this over with. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins the way it does before a big game, and I know I’m ready to tackle this head-on.
When the professor eventually walks in, I can’t get started fast enough.
Staring at the first question, I’m surprised at how fast I can answer it, and with confidence. I seem to be breezing right through the test with only a few answers stumping me.
