9 || chemical reactions
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I slam my locker shut at the end of the day, still flabbergasted by today's turn of events. I never wanted to be a cheerleader!

"I told you to just mind your business," Ivy shakes her head at me. "Now look at what you've gotten yourself into."

"This is an easy fix," I reply. "I just have to talk to Coach Kelly and let her know that I won't be joining the team."

"Good luck with that," Nikole says. "Once she wants something, she'll go to any lengths to get it. And she wants you and Chanel on the team."

"Honestly just suck it up and deal," Trevor shrugs. "Who knows? Maybe you'll enjoy it."

I shoot him a look. "That's easy for you to say! You don't have to deal with Britney Matthews as a captain. That girl hates my guts, now even more so. I have no doubt she'll make my time on the team a living hell."

"She actually takes joy in making other people miserable," Chanel shivers.

Ryan checks his watch. "You guys have thick skin, you'll be fine. Don't you have detention to get to Aubrey?" He gives me a pointed grin.

"Fuck you," I flip him off. After saying goodbye I head toward detention. Just two more days and I'll be free. I set my backpack down at my usual desk and take a seat. Veronica is still here along with a few new faces who earned themselves a spot doing whatever stupid shit they did.

But no Carter.

I assume he's just running late or something so I don't think too much of it. But then Mr. Mulligan takes roll and he still hasn't shown up. He's only digging a deeper hole for himself by ditching. Not that I care, he's just stupid is all.

Instead of going on my phone I attempt to get some homework done, but it doesn't take long for my mind to wander to thoughts of Carter and where he is. I can't believe he's ditching detention! He should be sitting here just as miserable and bored as I am. The longer I think about it the more irritated I get until finally I can't take it anymore. My hand shoots up. Mr. Mulligan doesn't look up from his paper and I cough loudly.

"Yes Miss Powers?" He finally looks up, annoyed. Well that makes two of us!

"I need to go to the bathroom," I say impatiently.

"Make it quick," he grumbles. I jump up from my seat and hurry out of the room.

The school is eerily quiet, the hallways completely empty. There's something creepy about being at school when it's not filled with students like during the day. I honestly have no idea what my plan is once I'm alone. If Carter really ditched, there's no reason he would still be on campus. He could be long gone by now. But anything is better than sitting in that stuffy room, so I set off in search for him. I check the bathrooms, the cafeteria, hell even the quad. Just when I'm about to give up I walk past the fire escape stairs leading up the roof and pause.

It's worth a try.

I shield my eyes from the sunlight as I step outside. I've never actually been on the roof before. Students aren't allowed up here, but I'm sure that hasn't stopped anyone. I look around for Carter and spot him leaning against the wall to my right, a joint dangling precariously from his lips as he pulls a lighter from one of his many pockets. I watch as he lights the end, inhaling then puffing out several rings of smoke. Even his side profile is beautiful, and I'm convinced he has no bad angles whatsoever. He could probably open up the front camera from the chin up and still look good. Cater makes smoking look like an art, and I'm completely and utterly hypnotized, my eyes trailing down his face and stopping at his lips. When my eyes flicker back up I find he's watching me watch him. Having been caught I blush, hoping he thinks it's the actual blush I'm wearing and not my face.

"Well if it isn't my favorite cheerleader," he smirks, blowing out more smoke. "Pretty impressive performance at lunch."

I cross my arms and ignore his comment. "Detention started you know."

"Yeah and?"

"And you're ditching."

Carter shakes his head and chuckles. "So what, they sent you to look for me?"

I don't answer that. "You're only gonna get in more trouble if you ditch."

He tilts his head at me. "I'm touched by your concern Aubrey, truly. But does it honestly look like I give a crap?"

Again I don't respond, because what am I supposed to say? If he doesn't care, then why should I? I don't even know why I cared so much to look for him in the first place. I turn to go then pause, spinning back around.

"By the way, don't even think about ditching our lab tomorrow. I'm not failing because of you."

Carter grins. "Wouldn't dream of it pinky."

I huff and finally leave, hating that damn nickname but knowing there's nothing I can do to get him to stop calling me it.

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"I hope you're all as excited as I am, because today we'll be starting our chemical reactions lab!"

Mr. Frankenstein whistles as he passes out the lab packet. "Read it and weep folks. We'll start today and finish by Monday."

I flip through the packet. From what I skim read, we'll be observing oxidation-reduction reactions and double replacement reactions by replicating six reactions that fall under those categories. We're only doing two out of the six reactions today, synthesis and decomposition. There's a data table at the end we have to fill out and another table where we have to write chemical equations for each reaction.

Yay chemistry.

Mr. Frankenstein spends twenty minutes going over the packet before we gear up in gloves, goggles, and out lab coats and meet our partners at our lab station. All our supplies are already neatly laid out and organized. Carter picks up the Bunsen burner.

"Careful!" I screech.

He gives me an annoyed look. "Relax. I haven't even done anything."

