"Very good, Billy. When you laugh at a joke, you let the other person know that you like it and makes them feel good. And that's something people really like to see in a friend," Mrs. Lane explained as the usually stoic boy laughed at one of Jake's comment.

Leni didn't get it, though that didn't stop her from chuckling along.

"Now if we can get back on track, can anyone tell me anything else about reading body language?" Mrs. Lane asked as she pointed at the board. On it was a list of several basic responses, such as smiling, frowning, hugs, and handshaking.

The exercise had been stressful for her as she tried thinking of something new, something that none of the others could have said. Leni parsed through her memory bank for particular moments where things were as complicated as this.

One that came to mind was when Lori was talking about how she was the only one able to babysit her and their siblings with the House falling apart. She had a sense that through those inflated words and behind those cold shades presented a deeper story, a cue for her to say something in return. But even under these pressing circumstances, Leni couldn't piece it together. It was like trying to make out a silhouette lurking around an obscure corner.

Another was that sensation she got when confronted with Helen's Rosy Cake phone case. She was enamored by it and yearned to sing it to the world. But as that feather tickled her (coaxing her to let it out), she balked. Why was that? Why did she think of Lori in that moment?

Suddenly, the puzzle pieces fit together. Leni knew there was no time to waste. She hastily threw her arm in the air, hoping that Mrs. Lane could see how quick of a thinker she was. Sure enough, she pointed to her.

"Well there's, like, when you really wanna tell something to someone but, like, someone else is in the room and you, like, wanna keep it secret," Leni said eagerly. Perhaps too eagerly.

"Yes," Mrs. Lane said as she transcribed that on the board, "when you feel that way, you might get nervous. You might want to look away from the person you're trying to keep the secret from or tap your finger."

Well, the iron was hot. Now was the crucial moment, the one she had been planning for all day. Leni hoped that the teacher would leave a pause big enough for her to squeeze through. The end of that sentence, the way she heard Mrs. Lane utter that last syllable told her of that verbal period. Any delay and she would have cued the class to another question. It had to be now.

"Mrs. Lane, can I talk to you after class?" Leni blurted out.

"Of course," Mrs. Lane calmly replied.

There was the ticket right there. At first, Leni was breathless that she had done that. She thought she'd never see the day where she would insert herself into a conversation like that, to take charge the way she did. And now Mrs. Lane knew she had it in her. With that reassurance, she gradually reclined in her chair, coming to terms with the fact that she had done what she said she would.

Just then, Jake chucked up his arm and waved it around. Mrs. Lane smiled as she pointed to him.

"So I was watching TV yesterday and my Mom asked me to take out the trash. And she, um," he then fidgeted in his seat before folding his arms, "looked like this and then it made me want to take out the trash."

Mrs. Lane giddily rushed to the board and scribbled down those words.

"Very good Jake," she said, continuing to write, "now when someone does that, it means that they really want you to do what they want. They cross their arms and that tells you that you should stop to think about what they want," she then twisted around to meet the students, "Great job, Jake!"

"I had that same thing happen to me before," Billy said flatly, "but I didn't know why they were doing it so I did it too."

Mrs. Lane glanced at him quzzically, resting her hand under chin. Of course, she still harbored a gentle upward curve on her lips.

"Hmm," she said lightly as she rubbed some of her fingers along her jawline, "Do you remember what you were talking about?"

"I do not."

"That's okay. You didn't know any better," she said, dropping her hand. She then walked closer to the stoic boy as she continued, "but now you know that if you ever see someone doing that, you should think to yourself why they're doing it. They may want to change the subject or they may not like something you're doing. If you're unsure what that is, you can always ask your friend what the matter is."

"Okay."

Leni felt woozy watching that. As Mrs. Lane went back to the board, she turned to Billy. His face was as blank as a fresh piece of paper, eyes devoid of passion and a pair of stone lips sealed with glue. She knew better than to make assumptions based purely on appearances, but she genuinely wondered if her classmate had anything to say at that moment. Did Billy care that he "didn't know any better"?

