𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

"i'm being traded to the ducks"

"Are you nervous?" McGill asked Rowan as she sat down across from him.

Adam was nowhere to be seen at the start of the 5th-period lunch.

"Of course I'm nervous."

"Why?" Larson questioned, stuffing a few fries into his mouth.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the guy she's been in love with since she was like, born, is going to the dance with her and she doesn't know if it's as friends or not so she doesn't wanna screw things up by making a move, but then she doesn't wanna miss the only opportunity she might get to be with him."

Rowan groaned in frustration as she put her head in her hands. She hadn't thought it that far through like McGill. "What am I gonna do?"

"Nothing. I mean, it's quite clear he feels-" Larson started but quickly stopped as McGill kicked him from under the table.

"Continue," Rowan begged.

"Continue what? I wasn't saying anything..." His voice trailed off as his eyes wandered the cafeteria. With a loud thud, he darted his eyes back to his friends as he saw Adam sit down, clearly frustrated as well.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Mr. Johnston is what's wrong. I ask him a question about the homework and he says that I must 'communicate with my tools first'. Like what the shit does that even mean?"

"I can help you with this after school," Rowan told him, taking and scanning the paper.

"You are a lifesaver," Adam sighed with relief.

"You owe me one," She laughed.

"I definitely owe you more than one by now."

"We probably owe her like 73 ones by now," McGill added.

"76, but who's counting?"

"Apparently someone is," Larson remarked as the bell rung for 6th period.

"You know these went out of style in like the 70s right?" Larson asked, examining the record player on Rowan's bureau.

"So did your outfit but I didn't say anything," She glared.

"What does this thing do?" McGill questioned, holding an eyelash curler in his hands.

"That's an eyelash curler and you use it before putting on mascara," She said, grabbing it from him. "Open your eyes."

"Are you gonna kill me?"

"No, just cooperate with me," She ordered.

He hesitantly widened his eyes and flinched dramatically when she lightly clamped it down on his eyelashes. She released after a few seconds.

"See? Now your eyelashes look very pretty," She observed while spinning the chair to face the mirror in front of him.

"You sure do have a lot of necklaces," The third boy said from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Rowan slightly laughed, looking at the 20 or so necklaces that hung on a rack.

"Which one is your favorite?"

"This one," She answered, gently pulling it off its hanging spot and putting it in his hand.

"It matches your eyes," He noticed, the green fluorite dangling gently in his grasp. "Can I put it on you?"

She nodded, gulping ever so slightly as she pulled her hair over the side of her shoulder. He carefully pulled the necklace around her and clasped it down. She felt his cool breath on the back of her neck as his fingers slightly struggled with the small parts. Once she knew it was secure, she turned back towards him and fixed her hair. He admired her as she did so.