Tallis smirked slightly as he muttered, "I'm number three as well, Mr. Johnson."
Then Mr. Johnson turned again to meet Elaina. "There's not very much math to do, as you can see. Elaina, it would seem your partner is over there." He pointed to the only girl left standing in the room.
Elaina walked away, huffing in aggravation. Mr. Johnson nodded toward us before he walked away and returned to his desk.
Then I felt fire burning through my hand as Tallis led me back to our table. Everyone else was sitting beside their partner at their table, and now I was going to be within inches of Tallis for the rest of class.
I was both giddy and sickly nervous at once.
His voice was so soothing as he spoke, and a slight smile spread across his face as he pulled out the work from his packet. "I'm really g
lad you didn't make me be partners with Elaina. She doesn't have a whole lot of work ethic. I would've been stuck doing all the legwork."
I blushed, showing how incredibly uncomfortable I was. "Are you two… I mean... Were you two… I mean, were you… never mind," I grumbled, finally giving up my unintelligible ramble.
I could see a figurative mirror image of myself, drooling and slapping my gums in an apelike manner. So, so stupid.
He chuckled, and he responded through his laughter. "No. Never. Not that she hasn't tried. That's another reason I was grateful for your reluctance to give up your packet."
I couldn't tell if he was flirting with me, or if he really was just that desperate to stay away from her. It was even possible he was mocking me. It wasn't like I would know.
"Um, she's not your type?" I asked, my voice crackling.
His smile deepened. Then his tone changed slightly, as his smile turned a little more menacing. “No, she's not my type." Then he shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he continued. "I'm not really trying to date anyone in high school. There's more to worry about in life than teenage drama."
I could feel a knot starting to form in my stomach again. I tried not let my voice quiver with disappointment, though I was very obviously unsuccessful.
"Oh. I guess that makes sense. I already knew that about you anyway. I just didn't know if you had made an exception for her."
He scoffed noticeably, quickly rebuffing my apparently foolish notion. "If I were to make an exception, it wouldn't be for her."
I had nothing else to say. My lips quivered instead of moving.
The way he stared at me so intensely confused me about the way he felt. Then he gave me that same captivating gaze he had so many times before, and slowly, the corners of his mouth edged themselves into an incredibly cocky smile before continuing.
"So, you've been asking around about me?"
My face suddenly lit up as bright as a Christmas tree with embarrassment.
Busted.
I scrambled around for the right thing to say, desperate to recover quickly. I tried to sound as casual as possible, but my hands twitched nervously as I responded. "It may have come up in idle conversation. Nothing detailed. I can see how it could be a good philosophy though."
He smirked slightly. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. It's all a little pointless to go through at such a young age."
I could feel my face blushing - actually, beaming red would be more accurate - as I squirmed around my seat. My discomfort had to obvious. Change the subject, girl!
"It looks like we're going to be opening a coffee shop," I blurted out, considering I had nothing else to say.
He glanced down at the paperwork in front of him, smirking lightly. "Looks like."
I hoped he didn't realize what my discomfort meant. I hadn't ever dated anybody, so I had no idea what drama he was talking about. At least not from personal experience.
I was too embarrassed to tell him that. I was hoping he couldn't pick up on that. Most of the other girls had been dating for years, and I hadn't even kissed a guy, or held his hand, or anything. I wouldn't even know how to start. It was Haluali. The choices were bare - too young, too old, unavailable, not my type... etc. It wasn't the buffet this place is.
Then, as he flipped through the pages, he grabbed out his notebook and began writing. "Let's go ahead and make a budget based on the money allowance we have, and we'll go from there with our hypothetical coffee shop."
I nodded and grabbed my notebook as well. "Do you want to take building costs and layout? Or do you want supply costs and projected profit margin to begin with?"