"Leni?"

She halted her thoughts as that voice hauled her back to this small, isolated room.

"Is there anything you would like to add?" Mrs. Lane asked, using her hands to gesture to the board.

All she saw was a white slate filled with colorful lines and twirls, no order or reason to any of them. It became apparent that Leni had no chance in the world in decoding this abstract drawing before her. And when she didn't know anything, she just sat there blankly before the colorful masterpiece.

"Do you know any other expressions we use to show how we feel?" Mrs. Lane asked.

Just like that, it all came together. They were still in that activity, the same one they had been in for the past fifteen minutes, the one where she had been contributing. Suddenly, those scribbles coalesced to form words and numbers. All it took was Mrs. Lane's guiding hand to bring about this fundamental epiphany.

Now the challenge fell on her to conceive a new answer, something that would really show off her astuteness. Time had already been lost from that unnecessary daze and it was running out quickly. Lori never thought slowly, so why should she? She pushed even harder, remembering times when she saw unusual expressions. But they were either too fuzzy to accurately describe or she couldn't piece together what they conveyed. It felt bitter not knowing the answer, as if she were letting herself (and everyone else) down.

"I don't know," Leni said reluctantly, sliding her arms under the table.

"That's okay," Mrs. Lane said, smiling, "we put together a great list! I hope this can help you all when you talking to your classmates and family members," she then started erasing the board as she continued speaking, "that's all I have for you today. Keep up the great work and I will see you all tomorrow."

Leni remained in her seat as the two boys collected their things and shifted out of the room, none of them talking to the other. While she waited, she found solace in staring at the table. The wooden surface had an interesting swirl of beige and brown, the two colors coexisting into a palatable blend. It looked like a delicious smoothie.

"Hi Leni," Mrs. Lane said, causing the girl to snap to attention. Sure enough, the teacher was sitting right across from her. Even with that grin and pair of vivid eyes, Leni couldn't help but squirm in her seat. She couldn't believe was about to do this, "what did you want to talk about?"

Here it was. There was no turning back now. Her mind was firing sparks left and right, front and back, telling her to dive in and cower away simultaneously. Leni wasn't sure which side was gonna win, however she knew that it had to be now. She had a dream about this very case and she was not willing to relive it again. Get it over with and move on.

She supposed it was the face. This was Mrs. Lane, the one that was always so patient and happy. It was clear that she loved her job and wanted to keep it up forever. How was it gonna change once she opened her mouth? Would things start getting awkward between them?

"Get it over with!"

Leni swallowed, making sure her mouth was devoid of drool before speaking.

"I wanted to, um," she said, although the words were quickly failing her. All that thinking about phrasing and mouth movement clogged the motors, making every other syllable a stutter, "know h-how to, like, m-move on from this place."

She instantly thought of a thousand better ways that could've been delivered. Different words, different paces, more confidence, more fluidness. Leni peered down into her seat as she processed through those dreaded alternate scenarios.

"Do you think you no longer need speech therapy?" Mrs. Lane asked calmly. Even with that gentle assurance that the teacher was fine, Leni was still afraid to look her in the eye. She was already embarrassed and didn't want the turmoil happening in her body worse.

"Maybe..." she answered tentatively. She cupped her hands from under the table as she tried figuring out how to save this sinking rhetorical ship, "what do you, like, think?"

"You have been making great progress. Not only are you speaking up more, but you have even gone out of your way to making friends outside this room. I am very proud of you."

Leni looked up and sure enough, Mrs. Lane still had that tranquil, hopeful face that she was known for. How was it that a confession like that couldn't annoy her, make her lose all respect for her. Mrs. Lane really did have a lot of patience, especially for someone like her.

"So when could I, like, stop coming here?" Leni asked, courageous enough to look her teacher in the eye. The same couldn't be said for her hands, which remained sheltered below.

"At the end of eighth grade, you will be tested on your critical thinking and social skills. If you do well, then your IEP will be phased out because you would no longer need it."

