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Near the back of the class room, Miguel and Demetri sat side by side as they did their PSATs.
Miguel leaned back in his seat, staring off into space, while Demetri frantically filled in the blanks on his answer sheet, a focused frown etched on his face.
In front of them, Frankie sat alone, her back straight, her eyes scanning over the last of her answers. Unlike the others, she seemed completely at ease, her test already finished and pushed aside, arms crossed as she patiently waited for the bell to ring.
Demetri, caught up in his own world of bubbling answers, looked over at Miguel and did a double take when he saw Miguel was doing nothing. "Why'd you stop? The test's almost over." He hissed, his voice low so no one would hear him.
Miguel twirled his pencil between his fingers, unfazed. "It's just a practice test. Relax."
Demetri scoffed, shaking his head. "Easy for you to say. You've got a girlfriend."
Miguel blinked, turning to him in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Demetri sighed, holding back to urge to roll his eyes. "I've gotta do well on these practice tests so I can ace the real thing. Then, I get into a good college, which leads to a solid internship, then a high-paying job, and after a couple of promotions, I'll finally have the confidence to get a super-hot girlfriend." He waved his pencil toward Miguel. "You've got the karate thing. I've got the long game."
Miguel chuckled, looking Demetri up and down with wide eyes before he shook his head. "You're really overthinking this, man."
Demetri ignored the comment and sighed. "I could wait for my perfect, smart dream girl to walk into my life and we'd happily be nerds together, but those girls don't exactly fall from the sky."
Just then, completely unaware of their conversation, Frankie stretched in her seat, her back arching with a small, satisfied crack. She leaned back just far enough for her head to tilt over the chair, her eyes momentarily meeting theirs upside down. Miguel raised an eyebrow, amused by the coincidental timing.
"What's up with you?" Miguel asked with a small chuckle.
Frankie turned her head slightly, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Oh, I finished twenty minutes ago." She said casually, her voice laced with a subtle hint of pride.
Demetri stared at her, slack-jawed, a mixture of frustration and awe bubbling up inside him. He glanced at his own unfinished test, then back at Frankie, who looked completely unbothered.
Suddenly, the bell rang and students hurriedly turned in their tests, and leave the classroom. Miguel, Demetri, and Frankie made their way to the door, where Sam was waiting with a bright smile.
"Hey," Sam greeted Miguel, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. Miguel smiled and stepped forward, giving her a quick kiss, while Demetri and Frankie stayed awkwardly behind.
