“What? How?”
“The project itself is intriguing. I believe people will be fascinated with your efforts despite the negative outcome. All you have left to do is write up your conclusions, and you will be ready for Saturday.”
Showing off a lame failed experiment didn’t sound like much fun to me. “Maybe we still shouldn’t go, though. The nerds are already embarrassed having to take a dumb jock like me to the fair with them. This experiment just proves them right. I don’t want to ruin their day when they’ve all worked so hard.”
Suddenly Mr. Walden had the look on his face that he always had when he was about to start doling out the detention slips. “You are not a dumb jock, Grayson.”
“Right.” I scoffed.
Mr. Walden leaned back in his chair and rubbed his head like it hurt. I knew I exhausted the guy on occasion, but I thought we were past me giving him migraines.
He sighed and pulled his grade book out of his desk. He walked over and plopped it in front of me. After finding my name on his class list, he ran his finger down the line and stopped it on a B.
I was a little shocked. “Is that the grade from my test last week? Did I seriously pull a B?”
“No,” Mr. Walden said gruffly. He scooted his finger back to a different column. This time he pointed at an A minus. “This was the grade you got on the test last week. The B is the grade you will see on your report card for third quarter when they’re handed out this Friday.”
Scratch being a little shocked. If I hadn’t been sitting, I’d have fallen over in a dead faint. “You’re totally shitting me, Mr. Walden!”
Mr. Walden frowned at me, but before I could apologize, he cracked a smile and said, “I assure you I am not shitting you, Grayson.”
There was a round of laughter in the room. I hadn’t realized that the science club geeks were all standing behind us, listening to the conversation.
Mr. Walden smiled at everyone and then met my eyes again. This time his were shining. I couldn’t believe it, but the man was proud of me.
“I haven’t added in the extra points from the science experiment yet, Grayson. This lift in your grade is purely from you actually turning in your homework assignments and studying for your tests. If you attend the science fair this weekend as we agreed on, and if you continue to apply yourself as you have been, I have no doubt you will graduate with an A in my class.”
At that everyone broke out into a round of clapping and cheers. I took an exaggerated bow, pretending like it was no big deal, but it actually felt kind of awesome knowing I’d done so much all by myself. Well, it wasn’t completely on my own. I totally owed the science squad.
“I think this calls for a celebration. What do you guys say to some applied physics for science club today? My treat.”
“Applied physics?” Owen asked.
Now I understood why everyone laughed at me the first time I’d heard that term. The horror in Owen’s voice was hilarious.
I slung my arm over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s not as scary as it sounds.”
“Sounds like a party in here.”
Avery’s quiet voice broke the scene like a sledgehammer through a window. She stood in the doorway to the classroom, blushing from the way she’d brought everything to a stop. She’d been so nonresponsive lately that she’d faded into the background both at lunch and here in science club. We weren’t used to her speaking up anymore, and I wasn’t the only one surprised when she’d interrupted the conversation.
Of course, we were also shocked because of who she’d dragged with her to science club.
Libby was the first to snap out of it and answer her. “It is,” she said. “Today a miracle has occurred, and we are celebrating.”
“Miracle?” I laughed. “Gee thanks, Lib.”
“Grayson’s going to get an A in physics!” Tara blurted, then promptly turned bright red.
“An A?” Aiden gasped. I rather enjoyed his shock. Jerk.
Avery wasn’t shocked. Actually, she shocked me when she said “I’m not surprised,” and her face lit up with a bright smile. I hadn’t seen her smile like that since her birthday. It made my stomach get all fluttery. I had to look away from her before I blushed like some stupid tween experiencing his first crush.
“It’s not a sure thing,” I mumbled, looking anywhere but her eyes. “We still have to finish our project before the science fair this weekend.”
“Well, then it’s definitely a sure thing.”
Surprised by the excitement in Avery’s voice, I looked up and found her beaming at me. “We’re done!” she squealed. “I’ve reached the final stage!”
I didn’t know what to say. My eyes fell to her and Aiden’s clasped hands. Whatever happened between them at the museum on Saturday obviously went well enough to pull her out of her depression and find acceptance.
I wasn’t sure it counted as acceptance if she simply got what she’d wanted in the first place. Did she really get past the heartbreak, or did he just un-break it when he asked her out? There was a difference. But she looked so happy, and she’d clearly forgiven him for everything he did to her, so I didn’t point that out.
I swallowed back bile and forced myself to smile at her. “That’s great, Aves. I guess we have more than one reason to celebrate today then, huh?”
Avery nodded enthusiastically. Then she glanced at Aiden, and her smile died as if she’d just remembered my brother and I were not exactly getting along right now. She mustered up her courage and then asked the entire group, “Do you mind if Aiden comes with us? Debate is over, and I’ve been trying to convince him to come back to science club for the rest of the year.”
I felt everyone’s eyes turn to me, waiting to see what I thought so they could follow my lead. I was surprisingly touched to have earned the geek squad’s loyalty.
I wanted to say no. Aiden didn’t deserve to be welcomed back with open arms when he’d abandoned everyone in this room. I also wanted to tell him to get lost because I couldn’t stand the sight of him and Avery together. I’d told myself this was coming, but seeing them standing so close to one another with their hands woven together was way harder to stomach than I’d anticipated. I wasn’t sure I could survive them being a couple, but I had to find a way because Avery needed someone right now, and as much as I hated it, that someone obviously wasn’t me.
“Sure,” I forced myself to say. “If he wants to come.”
Avery asked me to ride in Brandon’s van with her, but I hopped in Owen’s car with Libby and Tara. Was I avoiding them? Hell yes. I needed the ride to mentally prepare before I had to spend time with Avery and Aiden, The Couple.
At least no one else seemed to be having such a hard time with Aiden’s presence. It helped keep the awkwardness to a minimum. Everyone was laughing and joking around as we all laced up our shoes.
“So you geeks want to explain to me how bowling is physics?” Owen asked.
Everyone laughed and Levi started spouting off words like velocity and inertia until Brandon interrupted. “No! No physics today. This is a celebration. Today we just play and have fun.”
“I get Avery, Grayson, and Owen on my team,” Levi said. “Losers buy the pizza!”
Libby stopped entering names into the computer and said, “No way. It’s boys against girls. Winners get to kiss a boy of their choice.”
“But I don’t kiss boys,” Owen argued.
Libby rolled her eyes at him. “Duh. But you won’t be winning, so it doesn’t matter.”
I smiled to myself, feeling a “friendly wager” coming on. “Whatever the stakes, it can’t be pizza. That’s on me today. I really do owe you guys for my grade.”
“Hey, yeah. Speaking of that, do you guys do math at all or just science?” Owen asked. “I’m getting a D in calculus.”