The girl inched back in her seat. She couldn't believe what she was hearing in the midst of those gentle, understanding words. Although, there was some question to how understanding Mrs. Lane really was. There was yet another temptation, a push for her to learn more.

"But what if I, like, wanted to take the test now?" Leni asked.

It was an impulse, much like what got her to this point in the talk. She debated whether Lori moved from line to line with the same spontaneity. Her big sister was always so relaxed when she talked, yet her words still made sense. It felt like a paradox that was nearly impossible to reconcile.

"I'm sorry, but the choice isn't mine to make. It's done by the school," Mrs. Lane explained, her smile reverted to a default professional. Just like that, Leni completely leaned back in her chair, using its head to keep her body up, "Your parents would also know a great deal on this subject. You can talk to them about it."

"Okay."

Not wanting to further the discomfort, Leni grabbed her bag and got up. She didn't want to face Mrs. Lane, worrying that such eye contact would have stung. Besides, the teacher had already heard enough of those things she called opinions.

"Enjoy the rest of your day," she heard Mrs. Lane say.

"Thanks."

The walk to her next class was a refresher. Luckily, the aching receded the more she thought about the interaction. She knew she did what she wanted to do, not letting her anxiety consume her. Now that she put it in perspective, Mrs. Lane wasn't all that bad. She didn't sound like she was hurt or anything negative.

"Yeah," she told herself. Leni figured that the talk went that well because maybe, even in the fog of doubt, Mrs. Lane actually was honest when she spoke (that she really cared and treated her and the others like people). If she didn't, she would have sounded annoyed and furrowed her brows and tensed her cheeks. Leni didn't want to imagine such a face on someone as sweet as Mrs. Lane, so she mostly focused on the relief.

The last class of the day was her focus now. That was what lied before her, so there was clearly no reason to dwell on the past. It was math which, while not the most fun time, was worth it. Besides, the real hurdle of this day had already been surmounted so there was no way math could have been hard. Right?

She entered the room and casually took her usual seat. Sure she was a little early, however some of her classmates were already there. They were quick, she figured. Leni couldn't remember a time where she was the first one to arrive, even though she almost always went straight to class without interactions or disturbances.

What did those people think of her? Did they ever wonder where she came from the same way she did for them? Leni knew that one of them came from gym, a group of boys were fresh out of history, and another one had English. All she could think of was them asking where Leni Loud came from. What great discoveries did she learn, friends she bonded with, and work she accomplished?

Leni shivered at the prospect of them finding out. Until recently, her days with Mrs. Lane were normal, a nice relief from the hectic pandemonium junior high brought. Now it was a mark of shame, a brand that others would ridicule.

"You have to learn how to make friends?!"

"I would hate to be in your shoes."

"Your sister must be so ashamed."

"How can you live with yourself?!"

That's what they were all thinking, even if their glazed eyes and tired faces didn't say it. Besides, the end of the day left them with little patience for someone like her. Looking around, it was the usual sight. Each of those students were spread out to various corners, leaving her lonely in the middle. Was that really an accident? Leni was quick to conclude that it was her own fault; that her "stigma" was deliberately driving others away. Even as more filed in, they focused on filling in the perimeter before centering in.

She didn't blame them. They were all perfect. If they weren't, then they would have been in her shoes. No one was slow enough, dumb enough, or unlikeable enough to descend to her level (at least Jake and Billy had charm).

Leni took a deep breath.

"Just calm down. You're doing gre-"

"No you're not!"

"Mrs. Lane wouldn't lie to you. Keep up the work and you-"

"Land in a big dump called nowhere!"

She kept breathing, hoping to keep attention away from herself. It was bad enough that others had to tolerate her when she's normal, but the possibility of them stopping to acknowledge her was unbearable. Leni wanted to smile, be another happy face that others can pass through without being pinched of an obligatory amount of pity. Sometimes, though, it was hard to even look normal in times like these. While it wasn't every day, these feelings flared intensely when she stopped to think about how others viewed her. Maybe once class started, that would be a distraction.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Braxton said as he shuffled some papers, "I have your quizzes from last week."

