Gravity, motion, and EUOPHILOCITY
"Are you done with the call?" Jordan asks, coming outside.
I glare at him, suddenly feeling so angry at him with no reasons. I put the phone down on his kitchen counter and turn away, starting to walk away from him.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asks following me.
"Just stop following me!" I yell. "Don't you even get a hint? Just back the fuck off!"
"Fine," he says carefully, holding his hands up like a sign of defeat.
I go back to my own place, bracing myself not to cry. I won't cry like an idiot. So I don't. I'm strong, aren't I? This is strength, isn't it?
"Hey, Tink."
Sighing, I look into his hazel eyes. Sometimes, I just wonder if this boy has no pride at all.
"What?"
"Just saying hello. I think we are meant to be. I mean, we get out of our house at the same time."
Ignoring him, I walk down the dusty stairs with him following me.
"Did you do the biology homework?" He asks, his each footsteps echoing.
"What do you think?"
"You know, I can help you study."
"No, you can't."
"I can, actually. I got a B- for biology."
"Wow, I'm impressed."
"Wow, I'm impressed. Because you just said four sentences to me without yelling or swearing at me!"
I flinch at his smile. Was I really that harsh? Not that it matters. If he thinks I'm mean, he'll go away soon enough.
I walk faster, wishing he wouldn't catch up with me. But he does.
"But, I do know this girl who always gets an A for everything."
"I don't care about my grades, okay?" I say, annoyance obvious in my voice.
"Huh. I bet you don't even know how a plane flies."
"Who the hell cares? It just does!"
"Three more sentences!"
I grunt, picking up my speed. Why does he have to be so annoying? I can see the school now.
Suddenly, a strong pair of arms wrap around me tightly from behind me.
"What the hell?" I scream.
"You were going too fast. You might trip."
"Get your fucking arms off me, Kyle."
"Ooh, so the girl has a bad mouth, huh?"
Blondie.
"And what are you doing here, Blondie?" I hiss, unwrapping Jordan's arms.
"I wish I knew. I never saw the purpose of school, you know."
"Probably fucking girls in the janitor's closet for you," I mutter under my breath.
"I'm brokenhearted. Do I look like a man whore to you?"
"Actually, yes," Jordan interrupts.
"Just because I'm absolutely gorgeous and charming doesn't mean I sleep with everyone."
"Right, not everyone. Only girls."
Wait, why am I talking to these two?
"I can't believe you think of me like that," Jace says with a mock hurt.
"But you've gotta admit. You never had a serious relationship," Jordan points out.
"That doesn't mean I sleep around."
"Fine. Whatever you say. I really don't care how many girls you slept with," I say.
"No! Come on, Tink. Say something sarcastic," Jordan urges.
Glaring at him, I remain silent. Shrugging, he goes to a silent mode too to my relief.
"Oh, come on. You're not scared of this little girl, are you?" Jace laughs at Jordan. "I mean, look at her."
"Excuse me?" I snap, stopping in my place.
"I'm just saying."
God, just ignore him, Clary. He's just an idiot. He doesn't deserve any of your attention.
"You're an egostic pig and an asshole and fuck you," I say cooly. "Just saying."
"Miss Morgenstern," I hear a stern voice from behind. "Could you repeat what you just said to Mr. Lightwood here?"
I swear internally.
"Mr. Starkweather, I am-"
"Mrs. Trinket, I'm afraid you're going to have to supervise Clarissa again this afternoon," he says, turning to Effu. "Detention, in the library during lunch."
"But I was only swearing-"
"Wait!" Effu screams. "I smell something. It's... It's... Ooh! A cheeseburger!"
Mr. Starkweather sighs, walking away from us.
"You don't have to go, you know," Jordan says. "It's Effu."
"He's right. Hang out with us," Jace chirps in.
I turn to face them.
"Are you guys," I say, pointing my index finger at them. "Fu-"
"Launguage, Ms. Morgenstern," Jace says, mocking the principle.
"-cking crazy? Go hang out with Kaelie or something!"
Then I do the thing I should have done minutes ago. I storm off.
I tap my pencil against the desk, ignoring whatever the teacher is talking about. I don't think I'm cut out for biology. Wait, am I in history? I look at the textbook. Oh. Physics.
I stare at what the teacher has drawn on the board. What is that? Kinda looks like a... A hairbrush if you ask me.
Not bothering anymore to figure out what we're learning about, I start studying the people. Jace is staring at his crotch, smiling. What the hell? Oh, he must be texting. I study his face. I bet there is something else in there too.
The way he talks, it's obvious that his defense mechanism is strong. And talk about his pride. So... Child abuse, maybe? Or maybe a loss of a loved one. Yes, that makes more sense. He hides behind that pretty little face, not daring to confront his own scars. Coward.
Hypocrite, a voice whispers in the back of my head. At least I'm not the one pretending.
