Chapter 178: A Day Full Of Surprises
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Geography class felt like it was dragging on forever, with Mr. Harlan droning on about tectonic plates while I doodled absent-minded spirals in the margins of my notebook. The whispers from the hallway kept looping in my head like a broken record.
Fifty videos. Fifty girls if not more...
Those numbers seemed unreal, yet they felt like some sort of armor—thin and dented, sure, but still something solid keeping me safe from the gnawing fear that had been eating at me all morning.
When the bell finally rang, I took my time gathering my things, waiting for the crowd to thin out a bit before I slipped into the stream of students heading toward chemistry.
The lab was already half-full when I pushed through the door, the familiar scent of old Bunsen burner residue mixed with sharp marker ink washing over me like a wave.
Sunlight poured in through the high windows, lighting up the dust motes dancing above the black-topped tables, and the usual pre-class chaos was ramping up...chairs scraping against the floor, laughter echoing off the tiled walls, someone’s phone blasting music until the speaker crackled.
In the back row, Gigi and Skylar were huddled in their usual corner since sophomore year, heads bent together, Gigi’s curls spilling over Skylar’s shoulder as they shared earbuds and exchanged soft smiles that made my heart ache in the sweetest, most infuriating way..
Gigi was tracing lazy circles on Skylar’s wrist with her thumb, while Skylar kept stealing tiny kisses against Gigi’s temple whenever she thought no one was watching. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, so the vibe in the room was that of a temporary free-for-all, and those two were making the most of it.
I dropped my backpack onto the stool next to them and slid in, trying to appear nonchalant, even though my turtleneck suddenly felt like it was squeezing the life out of me.