online luv

11

School is everything you've ever heard about it: sucky, long, and highly unnecessary. I think it's more necessary to know how to build a house from paper planes than to go to school to learn about dead people, unimportant mathematical formulas, and the process of fish making more fish through asexual reproduction.

And yet, despite that, I still look forward to school. Lennox and Nathan seem to cancel out all the boringness.

"SO," Lennox said to me as we walked to lunch Friday afternoon. "How's the sexy beast?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Nathan interrupted smugly as he walked next to me.

"I said sexy, not repulsive to the human eye," Lennox shot at him.

"How would you know? You're more monster than human," he retorted.

"Have you ever looked in a mirror?" she said.

"Every time I try to look in a mirror, it shatters because it sees you."

"Enough," I muttered. "Leave the cat-and-dog thing for your future reality show."

After a pause, Lennox asked, "Wait, who's the cat and who's the dog?"

"Obviously you're the dog," Nate said smirking.

"Oh so now I'm a bitch? Is that what—"

"ENOUGH, you guys are making my head spin!" I yelled as we reached our regular table. Normally I would be laughing at their arguments, but today just wasn't my day.

"Oh sweetie," Lennox cooed, "what's wrong? Did Mystery Boy do something?"

I half-smiled and threw a sweet potato fry at her. "No, it's just one of those days."

"How is Aaron? You haven't mentioned him lately," Nate said.

"Good, I guess..."

Lennox frowned. "He did something, didn't he? This is the first time you mention him without your dreamy smile."

I scrunched up my nose and shrugged. "He's just different from most people I know. He's funny and sweet and hilarious and kind and has a great sense of humor and he's so nice."

"You realize you basically repeated two things 3 times, just in different words?"

"Shut up, Nate," I sighed. I don't know why I've been down lately.

"I'm lost," Lennox mumbled. "So he's apparently hot, according to Nathan, and he's apparently amazing, according to you, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I'm not you. I don't fall for guys I just met, Len. I don't like him, if that's what you're getting at. In fact, we're barely friends. I just wish he would meet me in person, you know? I mean, how do I know he's not some old perv—"

"What the hell, Tess, we established that he's a regular teen, and I vouch for him," Nate interjected. "You're hiding something, I can tell."

Of course I was. I don't want to admit that Aaron gained part of my trust too quickly, because then I'd seem like a naive, over-trusting girl. But I can't admit that a part of me doesn't fully trust him yet, because then I'd seem like a suspicious and untrusting chick. And I can't admit both of those things, because then I'd sound straight up bipolar. That's like saying, 'Oh I like bananas, but I don't really like bananas.'

"Your silence says it all," Nathan continued. "I know my little sis."

"Nathan, don't forget that you're literally two weeks older than me," I said rolling my eyes. "And you only met me like 3 years ago. Relatively speaking, you don't know me that well."

"And yet you're this close to declaring your love to someone you just met this month?" he said bitterly.

"I DON'T LIKE HIM," I said way too loudly. A few people surrounding us look at me. "I lost my appetite," I grumbled. "See you guys Monday."