k a r r i s

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I had a deep connection with food. Seriously. To me, eating was a sacred ritual in which my soul was filled to the brim with warmth and genuine bliss. I was an actual foodie whose taste buds flourished every time a familiar or new flavor would tantalize my tongue. That all said, it was safe to declare that I, Karris Renee Rosales Villanueva, enjoyed lunch period as if it were Christmas morning.

But let's be real for a quick minute.

After a thrilling Physics lecture on Hydrostatics that had my adrenaline pumping with excitement, I merrily sauntered out the door and down the hallway. I held my textbooks against my chest with a tight grip, as if it were a security blanket of some kind. Jogging down the stairs with a spring in each step, I headed for my locker, eager to be at my metal vessel of academic  stockpile.

"You're oddly excited," the sound of jingling keys echoed near to my ears, and when I looked to my right, I saw 'my-right-hand-my-go-to' grinning down at me-- in addition to grinning at myself for finally making a Drake reference.

"Ain't it obvious," I hinted, turning the dial of my locker, "it's time for lunch."

"And what kind of specially crafted health food did Doctor Jean Villanueva prepare today?" Berkley mused with a pursed lip.

I noticed that she was wearing her favorite matte lipstick today and had a feeling she was slowly becoming like herself again. Opening the metal door, I neatly placed my textbooks inside the shelf, before grabbing the bright green binder I needed for the rest of my classes.

"Pasta," I slammed my locker shut and stood up, "of course, it's with homemade organic, fat and salt-free Alfredo sauce... but it's pasta nonetheless."

Berkley cringed, "you can have some of my Hot Cheetos if you want."

Chuckling at my best friend's aversion for healthy cuisine, I draped an arm around her shoulder. She followed suit as we got lost in our own quirky conversation. The two of us cruised through the crowded corridor, embarking towards the glass doors that led to the outdoor quad.

However, I never made it.

One second I was keeling over from the hilarious anecdote that Berkley was animatedly talking about, and the next second my entire body was snatched by a pair of ridiculously buff arms. I wanted to scream, but with a hand over my mouth, I couldn't let out a whimper, much less a vicious shriek. I was pulled into a dim, empty classroom somewhere in the D-Block area of the campus.

Panic was increasing by the second and I refused to die like this: at school, a virgin, and on an empty stomach. At least give me a Last Supper before I'm atrociously slaughtered. I decided to fight for my life, but because this was me we were talking about, and I didn't know how to brawl, I did the only logical thing that came to mind: lick his hand.

"Ew! What the fuck Karris?"

"Ashton?!"

"Why the hell would you slobber on my hand?" Ashton wiped his palm on his black skinny jeans with disgust.

"I thought you were a psycho killer!" I justified, shooting my hands to my hips.

"And the only logical thing that came to your mind was to lick, said psycho killer?" Ashton hissed. "What if it wasn't me? What if it were a psycho killer? You'd die in a heartbeat! At least go for the balls!"

"You've got none!" oops.

I shot a hand to my mouth so fast as my eyes grew wide with shock and embarrassment. I couldn't believe I let the sassy comment slip through my teeth and now I was convinced that Ashton would for sure slaughter me. I backed up slightly, in fear of the wrath I was confident was boiling inside Ashton's blood, but to my luck, he giggled instead.

"Are you okay?" I questioned, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he laughed, waving his hand to dismiss my puzzlement. "Your snarky comments are starting to grow on me, princess."

I shrugged, "that's good, I guess."

"Don't let it get to your head," Ashton ceased his laughter, "this doesn't mean you can give me attitude all the time."

"Whatever," I groaned, "moving on... why did you kidnap me?"

"That Bio quiz is next period," Ashton sighed and I sensed anxiousness, "do you think we could go to the library and have a last minute crunch session? Please, Karris?"

Ashton pouted, and while I would never admit it out loud, he looked really cute when he did. The hockey captain in general looked particularly cute that day. He kept it simple in black jeans, a dark blue Willowridge Hockey tee-shirt, and a beanie, but paired with his dimpled smile and I couldn't help but to swoon.

