Never Been Kissed: Sophomore Year

10: Girl Talk

Mike Andrez: Hey! Just wanted 2 wish u happy 1st-day-back-@-school day! [7:24 AM]

Me: ? Aren’t u in school too? [7:24 AM]

Mike Andrez: ;D I’m homeschooled. [7:24 AM]

I made a disgusted noise as the bell rang and Will, who’d been busy getting to know Brian, looked at me curiously. 

“Why the dying dolphin noise?”

“Mike’s homeschooled. HOMESCHOOLED!” I ground out between my teeth as we walked through the doorway. On my left were Will and Brian, on my right Adam and Jackie. Sienna, Ariel, and Kat were a step behind us and McKay, Joel, and Asana were having a heated discussion on the best weapon of torture. Russ, the odd one out, said nothing and stared quietly at the back of Sienna’s head. Poor guy. We all know he likes her. I sent Mike a quick reply:

Me: U disgust me.  GTG, school. [7:24 AM]

And trudged into Math class with my people.

Math class is kind of like entering the medieval ages; you are the peasants, and Mrs. Shane is the Queen. It was understandably my least favorite class, but I was happy to be entering it with not only Asana and McKay but Will, Kat, and Jackie as well.

The whole ‘These are new students, make them feel welcome, blah, blah, blah’ speech was going on so I zoned out for a few minutes and gave anyone a death glare when they tried to sit in the three closest seats to me not occupied by Asana and McKay. Asana sat behind me and McKay sat behind her (we had a whole note thing going, it made things much easier-we actually sat like this in every class we had together) so Will ended up on my right, Jackie in front of me, and Kat on my left.

No, it isn’t irony we ended up in a cross shape. Things end up that way sometimes. As usual, the attention span of the Shane regulars (A, M, and I) lasts just barely nineteen minutes into the class, and also as usual, I am the first to get out some lined paper and scratch down the topic of today’s note passing. It’s become a ritual we’d established since we all we’re trying to survive eighth grade literature when it was just McKay and I and when Alanna arrived halfway through the year, we introduced her to it. Here are the rules:

1.The topic lasts until lunch, then it can be changed.

2.No one outside of the group can ever read the notes. If discovered, tear up/eat/scribble on it. Even if it’s about tomorrows homework.

3.Only classes in which notes are passed: Math, American History, and anything else boring.

Not that hard to understand, right? I glanced around, taking in my surroundings before making the ‘dreaded note’. Kat next to me had taken out a pristine white notebook and was making neat, precise notes on the first page, totally in her element, zoning out everything but Mrs. Shane and the equations on the board. She’s the bookworm evil mad scientist nerd. We love her so much, especially when it comes to homework!  Jackie took out a humongous binder and was still searching for loose-leaf paper so she could take notes too. I tapped her on the shoulder and handed her one, then she took out a very, very well-used pencil and started to scribble notes. Jackie wasn’t a nerd like Kat, but she took notes in the classes she didn’t like so she could get them out of the way. Will next to me had a spiral-bound note book out, covered in flowers and filled with random names of people she’d known, but she was leaning on one hand and looking completely out of it. She didn’t even have a pencil out.

To the people that didn’t known me the grin I was displaying seemed a bit to shark like, but maybe that was because I found a fellow note receiver/writer.

I scribbled my note, then passed it back to the Asana using slight of hand (Damien worked as a magician for a couple months. It comes in handy). By the time McKay and Asana were done with it instead of reading it I slid it across the space between desks to Will. She stared at it, looked at me, looked at the girls behind me, and smiled a smile quite similar to my own. She jotted down a few words then gave it back to me by making a miniature paper airplane.

I smoothed out the paper to overlap just right on my brief and non-committal notes, and then read the conversation while Asana by way of another note briefed Will on the note rules, ect.

So we all agree that Mike must be interested in me, right? – R

More or less. I mean, he gave you his number right? And he didn’t even know your name. – A

If I know anything, it’s guys. Mike seemed to at least think you were cute-but he wasn’t willing to ‘stake a claim’ so to speak and ran like coyotes were after him the second you got close enough for Adam to see. Fifty-fifty for me too. – M

He liked you enough to talk to us-three girls he doesn’t know from SpongeBob or Johnny Bravo. I say yes. –W

Yes for me, maybe for A and M, and yes for W? I know he ran M but I would have too. – R

Looks like you don’t like him enough either! XP - A

Now we all know that’s not true, A. Look she texted him I don’t know-three times?-and she’s already wondering whether or not he likes her. R is a lovesick puppy. – M

AMEN TO THAT! M just hit the bulls-eye. ;) Rennie, how have the covo’s gone? Awkward? Easy?- W

No names, W. Harder to get caught. And I don’t know-the first one was awkward, definitely. I called him a stalker and he said to make sure the bedbugs didn’t bite my face off. Or something like that. –R

…yeah, that’s awkward. Definitely awkward. – A

I have no comment to that. – M

So. How about the other ones? And thanks, I’ll remember that. :) – W

Two were at, like three or two in the morning. Those had me almost suffocating myself he was so funny. We mostly text around lunchtime or late at night. We only have awkward ones when I text him early and make him cranky, lol. – R

Now THAT’S funny. But I’d be annoyed if you texted me early in the morning too. – A

I agree with A. I would sure as heck be awkward and testy with you if you texted me early in the morning. But still-I think he just thinks your hawt. – M

Hawt? Seriously, M? – W