Surprisingly, Shawna hadn’t tried to murder him the entire night. The nurse seemed relieved to see Adlai in one piece when she walked in.
“You both can go, just take things easy. If anything starts to hurt again, come back here and talk to me, okay?” Adlai nodded and got up, his chest a little sore but his nausea gone. A little uncomfortable with Shawna being off the bed and not restrained, he briskly walked to the lecture hall, hoping to catch Averi there. Exhaling, he sat down on a chair. The room was mostly empty, so Adlai took the time to close his eyes for a bit. He opened his eyes when the lecture began, something about the importance of water on a desert planet, and how long they would survive without water.
He scribbled down a few notes and surveyed the room. Averi sat below him, asleep. Shawna ran her hands through her hair staring at her notes. Adlai recalled that the teacher had hinted towards something like a pop quiz, and despite his earlier bout with her, he couldn’t help feeling bad for Shawna. Averi could handle herself, so he quickly stepped over the other chairs, and quietly made his way down to Shawna. She looked up at him, her eye no longer swollen, but a black ring circled it. Her body crackled with suspicion and anger.
“Trust me, I’m going to get you through this quiz.”
Her tensed muscles relaxed slightly. She looked at him, confused. “Why?”
He shrugged. “You clearly don’t know what’s happening, and I’m bored, so it’s a win-win.”
“I just beat your ass, there’s no way that’s the only reason.”
“Doesn’t really matter if I’m going to help you right? Now quiet, he’s passing out papers.”
The professor shuffled his papers as he walked around the lecture hall, passing out the quizzes. He took a look at Shawna and Adlai, passed them their papers, and continued passing them out. He went back to his desk, and started grading previous tests. It was a multiple choice test, and Adlai would tap his foot next to Shawna to tell her the answers. One tap for A, two taps for B, and so on. Shawna handed in her paper first, then Adlai. Adlai leaned back and saw Averi staring down at him, confusion clear on her face. The bell rang, dismissing them from the room. Shawna got up and muttered a quick thank you. Then she was gone, flipping her hair out of her face. Averi hopped down the stairs leading to Adlai’s seat.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“What? What was that?”
“What? Helping her?”
Averi huffed frustratedly. “Yes, you idiot! Why would you help her? She beat you up, and threw me!”
Adlai shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I just felt bad.”
Averi grabbed his shoulders. “You. Should. Not. Feel. Bad. For. The. Girl. Who. Punched. Your. Lights. Out. Do you understand me?” She shook his shoulders again. “Don’t go soft on me!”
Adlai nodded, but he wasn’t really listening. He had seen something in Shawna’s eyes as she had mumbled the awkward thank you. It was a momentary softness, and Adlai felt like he would give anything in the world to see it again. Averi grabbed him by the hand and dragged him out of his seat.
“Don’t do anything like that again, okay?”
He nodded again, and Averi dragged him along to the mess hall. They grabbed their meals and sat down. Adlai as always was surprised at how much food Averi was able to put away, given her size. She inhaled two servings of barley, sucked up the vitamin jelly, and drank her protein shake all before Adlai had even started prodding at his own jelly. Not that he was hungry anyway. For some reason, he just couldn’t get Shawna out of his head. Running his hands through his hair, he stared at his food.
“Could I get your protein shake?” Averi asked, mouth full of another serving of seasoned barley soup.
He pushed it over to her, and she happily added it to her growing pile of food. The rest of the day was uneventful, and Adlai closed his eyes. He couldn’t stop thinking of that quick glimpse of something kind and soft in Shawna’s eyes. He wished he could see more of it.