Not a Love Story

Nineteen // The Test

Oliver Greene

I got to the library after class to see Ben already at our usual table, his leg bouncing up and down as he looked at a paper in front of him.

"Are you okay?" I asked, setting my backpack down and sitting down across from him. He glanced up at me.

"Yeah. Nervous." he responded.

"Getting yourself all worked up over it isn't going to do you any good." I said, making him look up at me. "Just relax. I promise you're going to do great tomorrow, okay?" I finished.

"Yeah, okay." he nodded, softly smiling. I handed him the first practice exam I'd made and continued reading while he worked.

By the time he had to leave for practice, Ben was a lot calmer.

"I think I might actually do okay tomorrow." he said as I locked the library.

"There you go, that's the spirit." I said, smiling as I pocketed the key and turned around to face him. He smirked at me as we walked down the hall together like usual.

"Hopefully coach will stop getting off my ass." Ben groaned.

"Hey, you have to do well first. Don't get cocky." I said, nudging him. He chuckled.

"Okay, okay. You're right." he responded.

"Text me if you have any questions, okay?" I said, coming to a stop at the split in the hallway where we went separate directions.

"Yeah. Thanks, Ollie." he said, a genuine smile on his lips.

"Of course. Good luck tomorrow." I said. He nodded and waved as we went our separate ways.

I opened the door to the shelter just as Shirley was coming out of the office.

"Good afternoon, Oliver!" she greeted.

"Hi, Shirley." I replied, finding my apron and tying it around my waist. "So, what would you like me to do today?" I asked.

"You're on dinner duty." she said, checking a clipboard in her hand. I gave her a thumbs up before heading out. I quietly hummed to myself as I fed each of the dogs, greeting each of them with a pat on the head before giving them their food dish.

"What's got you so happy?" Esther suddenly asked.

"Oh, Esther, hi! You scared me." I said, catching me off guard. She laughed at my reaction.

"Sorry, Oliver. How's it going?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Pretty good I guess. I have some tests this week but nothing too crazy. What about you?" I asked.

"Same." she nodded, taking some of the bowls and heading to the other side of the kennel.

"Thanks." I said, giving her a smile as she fed the dogs on the other side of room.

"Sure thing. Actually, while you're here, do you think your friend would be able to help with an upcoming adoption drive?" she asked.

"Ben?" I asked.

"Yeah, sign boy." she said, making me laugh.

"I don't know. I can ask him if you want me to?" I suggested. She nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, if you could. Shirley wants to do an indoor cat drive sometime soon and we could use his sign flipping skills." she joked. I laughed as I gave the last dog their dinner.

"I'll check with him." I said. She nodded and smiled, giving a bowl to the last dog on her side of the room.

"Awesome. Thanks." she said. "I have to head over to the cats to do last checks. Good luck on your tests." Esther said, checking the clock on the wall.

"Thanks. You too." I said, seeing we'd be able to go home soon. Esther left with a small wave and I did last checks of the dog crates before heading to the front to put my apron away.

"Have a good night, Shirley!" I called into the office as I hung up my apron.

"Thank you, Oliver! You as well, dear!" she called back. I smiled and walked outside to my car.

When I got home, I finished up the last of my homework and did a quick revision for the biology test tomorrow. Surprisingly, Ben hadn't texted me any questions, so I took that as a sign to go to bed, slight nerves about the test gnawing at me.

- - - -

The next morning was not off to a good start. I rushed to park in a spot, flustered from leaving late  due to Henry sleeping in.

"You're lucky my class isn't on the other side of the building." I grumbled as I got out of the car, Henry grabbing his football bag.

"I said I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and locked the car as I sped walked to my class, stepping into the room right as the bell. I slumped down in my seat with a sigh.

"Cutting it close this morning, are we?" Mia asked. I nodded my head, still slightly out of breath, as class began.

I was flipping through my biology notes during some free time in class, looking over my study guide while my friends talked.

"Oliver? Hey, Oliver?" I heard Emily ask. I looked up to see everyone looking at me.

"Uh, yeah?" I replied, suddenly very aware of everyone's eyes on me.

"Can I borrow your copy of Jane Eyre for English?" Emily asked. I thought for a second, trying to remember if I still had a copy at home before nodding.

"Yeah, that's fine. I can bring it tomorrow." I offered.

"That'd be great. Thanks!" Emily thanked. I softly smiled at her before looking back down at my notes.

"Don't you spend all your free time tutoring the football player?" Alex chimed in. I looked up from my papers, feeling my cheeks start to heat up at the mention of Ben.

"Just some time after school so he can stay on the team. Why?" I asked. Alex shrugged.

"Aren't you like an expert in bio by now?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Doesn't hurt to review before a test." I replied. Alex hummed in response before turning to Jack as he started talking about a project in one of their other classes.

I sat in my usual seat in biology, lightly tapping my foot on the ground as I waited for the bell to ring and the test to start. Ben sauntered into the room, tilting his head up at me, a light smile on his face, when he walked past me. I nodded back and gave him a thumbs up, making him lightly chuckle and shake his head as he sat down.

I looked down at my pencil, a small smile on my face just as the bell rang.

"Alright, I'm going to start passing out tests! Good luck everyone." Mrs. Newsome said, smiling as she started distributing the tests.

I finished mine early and turned it in, quickly glancing at Ben as I headed back to my seat. His pencil was resting on his lip and his eyebrows were scrunched, his face serious and concentrated. I felt my lips quirk into a small smile as I sat down and took out my calculus homework to finish while I waited for the bell to ring.

****
Hello everyone!
I hope you all had a great, safe, new year! Let's hope 2021 is better than 2020:) I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have been following this story from the beginning. I am so grateful for your support and love for this work!
I've also created a few character/story mood boards on Tumblr if you're interested in checking them out! My Tumblr is anne-the-e (I've also linked it in my profile). I know Tumblr is kind of dead nowadays, but I thought it might be a fun way to share some extra story content. Let me know if there are any characters you want me to make boards for!
As always, don't forget to continue commenting, voting, and sharing!

Happy New Year!
x Anne