Not Ever, Until Now

Chapter 1

Looking around the room I couldn't  help but laugh at the confused looks my classmates gave the math final test. Something I would never understand is why it was so hard for some people to learn. I barely studied for any of my tests and still managed to get an A, and by studying I mean flipping through my notes thinking 'I know this, this is easy, I also know this, Oh! wait I don't know this... Never mind I do.'  

All of my classmates called me a nerd, but I wasn't. Wasn't a nerd supposed to be someone who studied all the time instead of going out? Someone who locked themselves in their room until they finished all of the homework the teachers had given that same day? I was the total opposite of that. I did most of my homework at the last minute, barely studied and talked a lot during class. But still the teachers liked me and most of the information got stuck in my brain.

So no, I was not a nerd, I just learned faster than most people. The test had started fifteen minutes ago and I was already on the last page.  I decided to take a break and ended up daydreaming about the surf competition that was coming up. All of this week's afternoons would be spent at the beach with a couple of my friends, getting ready for Saturday. The Summer Solstice Surf Competition was a big deal for the teenage surfers and I was not going to let anything come between me and the first place.

A was not letting what happened six months ago happen again, specially because I was sure this time I would not have a certain lifeguard come and save me. The thought of Nate brought back memories of the day we spent together. I don't know why, but since that day I couldn't stop thinking about him. Not because I had a crush on him, but because I never saw him again. Every time I went to the beach or to the ice cream place we went together, I hoped I could see him again. Six months later I still did. Shaking my head I brought my eyes to the test again.

Question 98: What is the surface of a sphere which has a diameter of 15?                                                  

a)  2,826                                                                                                                                                                      

b)  706.5                                                                                                                                                                        

c)  94.2                                                                                                                                                                      

d) 804.224

Easy. 4(3.14)(56.25)=706.5. Smiling I circled the letter b. The last two questions were even more easy and I finished the test in less that twenty minutes. Looking up I caught Jess' eyes, she was Liam's twin sister, they were begging for my help. 

"What?" I mouthed.

She sighed with relief. "Thirty Eight." She mouthed back.

I looked down at my paper and flipped through the pages until I found question thirty eight. I looked up at her and touched my forehead, signaling the answer was letter a. She smiled and went back to answering. 

"Already finished Mrs. Jones?" Our Teacher, Ms. Anderson, asked.

"Yes." I said wincing.

Every time I finished way too early she would make me seat next to her and help her with sorting out a bunch of her papers. Sometimes she would make me grade a couple of tests, and I hated that because people I never talked to immediately acted like if we were best friends since kindergarten.