CHAPTER 45: THAT WAS CLOSE

The mac and cheese was starting to congeal on my plate, while Nina was still grinning at Ruby’s question about us dating, her foot nudging mine under the table again like she was daring me to react.

Ruby was staring at her sandwich, probably wishing she could disappear after accidentally setting off that conversational landmine.

I cleared my throat, desperate to move past the awkwardness. Ruby’s question had thrown me, but it also reminded me of Jake’s hopeless crush. This was my shot to gather some intel for him—carefully, without looking like a total creep.

"So, uh, Ruby," I said, keeping my voice casual despite the nervous twitch in my fingers. "You got any big plans for the weekend? Like, hanging out with anyone special or...?" I trailed off, hoping it sounded natural and not like I was fishing.

She looked up, her ponytail bouncing slightly. Her cheeks went pink again, and she fiddled with her water bottle cap.

"Oh, um, no. Just... studying, probably." She gave a small shrug, her voice soft. "My grades have been kind of rough lately, so I’m trying to catch up."

Nina nodded, poking at her salad. "Ugh, I feel that. Chemistry’s been kicking my butt. You got a study group or anything?"

Ruby shook her head, her eyes dropping back to her tray. "Not really. I just... study alone. It’s easier that way."

’That’s something. She’s not out with some mystery boyfriend.’ I leaned forward a bit, trying to keep the conversation going without pushing too hard. "What’s the toughest subject for you right now?"

"History," she said instantly, her voice a little sharper, like she was relieved to talk about something normal. "All those dates and names... it’s like my brain just nopes out."

I remembered the history project Jake had mentioned, the one where Ruby had gotten really into the Egypt stuff. "Didn’t you ace that Egypt project a while back?" I asked, hoping I wasn’t misremembering.

Her eyes lit up, just for a second, and that dimple Jake was obsessed with appeared. "Yeah, I did. Got an A. I mean, it was fun, but it’s not like I’m good at the rest of it." She paused, then added, "You got an A too, right? I remember you had the highest score in class."

I blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

I shoved another bite of mac and cheese into my mouth, trying to act like Ruby’s comment about my history grade didn’t just throw me for a loop. She remembered my score? I mean, sure, I’d gotten the highest mark, but the fact that she noticed felt... weird. Good weird, but still weird.

Like, why was she paying attention to me back then?

Nina was still picking at her salad, her eyes flicking between me and Ruby like she was watching a ping-pong match. "Wait, so you both crushed that Egypt project?" she said, leaning forward with that grin that meant she was about to stir something up.

"What, are you guys secretly history nerds or something?"

Ruby’s cheeks went pink again. "Not really," she mumbled. "I just... liked the Egypt stuff. Pyramids, mummies, all that. It’s cool."

"Cool?" Nina raised an eyebrow, her voice teasing but not mean. "Girl, you sound like you’re ready to move to Cairo and start digging up tombs."

Ruby let out a small laugh, "Maybe not that into it. But it was fun. More than memorizing, like, a million dates."

"Yeah, the Egypt unit was solid," I said, keeping my tone casual. "You into other stuff like that? Like, mythology or ancient ruins or whatever?"

She looked up, her eyes brightening for a second. "Kinda. I like reading about old civilizations. Like, the weirder the better. I got super into Mesoamerican stuff after the Egypt project. Aztecs, Mayans, all that."

"Nice," I said, filing that away for Jake. ’Mesoamerican history. Score one for the recon mission.’ "You ever watch those documentaries? The ones where they’re crawling through jungles to find lost cities?"

Her dimple popped out again as she smiled. "Yeah, sometimes. There’s this one series on NetTV about ancient mysteries. I binged it last summer."

"That show was so good," I said, leaning forward a bit. "The episode about the Nazca Lines? I went down a whole rabbit hole online after watching that."

"Oh my god, right?" Her eyes widened. "And the one about the lost city of Z in the Amazon? I totally think Percy Fawcett found something."

We kept going like that for a minute, talking about lost cities and weird historical theories. It was easy, comfortable. I almost forgot we were in the middle of the loud cafeteria.

Then I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Nina had stopped eating. She was just pushing a piece of lettuce around her plate with her fork, her earlier bright expression gone flat. She was staring at her tray, completely silent.

My stomach dropped. Crap. I’d gotten so wrapped up in the conversation with Ruby that I’d completely tuned Nina out. We were in the middle of our own nerd bubble, and she was stuck on the outside.

I had to change the subject, fast.

I cleared my throat, turning my body slightly to face her more directly. "Hey, speaking of stuff that’s impossible to memorize," I said, my voice a little too loud. "What about that chemistry test on Friday? You guys ready for that?"

Ruby looked up, startled by the abrupt change, but her expression turned to one of relief. "Oh, yeah. I’ve been trying to study for it, but some of the formulas are... a lot."

Nina finally looked up from her plate. She met my eyes, and there was a sign of something—annoyance, maybe—before it was replaced by her usual teasing glint. She was giving me an out.

"Oh, I’m sure Kofi already has it all memorized," she said, her voice dry. "He probably thinks balancing equations is just a different kind of puzzle game."

"It kind of is," I mumbled, feeling my face get warm. I was just glad she was talking again. "It’s just... logic."

"Well, some of us aren’t logic-bots," Ruby said with a small, self-deprecating smile. "I’m totally going to fail the part on stoichiometry."

"It’s not that bad," I started, then caught myself. I wasn’t trying to be a know-it-all. "I mean, if you wanted, we could... I don’t know, go over some stuff sometime?"

The offer was out there before I could stop it. It was for Ruby, but I glanced at Nina, hoping she understood it wasn’t... weird.

Nina just raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on her lips. She took a deliberate sip of her water, watching me.

Ruby’s eyes widened. "Really? You’d do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, shrugging. "It helps me study, too. Explaining it to someone else."

"That would be amazing, actually," she said, a genuine, hopeful smile spreading across her face.

The bell rang, making all three of us jump. Lunch was over. The cafeteria noise swelled as everyone started scraping their chairs back and grabbing their trays.

Ruby stood up, her cheeks still a little pink. "Well, uh, thanks, you guys. For letting me sit here. And for the study offer, Kofi."

"No problem," I said.

She gave a quick, shy wave and disappeared into the flow of students heading for the tray return.

Nina stood up too, gathering her trash. She didn’t say anything until we were walking out of the cafeteria side-by-side.

"’Logic-bot’," she muttered, shaking her head. "You’re so smooth, you know that?"

"Shut up," I said, but I was smiling.

"’Hey, baby, want to come over and calculate molar mass with me?’" she said in a low, gravelly voice, batting her eyelashes at me. "Total lady-killer."

I shoved her shoulder lightly, and she laughed, a bright, clear sound that cut through the hallway noise.

The tension was gone. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

That was close.