FRIDAY'S GIRL ·ϿʘϾ·

Chapter 19

***DRAFT***

The hours dragged on through the morning at the pace of a crippled slug while I occupied a seat in the third row, right in front of Brad Owens. He had insisted on offering me his spot in front of all our classmates, who watched us perplexed, unable to understand the reason behind his unexpected cordiality.

"What are you playing at...?" I murmured under my breath, turning my head slightly to look at him over my shoulder. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

"I'm just lending a hand to my dear classmate Shannon Turner. She's been sitting behind me for two years and has never missed one of my games." Brad sat down cheerfully, placing all his stuff on what used to be my desk.

"Who the heck is Shannon Turner?" I asked, somewhat puzzled, until it dawned on me. I had created that character myself solely to make fun of him; to get him to admit that he didn't remember half of his classmates.

"I think she's secretly in love with me." Brad reclined in his chair, quite relaxed, while some students glanced at us sideways.

"Not in your dreams, Owens." I turned around to face him. I wasn't in a good mood; first thing in the morning, some idiots from the football team had harassed me again, insulting me, pushing me around, and sticking a note on me that read: "Bitch, the vacuum." I had no idea what they meant by that, but they cracked up because of the note.

"Don't get upset, woman. I just want to help you out. I've heard they've been picking on you and I'm going to make it clear to everyone that you're my friend and nobody can touch you," Brad explained, winking at me. "Remember, I'm Hallwayman, so it's my duty to protect my study buddy from the bad guys."

I was speechless, totally stunned, not knowing what to respond.

"Open your books to the first page." Professor Madden began, positioning himself with the novel "Moby Dick" in his hands. "This epic masterpiece by Herman Melville tells us about the obsessive pursuit of the white whale by Ahab, who is a rugged seaman. The captain's obsession symbolizes man's struggle against nature and his own internal demons."

For much of the class, I felt a tingling at the nape of my neck. Every time I turned my head slightly, I saw him out of the corner of my eye, staring at me. I tried to ignore it, focusing on the professor's words about that classic literature novel, but his persistence was distracting. I wasn't the only one to notice his strange behavior; several classmates also took note and exchanged glances among themselves.

When Professor Madden turned his back to the class to write something on the board, Brad threw a note at me, which landed next to my open book. Rolling my eyes, I picked up the paper and read it:

"Tell me the name of each and every person who has bothered you and I'll make sure they never do it again." Below the handwritten text, there was a crudely drawn angry face. Letting out a sigh of impatience, I replied: "Thanks, Owens, but I'm grown up and can handle my own issues. I don't need a charity sister to solve my problems. Besides, the principal has promised to find a solution."

I tossed the note back to him, making sure the teacher didn't notice anything. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the students who watched us with curiosity. A few minutes later, I received the same note again. "A charity nun? Me? I assure you they wouldn't let me into a convent... LOL Can we meet after class to go to my house together? I hope you haven't forgotten that today is Friday and you're supposed to tutor me. I would text you, but Professor Madden has it in for me and wouldn't hesitate to confiscate my phone."

The little figure he had drawn, winking at me, made me smile as I wrote my response: "Alright, but let's meet four streets away from school. I don't want any misunderstandings."