Heart and Soul [bxb]

Chapter Seventeen

Carter stretched his arms out over his head to release some of the tension around his stiff shoulders.

Since they'd won their last game and they had been pushing themselves in every practice for the past week, Coach had let them out a little earlier on Thursday. But only at the cost of a more intense practice. 

Johnny looked up to watch him rub the area where his shoulder connected with his neck.

"Are you all done?"

Carter nodded.

Johnny looked down at his papers before leaning in over the table, toward Carter. "I'm not too sure about my twenty-five. Can I take a look at yours?"

"Sure." Carter slipped him his notebook, stopping the soothing motion on his strained muscles.

Johnny's eyes skipped between the two resolutions before they came back up to meet Carter's, a little smile shining through. "How come I never saw you in any of the advanced math classes before?"

Carter shrugged. "I usually get put in Seth's class so I can help him. Math is kind of his worst subject and he needs my help to pass. Your dad always sorts it out with the administrative services."

Johnny hummed under his breath as way of wordless reply. 

Carter bit his lip. "Did we just run out of Calc problems to solve?" He asked.

"Looks like it," Johnny said. "Don't you have anything else to study?"

Carter leaned forward crossing his arms over the table and resting his head on top. "I have a Physics test next week," he mumbled unenthusiastically. "But I was just planning on praying for a C to fall on from the skies."

Physics had never been his favorite subject. Or his best one. It didn't come easily to him and he didn't quite have the motivation to work harder on it. Johnny, on the other hand, seemed genuinely appalled at Carter's take on it.

"Physics is life put into formulas," Johnny gushed. Carter propped his chin on his forearm to smile up at him. Johnny shook his head. "Seriously, what's there not to love?"

"It's all abstract," Carter murmured. The weight of his own head onto his chin, still supported on his arms, strained his speech a little so he sat up. "Math is concrete and unchangeable, right? No matter what you do, two plus two will always be four. But Physics is all half-proven theories and unrealistic suppositions."

Johnny shook his head again, firmer this time. "Physics is beauty," he declared. "And I'll fight anyone who argues otherwise."

Carter laughed, despite his better judgment, and quickly pressed his knuckles over his mouth to muffle the sound. They weren't alone in the library that day, so he couldn't be loud. 

He leaned forward on the table to whisper, "I think you might have to fight me then."

Johnny narrowed his eyes at him, in spite of the little smile tugging at his lips. "You think I can't handle you, champ?"

Carter pulled back, lifting his hands next to his head, fingers spread in surrender. "I know you probably could."

Johnny snorted with an eye roll. "Do you want me to go over the stuff for your test with you?" He offered in a low whisper.

Carter smiled, biting his lip. He nodded. "That'd be awesome, thanks."

Johnny adjusted in his seat while Carter took out his Physics book to open it on top of the table. They started with whatever Carter said felt harder to understand and kept going well past the school library's closing time.