𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 ( 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡 )

𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

see you later

mrs fennel chose to thunder at walker and me in front of the whole class. she even waited for everybody to get settled before she stood up and used us as an example of people who don't know they're impact on other's days. i couldn't even focus on what she was trying to say, i was just preparing myself to be publicly humiliated if she also chose to let the class know why i was permitted to leave. but that never happened. instead, once she felt she got her point across, mrs fennel punished us further by giving us individual work, saying she was drained of all her energy to teach us that day. no, she didn't take the opportunity to give us more time for the project.

and it was almost like madeline could hear my thoughts. she did exactly what i predicted she would. the classroom was finally starting to quiet down and let the audience in my head hear my complaining as i started the worksheet, when i noticed the chattering from madeline's table. she sat next to her clone, violet, one of the girls present at the sandwich skirmish. behind her were the two other girls that would be responsible for the impending audition epidemic.

i witnessed it go down. i saw her cup her hand over her mouth and whisper to the girls around her right in front of my eyes. but i didn't do anything about it. what was i supposed to say? that i can't let them audition because i think that they're annoying bitches whose teeth are so artificially white that we wouldn't even need a flash on set? i just had to watch as the group shrieked and gasped and nodded.

i checked if walker beside me was also hearing this. i feel like this has happened so many times — he was looking at me before i looked at him. but this time he had the face of someone who just ate a lemon whole.

"what'd you get for question three?" he asked. 

i didn't think that would be the next thing he said to me after that face, and he could have just looked next to him, but i still answered. "c. you?"

"when?"

"what?"

"see me when?"

i chuckled. "i see what you did there."

"you know, i'm free on friday," he said.

"yeah?" what was this boy doing?

"wanna see me friday?"

"what do you mean?" i squinted at him, skeptical that he was asking me out. no, that would be crazy. friends ask friends to hang out all the time.

"i'm suggesting we hang out on friday." 

"is this your way of apologizing for telling madeline?"

"i can't just want to hang out with you?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.