He never got to ask. Tyler would have asked her exactly how she had gotten into his phone, but he was unfortunately distracted by her avoiding him. Again. That ‘see you tomorrow’ almost felt like a lie, until of course, he saw her enter the cssroom at the end of the day.

  When he’d first read the message, he’d assumed it meant she was agreeing to sitting with them. That was soon proven wrong when lunch came and went without a hint of her. He’d have gone after her, but he’d been swiftly notified that would be creepy to do.

  Of course, Nina had almost no ground to stand on when some of her schemes bordered on the same. But it was a fair point. So, he’d instead let himself sulk in the disappointment, weighing whether or not to send her more messages. And he’d almost done just that.

  His mood lifted entirely when she walked into the cssroom, and walked straight to him. A smile pulling on his lips in answer to hers when she took the seat beside his own.LiaandZachonly smiled before taking the seats in front of them.

  “Hi,” she says, ying her bag on the ground and shooting the other two a quick smile as well. They return the greeting before turning to unpack as Mr Elliot walks into the room.

  “Hi,” Tyler says when she turns to him again, “What are you doing here?”

  “They finally finalized my subject change,” Vicky says with a shrug. “I did tell you I was dropping Econ for this.”

  “You did.” It’s just that he hadn’t seen her in either of those csses in the days since. Admittedly, he was beginning to fear she’d changed her mind. Then another thought came to him and his eyes narrowed on her. “Is this what you meant by ‘see you tomorrow’?”

  “Yep,” she said with a grin. She gnced to the side to make sure css hadn’t started before resting her head in her hands and giving him a mischievous smile. “Did you think I meant something else?”

  “…” There’s no need to dignify that with a response. The teasing in her tone tells him she knows exactly what he might have thought. He gres at her a little, huffing a long breath. “You know I did.”

  “Well, I didn’t lie, did I?” Vicky moves so that her hand is now resting on one hand instead, the other idly adjusting her supplies.

  Technically not, but that didn’t make him feel any better. “Perhaps not,” he tells her with a small gre, “but it was very mean.”

  Her mouth presses in a line, but a small ugh escapes anyway. “Sorry,” she says a moment ter.

  “You don’t sound sorry.” Tyler will admit he’s being a little petty, but he’s been feeling a little depressed all day, so he thinks he can at least have this.

  “I’m not,” she admits with a grin. Then drops to a whisper as Mr Elliot begins to speak, “and doesn’t my being here now make up for it?”

  Tyler blinks, a strange oddly familiar helplessness filling him. It’s almost fond in the way it spreads and the annoyance fades. He doesn’t have time to dwell on it as Mr Elliot starts to write on the board.

  “It does,” he admits in a whisper to the girl still awaiting an answer. It wasn’t exactly what he expected, but it’s more than what he had before. He’ll take it for the small win it was.

  Midway through the beginning lecture on the Bronze Age, he began to get a little bored. Not that the content wasn’t interesting, it was, but his mind just wasn’t in it. So in between copying down notes, he ripped a piece of paper from the back of his book.

  It was one of those book with tearaway pages, so it fortunately didn’t make much noise. There would be no getting out of a detention if it had made noise. He moves it discreetly so that it’s hidden from view.

  ‘How’s Jade doing?’ Not the best way to begin, but it’s all he can think of. Tyler slides it over before he can begin to overthink it.

  In his periphery he sees her eyebrows rise when she sees it before they settle and a smile pulls at her lips. She quickly pens a reply before passing it back.

  ‘Jade’s fine. Are we passing notes now? How cute.’

  Tyler huffs, but he’s smiling too. ’Don’t make fun. I’mverrrybored.’

  ’With this riveting lecture on the Aegean sea?”

  ‘Vicky :( ’ That gets him a huffed ugh as she shakes her head.

  ‘Alright, I won’t tease you…too much. ;).’ She passes it back so casually, that no one would be able to tell she’s doing it. If he weren’t watching her, he wouldn’t be able to tell either. He movements are quick and practiced in a way that pokes at him.

  But there’s not enough time to dwell on it right now. ‘Thank you. Are you going to sit with us tomorrow?’

  ‘Hmm…I’ll see.’

  ‘You’ve said that before.’

