Just Friends

chapter 3

Five minutes after Mrs. Himelfarb handed back our tests, Ash continued to study hers as if she'd made a discovery. I mean, really focusing in on every minuscule detail about it.

It was the test Mrs. Himelfarb tried warning the class about a couple weeks back. I only took a quick glance at mine before stuffing it into my bag—but Ash? All she could do was blink at it, wanting words to jump out of her wide-open mouth but being too stunned to speak at the same time.

I snorted a little. "You good?"

Finally, she looked at me, showing me the graded test in her hand. "A fifty-six," she scoffed. "Fifty. Six."

"Oof." I shook my head. "That's tough."

"No. It's bullshit."

The bell rang and she stood up quickly, stuffing her test at the very bottom of her bag before chucking in the rest of her supplies.

I'd been attending Langham for about a month already but didn't put much effort into getting to know anyone else. Figured there was no point. So I allowed Ash by my side every day whenever we were on our way out of class.

This day was no different.

Soon as we stepped out into the hallway, she gripped the straps of her bag tightly and said, "Isn't the actual exam next week?"

To which I replied, "I think so."

"Dang," she groaned. "I'm gonna fail that too!"

I snorted a little.

And she looked up at me, nudging me in the side with a grin on her face. "Not funny, dickhead."

"I'm not even laughing," I snickered.

"Angel, I'm serious." She stopped us both in the midst of students walking back in forth to classrooms, restrooms, lockers. Then she nudged my shoulder. "What'd you get then?"

I shrugged, facing the front to walk again. "You sure you wanna know?"

"Uh, yeah." She jogged to catch back up with me. "That's why I asked."

I could feel her eyes peering up at me, waiting for my response. I kept quiet just to give her a few more seconds to gain some composure before I blew her mind out the water. Then I cleared my throat. "A ninety-eight."

"A ninety-eight?"

I nodded. Only missed one question.

We were close to the cafeteria, near the tables we frequented at. Ivy was nowhere to be seen. My first day was actually the only day I got to sit with her, and maybe for a brief moment once more after that. But to me, it was like she'd disappeared into thin air. I'd never seen her in the halls. Nothing. And no one ever brought her up. Almost as if she'd never even existed.

Which left Justine all alone at our table.

She was already eating grapes and carrots. Even had a sandwich with chips on the side. A lunch very clearly thrown together at the last minute.

Finally, Ash and I got to our side of the table and sat down.

Which made Justine look up and smile. At me.

"Hi, Angel," she said.

Now, Justine was pretty. Real pretty. If Ash looked nothing like my ex, it was Justine who looked almost identical. She was slim. Not as tall as my ex, but still tall. Taller than Ash, that's for sure. But everyone was taller than Ash. Her hair was pitch black, curly, and always tied in a different color scrunchy. It was pink this day, matching the soft pink of her shirt and the light blush of her cheeks.