Kimberly's POV
I walk out of my car and quickly make my way to class. The bell hasn't rung yet but I am trying to avoid any kind of trouble. Not trouble as in school or teachers. Trouble as in embarrassment. Avoiding people is really hard in such a small school. Plus, it's never easy to talk to someone who is mad at you. It's always better to just avoid them. As I walk to English, I see him from the corner of my eye and quicken my pace. I feel him staring at me, but not in a way that makes me flattered. I finally walk into my class and sit down as soon as I get in.
"Hey Chris!" someone says from outside.
I let out a sigh of relief as I hear the bell ring. Tiffany walks in and sits next to me. Once the morning announcements conclude, our teacher asks us the usual question to start the day off.
"So what's your good news?" Ms. Norma says.
Everyone shares an interesting story from the weekend. One person talks about how they got a new dog. Another says that they saw their grandma.
"I played table tennis," Tiffany says.
"Where? Are you in a club?" Ms. Norma asks.
"Um, not really," Tiffany laughs, "I just played at home. Not my home, but a home."
Everyone laughs. We talk about symbolism in the book we are currently reading, she assigns us an essay, we start our outlines, and then the bell rings and we leave.
During lunch, I walk alone to the library to do my math homework. On my way there, I see Chris standing in front of the entrance. I guess I'll be getting a zero on my homework then. I turn around and start walking back. Then I hear footsteps getting louder and louder, and I feel them getting closer. Suddenly, my hand is grabbed by someone else's. I turn around and see Chris.
"Hey Kimberly can we talk?" he asks.
"Sure," I say, dying inside.
He just stands there for a few seconds, and I realize that I should say something. I decide to apologize and open my mouth to say it, but he cuts me off.
"I'm sorry," he says.
"What?" I ask.
"I really am, Kim," he says, "I guess I was being like really inconsiderate, right?"
"Not even, it's okay," I say.
"I really like you, Kimberly. I've already said it, but like seriously. I just want us to be chill and be able to talk to each other and do projects together."
We both laugh awkwardly.
"So, what now?" He asks.
"Friends?" I ask, with my hand extended.
"Friends."
He shakes my hand and then pulls me in for a hug. It feels surprising at first, like it came out of nowhere. Then I just relax and embrace him. Honestly, it feels great.
"Well, I have to finish my homework for Casillo," I say.
"Me too," he says, "let's go do it together."
We work on our homework and it feels like a relief. Once we finish, I walk back to my table and see Nancy sitting with the rest of our group. She's only really friends with Bella so I don't really know what she's doing here. I sit down.
"Where have you been?" Jasmine asks.
"I worked on my homework in the library," I reply.
"Kimberly!" Nancy exclaims, "We were just talking about you."
"What were you talking about?" I ask.
"You need to stop flirting with my man," Nancy says.
"What?" I exclaim.
"I'm kidding!" she says, "But seriously, you and Chris are like really close."
"Oh yeah," I say, "We're lab partners. And I didn't even know you liked him."
"I do," she says, "But we're chillin'."
I want to but something tells me we're not.
