Since November...

August 18th, 2023:

Now the story will start for real:

I knew it would be any other day.

I just have to avoid Evie.

Morning: I saw Faye and immediately caught up with her. We talked a little and dropped off her little sister at her classroom. Then when we turned to go, my heart stopped.

Evie was coming into the building with her little brothers.

Lord, out of all the days, why do I have to see her on the day I have to ignore her?

I immediately turned around, but Faye kept on going.

"Faye!" I hissed. Faye raised her eyebrows. "Let's go the other way," I walked the other way while Faye hurried to catch up with me.

"Why?" she asked. I sighed.

"'Cause I just saw Evie," I explained. Faye looked confused.

"So-"

"We're on a friendship break," I said. Faye frowned. I hope she doesn't think about our friendship break back in fifth grade. But then again it was unforgettable.

Thankfully, I got to my classroom without seeing Evie.

The whole day went by fast and by the time lunch rolled around, I was determined to not glance at her direction at all. I took my spot beside Faye and talked with her happily like it was the beginning of sixth grade again.

But I can't help but hear Evie laughing and pain strikes me. She seemed not to care about me at all.

I wondered if she was upset at all.

Probably not.

Math class: I made two cards for Evie. I stashed into a pocket in my backpack, hoping no one would read it. I wondered if I would ever give them to her. Likely not.

Intervention: Nothing really happened.

Except...

I was kinda making some signals to Tara across the room and I could see Aaron (the class clown or whatever) looking at me. A weird feeling swirled in my stomach.

Then I was doing my work and when I looked near the teacher, I caught eye contact with this kid in my class named Lewis. He wasn't in my class last year; he was in the same school. I never thought much about him; he was pretty short and looked Asian. But I do know that he was pretty smart.

I think we talked a little last year. He sometimes sat in front of me in lunch. He once challenged me to a math competition but I declined. I used to hate competitions.

I had a strange feeling again.

I tried to ignore it.

Dismissal: Lord, this is hilarious. Let me explain.

So I was just chilling, sitting on the stacked chairs while the kids around me were being nosy as always. There were kids either working on their appearance, on their phone, or horseplaying. Suddenly I felt like my life was flashing before my eyes as a huge shelf crashed down. All the kids were going crazy, and I had my hand to my mouth without realizing. Tara and that short boy, Lewis pushed past me, like they were trying to get away from the shelf. No one wanted to be near it. No one wanted to be blamed for it.

The teacher was somewhat calm and said in her sternest voice, "Pick everything up right now,"

I helped some kids clean up even though I had nothing to do with it.