What If

Chapter 31

The school week started back up again. Everyone was freaking out about the snow and how amazing it was because England rarely got snow. Something about them being surrounded by water makes it rare for snow and just mostly turns it into rain . . . I don't know. Geography wasn't really my interest. Anyway, we didn't do much in school on Monday. Just some arithmetic, grammar, chemical compounds, Revolutionary War, and verb conjugating.

George and I went back to his house for some math practice like we had gotten used to. He was getting better, but he still sucked. It just didn't come naturally to him. At all. I was starting to get frustrated by his extremely slow progress to be honest. It was to the point where I was considering asking to not help him anymore. I would hate to just leave him out in the dust like that, but I didn't think I was doing him much good anyway.

"George," I asked as he was completing a problem. "Do you think I'm helping at all?"

He kept his eyes on his paper as he shrugged. "Yes, I do," he said. I couldn't tell if he actually felt that it was or if he was just being nice. "I get a lot more things than I did before. Other things . . . not so much, but that's not your fault. They just don't stick to me like others do."

I nodded, looking down at my math notes. Maybe I am making some sort of difference, I thought. I internally sighed. I was too good of a friend to quit on him. I wouldn't do it.

"So if you don't mind me asking," he said, looking up at me. "How was your day with Paul?"

I didn't expect my day with Paul to stay hidden for long. I was practically waiting for one of the other boys to ask me about it. "Well," I said, shifting on his bed. "It was really good. I had a lot of fun. We had breakfast, we played foosball, I stabbed him in the nuts-"

"What?" he laughed, grinned from ear to ear. "He failed to mention that. He told everyone all about it yesterday during band practice. He was really happy he spent time with you like that. And if he keeps doing it, he's gonna end up broke because that date sounded expensive. Broker than he already is, anyway."

I rolled me eyes. "It wasn't a date. It was a friends day. And if that's what he thinks, then he's sorely mistaken."

"Nah, I just kind of assumed that. So, you're really not going to go out with him, huh? Even after he's been trying so hard?"

"I've already explained to you why. Paul's not my type. And if he were to date me, he would find out really quickly that I'm not his type. I would never date a guy like that."

George paused for a brief moment before continuing with something else. "John told us that he asked you out too, but you said no to him also. Why?"

He was very nervous with his questions. He wanted to know so badly, but he was afraid he was stepping on hot coals by asking. I didn't care. It's not like I was hiding it. In fact, the more who knew, the better. Why keep a secret that could potentially save people from emotional distress down the line? "Because he already has a girlfriend!"

George's face contorted a little bit. "How do you know about Cynthia?"

"Paul told me," I lied. I had to stop telling them that the others were telling me things. Eventually, one will ask another and I won't have any explanations other than 'I'm from the future!' Say hello to the mental house.

"Oh, he probably told you to deter you from dating John. John could get any girl he wants. It's the bad boy thing."

"Well, anyway, I'm not going to date a man who already has a girlfriend. If he wants to date someone else, then he should break up with her first. That's not fair to her. And even if he does, I'm not going to go out with him. Just the fact that he was willing to cheat on girlfriend just sealed the deal that I will never date him. I mean, if I know that he's willing to do that, then there would be no trust there to begin with. If he can do that to her, then he can do that to me and I can't date someone I can't trust."