Her head became stuffed with her teacher's words and the images of her writing forgotten figures on that sheet. Leni couldn't believe that she forgot that announcement from yesterday. Funny how the mind could have filled itself with one issue while pushing even basic skills to the wayside.

Leni's eyes were glued to Mr. Braxton as he shuffled up and down the aisles returning papers. She regretted picking today to think so much about speech therapy, how she made Mrs. Lane feel bad just for doing her job (poor thing). She didn't need this. She wanted to go home. She wanted to go to sleep and forget about all this.

When the teacher finally slipped her quiz on her desk, Leni averted her eyes. She stared at the side wall, her vision penetrating a sea of unsuspecting classmates. If she never saw the grade, then it could never hurt her. Or so the thinking went. As the seconds of evasion wore on, her chest became hollowed out by curiosity's fire. Even as Leni reluctantly accepted the fact that she needed to know, the paper itself was like a ray of blinding sunlight.

Eventually, she told herself it was time to rip off the band aid. The class was gonna start soon and she wanted to have some time to accept reality, to cool off from whatever it was. Maybe it was a surprise. Maybe she finally figured out how to solve "proportions". With bated breath, she lunged her head to the desk's center.

It was a C minus.

So much for surprises. Leni supposed she was lucky that she wasn't failing (or even getting D's). But this constant, this persisting letter continued to bug her. Slapping the paper against her chest, her head became a swivel, desperately looking around to the neighboring students. She made out some of their grades. The only ones she could see were either A's or B's. It was amazing that people even talked about surprises, which were absent from this room.

Perhaps it was just that one class where things were stuck in a vacuum, where no matter what is taught and no matter how hard she tried, Leni (and the others) always ended up with the same result. But she knew she wasn't all that spectacular in her other classes either (the last grade she got in English was a B minus). The status quo always found a way to combat any threats to it, swatting away stupid ambitions in favor of homeostasis. This bitter notion soured in Leni's mouth as she slouched in her seat.

Maybe some things aren't meant to change.

"Do you like Princess Pony?" Leni wrote on her phone.

She stared at that sentence, judging whether it was the right way to phrase it. She knew it was only a matter of time before she dropped the question and even if it was through text, it was still nerve-wracking.

She couldn't think of a better way to put it. There was always the indirect path, such as "Hey, loving that phone case!" or "What shows do you like?", however this would have to do. Besides, the less texts she sent to reach the answer, the better. Besides, she saw this as a good thing in any case.

Before she could doubt herself again, Leni tapped the 'Send' button.

She exhaled as she placed down her phone. The bed felt extra lumpy that afternoon, just the way she liked it. Lori, meanwhile, was in the middle of her own texting session. Peering over, her older sister was typing away, almost as if she were writing responses to messages she still hadn't finished reading. It was remarkable how she effortlessly fired off message after message. Meanwhile, Leni was left waiting for Helen to get back to her.

Buzz. Perhaps she had thought that too soon. Leni peeped up at her phone to see the simple response.

"Yes."

It was true then. That phone case was more than just for show. And, more importantly, it was precisely what she thought it was. Now that there was a shared interest, Leni knew what she needed to do next. She glanced at Lori, making sure she was still glued to her own phone before writing her response to Helen.

"Reely! Cuz I like that show 2. Rosy Cake is totes my fav!"

As she sent off that next message, Leni allowed herself to absorb the bed's comfy fibers. She relished at the door that had now been open. There were so many things to discuss, from ranking the episodes to her theory about alicorns.

At this point, Leni understood that she had to keep Lori on her side of the room; the worst-case scenario is that she snooped on this exciting conversation. If Lori found out she watched that "dumb kids show", she would never hear the end of it. While she hadn't asked Lori directly about it, she had witnessed her big sister reacting to it from other sources. Whenever she came across it on a channel surf, she instantly zoomed past it with a nasty scoff. There were also times when Lori came across fans of the show on the Internet and mocked them, often in front of her. Leni didn't need a lecture to recognize that talking pony was a non-starter for Lori.

