Page 36 of My Rules for Revenge
“Yes, Indira. I wish I could telepathically connect to your mind and text you, but that isn’t the case yet. If that were the case, I would telepathically connect to many minds and send them telepathic insults.”
“That would be an interesting thing to watch,” I admitted.
“Also, if I accidentally send you a nude, please pay no mind. I did that only once, but I like to inform people so they don’t freak out,” Heather warned me.
“Oh my god. Who did you send it to? If you don’t mind me asking, of course,” I said cautiously.
“It was some kid I knew from summer camp. I sent him that instead of a volunteer guidelines sheet. He wasn’t trustworthy, so I smashed his phone.”
“Wow! Are you being serious?” I asked, rather surprised.
“I am. My pics can’t get leaked, Indira. That simply cannot happen. I made that grave error once, and that won’t happen ever again,” Heather reassured me.
It was strangely a sign of the gods that she said that, given what happened the following year. I was no longer enrolled at the school when that occurred. To my knowledge, Heather also forgot all about me and our friendship. It was fine—she wasn’t the only one.
***
The morning after Heather and I had exchanged numbers, a miracle occurred—my request was approved, and my schedule changed. I was no longer enrolled in the English class with Frank Jackson and those other delinquents. I no longer had to entertain their absurd questions about my heritage and their inappropriate advances towards me. I wasn’t sure if they realized, but I knew they saw me as some sort of sexual conquest. It made me angry that they saw me as an exotic trophy because of my Hispanic background. I wasn’t “sexually freaky” because I was quiet. I was serious about my studies. That was all anyone ever needed to know about me.
My new English class was fine. There were no obnoxious jocks, thankfully. The miracle was my new chemistry class. A certain scruffy-haired young man was in it. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out that I had been assigned to sit next to him. I built up the courage to speak with him a couple of weeks later. We spoke briefly, however, and I felt that my time to make a serious impression was running out. It didn’t help that he seemed to be as quiet as me. He did seem nice in our minimal interactions, and it was difficult to believe that. He was on the basketball team with the other knuckleheads, of course. In my opinion, you were guilty by association in high school. You were who you hung out with.
The chance to talk with him more popped up when he asked me to help him with a chemistry worksheet. We had to identify all the elements in the periodic table and divide them into their specific groups. I already knew every single element and each of their atomic numbers, among other things. I went on to show him how he could easily remember which element was which. I formulated my own strategies after intensive studying.
“Wow! You’re really good at chemistry. How did you get this smart?” Eddy asked.
I tried to cover my face as my cheeks reddened.
“I want to study chemistry at an Ivy League school like Bright Rock. I’ve been studying it since I was in middle school. I really need a full academic scholarship,” I explained.
“Oh, wow! That’s cool. I admire your ambition. I’m sure you’ll get in.”
“You’re way too nice,” I said.
I grinned in appreciation.
“I wish I were as smart as you,” Eddy complimented me.
“You’re smarter than you think. I was able to teach you my learning methods, and you’re doing well. You should be proud."
“All thanks to you, Indira. I hope I can get better grades in this class.”
“Yes, hopefully,” I replied.
Eddy remained quiet. My mind went into panic mode as I tried to figure out how to continue the conversation.
“Why do you need good grades?” I asked.
“I need them high to be able to stay on the team. I haven’t played much this year, but it’s still important to me,” Eddy replied.
“You’re on the basketball team, right?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. I don’t think I mentioned that. I am.”
I obviously knew, but I didn’t want to seem like a stalker.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, I love it. It’s a good distraction from everything. It makes me forget about school and how mediocre I’m doing. My parents want me to study engineering or law in college. I just nod and smile—I don’t want them on my back,” Eddy expressed.
