As Cosmo headed toward the library, he felt a sense of calmness. Sure, it was mostly because he was happy to talk to Wanda, but it was a great day. Even Luther hadn't seemed to pick on him today.
His shirt was suddenly grabbed from behind, and he was yanked towards the restroom. The abrupt force nearly knocked him off balance, and he stumbled as he was pulled along.
"H-Hey," he stuttered as he was flung against the wall, his bag falling beside him.
Luther was blocking the door along with most of the football team. He looked them over and groaned loudly as he shook his head. He really screwed himself over with his wishful thinking.
"We've been seein' that you think you can hang around our cheerleaders," Luther spat out as he advanced menacingly. Before Cosmo could react, Luther grabbed his shirt, lifted him off the ground, and threw him into one of the stalls with a resounding thud.
"Well," he paused and licked his lips as he looked around, trying his best to find an exit.
"Well, what?" Luther snapped, grabbing Cosmo's shoulder tightly. The grip was painful, causing Cosmo to wince and look away, avoiding Luther's gaze.
"L-look," he stammered, "I just needed someone to help me study."
Suddenly, the boys burst into piercing laughter as Luther threw him against the toilet. Cosmo cringed in disgust, trying to push himself up, but Luther's hand forced him back down, pressing him into the cold, grimy surface.
"As if," Luther laughed, shaking his head. "C'mon, Cosma, no one's gonna believe that load of crap."
"But it's true—" Cosmo started, only to be cut off as Luther grabbed his hair and shoved his head toward the toilet.
"Wanna see where that load of crap belongs?" Luther hissed. Cosmo felt a wave of nausea as his eyes shut tightly, and he shook his head, silently pleading no.
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Wanda clicked her pen repeatedly, the rhythmic sound punctuating the silence. Her eyes were fixed on the clock, watching each second tick by with excruciating slowness. Cosmo was supposed to be here roughly ten minutes ago. She even accounted for the time he would take to pick up lunch at the cafeteria, but he was still late. She debated leaving, but honestly, she didn't have it in her to listen to her friends talk about their party.
Wet footsteps broke her out of her thoughts. She turned slightly and saw Cosmo soaked in water running at her. He slipped almost a foot away from her, eliciting a gasp. She covered her mouth and stood up abruptly to help him up.
"I am so sorry I'm late," he managed in what sounded like a whimper.
"That's not important right now." She only shook her head and reached out her hand to him. "Are you okay?" she whispered softly as he grabbed hold of her hand. It sent shivers down her arm. Even his wet hand felt warm against her skin.
He shrugged, his hand lingering in hers as if deliberately trying to hold onto her touch for as long as possible. "I, uh," he paused, shaking his head. "Had an accident?" he said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.
She pulled her hand away after staring at him in confusion. Crossing her arms, she looked him up and down. "While that is the worst lie I've ever heard," she said, watching as he cringed and his gaze fell to the floor. "I'm not going to leave you soaked." She took out her wand from her pocket, shook it, and particles surrounded him, quickly drying him off.
As his gaze met hers once again, she felt her stomach turn at the sight of his gratitude. His smile was so wide she feared his face might get stuck that way. In all honesty, he looked like a puppy that had been rescued from the pound.
"Thank you," he beamed, and she awkwardly scratched her neck, unsure how to respond to his gratitude.
"You could've done the same thing," she shrugged, trying to brush it off as she put her wand back into her pocket. "It's no big deal."
He continued smiling and nodded before walking to a chair and sitting down. Carefully, he pulled out his textbooks and journal. Wanda hesitated momentarily, feeling embarrassed and uncertain about how she felt whenever he smiled at her. Finally, she decided to sit beside him, grabbing the homework assignment for tomorrow.
"Just because I could've done it doesn't make it any less nice that you did it," he whispered as he started working on his one assignment. It caused her to whip her head to face him.
He wasn't even looking at her, just working on his assignment. She didn't even know what to say. He just left her so speechless, and she wished he didn't. She's meant to help him learn, but he leaves her flustered instead.
"What actually happened?" she managed in a soft whisper, causing him to stop looking at his assignment and shut his eyes. He bit his lip and shook his head.
"It's," he sighed softly. "It's really nothing." his eyes finally opened but remained downcast.
Her stomach felt like a pit, but she wanted to know. She also wanted to do more than dry him off and be idolized for a small form of kindness. She slowly put her hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her.
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay, but I don't think it's nothing."
Cosmo looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he shook his head and let out a sigh. Avoiding her gaze, he turned away, his shoulders slumping.
"We only have twenty minutes left for lunch, and it's not like I can ask you any questions if I'm struggling when I get home," he murmured.
Her mind raced, and she quickly took out her phone handing it to him. He glanced at her with a quizzical expression.
