It has been just over a month since I had been shot. It’s a long story, so I won’t go into it. I returned to school last week, and everyone was happy to have me back in school, especially my girlfriend Lexy. Most of our classes were together, so this meant more time to spend together.

All of my teachers had been very cool about my home schooling: Lexy or one of my friends would pick up my work for me, and then take it back the next day. The only exception was tests, the teacher, who had to sit there while I took it, personally gave those. Anyway, back to now.

Lexy came running up to me in the hall. Our English teacher, Mrs. Walker (formerly Ms. Dawson, another long story) saw her, and gave her a warning about running in the halls. She stood there while Mrs. Walker gave her the warning, then turned back to me and rolled her eyes while she walked toward me. I laughed because Lexy can be so funny about those things.

“Can you believe she gave me a warning just for that?” Lexy asked when she got to where I was.

“Lexy, don’t worry about it,” I replied. “It’s not like you got a detention.”

“Yeah,” Gabe said, who had just walked up and heard her complaining. “Like you always say, ‘Hakuna Matata.’” I shifted my gaze from Gabe to Lexy and grinned. He had her there.

“Whatever,” was Lexy’s reply.

“Why were you running anyway?” I asked her. “What’s so important that you suddenly forgot about it when you got a warning for running in the hall?”

“Oh! I wanted to tell you something that I heard on the news this morning before I came here.”

RRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!

“Oh, it’s gonna have to wait till later, sorry Lexy,” I said as I turned to go to my first class. “Math awaits me!! Tell me before English, OK?” I leaned over to give her a small kiss on the cheek.

“OK,” she said, but she seemed skeptical. “See you next hour.”

As I walked to class, I wondered what she could have heard on the news that morning. ‘Oh well,’ I thought. ‘I’ll find out soon enough.’ I turned into math, and suddenly ran into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I said I bent down to help the person pick up their books. I looked up, and saw someone I had never seen before kneeling next to me.

“It was all my fault. I was looking at my schedule, and wasn’t watching where I was going,” she replied. “I’m Cheryl,” she added and held out her hand.

“Jack,” I replied, and shook the outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you.”

The second bell rang then, and I walked to my seat to get ready for class. Another boring math class commenced, and I lost interest. I was doodling my notebook, when I suddenly heard my name being said.

“Jack?” It was Cheryl.

“What?” I asked coming out of my daze.

“Don’t you have another class to get to?”

“Oh! I didn’t even hear the bell ring! Thanks,” I said and started to get my things together. We walked out together, and Cheryl asked me if I could point her to where room 214 was.

“I’ll do better than that,” I responded. “That’s next to where my English class is, so I’ll walk you there.

“Jack!” I heard my name being called from behind me. I turned around and saw Jen, Lexy’s best friend coming up to me.

“Hey Jen” I said. “This is Cheryl.”

“Hey Cheryl, nice to meet you.” Cheryl said something about Jen’s outfit, and the two of them started talking about clothes.

“Well, nice to know someone wants to talk to me,” I muttered under my breath.

“What?” Jen asked me.

“Nothing, just thinking out loud,” I answered her as we neared our destination. “Here it is, 214,” I said. “Have fun in science.”

“OMG!! How could you do that to Lexy??” Jen asked when Cheryl was out of earshot.

“What?” I asked her, honestly not know what she was talking about. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“You honestly don’t know what I’m talking about??” she asked me.

“No!! I’m just a guy, remember?? I don’t know anything.”

“Jack, you are so dense!! She totally likes you!”

“So? That’s not my fault. Why are you yelling at me? Go yell at her.”

“Jack, she’s the new girl. How is she supposed to know that you have a girlfriend? You’re supposed to tell her!”

“Whatever,” I whispered as Lexy walked up to us.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” she asked.

“Nothing. What were you gonna tell us earlier?”

“Oh! I was gonna say that I found this really awesome jacket that would look on you Jack!” she said as if it were something important.

‘O great,’ I thought, as I rolled my eyes and walked into our second period English class. ‘I know what this means. Another trip to the mall after school.’