Hard To Get

Chapter 3: Frienship

"All right, everyone, let's get started," Mr. Bolton said from the front of the room. I focused my eyes, temporarily distracted from the drama that was my life. Mr. Bolton was new at Longbranch, and already the entire female population had a crush on him. There was a rumor going around that he was gay, but who cared when he looked like he belonged in an Abercrombie catalog, not sitting sideways at a stupid high school desk, shuffling papers, like he was now?

"Before we plunge into our discussion on the role of the ghost in HAMLET, I'd like to pass back your midterm papers", Mr. Bolton said. I straightened up. I'd worked for two solid weeks on my discussion of the character of Orsino in Twelfth Night. It was definitely one of the best essays I'd written. Mr Bolton retrieved a stack of papers and began strolling up and down the aisles.

"Here you go, Val," he said dropping the paper on my desk. "Nice work."

I stared at the stapled pages sitting infront  of me. B+! How was that possible? I'd slaved over that thing! Furiously, I grabbed the paper and started poring over the red-ink comments in the margins.

"I want to remind everyone that there is a revision option for this paper," Mr. Bolton said, standing once more in front of the class. "If you do substantial revisions, I will gladly regrade the paper, up to one full letter grade. Revisions will be due in a week."

I did some fast calculations in my notebook. Right now my GPA for the class was 3.9. But with an A+ on the paper, I could get it up to 4.0 for the semester. I put down my pencil. I'd just have to revise. It didn't matter that this was the only B I'd pulled down all semester. I never quit something I've started, not if there is even the tiniest chance I can do better.

The discussion of the Ghost dragged. My other morning classes also seemed way longer than usual. Finally, the fourth bell rang and I closed my calc text with relief. Time to meet the girls for lunch. I needed some sustenance.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way into the hall along with the river of other juniors flowing out of the classrooms. People were pressing up againts me from behind as everyone surged toward the bright sunshine streaming in from the front entrance.

I had my hand on the push bar of the big double doors when I sensed someone behind me. I whirled around to see Kevin, Ron's most obnoxious, beery friend, leering at me. Kevin made a lasting impression by puking in the umbrella stand  during my homecoming party.

"Hey, Val," he said, breathing like a rhinoceros. A miasma of musty aftershave hung over him in a cloud.

I tried to keep my nostrils from flaring with disgust. "Hi, Kevin. What's up?"

"Hey, I heard about you and Ron," he said, laying a hand the size of a steak on my shoulder. "And you know, if you ever want to hang out sometime, I bet I can make you feel much better."

Oh my God, he did not just say that.

I started backing into the doors, my polite smile rapidly deteriorating into a grimace. "Kevin, thanks for the, um, offer . . ."

He followed me. "I'm having some people over on saturday. You want to come? It's going to be wild."

His face was looming larger and larger as he leaned toward me. "Maybe, thanks, Kevin," I choked out before I yanked  my shoulder out of his sweaty grasp and pushed the double doors open. I caught a glimpse of his startled expression before the heavy metal doors banged shut.

I could see Eunice and Nicole sitting in the car as I hurried across the asphalt. "Oh my God," I gasped as I collapsed into the backseat. "You would not believe my morning."