I exhaled, "yea, sure. Let's study."

"Really?" Ashton lit up, "are you sure?"

"It's fine," I smiled.

And that's how I missed my sacred ritual that was lunchtime. Sure, I was able to sneak in a couple of bites of my food while reviewing Bio concepts with Ashton, but I had to say, the boy was really eager. I was proud too, because he knew the topics from the inside out. There was no hesitation; no falter as he defined words, or explained topics. There was no sense of memorization either; he knew and understood the material and holy nucking futs I was impressed.

"Next," I glanced down at my notes, "Rh incompatibility or the Rhesus Factor."

"What do you want to know?" Ashton smirked, clearly confident in what's normally a tricky subject.

"The mother is Rh-negative, the father is Rh-positive and the baby is Rh-positive. Is that bad or good and explain why," I dished out the scenario with a grin, lacing my fingers on top of the table and leaning in, waiting for Ashton respond.

He leaned in from across the table with yet, another confident smile, "bad, because due to the fetus carrying the antigen while the mother does not, can cause complications. If the baby and mother's blood mixes, the mother's body will release antibodies to defend itself. Those antibodies will also attack the baby's red blood cells which could lead to hemolytic anemia... boom!"

Ashton was getting a little too cocky.

"You're wrong," I declared, causing the grin on Ashton's face to drop.

"Wrong? What do you mean? I'm not wrong," Ashton defended.

"Hemolytic anemia caused by the Rhesus Factor is when the mother is positive and the baby is negative," I explained.

"Karris, you're shitting me," Ashton growled in frustration, "if the fetus is Rh-negative, it has no antigens to create antibodies."

"I'm gonna prove you wrong," I slid my chair back, hopping out and rounding the table. "I'm gonna go get a Bio textbook."

From my peripheral vision, I noticed Ashton's ever-growing frustration. His beanie was off his head and his brown hair was an unruly mess. His eyes were fixated on both of our notes combined, as he searched for the evidence that would sway in his direction. It was definitely a sight too sweet and I wanted to bask in it.

I found myself perusing aisle number 218 where all the texts in the Bio-Science department were stored. It was the very last shelf on the second floor of the library towards the back where the windows don't reach. As my fingers lightly grazed the binding of each textbook I passed, my auditory sensors picked up on muffled sounds, and when those sounds made their way into the temporal lobe of my brain, did I process it .

"...about it. Drop the subject Luke,"

"Will you at least hear me out?"

I dropped faster than any beat cultivated by DJ Snake, falling to my knees in hopes that I wouldn't be seen. Slowly and carefully, I pulled out a textbook from the very bottom shelf of the metal bookcase-- and fortunately for me, it was the same Bio textbook I was looking for. I peeked through the small opening from where the book once was, seeing legs move around on the other side of the shelf.

One pair of legs were clad in black skinny jeans and a pair of black vans, while the other legs were a pair I knew very well. The tanned skin was smooth, yet embellished with a small scar on the outside right ankle-- a scar caused by falling off a bike in the 4th grade. I knew very well who was standing only a mere three feet away from me, and although I'd normally approach my best friend and the hockey player with enthusiasm, something told me that their conversation was meant to be private.

"I really doubt you have anything helpful to say," Berkley scoffed.

"I feel like being truthful will help," Luke suggested.

"And what if I don't tell the truth?" Berkley challenged, "are you going to rat me out?"

"We're not Kindergarten," Luke seemed to be frustrated, "I'm not gonna tattle-tale on you. But I feel like telling the truth--"

"--fucking save it Hemmings," my best friend was fuming, "don't lecture me on truth-telling when you're a charlatan; a fraud... bitch, you fake."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luke denied.

"Karris asked me about Gabe and Calum," Berkley revealed, "I told her that they were enemies."

"So what? Everyone knew that," Luke stated with an annoyed groan.

"But does everyone know that you and Calum were enemies too? Everyone remembers Gabe because he made it obvious that he hated Calum... but you, you were always by Gabe's side," Berkley mentioned.

