Time And I

Two

"If you're going, I'm going with you."

"No thanks," I said as I walked past Buddy to sit back down at my desk. There was an open seat to my right. If Devon were to come back, he'd sit there. Part of me assumed Buddy was bitter that he didn't get to sit next to me. Instead, he sat two seats in front of me. Poor Justine had to sit between us, silently enduring him constantly turning around to talk to me. It was annoying for the both of us, since he was good at math. I needed help.

He turned around to argue, but Mx. Jason told him to face the front before he could. I smirked at his glare.

From a personal standpoint, I didn't care if Devon came back to school or not. It didn't affect me in any way. But for his sake, I hoped he would. It was hard enough to survive without some form of college education. Not completing high school, or even getting a GED, would butcher him. I at least hoped he would finish his basic education in some way.

The moment the bell rang for the end of class, Buddy jumped up from his desk and stomped up to me. If Devon did come back, he'd most likely ask Mx. Jason for the two of us to swap seats. I wouldn't go for it. There was no reason for him to panic when nothing had even happened yet.

"Mel, please," he begged me. I'd seen his passionate side before, but never to a groveling level. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll stay safe. If I need you, I'll call you."

"And when you're home."

"I'm heading to the Clubhouse afterwards."

Buddy sighed, hiding his smile. "Just call me."

"Of course," I assured. Before I could leave the classroom, Buddy pulled me back into his arms and hugged me tight.

"I love you," he said.

Patting his cheek, I smiled. "Love you too."

^^^

Devon's house was a lot closer to mine than I realized. Most likely a quarter mile away. I could drop off my bag at home on the way to the Clubhouse. But if I didn't bring my schoolwork, Brody would scold the hell out of me.

I stepped up to the light blue house. There was an air conditioner in the window, but it didn't seem to be running. There were a few rocks with faces propped up on metal sticks that were plowed into the ground. The front porch had a rocking bench next to a dead potted plant. There was a fading welcome mat that read "Doorbell Broken: Say "Ding-Dong" Really Loud." I actually considered it when I saw the doorbell really was broken.

I knocked on the door. No one answered. "Ding-dong!" I called out, knocking again.

No one answered the door, but I noticed someone peeking through the blinds. When I met their eye, they quickly hid. "I'm a classmate of Devon's," I exclaimed, hoping the person would hear me. "I'm here to give him his missing work."

The door slowly opened. A girl who had a long brunette ponytail opened the door. She hid her body behind the door, and I did my best to flash her a polite smile. "You're a friend of Devon's?"

"Classmate," I replied.

She stared at my bandaged hands. "Classmate," she whispered.

"Yeah. I got these by accident. My sister dropped a sword on my hand."

She quirked an eyebrow at me.

"You had to be there."

The girl stepped out from behind the door. She wrapped her arms around her chest tightly as she unlocked the screen door. "He's not home right now, but I can take his work."