Monday, March 26th 1984

No one was watching him. No one but her. Whenever he showed up to class, she couldn't stop sneaking looks behind her. Sometimes she would tell herself it was just because of the ripped attire, his always so disheveled appearance, but sometimes, she caught looks on his face that made her so uncomfortable that her insides began to twist. The way he held himself, the ways his expressions turned from irritation to indifference to somber as his mind wandered away from even pretending almost to care about the subject. Angela knew something wasn't right, but she didn't let herself think about it.

"Angela ..." the teacher began, snapping Angela's mind back to class. They were pairing up for a group assignment. "And John."

Angela's friend and honor student Lauren Elliot whispered a remark under her breath about how unfair it was to have to partner with that loser. Angie exchanged a tight nod with John.

"I don't think it will be all that bad."

On her way to her fourth period, she saw him again. Principal Vernon grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, dragging him towards his office and parting the sea of students ahead with his voice. He looked at her, his eyes wide, helpless circles. She would have said 'Hi' if he hadn't been otherwise occupied.

Later that day, Angela spotted John talking to the prom queen, Claire Standish. Angela knew Claire from the homecoming committee. Claire was nice enough when she wasn't with her friends, but with her group of affluent and popular peers, she acted aloof and downright snobbish. Angela had experienced this firsthand and recalled the time she was nominated for homecoming queen her freshman year.

Being the first Black girl at Shermer, Angela knew the popular group had considered it an act of charity. It was a way for them to seem welcoming and inclusive, garnering admiration for their so-called forward thinking. They campaigned for Angela, and of course, she won. But after that, she was all but forgotten. If she was being honest, she was happy to be ignored by them. They all seemed to care too much about how others saw them.

Angela did not have the luxury to hide behind any façade; her skin color did not allow that. Standing by her locker, she watched Claire as she looked around leaning closer to her locker, away from wandering eyes. He handed her something, it was shiny. He sneered threateningly at her, causing her to flinch, and he abruptly walked away. Jessica Buffington approached Claire, "Why are you talking to that bum?" She screwed her face up as if she smelled something rotten.

"He found something of mine and was returning it." She said dismissively. Angela watched her roll her eyes and lie - she just knew from her nervousness that she was lying; she avoided eye contact. Her friend seemed indifferent, quickly changing the subject as they migrated out of range.

Angela scoffed, she rejected him because even though she probably liked him, she was too afraid of what her snotty friends would say.

John Bender was in his element, lurking in the shadows of the hallway, ready to spring on an unsuspecting freshman. It was his favorite pastime, one that combined his love of mischief with his disdain for authority. But today, his plans were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

Angela Williams, the pretty and shy homecoming queen, approached him with a determined look in her eyes. Her hands were clasped together, and she hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Hi, John."

John straightened up, masking his surprise with a smirk. "Well, well, if it isn't the queen herself. What brings you to my humble corner of the school?"

Angela took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you planned on working on the science project we were assigned."

John rolled his eyes. "I can just have my friend Brian do it," he said dismissively.

Angela's expression hardened. "Brian is a nice kid and should not be taken advantage of," she countered firmly.

John tried to feign disinterest, but there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes. "Why do you care? Gym and shop are the only classes I can pass."

Angela wasn't deterred. "Let Brian help you with math in exchange for shop, and I will help you with science and any other subject you want to tackle."

John raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her offer. "In exchange for what?" he asked suggestively, a mischievous glint in his eye. If he was being honest, he'd never been offered help before, ever. Something about it tugged at his heart.

"You'll get a good grade, that's it!" Angela replied, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. She was confident she could help him get an easy A if he would just follow her lead.

John studied her for a moment, curiosity and attraction flickering in his gaze. He knew she was right; he didn't have the skills to complete the project on his own. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "But you better know what you're doing."

Angela smiled, relieved. "I do. Just trust me."

Lunchtime rolled around, and Angela realized she had forgotten her lunch, something she often does on Mondays. She purchased a turkey and Swiss sandwich and milk, then scanned the cafeteria for a place to sit. Her eyes landed on an unusual sight: John was sitting with Allison Reynolds, the girl from her English class who usually kept to herself. Even more surprising, her fellow Mathlete, Brian Johnson, was there too.

