III

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MAC SLOUCHES ACROSS my school's bench, making me pull one earbud from my ear and stare at him

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MAC SLOUCHES ACROSS my school's bench, making me pull one earbud from my ear and stare at him. He lays across the picnic table top, his arms stretching, his toes of his skateboarding shoes brushing the soft grass.

"Mac, what are you doing?"

"Sleeping."

Somehow, Mac became a friend of mine over the years of school. We used to never talk, but because we were paired up for a project in the junior year, we sort of just stayed in contact. We aren't super close or anything. He's closer with Abby. They like to say they are "just friends" but whenever one talks about the other, they get all flustered and happy. Not to mention, Abby constantly talks about when Mac will ask her to homecoming. Speaking of that...

"Why haven't you asked Abby to hoco?" I question, my eyes scanning over his sliver of tan skin on his belly. It's before school and I am outside in the sunrise, admiring the colors as I work on some homework on my laptop. The dark green sweater does a great job of protecting me from the chilly October air.

"Am I supposed to?" Mac raises an eyebrow at me, tilting his head to perk an eyebrow at me.

"Well...yeah. Aren't you guys like--"

"Yes," Mac says a faint color forming under his cheeks, and it's not from the sun. I stare at his brown eyes for a moment before rolling my eyes and flicking my hair over my shoulder.

"So...?" I tilt my head, something that obviously says I want him to continue.

"I haven't asked her because I haven't found out how yet," Mac reveals, sitting up quickly. He rubs his neck shortly, his brown eyes looking at me for a reaction. I don't know if he thinks I'm going to freak out, but I just feel a warmth spread across my chest--probably happiness for Abby.

"She loves azaleas," I say softly. His eyes flicker with confusion before a wide smile spreads across his lips.

"Thanks, Ever, I'll keep that in mind." He slides off the table. "Anyway, you know that Ryder guy?"

"Yes," I answer. He starts telling me some stuff about Ryder.

"He says he's from Albany."

"Really?" I ask. My eyebrows raise. "Lucas is too."

"Lucas?"

"The other new guy," I answer. He raises his eyebrow as well.

"That's peculiar."

I nod my head. It is sort of odd the two arrived the same day and came from the same city. Maybe they know each other.

Mac and I continue talking about dumb things when people start coming into the school, their wheels grinding against the broken asphalt of the school. Mac and I take that as our cue to head inside. He barely talks to me but says bye to me when he gets dragged away by his best friend. I'm walking alone in the hallway, having an extreme jam session with my music when I bump into someone.

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