Nerds Are Lovable

9: Nerds Are Busy

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no. What if I just run away? Or even better, fake my death? No, get botox so no one recognizes me. All good options, better options, than having to be sitting here. My Algebra teacher is staring me down afraid if she blinks I'll disappear. I wish I could disappear.

You wouldn't happen to have the answers to my test, would you?

"Five minutes."

I finally turn the page to the final problem. Great, five minutes to figure this shit out. I nervously look at the clock, getting distracted for a couple seconds as I watch the seconds count down. No, no distractions. I look down and read the problem.

Oh my God. This problem was exactly the same as the one from the test yesterday. Dare I say, exactly the same except for a couple constants. I start scribbling down the work on the paper, the answer coming to me almost naturally. I've never had a math problem be so easy.

"Time's up," My Algebra teacher explains, grabbing my paper off my desk.

Talk about rude. She goes over to her desk and whips out a red grading pen. She starts going over all the problems, marking some things, circling others. The whole time I have to suffer in silence as I watch her grade my test. This is the first time I've ever completely finished a test. I'd answered, or at least tried to answer, every single problem on that damn test. I'd taken a page out of Jayden's book and decided that trying wouldn't kill me. Maybe leave me numb for a couple of hours, but alive.

"I guess I owe you an apology," My teacher tells me, handing the test to me, "You've actually improved."

I grab the test from her hands, look at the grade circled at the top of the page. 84 percent. I got a better grade on this test than my initial test. Take that, bitch. I smile at the number on the page, my only thought being that I have to tell Jayden how I did.

I walk out of the school without another word to Miss Bitch who accused me of cheating. That'll teach her to never mess with Haley Jones again. I more or less sprint to my house, filled with adrenaline after receiving my grade. My dad wasn't home yet though so I couldn't scream in his face.

I drop my backpack in my room and sit on my desk chair. The chair is covered with markings markings from my various paint-scapades.

Get it? Cause it's like escapades but with the word paint.

The desk itself is even worse, filled with not just pencil markings but pen, paint, even cuts. I had a collage phase during the summer. It was a big fat artistic mess, my favorite type. I smile at the little heart that's carved in the top corner. My mom and I had put it there when she'd bought the desk for me. It was one of my favorite reminders of her, simple yet meaningful.

I pull my phone out of my jacket pocket, opening Jayden's contact. Dialing the number, I impatiently wait while the phone does it's thing. Sadly, there's no answer and I'm sent to voicemail.

"Call me, nerd boy."

Short and sweet. Okay, maybe not so sweet since I called him 'nerd boy'.

The rest of the afternoon passes and it's already dinner time with my dad. He said he'd be home late today so I'd gone ahead and prepared a nice dinner for him. It was something to do other than sit in at my desk in silence for another hour. I'd been there for most of the afternoon after my failed call to Jayden. Which still had me a little pissed since he hadn't answered, four hours later.

"How was your day?" My dad asks.

"You will not believe the grade I got on my math test."

I hadn't told my dad about the whole alleged cheating incident. The less he knew about my terrible reputation, and not that he didn't already know some of it, the better. I didn't like lying, but technically I'm just withholding the truth. My test grade is still my own test grade.