Temporarily Mine

2

"Fuck your mom." Cassie frowns.

"Someone needs to," Mandy mumbles.

The girls laugh, but my head tugs back in disgust causing them to laugh harder.

"Okay, but back up." Cassie leans forward. "We know you can't fail, and we know you'd never allow yourself to, but how do you know Hero is a bad partner?"

"We've always known him to ditch full days, which means he misses whatever's happening in class, so I have no reason to believe this year will be different, and besides that, have you ever seen him pay attention in a class that isn't PE?" I joke.

"Have you ever had him in a class that wasn't PE?" Cassie calls me out on my judgment. "Have you had him in a class at all since junior high?"

I pause to think, and she raises her brows like an asshole.

"Whatever." I shake my head. "Maybe he's not a crappy student, obviously he's eligible to play football, so he must keep at least a baseline grade point average, but still. If he isn't here every day like I am, I'll have no choice but to carry more of our workload. Not only that, he and I don't talk anymore, and on the rare occasion we're forced to, it's small jibes or he goes straight up mannequin on me."

"Maybe he doesn't know what to say?"

I give her a blank look. "He thinks he's a candy bag and all girls have his kind of sweet tooth, and when you don't, you're as worthy as a wallflower."

"I'd take a piece if offered." Mandy nods, her lips pursed.

I laugh, shaking my head while Kathrine  pats her knee patronizingly.

"We know, sweetheart, we know," she teases.

"It's not even about Hero, is it?" Cassie suspects. "You wanted to be Andrew's partner again."

"I've been the last two years, so I kind of expected to be, yeah," I admit. "He wants to be a doctor, like his mom, so I know he's super focused in science where Hero already had his face in his phone all day today. He didn't take a single note while I took three pages. I don't know, I might try talking to the teacher again."

"Screw Andrew's pompous ass!" Kathrine  blurts. "He might be good looking, but in a Wahlberg brother kind of way, while Hero is more Mark status, Calvin Klein campaign worthy. Way prettier to look at."

I can't help but laugh.

"And he lives right behind you! Think of all the late-night study sessions you could have." Mandy's eyes widen in excitement.

"Yeeees!" Kathrine  turns toward her. "She can knock on his door in her tank and tiny sleep shorts, the ones we bought her for her birthday, and be like I lost my homework, help me."

"Help me, I'm poor," they say in unison, laughing.

Cassie and I look to each other, chuckling just the same.

"Come on, Josephine! You have to use this to your advantage," Mandy whines.

"Yeah, take one for the team here," Kathrine  adds.

"You have a boyfriend."

"Exactly!" Her eyes widen mockingly. "Did you not catch the take one for the team?"

"Does Felix know you have the hots for his bestie?" Mandy teases her.

Kathrine  only flips her off with a grin.

"You guys are crazy, no way. Can you imagine my mom's reaction?" I laugh. "Me and the guy who got kicked out of her precious country club for fucking the owner's daughter in the fountain on the golf course?"