  ‘You’ve asked the question before. I don’t know why you’re expecting a different response.’

  Somehow the sentence doesn’t feel as decisive as its written, which may have something to do with the teasing smile she gives him as she slides it over. He rolls his eyes, having a little fun despite himself. He can’t remember the st time he passed notes in css.

  ‘The response could change, and that wasn’t a no.’

  ‘It hasn’t yet, and it wasn’t a yes either.’

  Hope blooms anew. ‘Yet?’ That was encouraging.

  ‘Yet. You’ll just have to make a more convincing argument, my dear savior.’

  The hope turns into an amused sort of annoyance. ‘You’re making fun of me again.’ He doesn’t really mind that. For one, his friends do that often enough and for another it’s clearly not malicious.

  ’Maybeee. But you make it so easy.’

  Tyler blinks, pressing his lips together to stop the reluctant smile from spreading. Well. At least, it’s no longer boring.

  ‘This is bullying.’ That gets him another ugh, one she has to bend down and smother not to be heard. Luckily, Mr Elliot is fully engrossed in writing and doesn’t notice. It’s another win.

  ‘Don’t be so dramatic.’ She shoots him a smile as she slides the paper over.

  He rolls his eyes, but unfortunately can’t pen a reply. He settles for a smile as Mr Elliot turns back around and starts talking again, making sure to slide the filled paper into the back cover as he refocuses on the lecture.

  All things considered, it’s probably a good idea to pay some attention. It’ll be less to revise ter. But he decides to do this more often. Especially, if he only sees her in css.

  Later when his friends ask him what has him all smiley, he only shakes his head. Which they somehow still attribute to Vicky and decide to interrogate him instead of leaving it be like they should. And then promptly decide to steal the idea.

  From years of practice, Tyler senses this may lead to some trouble. And sure enough, he’s proven right the very next day. Vicky wastes no time before taking a seat beside him in Business.

  It’s right before lunch, so he senses something amiss even before she slides over a piece of paper as MissBckwoodbegins her competitive markets lecture. The questioning tilt of her head only compounds the unease.

  ’Is there a reason Nina andZachhave started passing notes as well?’

  Shit. He should have known they would waste no time before stealing the idea. Of course they would be this impatient. He wasn’t the only one bummed about not being able to get to know her.

  ‘Are they bothering you?’

  Her brows rise, mouth twitching on the brink of a smile. ‘Not at all. I just find it a little suspicious it started happening today.’

  He blinks, relief filling him all at once. ‘Good. They just want to talk to you.’

  ‘I gathered that. Your idea?’

  Tyler is not entirely certain what she means, but assumes she’s most like asking if he put them up to it. ‘They sort of just stole it on their own.’

  Vicky huffs a ugh. ‘Alright. Fair enough. And before you ask, I’ve already committed to sitting with Brooke and Ally for lunch.’

  ‘There’s always tomorrow.’ He’s a little confused how she knew that’s what he was going to ask, but it’s fair enough. Tyler might be a little disappointed by the answer, but he’s not childish enough to ask her to change her mind.

  ‘Perhaps.’ That doesn’t sound very certain, but he doesn’t push the subject. With her changed csses, he’ll be able to see her every day anyway.

  The rest of the css goes by in comfortable silence midst conversation. The topic drifts but it’s enough of one that he doesn’t mind too much when she leaves when the bell rings. It helps that his friends also look content when he sees them, excitedly reporting they’ve been able to talk to her more.

  It’s strange. The way all their moods lift after spending time with her. Especially as the days pass and a niggling feeling builds in his head every time she ughs or smiles his way. A feeling ofdéjàvuhe can’t quite expin.

  And she eventually begins to sit with them more often as well. Not as much as he would like, but it’s more than nothing. They all become more comfortable around her with every passing day. Eventually, they all have her number in their phones.

  Tyler finds himself getting so content that he almost forgets about the bet entirely. He would have if it weren’t forZachreminding him by poking fun at him in jest. Something he can’t quite recall now as he sits in business, pen tapping away.

  “Hey,” she waves a hand in front of his face as she takes her seat beside him. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

  “It’s nothing,” he says with a forced smile, waving his hand dismissively. She doesn’t quite look convinced but decides to drop it infavourof writing down notes. Which is fortunate, because Tyler is a little busy cursing his dumb mouth.

