Left alone, Eli had time to get a breather. School hadn’t been that bad. Nobody said anything to him outright about the picture, and nobody in the group brought it up either. He didn’t know if it was because he looked off, or they
“Busy?”
Eli groaned.
Cameron chuckled. “That’s a no.”
“I am busy.” Eli gestured to the books covering every inch of the table. “Don’t sit down.”
Cameron satdown. “Homework?”
Eli stared at him, with his best ‘could you leave’ expression. Cameron stared back with what Eli read as: ‘I’m clearly annoying you so of course not’.
“Make-up work actually.” Eli sighed, resuming his position over the maths sheets. He had a ‘recommended’ list of work to do. It wasn’t compulsory, but most of the teachers had stressed that they’d be coming up in exams and if he wanted to do well, he’d need to study.
Cameron mimicked his position.
Eli ignored him. He tried to focus on the sum, but he could feel Cameron’s gaze heating the back of his neck.
“It’s sixteen.” Cameron said.
Eli looked, and found his eyes on the maths sheet in front of Eli. The one he hadn’t even been reading. Eli turned back to it, “This one?”
“Yeah.”
“How’d you get that?”
“This formula.” He tapped an example higher up on the page.
Eli filled it in. “What’s the next one?”
“Shouldn’t you be the one figuring it out?”
“Just show me how to do it.” Eli glanced up at him, “This is the study corner. Either contribute or leave.”
Cameron raised an eyebrow, there was a faint smile playing on his lips. Eli thought he’d get up, but instead he shrugged. “Fair enough.” He leaned down next to Eli and moved the maths problems between them.
Eli didn’t know why the others didn’t come back, or why they left their things behind, but he was happy enough to move them into one giant pile that mixed all their copies together. As Eli stacked them up, Cameron sank into the booth. “You suck at maths.” He rubbed his eyes.
If his incompetency was enough to drive others to frustration things really weren’t looking up for him. “Maybe you’re just a bad teacher?”
“Since when was I a teacher at all?” Cameron let his hand drop down, and it landed on Eli’s leg. Eli tensed, but from Cameron’s tired expression he didn’t think there was any meaning behind the gesture. “My maths skills are average, not at the level to be showing others how to do it.”
“We managed to do most of them.” Eli looked at the sheet full of scribbles, red marks and more scribbles.
“It wouldn’t have taken two hours if you hadn’t insisted on understanding how I did it every time.”
“I kinda need to know.”
“Why?”
“So I can do it in the tests.”
“Are your grades really that important to you?” Cameron levelled him with an annoyed stare.
Eli paused. “Yes”
Cameron groaned again.
Eli looked outside the diner. It was getting dark, and nobodies car that he recognised was outside.
“They aren’t coming back.” Cameron said, “There’s a party the next town over, they decided to go.”
“A party?” Eli glanced at the pile on the table.
“Sinclair said something about her mom keeping an eye on their things.” Cameron continued.
Eli felt a small pang in his chest. They could have at least told him. He pretended it didn’t
“Wasn’t feeling it.” Cameron answered shortly.
“You’d rather do maths?” Eli raised an eyebrow, and at the same time a thought occurred to him. He narrowed his eyes at Cameron. “Did Sinclair send you in to ask if I wanted to come?”
Cameron just gave a small shrug, and a guiltless smile.
“Seriously?” Eli growled, “You wouldn’t even relay the message?”
“It’s not like you were going to go.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“I forgot.” Cameron interrupted Eli’s rising voice, “I forgot to mention it.”
Eli was caught with his mouth open. He studied Cameron’s expression closely, and found there was no amusement, only wariness. He was watching Eli like he was about to go crazy or something. “You just forgot.” Eli repeated.
“Yeah.”
Eli eased back against the booth chair. “You’re not lying, are you?”
“Nope.”
Eli couldn’t see a reason he would lie about that, and he was too mentally tired at this point to even care if he was. He took in the green eyes still gazing at him, waiting for Eli to speak. “Apologise.”
“You little minx” Cameron snickered.
“Come on.” Eli coaxed, trying to fight back a smile of his own.
Cameron gave his head a shake and ruffled hair. Eli waited. “You seriously want me to apologise?”
“I do.”
Cameron stared at him as if Eli was being completely unreasonable, but a small smile still won out of his features. “Sorry.”
Eli smiled. “Good boy.”
“Okay, that’s it.” Cameron hooked his hand under Eli’s knee and yanked him out. Eli fell onto his back across the seat.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Eli laughed, dodging the hands reaching towards him. There wasn’t much room to dodge him though, “I didn’t mean it.”
Cameron hovered over him with a lazy smile. “Are you sure?”
Eli nodded, doing his best to kill the smile curving his lips. He didn’t do a good job of it.
Cameron flicked his eyes over his smile and gave his head another shake. “This is the only time I’ll let you off easy.” He warned as he let Eli up.
Eli straightened up his clothes as he sat up. He took out his phone, checking the time. It was late.
“You’re calling it a day?” Cameron yawned.
“I don’t think I’m able for anything else.” Eli started to pack his bag.
“You have a lift home?”
“Well,” Eli stood up from the booth, after pushing Cameron out of the way “my lift is apparently the next town over at a party.”
“Soccer training finished a while ago.” Cameron glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, “You could send Noah a text.”
Eli rubbed his eyes against the sudden wave of a fatigue that hit him. “If I had his number, I would.” He was reminded of the fact he’d gotten little sleep last night, and the small bit he did get was plagued with nightmares. He stopped walking when he noticed Cameron’s silence. Cameron was looking down at him with a slightly perplexed expression. “What?”
“No.” Cameron looked away, “It’s nothing. I’ll walk you home.”
“Your house is in the opposite direction, no you won’t.”
“You look like your about to pass out.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Eli.” Cameron got that look in his eye, the one that meant he was getting his way no matter what.
Eli didn’t think arguing was worth the effort. “Fine.”
The walk wasn’t long, but Eli’s feet were dragging when they were going up the driveway. He really did feel like he was ready to pass out. As he stepped up on the porch, Eli noticed the pleased look Cameron was sporting.
“What are you smiling about?” Eli didn’t like the glimmer in his eyes.
“I was just thinking about what you said, and how it applies to you.” Cameron answered.
“What I said when?”
Cameron slung his arm over Eli’s shoulders and spoke lowly against his ear. “Good boy.”
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