The Good Enough Friend (YA)

Chapter 16.2 - October 3, 2019 [✔]

As I navigated through the crowded hallway, relief washed over me. Pre-calc was the last class of the day, and it was an oasis compared to the daily struggles that awaited me at home. Amidst the chaos and noise of the bustling hallway, I found solace in the quiet of the classroom.

As I approached our table, Penelope lowered her brightness.

What is she looking at?

However, I decided not to prod. Although I unblocked her on Bloqi to join the class group chat, I didn't pay much attention to her Bloqi story, which consisted mostly of shirtless anime men with dyed hair.

Penelope wasted no time in badgering me for information, even before I had the chance to get settled.

She accused me of holding out on her, prompting me to roll my eyes. I hooked my bag onto the back of my cold chair, with the wind from the open window filling up the room.

The two desks in front of us were empty, which was unusual. While I didn't know about Killian, John was always early, and it looked like we beat him there.

"What is it this time?"

"A source informed me that you and Kenna Toclavi are besties now." Penny tapped her fingers on the desk. "She's the hottest topic of the season. Opening that can of beans would be great for business."

However, I had no intention of entertaining her request. Penelope dealt in facts and claimed that what her clients chose to do with the information was out of her hands. However, I was taken aback by the notion of clients and business. I declined her offer.

John arrived, moments before the bell rang, "I need a machete to cut this tension. What's going on?" He pretended to slice the space between me and Penelope.

"Zaydence doubts my business ventures—" I cut Penelope off.

"Girl stuff," I waved her words away.

"Ahhh okay, sure, girl stuff." He opened his notebook.

John copied the end behavior of rational functions from the smart board while his eyes scanned over the board. His 'a's were written with the curl on top, resembling a computer's font. His fingers tightly gripped the pencil, as he took notes diligently.

The cadence of the marker hitting the smart board pulled me out of my thoughts. Ms. Adam's wrote a practice problem.

"What's the end behavior as x approaches negative infinity?" she adjusted her taut bun. Her dark brown hair stuck out against her light blue dress shirt.

My hand shot up. No one else's did. I walked over to the smartboard and she passed the marker on to me.

"On top there's a large negative number divided by a positive constant. Therefore, as x approaches negative infinity, so does the function." I explained my answer with conviction, my voice clear and strong.

"Great job, as usual," Ms. Adams praised. She clapped her hands along with a few others.

I returned to my seat, and lowered myself into my chair. I held out a fist. 

John bumped his with mine. "I wish I had half of your math skills.

"Thanks, it's just practice." I replied.

He chuckled. "Maybe for you, but for me it's like learning a new language."

Ms. Adams wrapped up the lesson, I gathered my belongings, ready to leave the classroom. Penelope's offer lingered in my mind. I couldn't help but wonder if I should take her up on it, just this once.

As I sat in class, my thoughts drifted to Milo's sexuality. I couldn't help but wonder if Milo was bi or straight. If he was straight, Wyatt had no chance and would be let down easy. If he was bi or gay, then Wyatt could pursue him. I didn't want to resort to Penelope's business tactics to find out. I couldn't imagine using Kenna's personal information like that for my own gain. 

You could never. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and I left with the weight of my decision heavy on my shoulders.