All Chapters of My Notes Aren't Yours Alone Anymore: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I took my notebook back from Yale Lawson's desk.Every page was packed with detailed solutions, common mistakes to watch for, and the concepts each problem was testing.My deskmate, Jade Lewis, had flipped through it once and stared at me in disbelief."Zoe, these notes are insane. You're already number one in our grade. Do you really need to write down this much?"I'd hidden my flushed face and said, "It makes studying easier."That wasn't the real reason.I'd made those notes specifically for Yale. I was afraid he wouldn't understand otherwise.Yale was good-looking, but he wasn't easy to approach. He never wore his school uniform properly, and his black backpack always hung carelessly from one shoulder. In class, he was either asleep or staring into space.Whenever a teacher called on him, he would get to his feet with his eyes lowered, stand there in silence for what felt like forever, and finally say, "I don't know."The teacher would slam a hand against the lectern in frustration

I walked into the classroom and started handing out the tests. The guys gathered around Yale scattered the second they saw me.When I reached his desk, I noticed a fresh cut across the back of his hand.Before, I would have immediately asked what happened. Then, during break, I would have gone to the nurse's office for some antiseptic and cotton swabs and casually left them on his desk as if it were no big deal.He usually didn't use them. He'd just shove them into his desk along with the rest of his messy books.This time, I simply held out his test."Yours."Yale looked up at me, his dark eyes carrying their usual cool detachment.I didn't stop. I moved on to the next desk and kept handing out papers.At lunch, I went to the cafeteria. A few girls ahead of me in line were talking."Didn't Xandra go to the office with Yale yesterday?""Yeah. I heard she's applying through Southern University's early admissions program, and Yale's been asking about their admissions requirements lately.

I looked up at him.The setting sun slanted through the hallway windows, catching on his shoulders and softening the hard lines of his face with a faint golden glow.I tightened my grip on my backpack strap and kept my voice as even as I could."No."Yale frowned.He clearly didn't believe me, but he had never been the type to press for answers. After a few seconds of silence, he finally asked, "Then why won't you lend me your notes anymore?"A laugh slipped out before I could stop it."Yale, they're my notes. I can lend them to whoever I want."He stared at me, his throat shifting slightly as he swallowed."But you always lent them to me before.""That was before," I cut in.The classroom was quiet. Outside, the last few students on the basketball court were still playing.Thump.Thump.Each bounce seemed to land against my chest.I met his eyes and said slowly, "I don't want to anymore."His frown deepened. For once, he seemed to have no idea what to say. His mouth tightened into a s

"Sometimes you'll be working on a problem, and he'll just sit there watching you from behind."I capped my pen. "You're imagining it. He's probably looking at the board."Jade rolled her eyes. "I'm not blind."I slid my book toward her. "There are less than two months until the college entrance exam. Stop gossiping and study."She let out a dramatic groan. "God, top students are no fun."I laughed, but that was the end of it.When the bell rang for morning reading, I stood with everyone else and began reading the English passage aloud. The classroom filled with overlapping voices, but I kept my eyes on the page. I never turned around to look at Yale.Even so, I could feel him watching me.Our second class that morning was math.Instead of going straight into the test corrections, our homeroom teacher adjusted her glasses and announced that she was making a few seating changes for the final stretch before the college entrance exam.I had a bad feeling before she even called my name."Zo

Today, Xandra had her hair pulled into a high ponytail, her uniform neat and tidy. She was pretty enough to stand out immediately.The people around us started teasing the moment they saw her."Look, the It girl's here.""She's here for Yale, right?""One last cute moment before graduation?"I lowered my head and straightened my cuff.Xandra walked up to Yale. She wasn't speaking loudly, but everyone around them had gone so quiet that I could still hear her."Yale, after we're done with the class photo, want to take one together?"Someone whistled.Yale stood with the other boys, his expression indifferent. He glanced at Xandra, then said simply, "No."Just one word, with no room for negotiation.The smile on Xandra's face froze, and the teasing around them died down almost instantly.She clearly hadn't expected him to turn her down in front of so many people. After a few seconds, she forced a smile."Why?"Yale lowered his eyes. "There's no reason to."Xandra went a little pale.She s