"You can ask me questions whenever and wherever if you have my phone number," she finally said.
Wanda watched as his cheeks flushed and glanced at the phone in her hand.
"I uh," he slowly grabbed the phone from her hand, and she smiled softly before pushing a curl of hers behind her ear. He slowly typed his number into her phone, and she bit her lip as he finished and looked back up at her. "here, uhm, here's my phone number."
As he handed her phone back to her, Wanda knew in the deepest corner of her mind that this was wrong. She stayed with Juan because she didn't know Cosmo enough to leave her stable relationship. Now, here she was, actively allowing him into her life.
His smile seemed to throw any logic she appeared to have out the window because instead of deleting his number, she sent a smiley face.
"There," she smiled. "Now, whenever you have a question on an assignment, you can just hit me up, and I'll help you."
He paused momentarily to smile at her, then looked back at his assignment. "I," he licked his lips slowly as if wavering on what he was about to say, "I'm really glad you agreed to be my tutor."
"Yeah, well," she said, returning to her assignment and focusing on what was important. "I really want that letter of recommendation," she muttered. Wanda bit her lip, keeping her gaze fixed on her paper. It was just about the letter, she told herself, not whatever stupid thing made them soulmates.
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He threw his backpack onto his bed, fell onto the floor, curled his fists into a ball, and groaned. He felt like an idiot, not even in the usual sense. He let himself believe that he'd have a good day. He kept thinking that he had a good day, and it just kept kicking him in the ass.
Not even figuratively, he was sure he had some bruising on his shoulders and the rest of his body if he checked. Then, when Wanda helped him clean up, he thought maybe he had a chance with her. It was so stupid of him. They'd barely been talking. Of course, she isn't like him and is falling in love at first sight. He clenched his chest and sighed. It would make his life so much easier if she believed in what they could be, like he did.
He sat up and buried his face in his hands, ruffling his hair as he pushed his fingers back through it. He wished he could just show her how much she meant to him. He knew she probably shouldn't mean that much to him. They hadn't even known each other until this summer, and they hadn't spoken until she was forced to. Still, he was drawn to her, not just because they were soulmates.
Well, that probably helped, but he knew now that it was much more than that.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly grabbed it, hoping it was a message from Wanda. His slight smile faded as he saw messages from Spirit and Viper in their group chat. They were talking about crashing a party tomorrow. He hummed for a moment, considering it, before deciding that a break after this long week could be fun. He texted back, asking for the details and when they should meet up.
As his friends texted him the details, he looked up at the ceiling and smiled before resting his head against his bed. For once, he felt a flicker of excitement for a party. But honestly, he just really needed a distraction from constantly thinking about Wanda.
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She felt utterly drained, sick, and tired, and she honestly just wanted to go home. Quickly throwing on her sweater as the other girls changed alongside her, she reflected on the horrible practice, at least from her perspective. Being at the pyramid's base meant carrying the team, and she certainly felt the strain in her arms right now.
"Hey, Wandy, I noticed you still didn't come to lunch today," Carnellia said in an insincerely sweet tone. Wanda rolled her eyes to herself before turning and looking at her with feigned confusion.
"Well, Carnellia, I did say my lunches are no longer free since I'm tutoring someone now." she shrugged and stuffed her hands into her pocket. "It's really out of my hands." Carnellia only scoffed and rolled her eyes before chuckling and shaking her head.
"I sent Luthy and the boys to take care of your problem, though," she replied and grinned at her before tossing her hair back.
"Now," Wanda furrowed her brow as she recalled how Cosmo was disheveled during lunch. "What do you mean by that?"
She smiled and pulled Wanda into a tight hug. "Oh silly, I just told Luthy and the boys to make sure he stays away from you." Wanda felt like she was about to gag, and she quickly pulled away from her.
"He needs to be around me if I want my letter. I told you guys about this Tuesday and yesterday," she snapped and ran her hand through her curls. "It's like you don't even list-"
"Look, Wandy, I just wanted to be a good friend because I missed you, and now you're yelling at me." She wiped her face as if she were crying and turned from her.
"Carnellia I," she faltered as she felt her mind and body be racked with guilt. Not just because of her friend but also because of Cosmo. Did she cause this because she didn't spend time with her friends?
"Hey Wandy, it's no worries. I know just how you can make it up to me," she pulled Wanda by her arm and beamed at her, "by helping me set up my party tomorrow." There wasn't even any point in getting mad at her. She wouldn't hear it, and besides, she felt bad for neglecting her friends.
"Yeah, of course, Carnellia, anything for you," she said softly. She watched how quickly Carnellia pulled away, clapped her hands, and walked off with the others—leaving Wanda alone in the corner, debating whether that was the right choice.