THE BRIGHTSIDE, robby keene

011 - tony hawk who?

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CHAPTER ELEVEN
TONY HAWK WHO?
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ONLY A FEW MORE HOURS.

After that, spring break waits for her. No school for one week, no homework for one week. No more trig with her bestest friends Kyler, Edwin, and Red.

No wonder they are about to fail this class, all they do is sit on their chairs, be on their phones or pass notes around like middle schoolers.

She's the only one paying any attention to their teacher (well, at least out of the four of them). And it's, quite frankly, boring.

Mercy feels her mind drifting away again, searching for something a little bit more entertaining. Like the memory of having Robby around for dinner again last week.

She hadn't really planned on it, but her mom kept asking and asking and asking until Mercy couldn't find an excuse for why he couldn't come over anymore.

(She won't admit it now, but she actually enjoys having the boy around.)

Her parents love him and that's not even an exaggeration. Even her father hasn't been as critical as before and he promised Robby to teach him how to make his favorite Dominican dish.

Yeah, Mercy can't believe it either.

Sometimes, she needs to remind herself that it's all fake. That their relationship is pretend with the goal of getting their exes back.

It's easy with him, somehow, something she's never expected almost three months ago.

God, three months ago she was dead set on hating his guts. Funny how fast everything can change. Now, she considers him a good friend.

Not that she would admit that, but a progress is a progress.

Yeah, a progress I didn't want to make, she thinks.

Hastily writing down which tasks they have as homework (because some teachers just can't let their students have one week of freedom), she stands up from her chair already.

The bell rings just in this moment and Kyler lets out a cheer one might think it's already three pm instead of the end of third period.

Glad to not be a part of their conversation, she follows the three out of the classroom.

She's not even fully in the hallway when her eyes land on Miguel across from her. He leans against his locker, his head turning around until his brown eyes meet hers.

It's been a while since she's seen him completely alone. Normally, Hawk or Sam are in his presence, not leaving his side like they're afraid something might happen to him again.

Mercy waits for it. The sharp pain in her heart that always reaches her when she sees him. The overwhelming sadness that pushes her shoulders down because it weighs a ton. The longing to feel his arms around her again.

She quickly looks away and follows the dozens of other students to get to her locker. His eyes are fixated on the back of her head, she can feel that, but her heart continues beating normally.