Logan kissed Alex’s temple.

Every nerve Alex had, from her head to her toes, intensified. She kept her eyes on the wall. They popped out of their sockets. Words from yesterday floated to the front of her mind. They spoke clear and true.

‘—A forehead/temple kiss is the most meaningful and affectionate gesture. No matter what age.’

Her neck flamed hot red. Then, it travelled to her cheeks and her ears. On reflex, she clutched Logan’s shirt. The idea was for her to hide—maintain this position so he didn’t have a chance to see her face. When he hugged her tighter, alarm bells rang in her head.

It probably wasn’t her best idea.

“W-We should head to class” Alex stammered. She willed her face to cool down. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to let go.

“It’s the middle of 2nd period” Logan replied, tilting his head so her hair tickled his cheek. He closed his eyes, “I’d need to come up with an excuse as to why I’m late.”

The pitch in Alex’s voice rose higher, “Tell them you were called by your father?”

“But I don’t have a pass from the staff room.”

“You can use mine?” She said in the same tone.

“And leave you here alone until the 3rd period begins?” Logan snorted, “Don’t be silly. Plus I feel really comfortable right now. Your hoodie is almost like a pillow and your hair is so soft.”

…

…

…

“I can sleep like this.”

“What am I? A bed?” Alex spat, scowling. She tried to step away from him but his hold was strong. Then, she squirmed and pushed his chest. Every time she struggled, Logan only held tighter.

“I’d say you’re more like an overgrown stuffed animal” he chuckled.

“And what kind of animal?”

“An oversized teddy bear?”

…

…

…

Alex moved her right hand towards the left. Her arm bent, she jabbed her elbow at the side of his torso. The close proximity offered little room to build up force. Nonetheless, she hit her mark. Logan grunted from the impact, arching back.

He winced as he straightened his spine. He mumbled, “Okay, maybe a feline. A fluffy one.”

“If I’m gonna be a cat, I want to be a big one” Alex scoffed.

“Oh, trust me. You’re not exactly small” Logan began to say. Then, he thought better of it, “Except maybe one area—”

This time, he saw the elbow coming. He stepped back to dodge it. The bell rang from outside. Alex used this opportunity to duck out of his embrace. She opened the closet and stepped out. She leaned against the door, feeling it vibrate from Logan’s pounding.

Alex ignored any eyes and fished out her phone. She sent Logan a quick message to come out a few minutes later. The traffic of people needed to change so no one could witness them both exit the closet. The students had 10 minutes to get to their next class. This included bathroom breaks.

A faint notification tone reached her ears. When the vibration stopped, she left the closet and headed for her class.

===

“Are you seriously doing schoolwork right now?” Max eyed the laptop on the table, “It’s lunch time.”

Alex typed on her keyboard, a plate of fries beside it. She already finished the burger the moment she sat down. She would have gone straight to the library but someone disapproved of it. She ended up doing the project in the cafeteria.

“I have an appointment later on” she answered curtly.

Colin raised an eyebrow, “Do you have a date with Emily?”

“I actually do,” Alex nodded. Logan peeked from her left. Tabs of articles filled her browser. She needed to get through them as quickly as possible. Any passage that caught her eye was instantly pasted to a rough document.

“Are we really doing Twelfth Night?” He blinked at the screen.

He received a mumble in reply, “The irony is just… uncanny.”

“Wait a minute” Max cut in, his fork clattering on his plate. He gaped at the guy beside him, “Have you met her too?”

Colin recapped his juice bottle. Sending a frown at Max’s direction, “Yeah, she came by the diner the other day.”

Exasperated violet eyes glared around the table. None of the others reacted. He pointed his fork at each of them, “Was this after I left?”

“It was” Lauren smiled smugly. She dipped a fry into her burger, eating it with the sauce, “Yes, that meant you just missed meeting her. Again.”

Max slammed a fist with a fork on the table, “This is totally unfair!”

“Do you mind if I sit here? The other available seat looks dangerous?” Jae perked up. He carried a lunch tray with both a plate of burger and a plate of pasta.

Alex looked up towards her right. Her eyebrows rose in surprise, “You wear glasses?”

She scooted nearer to Logan and gave the older Parker twin some space. Jae sat down, pushing the eyeglasses up the bridge of his nose. He maintained a good distance. The rectangular shape of the black frame gave him a different aura.

Alex felt like she witnessed the rare occurence of a troublemaker turning into a good studious boy.

“I usually wear contacts” Jae explained, taking a sip of water, “My last pair went down the drain. It would take some time before I get a replacement.”

Logan gulped down his food, “His eyesight went bad because he read comics at night. Not to mention how much time he spent on video games.”

“I think it looks good” Alex tilted her head at Jae, “Very fashionable.”

Her project partner choked on his next bite. She snickered, patting Logan’s upper back. It pleased her to know someone got her implication. Emily might just reconsider Jae, Alex thought. Or maybe she wouldn’t even recognize him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Max exclaimed. He glowered at the twins and Alex, “How come you three are together while I’m the designated third wheel?”

“Maybe it’s time for you to get a girl,” Jae answered.

“Why is it me and not one of you?”

“I already have a girl,” Alex pointed out, making a face, “And! I have 4 out of 5 witnesses from this table.”

“Then, you should be the one sitting here!”

“Can’t” she rolled her eyes, “I need Logan’s help.”

“Help to feed you while you work on our project?” Logan suggested slyly.

Alex immediately shoved three fries in her mouth. She puffed out her cheeks at him briefly. Then, she turned back to her laptop screen. She had moved on to the next page on the web search results. If she finished this by the time lunch ended, she’d be done within the week.

That meant she could spend time catching up on her favorite novels and comics.

===

Alex headed for her lab class. The rooms for them were at a secluded part of the building. Purposely separated from the other classes and at the opposite end of the library. The administration actually thought about making it a lone infrastructure. Unlike others, Alex took the emergency stairs.

Not many students knew it was a shortcut. She did because a faculty member pointed it out to her when she was running late once.

She looked up at the last flight of stairs. Her steps halted. Her mood dropped a few degrees.

Carla stood at the top, blocking the exit. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her hips swayed to one side. She had re-tied her ponytail to a low one, letting it flow over her shoulder. Her face consisted of zero emotion.

“Is there something you want from me?” Alex cocked an eyebrow. Before she might have panicked since the head cheerleader once caught her in the girl’s bathroom. Now, after this morning, she couldn’t let that happen again. The matter was dismissed for the time being but Alex must stay alert around her.

“I only came to say something” Carla began to say. Her expression remained the same, “It’s totally up to you whether you’d listen to it or not after you hear it.”

Alex gritted her teeth. She wondered why the head cheerleader opted to tell it now instead of at the Principal’s Office. Still, if she had something to say, Aunt Lilly would like to hear it out. Even if the information came late.

“What is it?” Alex replied, using her tone of voice.

“I really don’t have any intention to expose you,” Carla said again. She received an eye roll for it, “But that doesn’t mean someone else isn’t thinking about it.”

Alex squinted her eyes, “What the hell do you mean?”

“Look” the head cheerleader bowed her head. She closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead, “Having Lauren take those portfolios wasn’t coincidence. I really did intend it for her... but as far as someone knows she isn’t the only one who saw them and the folder. I’ve done what I can with what I have.”

When Carla glanced at Alex, her sight met a confused expression. She sighed. It was to be expected. Her words sounded too vague even for her. If her hands weren’t as tied as they were now, she wouldn’t have been clearer.

“All I’m saying is… watch your back.”