"Ew." Isabella covered her mouth, wishing that she didn't say it. They were all looking at her. Her face was burning, flaying layers of her skin off. No, she didn't want to say that about math. Math was fun. She loved it. But everybody hated it. It seemed cooler if she had just followed along. Wait a minute—why was she trying to please those damn fools who had nothing in common with except other than the face they are both mammals?
"Yeah. That's right. I hate math." She heard herself talking, "I don't know why we have to take that class."
Erin grinned. "Ah, you thought so too? Because you are good at math I think for a moment that you might be the only one who likes it."
It was probably the truth.
Isabella stared at this enclosed friend group before her catatonically. Did she eat something wrong for lunch? Her stomach was sick. The girls giggled and pushed each other teasingly: they seemed so engrossed in their activity like nothing else matters anymore. Like her right now.
Yeah. She secretly gripped her hands. An intensity of pain rose up in her body. But that's okay. Haven't I already learned enough about them? She turned around and walked out of the classroom.
Miss Avery called out to her in the hallway. "Isabella! I need you in the office." her long, curly brown hair was flying.
"Sit down."
Isabella installed herself onto a cushioned chair near Miss Avery. "Did you let Emily copy your homework" In her hands, there were Isabella's essay of Catcher in the Rye and Emily Gwen's too.
No. Isabella shook her head. She was never close to Emily. But she was happy for the fact that Miss Avery didn't suspect the originality of her own essay.
It was not hard to figure out who was the criminal.
Under the stern stare of Miss Avery, Isabella hesitated to spit out the name of the culprit. Was she going to report to the honor council? She didn't care a shit about Emily Gwen. But she didn't want to ruin Thomas's reputation. Emily was Thomas's girlfriend. Emily must have made him steal her essay.
"I am not disappointed." Miss Avery said to Isabella like a friend, "I am just troubled that she is using yours. I mean that's just obvious. I can tell it is yours from the glance of the first sentence of the opening." Even though she was not commenting Isabella, even though this was not the appropriate time to feel happy, a smile was still managing spilling out of Isabella's face. The smile widened and deepened.
"But you don't need to tell me who the culprit is though. I will just give her a zero. And next time—make sure you keep your things close." Miss Avery took off her glasses. She was super charming when not wearing glasses.
"Thanks for coming." Miss Avery winked at her.
I feel so elated. Isabella closed the door softly. Her mind kept going back to Miss Avery's wink. So pretty..and so flirtish. Flirt! Ahhhhhh…why would her heart not stop throbbing?