Lizzie just returned to school after taking an extended leave of absence. She's hoping that she can ride out the rest of her junior year under the radar, but it seems like someone else has other plans. One of her classmates is determined to befriend...
I was definitely going to fail my physics test today.
After my month-long absence, it was no surprised that I had absolutely no idea what was happening in AP physics. But it was surprising that my teacher still expected me to take the test with the rest of the class, despite knowing how much I've been struggling. I guess I couldn't really complain, considering how I've been adverse to special treatment up until this test, though. Thankfully, I didn't have physics until third period, so I had most of the day to cram formulas and principles into my exhausted brain.
It also meant that I had most of the day to stress over my impending doom.
Unsurprisingly, after second period ended, I made a beeline for my locker so that I could gather all of my physics notes and textbooks so that I could bring them to lunch with me. This would be my last chance to review all of the material that I was confused about...which was most of it, to be honest. I was in such a rush to get to my lunch table and study that I nearly missed the green post-it note sticking to my locker.
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Rolling my eyes, I snatched the note off of my locker door and shoved it into my physics textbook. Maybe it will act as some sort of magic good luck charm and actually help me ace the test--or at least not fail it. I started to make my way towards the lunch room, but then paused and returned to my locker in an impulsive decision. Perhaps I'll regret engaging with my mysterious pen pal later, but I felt compelled to reply; if only to thank them for their encouragement--and I'll admit it, I was also curious to find out who they were.
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Before I could change my mind, I stuck it to my locker door and spun on my heel for the lunchroom.
But I drew up short when I reached my table. Seated there, looking for all the world like he belonged there, was Pete. He was hunched over his own homework, clearly engrossed in whatever primary source he had to read for his history class. I stood in front of my chair, unsure how to approach this situation and unwilling to break his concentration. His dark hair flopped across his forehead, obscuring his eyes from my view, and he tapped his pen against the table in a jittery rhythm as he scanned the document in front of him. All in all, he looked engrossed in his work, which is why he caught me off guard when he started speaking to me.
"You can sit down," he said, without looking up from his homework. I did as he instructed and dropped my books on the table with a thud. His head jerked up, startled by the sudden noise.
"Ah--sorry, I didn't mean to be that loud." I offered Pete an apologetic smile as I scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment. Pete, of course, brushed off my apology with his usual good natured charm.
"It's no problem, I'm kind of the one who took over your lunch table first, so I deserve it," he replied with his disarming grin.
Fighting to hide how flustered he made me, I simply shrugged in response before turning my attention to my physics notes. We lulled into silence, both of us too engrossed in our own work to engage in any further conversation.
After a few minutes, Pete began absentmindedly tapping his pen against the table, which I couldn't help but get distracted by. Try as I might, I couldn't focus on Ohm's Law with the incessant plastic-y tap-tap-tapping coming from my companion. In an impulsive decision, I reached out and placed my hand over Pete's, effectively stopping his jittering.
Pete's head jerked up and he looked at me, clearly startled by the sudden contact. His cheeks turned a vibrant shade of red as he glanced down at our connected hands, and I yanked my hand back--my cheeks no doubt matching his in color now.
"Sorry," I apologized while avoiding meeting his gaze. "The tapping was just driving me up a wall."
Pete cleared his throat. "It's okay. Again, I'm the one that took over your space."
"Just so you know, I don't have a monopoly on this lunch table. So...you're welcome to sit here anytime." Now I was sure my face was bright red.
But Pete's blinding grin was worth every ounce of embarrassment. Hesitantly, I matched his smile with one of my own. We sat there for several moments, just smiling at each other, until finally, Pete broke the spell by slapping his hands against the lunch table.
"Okay, well, I'm going to actually get food now, if you want to join me...?" he trailed off, and I tried to swallow the wave of anxiety that swept over me with his question.
I nodded, my face the perfect picture of impassivity, and followed him through the lunch line just as I had the day before.
The rest of lunch passed in a blur of frantic studying and halfhearted bites of my sandwich. When the bell rang, I collected my notes and books and then stood patiently for Pete to finish doing the same. I bite my lip nervously, hoping that he doesn't think it's weird that I'm waiting on him. I mean, he wanted to walk with me to class yesterday, so he probably wants to do the same today...right?
Pete is at my side before I can spiral too much further, and we're off to join the crowds of teenagers heading towards their next period. We walked in silence, which I didn't mind, considering that my mind was certainly still too focused on physics to maintain any quality conversation anyway. Once we reached the social studies department, I nodded my head in farewell to Pete as I turned in the direction of the science wing.
I made it less than a step before I heard Pete call out my name. I looked over my shoulder to see what he wanted. He had another one of his infectious grins stretched across his lips.
"Good luck on your physics test!" he half-shouted across the hallway, holding up two enthusiastic thumbs-up to emphasize his encouragement. The neon green post-it note flashed through my mind as I stared at Pete.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I realized that Pete's outburst had drawn quite a crowd. I couldn't decide if I was embarrassed at all of the onlooker's attentions or flattered by how considerate he was. A little bit of both, I decided.
"Thanks, Pete," I responded and then started to make my way towards class again. As I reached the stairwell doors, I glanced over my shoulder one last time to find that he was still standing there, staring at me with his shit-eating grin. My face flushed, and I quickly escaped into the stairwell.
If Pete kept this behavior up, I didn't doubt that AP physics would be the least of my worries.