"That's old news... besides, Cal and I are over that. I apologized and he accepted. We're teammates now," Luke brought up, "and that's the truth. So if anyone is still being fake, it's you. And don't worry, I'm not saying shit."

"Good," Berkley's tone was harsh and all-demanding, "because as far as you're concerned, you saw nothing. You need to keep your mouth shut because if it gets out, I'll lose everything, including Karris. And I think you owe me that much."

Berkley's legs shuffled away in a haste and I held my breath out of nervousness. Continuing to peek through the hole, I saw Luke stand motionless for a moment before he trudged away. I stayed stationary, sitting on the carpeted floors, surrounded by my own thoughts.

What the heck was Berkley hiding? What did Luke see? And he was enemies with Calum too?

All of it was beginning to make my head hurt and I was dying for some answers; and those answers were kept inside the head of Ashton. So with the Bio textbook in my hand, I sauntered back over to our table. I flipped through the pages, landing on Chapter 13 where we learned about blood types. I scanned the sections, searching for the one on the Rhesus Factor.

"What took you so long?" Ashton was impatient as I approached the table.

I slid the open book in front of Ashton, "here, you check."

I plopped down on the chair, still immersed in Berkley and Luke's conversation, as Ashton rapidly delved into the text. It didn't take him long to find the answer, and when he did, he let out an excited yelp.

"Yes! I won! You suck Karris!" Ashton whooped, standing on top of the table to dance, "I'm right and you, Miss Smarty Pants is wrong!"

I wasn't paying too much attention to the hockey captain who was very enthusiastic for understanding a concept I failed to comprehend. I guessed Ashton noticed my quiet state and jumped off of the table-- in perfect timing because I knew one of the librarians were seconds away from scolding Ashton.

"Dude, don't look so morose," Ashton nudged me, "just come to terms that I'm smarter than you in Biology."

"Yea," I murmured.

"Hey," Ashton kneeled down to meet me eye to eye, "are you good? I was just joking. You're way smarter than I'll ever be."

I shrugged, nodding my head in agreement, "yea, I am smarter than you."

Ashton shot me a smug look, causing me to smile. The bell rang after that, which meant it was time for Biology. The two of us gathered our belongings in silence before walking out of the library together.

"I gotta give you props," I looked up at Ashton with a smile, "you studied real hard and there's no reason why you shouldn't pass the quiz with flying colors."

"I guess it's cause my tutor's alright," Ashton complimented, glancing down at me with a smirk.

Then, without warning, he did something that almost made my soul shatter: kiss my temple. He draped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him, and in one swift movement, his lips were on the side of my head. I almost crapped myself and jumped out the window because I was swimming in a pool of absolute kilig.

(translation: giddiness; to feel giddy; intense emotion)

I didn't know how to react; what to say, or if I should even look up at him. So instead of looking at Ashton, I looked away, but in doing so, I was met with a glare so deadly, the Zika Virus had no chance. Tegan stood with her back pressed up against her locker as her piercing stare shot flaming bullets into me. Without a doubt, she was pissed, because I could almost guarantee that she witnessed Ashton's little gesture.

"I guess this is it," Ashton sighed.

"It? What's it? What's going on?" I babbled, still intimidated by Tegan's evil stare.

Ashton chuckled, "the quiz? Dude, you're all over the place."

I let out a laugh to mask the rush of emotions that hit me like a tornado. It seemed like Ashton dismissed his action in the hallway as he walked into our Bio class. His nonchalant attitude made it feel like I imagined the whole thing, even though I could still feel the tingles on my skin. But I had to push it out of my mind because when the bell rang again, Mr. Perez stood before the entire class, waving a stack of paper in his hand.

"Quiz time!" 

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I was so excited to write this chapter because of the convo between Luke and Berkley. I'll probably be up till 3AM finishing my own homework, but I'm glad to have updated! I feel so appreciated knowing that all of you are excited every time I update my story. Thanks for being amazing readers!!