Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 23

He shakes his head. "No I didn't. I said class. Clearly you better start reading that textbook before you really do fail this class." He points to the shelves, and I see stacks of dusty looking books.

I sigh and do the walk of shame to the bookshelf. I reach up, but they're way up there. It's not too high, but I'm really short. I reach and reach, but I can't get it. I can feel everyone's eyes on me.

Someone closest to the bookshelf, a really tall girl, gets up to help me.

I shoo her away. "Thanks, but no thanks. I can do this." I can do this. I can pass these freaking classes. I can survive this school. I only have one year here and then I'm gone. These people on the other hand are stuck with themselves for the rest of their lives. I hop up, lean on one of the shelves a little, and just barely manage to knock one down. It falls to the floor, but I consider that an accomplishment. I pick it up and go back to my seat.

While I'm sitting down, Mr. Olcan says, "Well we won't leave our new classmate alone in this. Maybe we all could gain some knowledge from going back to the basics."

Everyone groans just as I pry the book open. The prehistoric work vomits dust in my face. I nearly hack my lungs out.

The teacher's eyes widen. Axel pats my back. Carson nearly flies out of his seat.

"How old is that book?" Aiden demands, harshly.

Mr. Olcan scratches the back of his neck. "Er, on second thought, maybe that's enough for one day. Who wants to make fat storing brownies?"

The whole class jumps at the opportunity. Mr. Olcan takes the book from me as everyone else goes to the kitchen area. "I'll put this back for you. I'll try to find a PDF or something. Or a cleaner one the library."

"Hmm," I stand up.

He pauses and then turns back to me fully. "Sometimes I forget I'm just talking to children. But the course will get easier the more you're exposed to the scenarios, and like I said there's no wrong choice, you just have to defend your answer... You'll learn to defend your answers, and yourself, here."

I look at him surprised. I wasn't expecting that. "Um, thank you Mr. Olcan."

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It's Michael. He wants to know how everything's going for me. I don't know how to respond to that.

As we leave the class with our questionable "fat storing" brownies, Axel tells me, "You know, Mia, if you ever need help with anything in that class, you can always ask me." He smiles and walks beside me down the hallway.

"What?" I'm surprised by the emotionlessness of his tone.

He sighs and keeps walking. The distance between us increases and it doesn't sit well with me.

Never in my life has it been so hard to avoid someone. Or should I say someones. I think back to Suzie's warning long and hard. Maybe she was just talking about Carson? We make eye contact, and Carson lifts an eyebrow, smirking. I look away from him, shaking my head. I nod mentally. She had to be talking about Carson.

Axel is this pure angelic boy from above who can do no wrong in my eyes. I just don't want to proven wrong.

The thing is, I don't think I will be. I look at him from the corner of my eyes, and I just want to take a chance with him, you know?

But even as I say that, I can't stop seeing Carson in my peripheral and... well, unfortunately, Aiden too. I stare at his back like I've done so many times now. Somehow in this one day I've grown so used to even his presence. His cold, egotistical, stupidly handsome.

I shake that thought from my head. If anyone's a player, it's Carson's cocky self. And if anyone's dangerous, it's Aiden. Clearly Axel, the lovable geek of the group for lack of better words, is my only logical option. And he's awesome and sweet and quite literally just as hot as him brothers on top of that. I should try to talk to him at least, make my own judgement of his character. If Suzie's right, she's right, but let me see that.