A Long Way Home | Nick Sturniolo

Three

I ADDED A CHARACTER CHAPTER AT THE BEGINNING SO ID TOU HAVEN'T SEEN THAT YET GO TO LOOK AT WHAT LUCAS LOOKS LIKE.

I got to class a few minutes late with a health slip and handed it to my calculus teacher.

"Take a seat nick." he said annoyed after having to pause his lesson.

I quietly walked to my seat, thankful no one who had heard what jack said was in this class except Lucas. He sat across from me, however, the seats were arranged differently so he was sitting next to me today.

He glanced to the side to look at me without saying anything. A few seconds later he said,

"You good?"

"Yep."

"Okay."

He avoided looking at me for the next 50 minutes.

"Oh also homework over break! Hand it to me before I forget to collect it!" the teacher quickly said.

"Shit," I heard lucas mumble.

There were a couple of people who pulled it out completed, but as for the rest of us, that's a different story.

"So almost none of you did it?" "Okay, then the few who did will get extra credit, the rest of you will complete it by Wednesday to get full credit." He said.

Some girl raised her hand and after called on, she said "But it's a whole packet, we don't have enough time to do it in two days."

"Fine, work with the person next to you."

After avoiding looking at each other, me and Lucas both glanced in each other's direction at the same time. Eye contact. I quickly looked away but he stayed looking at me which, somehow, made it even more awkward than it already was.

"My place, tonight?"

"Oh uh yeah sure that works, I think, I don't know I'll have to check actually, I might have other-"

"Calm down," Lucas says slightly laughing.

He grabs his packet out of his bag and tears a corner off and begins writing something.

"Here, just text me what works."

"Okay."

It was his phone number. I know I shouldn't, but I'm guarding this piece of paper with my life. He gave me his phone number. How long should I wait to text him? I mean he wants to make plans tonight so probably right away? No after school. But how long after school? Like right after or 20 minutes after? God, I don't know.