Evergreen

Chapter 27

You are enough just as you are - Meghan Markle

*

"Hey, loser!" said Freddy, accidentally on purpose bumping into Everett in the hallway. "How goes things with your crush?"

Everett raised an eyebrow. "I thought you implied that I wouldn't have her around for long. And now you're asking after her? How curious." One nil to Everett. He was starting to enjoy talking back to his nemesis with sassy sentences. It made him feel stronger in a way that didn't demean Freddy.

"Well... you always have crushes, so I figured you'd have one to ask about. Whether the love is mutual or not is another story."

"For your information, it is. She's my girlfriend now. She likes planes and romantic poetry and she's fun to be around."

"Planes? How pathetic."

"Don't tell me you're jealous? I know you like poetry: you're always writing poems in class."

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I want a girlfriend who likes poetry. Though it would be nice."

"You know what? I used to not like poetry, but I'm getting into it now." With that, Everett walked to his first class of the day, leaving Freddy astounded by his newfound confidence.

He thought about Amelia quite often now that he knew her so well. He knew the way she laughed out loud at funny films and how she only did gardening because her dad did it and how she often felt ostracised but not with Everett. She was a brilliant person with endless stories to tell about her childhood holidays in Dorset (like the time she'd made sand mazes on the beach) and plenty of fascinating articles to talk about (such as the one about how twins are more likely to be left-handed than the general population). She expanded his horizons far more than school ever had. She was his favourite person to think about.

"Daydreaming again, Ev?" said Hassan.

"Yeah," said Everett, smiling at his thoughts of a cool conversation with Amelia. The Biology lesson was going in one ear and out the other; when Amelia was on his mind, not much else seemed to matter.

"What about?"

Everett hesitated. Saying it aloud somehow made it seem less awesome, but he could share some of the magic with his friend. "Amelia and me by the seaside, talking about what we like about each other."

"What do you like about her?" asked Hassan, turning to face him while pulling his long shirt sleeve further down his right arm.

"Where do I start? She's kind, she's brave, she likes planes, she likes cool music, she likes Back to the Future, she's beautiful..."

"Everett and Hassan! Are you listening to me?" snapped their Biology teacher.

"No," said Everett dreamily while Hassan said "Yes".

"I suggest you pay attention because this will be on your test. Especially you, Everett, as your last mock was a grade 3."

Somehow Everett seemed distant from this fear. Nothing could worry him while he was in his Amelia bubble. Still, he decided to write a few notes, even if his mind was elsewhere roaming the land of fun fantasy.

*

"Why are you revising during break?" asked Marty to Jade, scoffing down his ham sandwich.

Meanwhile, Jade's right hand was scurrying along the pages at a rate of knots while her left hand kept an English textbook open on the table.

"Do you not feel the pressure? It's May, for God's sake! Our first exam is in, what, two days? How are you not freaking out?" said Jade, still managing to write while she ranted.