Chapter 5

The Science midterm exam was not administered in my regular Science classroom. It was a written exam, no lab work, so it was in a normal classroom with separate desks rather than tables for two. At least I won’t have to sit next to Tiffany, I thought as I cowered at the desk I had chosen, the last one in the back corner. I fretted while waiting for Tiffany to show up.

And then she strolled into the classroom.

Tiffany scanned the room. Her eyes fell on me. I cringed, wanting to hide under the desk or vanish into nothingness, be invisible again, but she smiled and rushed to the desk next to mine.

“What are you doing all the way back here?” Tiffany asked as she sat down.

I hadn’t even realized I had chosen that desk. It was the old Cody who had done it. Subconsciously, I knew my life was going to be the miserable one I had before fate made Tiffany my lab partner.

“I have no idea,” I said.

“I guess it doesn’t matter. We’ll be busy taking the test.” Tiffany gave me a warm smile. “Thanks for studying with me. I’m gonna ace this test.”

I gave her a half smile. That was all I could muster. Did she know I took her panties? She wasn’t acting like it. Was she setting a trap? Maybe I lucked out. Maybe she had thought she put them in the hamper. Or maybe that her mother had. Was I that lucky? Maybe life was going to be good from now on. Maybe I had survived hell.

The exam wasn’t hard. Not for me. I glanced at Tiffany several times during the test and she fidgeted a lot in her chair. And I saw her erasing her answers often, writing a new one, only to erase it again and write a new answer. Sometimes she would close her eyes and press her hands to the temples of her lowered head. Then she’d write the answer.

When the exam ended and the papers were collected, we had to go to our next midterm. Of course, Science was the only class Tiffany and I had in common. We both stood up.

“How’d you do?” Tiffany asked with a shaky voice.

“I think okay.”

“Not me. I wasn’t sure on many questions.” She smiled. “When I got stuck, I would close my eyes and think back to our studying. I heard you give me the answer. If I pass, it’s because of you. Thanks so much.”

Tiffany got onto her toes and kissed me on the lips. Just a peck, but on the lips. She smiled again and said goodbye before turning around and walking out of the classroom.

I touched my lips with the fingertips of two fingers. Tiffany kissed me. Not on the cheek like the other time, but on the lips. I walked to my next midterm without my feet touching the floor.

There were no regular classes during midterm week and I only had one or two of the long exams per day. That left a lot of time for studying, which was great because of the studying I had missed over the weekend fretting over Tiffany. I breezed through my exams and then I was on Christmas break.

Two days after Christmas, my mother told me I had a call. No one ever called me so I assumed it was one of my aunts from out of town wishing me a Merry Christmas. I was shocked when I heard Tiffany’s voice.

“When am I going to get my ride in your hot car?” she asked.

“Uh, anytime you want.”

“How about now?”

“I’ll be right over.”

When I arrived at Tiffany’s house, I expected her to be waiting on the porch. She had seemed so excited. But the porch was empty. Then again, it was cold outside. She was probably watching from a window. I jumped out of my car and rushed to the door. It didn’t open. Maybe she wasn’t watching. I rang the doorbell.