The Pen Pal Project // Alex Gaskarth

33.

KENDALL

Kendall had a panic attack before school, it wasn't hard to figure out why and she tried to convince her mom to let her stay home, but her efforts came up short.

She tried to look her best. Baltimore was in a spring heat wave, the high hitting just below ninety degrees. She wore ripped shorts, her black vans and her favorite navy blue tank-top.

Her hair was braided down her back and she felt nerves rise as she put her car in park in front of the school.

She wasn't quite sure what to say to Alex, how to react around him.

Kendall cursed her luck for having a double period Physics class instead of one period and then gym. At least in gym class she could avoid the singer.

She hurried to her first period history class. They were watching a movie since they had finished their AP exams and were having a, "free week," where they watched historically accurate films.

The period seemed to go by all too fast. And soon enough Kendall shakily made her way to her locker then slowly made her way to her Physics class.

She felt an arm wrapped around her and she jumped, facing the person.

It was Jack.

"He's not here today, he skipped. So you're home free," was all he said.

Kendall let out a long breath, the tension in her body fading fast.

She nodded, "Thanks Jack-o."

The skunk haired boy just nodded and continued to walk with Kendall.

Although Kendall trusted Jack a whole lot, she knew that he was still Alex's best friend and if he was planning something Jack would help him.

But when the bell rang and there was no Alex storming through the door, Kendall really felt relaxed.

Quantum Physics was the topic for the week. It would be their last before reviewing for finals.

Their teacher discussed how no one actually understood it and then listened to some weird science based song about quantum mechanics.

The two periods were filled with notes, with barely a break for anything.

Afterwards Kendall strolled along to her next class feeling light. She wasn't scared for the rest of the day anymore. Surely Alex was skipping the whole day, it wouldn't make sense for him not to come in when he only had one actual class left right?

______________________

Kendall was on her way to her locker, to go to lunch. She planned on eating in the library; she probably would be for the rest of her high school career.

There or Mrs. Clark's room.

Kendall didn't really know what to say to her English teacher. She knew that she had to play dumb, but now that Kendall knew who her Pen Pal was she sort of blamed Mrs. Clark for creating the whole mess to begin with.

She still loved the teacher dearly and respected her, but there was that part of her brain that blamed her for Kendall's current stress and anxiety.

Kendall placed her new notebook on her top shelf, like she did every day. Yes, the new one. She saw no point in leaving it home now that Guitar-Guy knew who she was, and that she had started to write in it.