Not a Complete Moron

*Axle's POV*

After school, Cam and Ethan come back to our place with us. The driveway is empty, indicating that neither of our parents is home. Shocker. I don’t even know why they bothered having children to be honest. It’s not like they’re ever around. And when they are around, they’re too busy fighting with each other to acknowledge our presence anyway.

We stop by the kitchen to grab beers before heading into the living room to play some video games. 

“So Axle, did you figure out how to get in the new girl’s pants yet?’” Ethan asks. 

“Maybe. Mrs. Murphy paired us together for English Lit.”

“Lucky bastard,” Ethan says.

“Yeah, but I get the feeling she’s gonna make me work for it.”

“Oh really? You mean she didn’t just ask to suck your dick right then and there?” he jokes.

“No she didn’t.”

“Did you get her name at least?”

“Yeah, it’s Six”

“Her name is Six? Like the number Six?”

“Yeah. I asked the same thing and then she asked me if I was ‘Axle like the car part.’ So apparently it’s a touchy subject.”

Jameson bursts out laughing and says, “I like her already.”

“So I assume we’re going to Liz’s party on Friday?” Cam asks.

I shrug and say, “I guess so. Unless a better offer comes up.”

“What’s better than free booze and a pussy buffet?” Ethan says.

“Good point.”

The next day, I decide to actually make an effort to go to class. When I told Six yesterday that I wanted to actually graduate this time, it wasn’t entirely a lie. My music is what really matters to me, but I decided I need to go get a real job first so that I can get the fuck out of my parents house and start living my own life. It’s time to grow up. If only I had realized this 2 years ago. 

When I walk into homeroom, I find Six sitting near the back corner and I go and sit beside her. She looks up at me and says, “Didn’t know you were in this class.”

“Good morning to you too.”

“Morning,” she says, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. 

The teacher walks in before I can reply and the lesson begins. I struggle to understand what’s going on. I probably should have paid more attention to math in the past. At the end, we get 10 minutes to start on our homework and I see Six working through hers at a very fast pace. I look down at the textbook and try to sort through the first derivative. 

“You have to drop the exponent first.”

I look up to her and I ask, “What?”

“You just have to bring the exponent down.” She points to the question I was working on. I look back down and then back up at her and she says, “Nevermind, I shouldn't have intruded. Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. What was that about the exponent?” She scoots her chair over and explains the process much clearer than the way the teacher explained it earlier. 

The bell rings and she moves her chair back over to her desk and starts to pack up her bag. 

“Thank you,” I say to her and she looks me in the eye and says, “You’re welcome,” before getting up and walking away. I watch her hips swaying and admire how perfectly her jeans hug her ass as she walks.

At lunch, I find myself looking for her and when I see her at the same table as yesterday it makes me smile. Anything that pisses Liz off is a plus. I see that Liz is already at another table. She’s so spineless.

When the lunch bell rings, I say bye to the guys and walk over to her. Her friends give me very suspicious looks and she raises an eyebrow at me in question. 

I shrug and say, “Figured since we’re going to the same place, we might as well walk together,” as nonchalantly as I can manage. I catch the smirk her friends exchange but I choose to ignore it. 

“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” she replies. Her friends all not-so-subtly split off from us and I say, “So are you going to Liz’s party on Friday?”

She laughs and says, “I’m pretty sure I’m not invited.”

“Literally everyone is invited.”

“I know for a fact she wouldn’t want me there.”

“So? I didn’t peg you for someone who let something like that stop you.”

“Good point. Actually it kinda makes me wanna go more,” she says and looks up at me with a smile.

“So you’ll be there then?”

“Maybe. I would have to make some arrangements at home, but I’ll think about it.”

“Your folks don’t let you out?” I see her frown and contemplate how to answer my question. It’s not really a difficult question...

“No. It’s not that. It’s...complicated.” I can see her silent plea for me not to ask any further questions, so I don’t.

“Okay, well it would be cool if you came.” Good lord that sounded desperate.

She just nods and we walk into class and take our seats. 

“So, I read some more of the book last night.” She can’t hide the shock on her face and she says, “You did?”

“Yeah, I actually find it kind of interesting.”

“Oh. Well, that’s...good. Did you have any thoughts on a topic?”

“Well kind of, but it might be stupid. You know how there are the three slogans and they’re kinda fucked but kinda make sense too?” 

Her head snaps up and she says, “Yeah, you mean how they’re seemingly paradoxical and contradictory but when you analyze it, they actually work within both the society in the book and our own society?”

“Well it sounds a lot smarter when you say it, but yes.”

“I actually really like that idea," She says, once again sounding shocked that I'm not a complete moron.

“I’m gonna pretend like your surprise isn’t hurtful,” I say sarcastically.

“Sorry I-”

I cut her off, “I’m joking, Six. It’s fine.” 

“No, it’s not fine. It’s not cool to judge people before you know them.” The conviction in her eyes takes me by surprise. I have a feeling her words have a deeper meaning behind them but I don’t have time to try and decipher it before she goes back to her study mode. 

“So I guess we can start by reviewing the points from the parts we’ve already read that relate to that topic. Does that sound good to you?” She asks me.

I nod and we get to work and I find my eyes drifting to her more often than they should.