"Yet," I finish. "Look, why don't you just let me do all the work? Then you can just observe and fill out the table."

"You ever heard the saying there's no I in team," Carter says dryly.

"I just don't want you to fuck up and accidentally blow up the school or something."

"I'd be doing us all a favor if I blew up the school," he rolls his eyes. "And I'm not an idiot. I know what I'm doing."

"That can be argued," I mutter under my breath.

I can't shake my nerves as Carter picks up the piece of magnesium ribbon with the tongs for our first reaction as holds it over the evaporating dish and lights the end with the Bunsen burner. I stare at it as it burns, but then quickly remember we're not supposed to look for too long because of the intensity of light. I jot down my observations.

"What would you do if I just set your hair on fire?" Carter muses.

"I would kill you," I respond casually, setting my pencil down.

"Yeah I don't doubt that."

We go through the second reaction, this time with me doing it while Carter takes notes. Then at the end we clean up our lab station, making sure to properly dispose of all waste material. By the time we're finished the bell rings, signaling the end of the day. I drag my feet since I don't actually get to go home but instead spend another afternoon in detention.

This is getting real old, real fast.

"Guess what?" Nikole announces excitedly as she bounds up to Ivy, Trevor, Chanel, Ryan, and I at Chanel's locker. I'm dropping my stuff off last just so I can enjoy a few more minutes of freedom.

"What?" Ivy asks, raising a brow.

"Kyle Bradshaw's parents are out of town and he's throwing a party tomorrow night at his parents beach house."

"Finally something to look forward to," Ryan says.

Trevor agrees. "I don't know how, but that dude throws legendary parties."

Out of control is more like it. Last year when he threw a party it ended with the fire department being called to the scene because half his house almost burnt down. But his parents were mega-rich, so they just tossed around their money and the problem was solved.

Pfft. Rich kids.

"So we're all going right?" Nikole asks, looking at each of us.

Ivy frowns. "I don't know-"

"Oh come on grandma," Trevor slings an arm around her shoulder. "You're seventeen yet you act like you're eighty. Live a little."

"I'm sorry my idea of a good time isn't getting sloppily drunk and hanging around a bunch of imbeciles," she glares at him.

"Who said anything about getting drunk? You can just chill and hang out. Bring a sippy cup or something," he jokes and Ivy slugs him in the arm. "Ow! For an eighty year old you've got a mean right hook."

I look at Nikole and shrug. "I'm down."

"Me too," Chanel chimes in.

Nikole furrows her brows. "Wait...are we all drinking?"

"Duh?" I respond, giving her a questioning look.

"Okay but then who's gonna DD?"

Silence. And then...

"Not it!" We all shout except for Ivy who rolls her eyes.

"I guess I'll go," she grumbles.

Ryan grins. "Don't forget to bring your walker. Wouldn't wanna grandma to break her hip hanging out with the imbeciles."

"I swear Ryan you're next on my hit list," Ivy jabs a finger at him.

"Actually you guys can just crash at my place after," Nikole says, then pauses. "The girls," she clarifies.

"So are you gonna pick us all up?" Ryan asks Ivy, who shakes her head.

"No. Just meet at my place. I'll drive everyone to the party and home but that's it."

"Sounds like a plan," Trevor nods.

"Tomorrow can't get here fast enough," Chanel slams her locker shut. The hallways are starting to empty out as the last straggling students head home. I check the time and sigh.

"I gotta go."

"Just one more day," Nikole squeezes my shoulder. "Then you're a free bird."

"I swear, I'm never doing anything to get detention again. It's horrible."

"Yeah alright," Trevor rolls his eyes and they all laugh. I flip him off.

"See you guys later."

"Later!" They all yell. As I'm walking to detention I can't help but overhear a group of girls gossiping. I would've kept walking, but then I heard Carter's name so of course naturally I had to stop and listen. I pull out my phone and pretend I'm texting someone when really I'm eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Lacy's brave, I'll give her that," one of them clucks their tongue.

"Brave or stupid. You don't just outright ask a guy for his number."

"I love Lacy but let's be honest, Carter is a little out of her league. I mean he's a senior. Plus I think he's eighteen. Isn't that like statuary rape?"

"I would be embarrassed if I was her."

"He's like, mega hot. But also super intimidating."

I roll my eyes at that, although I guess I can see where they're coming from. Then again I'm really not scared of anyone. Perks of being a crazy bitch I guess.

"He doesn't even talk to girls does he? Or has friends?"

"No he just keeps to himself. And the only girl I've seen him talk to is that one weird girl who wears all the pink."

My ears perk up even more when I hear myself being mentioned.

"You mean Aubrey Powers? She's a senior I think."

"She's crazy is what she is. Did you see that video where she almost hit him with her hydro flask?"

"I'm pretty sure the whole school saw that."

"Maybe Carter likes crazy. And you have to admit, she's super pretty."

I smile at that. Thank you random group of girls I don't know. And now that's my cue to go before they notice me listening in on their conversation.

Godspeed whoever Lacy was.

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