Is it possible?

Chapter 1

I attempted to keep pace with Mrs. Gaten's lesson, but the influx of information seemed relentless. My leg began to bounce up and down in a mixture of apprehension and nervousness as I struggled to keep up with everything on the whiteboard.  It was so frustrating because I wanted to understand so badly, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing made sense.

I guess physics just isn't my subject.

I found myself situated at the back of the classroom, which left me feeling somewhat isolated from my classmates. My nerves held me back from reaching out for help in grasping the material being taught. I'm invisible to most people in my grade and I would like to keep it that way. I avoid drawing unnecessary attention to myself at all costs.

The moment the bell resonates through the air, it pulls me out of thought and into reality. I swiftly gather my belongings and head to my next lesson - math. My personal favourite.

In the busy hallway, I find myself rising onto my tippy toes, searching for a certain red head. My stride gains a subtle urgency as I get a glimpse of her silhouette rounding the corner. I push through the sea of students encompassing me, until I finally reach her. 

"There you are," she rests her arm on my head, a nonchalant grin curving her lips. We navigate through a cluster of students who have gathered to watch a fight.

At the heart of the crowd were the school's prominent athletes, Tyler and Patrick, throwing punches at each other. From the corner of my eye, I see a teacher racing down the lengthy hallway, yelling at everyone to move out of his way.

These fights always commence with heated arguments revolving around a shared interest in a particular girl. Just thinking about how high their body counts must be sends a wave of repulsion through me.

Once more consumed by my thoughts, I forgot the fact that Lorelei's arm was still leisurely resting atop my head. She's standing at 5'8, and I at 5'3, only a 5 inch difference yet she shoves it in my face every damn day. Responding with an exaggerated eye-roll, I push her away, a grin spreading across my face.

As we step into the classroom, we make our way to our seats, which are luckily right next to each other.

With our teacher being absent, the class turned into a hub of gossip about the fight. Rory and I took advantage of the situation to chat about our sleepover plans and the upcoming weekend, which starts tomorrow. Other than that, the lesson went by relatively fast.

As the final bell rang, a stream of students poured out of their classrooms and flowed from the school premises. Since we planned to have the sleepover tonight, we promptly made our way to Lorelei's house.

My eyes broaden as I spot Daniel walking a short distance in front of us. I nudge Lorelei's arm and gesture toward him. She frowns, massaging the spot where my elbow hit her, but she quickly regains her composure and gazes in his direction.

The moment she sees him, her face turns beetroot red. It's clear  that she has strong feelings for him, even though she won't admit it. She's had a crush on him since freshman year, it's obvious.

She glances back at me, and I playfully wiggle my eyebrows in response. Suddenly, I find myself on the receiving end of an elbow jab; she hits my side where a painful bruise lurks beneath my oversized hoodie. The discomfort nearly makes me double over, yet I manage to take a deep breath and let out a laugh, brushing it off.

As the memory of how I got the bruise resurfaces, a frown creeps onto my expression.

Rory and I have been best friends since kindergarten. We never keep secrets from each other; whenever we have an argument, we talk it out and resolve it. I know everything about her, and she knows all there is to know about me—well, except for one thing.