  What the fuck had possessed him to say he could get a date with this girl within a month? Why the hell hadn’t he just agreed to the end of year time-limitZachhad initially gone for. Most of all, he felt like an absolute idiot for many reasons.

  Six days. He had six days to make it happen or he’d have to cough up the money for the py station. Not that it would be impossible but he didn’t want to quit before he had even started! That was so me.

  He sighed. It was now or never. He wrote down the first thing he could think of. ‘Still a bad time for that date?’

  Cringing as soon as he passes it over, he waits with baited breath for a response. Hopefully, he hasn’t screwed everything over now. He doesn’t think he had, knowing her enough now to know she wasn’t easily offended. But you could never be too sure.

  ‘This is sudden. What brought that on?’ Okay. That wasn’t as bad as he thought it would. Sighing in relief, Tyler feels a weight lifting of his chest.

  Looking up to meet her blue eyes, he sees amusement twinkling in them. If it weren’t that, he’d know she was amused simply by the quirk of her lips and the way she was resting her head in her hand as she looked at him. He had a feeling that grin would only grow the longer he took to respond.

  The other people at their table were beginning to give them strange looks as well. The room had fallen into quiet conversation as MissBckwoodassigned them a worksheet. Tyler blinked, feeling heat rush to his ears. No wonder she seemed so amused when she passed back the paper.

  There was no need for the note passing. He could have just asked by talking. Except…No. No he couldn’t have. He didn’t want to ask it aloud where everyone could hear. It would be far more embarrassing than a note.

  “Well?” She asked, idly twirling her pen in the other hand. Her eyes flicker to his ear and the expression softens. “You can write it down if you’re too embarrassed.”

  More heat rushed to his ears as he fought back the blush. What the hell was wrong with him today? Wait no. It was only this particur girl who brought this on. He buried his hand in his arms. Maybe the MissBckwoodthink he was sick and put him out of his misery.

  “I justMmmpf…”

  “What?” He can hear the ughter in her voice. “I don’t speak table.”

  Instead of lifting his head, he moves his hand to scribble it on the paper instead. ‘I just thought it was the right time to ask.’

  “Hmm. Okay.” Tyler’s ears perk up when he hears the sound of pen running across paper. Tentatively, he raises his head to see what’s written on it, curiosity winning over embarrassment.

  ‘We’re in css, so how could we go on a date?’

  Tyler turns an exasperatedly bnk look towards her with a huff. Then smiles as she grins at him without a hint of repentance. Right. He didn’t know what else he had expected.

  “I didn’t mean right this second,” he tells her. He couldn’t really maintain his annoyance with the answer. Not when he was hit with another feeling ofdéjàvu.

  “I know,” Vicky shrugs. “It got you to get your head out of your arms, didn’t it?”

  He rolls his eyes, stifling a smile. “Is that a yes?”

  “You haven’t asked me a question.” Tyler is somewhat certain she’s doing this to mess with him. Actually, scratch that. He’s very sure she is. And there’s nothing he can do about it but py along.

  It’s fortunate he doesn’t really mind doing it. He almost starts to write it down again before it strikes him that he could ask in a more neutral way.

  “Do you want to go see a movie Friday?”

  “I don’t know,” she taps her finger along the table, “I might be busy Friday.” He would almost believe it if it wasn’t for the grin. And despite himself he can’t be annoyed with her for long. Or at all.

  Still. “You’re very annoying sometimes.”

  “Only sometimes?” She widens her eyes, “I’ve got to step up my game.”

  Snorting a ugh, he shakes his head. “Is that a no?” He supposes he could just cough up the-

  “That’s a ask me again some other time,” she says with a smile. Then leans in to whisper, “Preferably without an audience.”

  Ah. Right. They were still in css. “Alright.” Maybe all isn’t lost after all. Sure it means he has less time, but there’s still five days after this one. He might actually get a chance of getting his games back.

  IfZachdoesn’t stall again. But that’s a problem for ter. Right now, he’s content just talking to Vicky and getting through css. And when she sits with them again a Lunch, the feeling grows.

  He’ll ask again tomorrow.