understand them wanting me to leave. He was really polite about it, at least. I don’t think he was angry that I showed up. I just feel bad that I messed them up. I heard they lost the debate.”
“They lost the debate because they suck!” Libby said. “And Aiden sucks for having no regard for your feelings whatsoever! He’s a jerk, Avery! How can you not be mad at him?”
“I’m just not, okay? Can we please drop it? I’m done working on the experiment for the day. We’re supposed to be helping Grayson with his physics too, and he’s got a make up quiz tomorrow on Newton’s Laws.”
This seemed to stop everyone. I wasn’t sure why they were suddenly all staring at me until Brandon said, “Did you really fail a quiz on Newton’s Laws ?”
Okay. So they were staring at me because they all thought I was a moron. “What?” I asked a little defensively. “Like it’s easy? ‘Don’t steal’ I get. ‘Red means stop’ makes perfect sense. That Newton guy was smoking some serious crack when he made up his laws. When the hell will I ever use that stuff anyway?”
Avery patted my hand, but the rest of the nerds gaped at me and then shot each other a bunch of looks full of hidden meanings.
“This is not good,” Levi said gravely. “Our president is dating a simpleton. Imagine if the guys over at Payson High find this out?”
“We’d lose all our street cred,” Brandon agreed. “It’s going to be bad enough having to take him to the science fair.”
“Geeks have street cred ?” I asked, only slightly offended. “And what will be so bad about having me at the science fair?”
“You’re a popular. A beautiful people. A jock. No offense, but that’s very bad for our reputation. Why do you think we were so happy to keep your presence in our club secret?”
I laughed in astonishment. Who knew ?
“ I happen to appreciate your beauty,” Libby announced. “As well as your willingness to sink to our level of nerdiness for Avery’s sake, even if you won’t own up to it to your friends. Your devotion makes up for your less-fortunate qualities, but I’m sorry, we simply cannot have a member of our science club not understand the basic laws of motion. This is a science club emergency.” Libby looked around the group. “It’s time Grayson gets his first lesson in applied physics.”
I was scared when the geeks dragged me out to the parking lot, but as it turned out “applied physics” was just some nerdy version of bowling. Actually, as far as punishment for failing a class goes, I could have done a lot worse than having to attend science club.
Once we were at the bowling alley, I caught Avery watching me as I laced up my bowling shoes. She did that every now and then during science club as if she still expected to see Aiden’s face instead of mine. It always made me a little sad when I noticed her missing my brother, so I did my best to put a smile on her face every time it happened.
“What? No pool hall?”
Her answering smile was small, but it was real.
Libby snorted. “Not if you want a chance at winning.”
Brandon puffed out his white-dress-shirt-clad chest and threw an arm around Avery’s shoulders. “Avery is a master pool player.”
“So I noticed.”
The knowing look I shot Avery made her blush. It hadn’t been her pool skills I noticed that night so much as the way she looked every time she leaned over the table to take a shot. I’d most likely have the same problem bowling today. Too bad she wasn’t still wearing that dress.
I changed the subject before I started drooling. “So which one of you is the genius nerd bowling prodigy?”
“Actually, none of us are very good bowlers,” Levi said. “It’s just one of the more simplified ways to explain Newton’s Laws of Motion. Athletes tend to be kinesthetic learners, so hands-on demonstrations usually work much better than lectures.”
Kinesthetic learner? Was I supposed to know what that was?
Levi sighed,
“They lost the debate because they suck!” Libby said. “And Aiden sucks for having no regard for your feelings whatsoever! He’s a jerk, Avery! How can you not be mad at him?”
“I’m just not, okay? Can we please drop it? I’m done working on the experiment for the day. We’re supposed to be helping Grayson with his physics too, and he’s got a make up quiz tomorrow on Newton’s Laws.”
This seemed to stop everyone. I wasn’t sure why they were suddenly all staring at me until Brandon said, “Did you really fail a quiz on Newton’s Laws ?”
Okay. So they were staring at me because they all thought I was a moron. “What?” I asked a little defensively. “Like it’s easy? ‘Don’t steal’ I get. ‘Red means stop’ makes perfect sense. That Newton guy was smoking some serious crack when he made up his laws. When the hell will I ever use that stuff anyway?”
Avery patted my hand, but the rest of the nerds gaped at me and then shot each other a bunch of looks full of hidden meanings.
“This is not good,” Levi said gravely. “Our president is dating a simpleton. Imagine if the guys over at Payson High find this out?”
“We’d lose all our street cred,” Brandon agreed. “It’s going to be bad enough having to take him to the science fair.”
“Geeks have street cred ?” I asked, only slightly offended. “And what will be so bad about having me at the science fair?”
“You’re a popular. A beautiful people. A jock. No offense, but that’s very bad for our reputation. Why do you think we were so happy to keep your presence in our club secret?”
I laughed in astonishment. Who knew ?
“ I happen to appreciate your beauty,” Libby announced. “As well as your willingness to sink to our level of nerdiness for Avery’s sake, even if you won’t own up to it to your friends. Your devotion makes up for your less-fortunate qualities, but I’m sorry, we simply cannot have a member of our science club not understand the basic laws of motion. This is a science club emergency.” Libby looked around the group. “It’s time Grayson gets his first lesson in applied physics.”
I was scared when the geeks dragged me out to the parking lot, but as it turned out “applied physics” was just some nerdy version of bowling. Actually, as far as punishment for failing a class goes, I could have done a lot worse than having to attend science club.
Once we were at the bowling alley, I caught Avery watching me as I laced up my bowling shoes. She did that every now and then during science club as if she still expected to see Aiden’s face instead of mine. It always made me a little sad when I noticed her missing my brother, so I did my best to put a smile on her face every time it happened.
“What? No pool hall?”
Her answering smile was small, but it was real.
Libby snorted. “Not if you want a chance at winning.”
Brandon puffed out his white-dress-shirt-clad chest and threw an arm around Avery’s shoulders. “Avery is a master pool player.”
“So I noticed.”
The knowing look I shot Avery made her blush. It hadn’t been her pool skills I noticed that night so much as the way she looked every time she leaned over the table to take a shot. I’d most likely have the same problem bowling today. Too bad she wasn’t still wearing that dress.
I changed the subject before I started drooling. “So which one of you is the genius nerd bowling prodigy?”
“Actually, none of us are very good bowlers,” Levi said. “It’s just one of the more simplified ways to explain Newton’s Laws of Motion. Athletes tend to be kinesthetic learners, so hands-on demonstrations usually work much better than lectures.”
Kinesthetic learner? Was I supposed to know what that was?
Levi sighed,
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