Page 36 of This I Know
“I think Julia Crane.”
Hannah’s been answering half-heartedly this whole time, rightly giving most of her attention to Mr. Miller, but she seems confident in that particular response. She continues her note taking, flipping a page and scribbling fast.
And I’m left here with that defeating answer hanging over my head.
Julia Crane.
Well, that figures. The most beautiful boy in school would have the most beautiful girlfriend. It’s only fitting.
I slouch against the back of my chair and cross my arms. I glare at the back of his head. I glare right through that thick, lustrous head of hair. I don’t care how perfect that hair is and how perfect every single part of him appears. From now on, I officially refuse to think about Ethan Harrington.
“Avery, you’re good at this,” says Brendan. He’s hopped up along side me in the hallway and he’s next to me, displaying a piece of paper on top of a notebook. He holds out a pencil. “Help?” he says. His glasses are falling down his pointy nose.
“I’m not doing your homework, Brendan.” I shut my locker. It’s the next day. The bell should ring soon, and I want to make it to Chemistry sooner rather than later this time.
Brendan doesn’t move.
I know Brendan from math last quarter. We were assigned study partners, and in the process of working on a project together until my attack happened. Needless to say, Brendan got a new study partner.
I examine him carefully. I stand a good inch above his head, but that doesn’t take away any of his courage. Mara always claimed she picks up on some weird vibes from Brendan toward me, some kind of hidden crush invisible to me. I disagree with her. Brendan and I are just friends. He definitely isn’t my type.
“Come on, please? I know how good you are.”
Is he trying to suck up to me? Because I’m notthatgood at math. I’m okay, but it’s not like I can whip through every question with flying colors, and I’m certainly not good enough to go around doing other people’s homework for them. There’s too much liability in that.
“The bell’s about to ring, Brendan. Want to walk with me to class?” So much for being early.
He pushes his glasses up his nose and falls into step beside me.
“See,” he says, “it’s the same thing we did together that one time. I know you remember.” He holds the paper in front of my face. I take it and walk with it, reading and walking on instinct. “You taught me how to do it the first time, right? So you know.”
He’s right. I do remember this. I remember it like it was yesterday. And it’s painful to be sent this far back in time in my mind, to the time when life was different.
“And you forgot, Brendan?”
His glasses bob on his face when he nods. “I forgot.”
I flip the paper over, examining the back. Wedidgo over this. “Solve forx. You know this.” I pass the paper back to him.
He takes it with a stricken look. “If only it were that simple.”
“Why are you working on that again, anyway?”
He shrugs and stuffs the worksheet into his notebook. It bulges out in a messy fashion, in synch with the many other papers he’s storing there.
“This teacher we have for Algebra Two obviously doesn’t have a clue we already did it.”
“Ah. Well, you’re doing it twice, then. You should be great at it.”
“You would think. I just need you, Ave.”
I guess I was the leader of our math group, in a way. The strongest one. I sometimes forget that it doesn’t come as easily to others as it might to me.
Together, we arrive at my Chemistry classroom. I peek through the window as casually as possible. Ethan’s already there, sitting patiently in his usual seat. So is Hannah.
“This is me,” I say to Brendan. “I’ve gotta go.”
His face falls.