Angela frowned, puzzled by the strange gathering. She turned to her friend Lauren and said, "I have to chat with my science partner. I'll be right back."

She made her way over to their table, sandwich, and milk in hand. "Hey, John," she greeted him, feeling slightly out of place.

John looked up, surprised but amused. "Hey, Angela. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to talk about our project," she said, glancing at Allison and Brian. "Mind if I join you?"

Allison gave a small nod, and Brian smiled shyly. John shrugged, indicating the empty seat next to him. "Sure, why not?"

Angela sat down, opening her sandwich. "So, I was thinking we could meet after school to get started. Maybe in the library?"

John nodded slowly. "Yeah, that works. But just so you know, I'm not great at this stuff."

"That's okay," Angela reassured him. "We'll make it work."

As they ate, Angela couldn't help but notice the camaraderie between John, Allison, and Brian. It was strange to see them together, but there was a certain harmony in their interactions. She realized that perhaps there was more to each of them than met the eye.

After school, Angela and John met in the library as planned. Angela spread out her notes and textbooks on the table, ready to dive into the project. John watched her, a mix of admiration and nervousness in his eyes.

"Okay, let's start with the basics," Angela said, smiling encouragingly. "We'll take it one step at a time."

John nodded, feeling a sense of hope he hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe, just maybe, he could do this. And with Angela's help, he was willing to give it a try.

As they worked together, the library grew quieter, the shadows lengthening as the afternoon turned to evening. Their bond strengthened with each passing moment, a partnership that would shape not only their project but their futures as well.

Tuesday

An impromptu game of flag football broke out and carried on until the bell rang, ending in a score of 3-7. As the losers trudged off to class, trash-talking all the while, John ducked around the back to wait out the crowd.

When the bell rang again, he swam through the throng of students between classes, disappearing into the horde and joining those headed to the cafeteria for first lunch.

To his surprise, he found himself having lunch with Allison and Brian. Even more surprising, Andy Clark joined them and revealed that he and Allison were still an item. John was both surprised and pleased. He had hoped that these dweebs would stick together.

Andy glanced at John. "What about Claire?"

"Who?" John replied with a smirk.

Allison changed the subject. "So, how's your science project going?" she asked knowingly, sensing why Bender was unphased by Claire's rejection.

"So far so good," he replied, his mind wandering. "Have you seen her today?"

No one had, but he shrugged it off. It wasn't a big deal. Or at least, that's what he told himself.

After lunch, John positioned himself outside, close enough to the hall to see if Angela was coming in. He knew she would pack a lunch and not be in line. There was no point in lurking in the cafeteria. No big deal, he told himself.

He went behind the bleachers and got high. While he tried to get another game going, he ended up just shooting hoops by himself.

By the time the third lunch rolled around, he didn't bother to hide. No one cared enough to check. He spotted Angela in the busy stairwell. For a moment, their eyes met, and he saw only her.

She descended the stairs, her eyes searching for something. When she stopped and did a full circle, she saw him.

"Hi John, do you want to work on the project?" she asked, a sexy little quirk to her smile. As she climbed the stairs, the strut of her heels clicking against the floor, he felt drawn to her.

"Sure," he said, hovering over her, his gaze dark and reverent.

"Okay, let me finish this first," she replied, leaning against the wall. He leaned his shoulder near her, watching her fingers tremble slightly as she opened the plastic packaging of her half-eaten sandwich.

"Did you skip lunch today?" he asked.

She nodded and swallowed. "Yeah, I fell asleep in English and had to make that up, so..." She shrugged, taking another bite of her sandwich.

John nodded, understanding that he was a senior and he wanted to graduate, to do something to make his mother proud. He deserved this chance and needed to take advantage of his lifeline. His very pretty lifeline... But he was hesitant. Why was this pretty girl helping him? Why did she care? He didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him. Why did the fact that she was doing this mean so much to him?

She took the last bite and said, "Anyway...let's go get you an A!"

He didn't doubt she would succeed. It was only a matter of when. For them both, it had always been just a matter of when.