Overcast | ✓

After the Storm

Elio is ardently punctual. At every half hour, a text pops up on my phone from him, letting me know little details about his day.

(9:15 AM) Elio: sunny! im soing fine. mrs. barnes has already given someone detention lmao

(1:13 PM) Elio: hi, doing alright. lunch was fine, i sat with lucas and others.

(3:15 PM) Elio: hi again sunnyy. i'll see you in 15. very excited to go home bc im tireddddd

I wait keenly every time the clock strikes and hold my phone with uneasy attention. But, the texts keep coming. Elio is fine.

I had been correct during first period; Faye Edgell follows Maeve and I around like a puppy. She sat with us during lunch, again during pre-cal, and beside me during English and history. Throughout the day, I pick up pieces of information about her as if assembling a puzzle. So far, I have learned that Faye Edgell is loud- which I called in first period-, smarter than most juniors, lonely, and very excited to have moved schools. She reminds me every few minutes that Summerfield is "nothing like Valley High".

Another thing: Faye is not someone I want to be friends with. If it weren't for Maeve's offbeat interest, I would have already abandoned her and continued on with my year as if she never existed. This wasn't because Faye was loud or smart or lonely or excited. It had nothing to do with her at all, actually. It is just very difficult for me to pretend to be interested in people that I simply do not care about. I have very few friends, and I am perfectly content with that fact. But, Faye doesn't seem to pick up on my detached stature and makes a point of speaking to me whenever she can.

"Hi, Sunny," she says when we pass in the hall, flashing a smile. Each time, I return it with a nod and continue on.

Now, I count the minutes until school is out as my history class snores around me. Faye sits beside me with a book in hand and the sight makes me roll my eyes. Literature bores me entirely. Not just novels, but those who read as well. Bibliophiles tend to gain this sense of superiority, as if picking up a book automatically makes them smarter than everyone else. I push aside my judgment and refocus on the phone before me. After a moment, Faye taps my shoulder and I glance at her.

"What time does school get out," she asks with a smile.

"3:30." My eyes are back on my phone, but she taps me again.

"Do you have any other friends here? Besides Maeve."

"No," I say shortly.

"Oh," Faye continues. "Maeve says you have a brother here."

"Yeah." I don't feel like saying much else about Elio, especially to a stranger.

"What grade is he in?"

"He's a sophomore."

"Has he gone here since freshman year, too?"

"Yes," I say, and pull a pair of earbuds from my bag. I make sure Faye can see me as I plug them in, hoping to convey nonverbally that I am not at all interested in talking to her. She doesn't get the hint, though, and with another tap to the shoulder, I pull out an earbud.

"What is it," I snap, and Faye blinks back at me in surprise.

"I was just wondering if you wanted a piece," she says, extending a bag of gummy candies. I sigh and peer at her inviting grin. Of course, my only weakness: Sugar.

Reaching into the bag and pulling out a few pieces, I give a half-hearted smile to Faye. "Thanks."

"So, what's the deal with this Marcos Smith kid?" Faye asks, as if he were some villain in a film. I chew slowly on a gummy before speaking.