"...without sounding..," she gave him a confused look under which he could almost read the 'get on with it' she had not said. "Ah, hell. I want to know if you'd like to get together after school to study for the History test coming up."

Such a lame excuse, he thought, keeping his face carefully neutral. As though he meant nothing more.

When she simply stared at him for the longest minute, trying to read something, he thought he may have failed.