Besides, Lori didn't bombard her with every detai regarding her own friends. So clearly, there was little reason to be entirely transparent to the whole world. Helen was the center of the universe when Leni got into a conversation with her.

"She is also my favorite character. I'm sorry I didn't show this earlier, but I have a phone case with her face on it. I'm sorry," Helen wrote.

Sorry? Helen had absolutely no reason to apologize for anything. Act now.

"Pleez dont b sorry its ok :)"

Hopefully that did the trick. She didn't want a sad friend on her watch (phone). The face at the end was something she picked up from Lor's texting. Her big sister loved using it, so why not include it in her talks? In any case, it looked really cute.

"Okay."

Perfect. Now that things were back to normal, it was time to get cracking. But where to start? With a topic as large as Princess Pony, almost any avenue carried both the excitement of its content and the emptiness carved from the paths not taken. Of course, inaction was inexcusable and the longer she contemplated, the faster opportunity was slipping away.

"Have u seen all the epasewds" she typed sporadically.

"Yes."

"Which 1 is your fav"

"Lonely Fiesta is my favorite."

That was surprisingly easy. It was as if both of them were getting more comfortable with each correspondence, resulting in faster replies. Leni and Helen were practically standing in the same room, talking in real time. She figured it was only working up to the point where they could hang out and start up an intense discussion. After all, that's what friends did with each other (she believed).

"I like that 1 2. Rosy Cake is the main carecktur and shes gr8! We learn so much about her its crazee" Leni wrote.

Maybe not the best way to put that. Compared to the others, "Lonely Fiesta" was a serious episode where Rosy Cake threw a party and no one came. Much of it was silent, slow, and serious.

Leni still remembered seeing that episode for the first time, particularly how much her relationship with that character changed after the viewing. Rosy Cake's eyes had this sorrow that persisted through much of the plot, as if there was a tiny voice in there begging her to ask if everything was alright. They were clearly anything but. Now that she thought about it, "crazee" was too vibrant, too enthused of a word to accurately describe her stance.

Buzz.

"I liked how we started learning more about her character. I felt so bad to learn that she takes loneliness very seriously. It also made me think about what she did in other episodes."

Other episodes? Leni very well understood Rosy's motivation in "Lonely Fiesta", however this hypothesis captured her curiosity.

"Wanna name an," she then stared at Helen's text, "episode where u think that" Leni wrote, firing off the message.

Time was racing by with each sent message; Leni was surprised that twenty minutes had elapsed since she dropped the important question. However, no response came in the first minute. Or the second. Or the fifth.

As more time went on, Leni felt her heart tugging, stretching itself without regards to physical limits. She couldn't help but wonder if she was too critical, that her friend was hurt by that one comment. While it seemed like an innocent question in her eyes, her judgement didn't matter anymore. There could have been a rule violation buried within those soft letters that hasn't presented itself yet. And this was the price to pay. The cold shoulder.

Buzz.

Leni silently dropped her jaw as she picked up the phone. Sure enough, it was from Helen.

"There was one episode where they have a party. At the end of the party, Rosy asks Twily if she wants to stay behind. Since Twily was the last one there, Rosy wanted her to stay. She even says there's some cake left. Now that scene seems a little sad."

She sighed as she read it. That was it. It just took her a little time to compose this longer message. Helen wasn't sad or angry after all. She was her friend and Leni couldn't think of a reason why a friend would be mean to others like that. Leni told herself she just needed to relax and enjoy this lovely day.