Jordan is weird. I don't know in what way, but he is. It's as if he's not a human. Like he's unbreakable. Like he's incapable of getting hurt. Huh. What am I talking about? Everyone has their own scars. Maybe he's just better at masking it...?
"Miss Morgenstern! Are you paying any attention?"
"I am sorry, sir."
"How many times do I have to tell you? You're going to fail your tests miserably if you don't start listening to me!"
Gritting my teeth, I apologize again and again.
"As I was saying, we're going to have a pop quiz next week. I'm not going to tell you what day. Just prepare for it, got it? If you don't manage to get a good enough score, I'll have you stay late everyday until you get your score higher."
Oh no.
"Okay, we can really, really help you with this," Jordan says. "Seriously, both of us are pretty decent at physics."
"I don't need help."
"Yes, you do," Jace interrupts. "How about this? You let us help you, and we'll leave you alone for a week after that."
"For a week?"
"Yes, or no?"
"Fine, but if I don't get a decent score, you are never, ever talking to me again."
Jace and Jordan exchange glances.
"What, scared?"
"Of course not. Like I said, we're pretty good."
"And one more thing. I can cut off the deal whenever I want to."
Just in case I start getting attached to them.
"Okay, so where should we get started with?"
"Probably from the basics," I tell Jordan.
We're sitting out on a park, the textbook on the grass.
"How far behind are you?"
"Well... I know what an atom is."
Both of the boys' jaw drops open.
"Tink, I'm pretty sure you learn that in sixth grade or something."
"If you say one more negative thing about this, I'm going to cancel the-"
"Fine, fine! Jeez, what's with the redheads these days?" Jace complains.
"Excuse me? My hair is not red."
"Um, Tink? It actually is."
"I prefer bright brown. And I think it's because of the lighting, and-"
I look up, and realize we're underneath a gigantic oak tree. Fighting the urge to give the tree the finger, I sigh, and open the textbook.
"So... Shall we teach you the seventh grade stuff first?"
"No, can't you just make me memorize the words or something?"
"Okay. Do you know what euophilocity means?"
"Um... Isn't that the particle of a-"
"No, Tink."
"How would you know?" I accuse Jordan.
"Because our dear Blondie here, made that word up."
"Hey, don't call me that!"
"Tink calls you that everytime."
"Well, Clary is Clary. She can call me that anytime."
Rolling his eyes, Jordan stretches his arms, the tip of his fingers brushing against my neck. I cringe away from him, making Jordan squint at me.
"Are you ticklish?" He asks.
I shake my head viciously, but he doesn't seem to buy it. He and Jace exchange glances, then leap toward me.
"What the-"
Then, I burst out laughing as their fingers jab into my sides.
"Oh my god. Stop, you idiots!"
I thrash around, probably gathering everyone's attention to me. But they don't stop tickling me, and then...
"Oops," I say as my foot connects with Jace's head.
He collapses on the ground, his eyes closed.
"Jace?" I ask frantically. "Are you okay?"
"Oh god. Maybe he's having a concussion," says Jordan.
I kneel down beside him, bringing his head onto my lap.
"Jordan!" I scream. "What do we do?"
"Um.. I don't know...?"
"How can you be so calm? He might be having a concussion!"
He just shrugs.
"Jace? Jace? Wake up! Wake up, you idiot!"
He doesn't move an inch.
"Excuse me?" A girl approaches us. "Does your friend need some help? Because I can call- holy shit!"
Finally noticing Jace properly, she just stands there, gaping at him. Just like any other girls. I roll my eyes, groping for my phone.
"Let me call-"
"No!" Jace suddenly yells, sitting up. "Don't call anyone, I'm fine."
Actually, he does look fine. No, he's... Smirking.
"You... You..."
"You put my head on your lap," he says, grinning.
"And you knew about this!" I glare at Jordan.
"What can I say? That's why we need education, Tink."
"I didn't hurt you at all?" I ask, a part of me disappointed, and another relieved.
"Trust me, I could barely feel you."
Clenching my teeth, I wonder if that was an insult.
"However," he says, dragging me toward him by my ankle. "I believe you do owe me."
"I do not owe you," I glare at him, trying to pull my body away from him, but damn it, he's strong.
"Don't worry. I can think of plenty of nice ways for you to pay back for me."
I arch my eyebrows, making him laugh.
"So...? How are you going to pay me back?" He asks, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"I can give you another good kick if you really want me to," I answer, still struggling against him.
"But a kick is not what I really want for now," he whispers against my neck.
"Okay, guys. I'm still here. You know, Jordan Kyle? Your friend?"
Jace releases me, but his smirk stays on.
"You are not my friend," I state matter of factly.
Maybe I really made a big mistake when I agreed to their deal. Tomorrow, I tell myself. I'll cut it off.
"Simon. What am I going to do?" I ask him, sighing. "Everything's so hard in my life. Do you think they're going to stay away from me if they realize how bitchy I am?"
But as always, his brown, lifeless eyes remain the same, not answering my question.