"It is. Mayb now Twily will b nicer to Rosy. Rosy needs 2 no that her friends will b there 4 her cuz thats what friends do"

As she hit 'Send', Leni recalled watching the for "Lonely Fiesta",where Rosy finally admitted her fears and hugged it out wit her friend Twily. It was sad, but happy too. Now that she had some distance from the viewing experience, Leni began thinking that perhaps there was another reason why that one episode was her favorite. Something about the way Rosy acted throughout it resonated with her. Of course, she wasn't about to discuss that with Helen. How would her friend understand if she herself couldn't, Leni figured.

But enough of that talk. Today was a happy day and Leni didn't want to ruin it for anyone (even herself).

"Yeah. And Rosy is such a great friend to everyone else, so she deserves to others support her," Helen wrote.

Leni read that and nodded her head. There was a reason Rosy Cake was her favorite character. That pink pony, aside from being a fun ball of energy, was a total sweetheart. She always cheered up her friends when they were sad, threw parties that encouraged everyone to bond, and made whichever friend she was hanging out with feel like everything. There was a special magic emanating from Rosy, a charisma Leni wished to adopt in her own life.

Helen was a good start. Here was her first real friend, someone that connected with her. The first step was to make her feel special. That's what talking was for.

Before she could reply to her message, though, Helen sent a second message.

"I like her."

Now was the perfect chance to send a followup message. Leni browsed her mind for things she could say, something to move the conversation forward. Luckily, an answer came much quicker than usual. A saving grace.

"Me 2. Rosy is so gr8 I wish more peepel liked her"

"I know! All I see online is people gushing about Stuttersneeze and Flying Colors. They're okay but their fans flood every site. And don't even get me started on the shippers!"

There she was, a person jumping to life. Leni smiled at that text. Helen was starting to become more comfortable with herself, sharing her feelings and treating them like they matter. Leni didn't know what else to ask for, aside from translating these thoughts into a face-to-face conversation (but maybe that would take some more time).

"Have u been on fanlore? Half the pony fics are StutterColors kissing and..."loving" if u no what I mean" Leni typed.

At this point, it was a cycle. Helen's confidence was making her more confident and vice versa. Leni never felt so free tapping those letters and firing it off so quickly. In that moment, she felt like Lori with her razor sharp mind and robotic-like fingers. It was refreshing to exhibit control in a situation like this. And additionally, she was learning more about Helen.

"Ugh. There's no evidence that they love each other like that! The show clearly says that those two are good friends, not lovers! Isn't friendship good enough?"

"Yeah!"

But even as she sent that out, Leni knew that she wasn't immune to the matchmaker game. To this day, she remained an ardent GarryxPercy shipper for Real Times Under the Sun, especially with the hugging and teasing that more recent episodes have provided. But she had her limits. Leni understood when friends were just friends. Flying Colors and Stuttersneeze acted more like friends than dates and she wasn't about to twist that lovely relationship just to please some crazy fans. Those two had such clashing personalities that neither of them would have been able to fulfill the needs of romance. Besides, she thought that Rosy and Tuna Burger were a cuter, more viable couple. They were both fun-loving ponies that wanted to make others happy. That was where her ship lied.

"I'm glad there's someone that agrees with me here. Some of the people I've come across have been rude when I tried to share my opinion."

Rude? To someone like Helen? Leni couldn't bear the thought of her friend being subjected to such fiery passions. She must have been very strong to put up with all those harsh words. Stronger than anyone should have to.

"That's what friends r 4," Leni wrote.

As she watched that message get projected on the screen, Leni thought more about those other people. Was Helen okay? Did she need some reassurance? Looking at her message, she realized she forgot to include that question. Her fingers scrambled to cobble together some words, ones that sought to determine how her friend was feeling. For all she knew, Helen could have been remembering whatever it was she dealt with and still been in pain.

Buzz.

Right in the middle of the sentence.

"Thanks. I'm glad I have a friend like you :)"

That smiley face. Helen got to the point where she was using it. All because of her, Leni Loud. Leni didn't even think of making her friend feel that way, but there it was for her to see.

And it was then that she realized that expression wasn't just a set of characters on a phone, but a shape she was making on her own face.