2 Chapter 2

I run down the hall with Mom at my heels.

"Marjorie, please just promise me you'll be polite." She pleads with her eyes and only takes her hand off my shoulder when I respond,

"Don't worry Mom, he'll love me, I can be very charming." She smiles nervously and opens the door.

"Hank! Come on in, good to see you again." Mom says and hugs him as he steps inside our house. Hank is tall and big with short brown hair, a little bit of a beard, and hazel eyes. He seems to take up too much space in our living room and doesn't look as if he belongs with my mom and I in our little world.

"Hello," Hank says and shakes my hand. "I'm Hank Cooper and you must be the famous Marjorie I hear so much about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." When he says this I look over at Mom and she has the decency to look a little embarrassed.

"Hi," I say. "You can call me Mar, that's what my friends call me." Mom looks at me in astonishment. I don't know why I just said that. Only Amelia and Mom call me by my nickname. Hank just has a very friendly, trusting-looking face and it just sort of just slipped out.

"Alright, I think we should head out now. Remember to lock all the doors and don't answer the door whatsoever, okay Marjorie?" Mom grabs her purse from the couch.

"Mom! I'm almost 16! I've been staying home alone for years, I already know all that." I say, exaggerated.

"I know honey, I still worry though. Call me if anything happens or call Kate." With that, they walk out the door into the cool night. Kate is one of Amelia's moms and she's been like a second mom to me ever since I was little, helping my mom out in raising me.

I walk back to my room, turn off the light, and lay down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. When I was younger I put up glow-in-the-dark star stickers on my ceiling and they're still up there, shining in the dark. Whenever I need to think, I stare at my stars and count them, and right now so happens to be that time.

Hank seems like a good person for my mom, she looked really happy when she was talking about him earlier and when he came to pick her up. He made a good impression on me as well just now, I even gave him my nickname! Worry forms in the back of my mind though. I'm not sure how much Hank will be a part of our life now and I don't know if I want him to be. It's always been Mom and I and Amelia and her family and inviting this stranger into our lives is definitely going to be an adjustment.

Thinking makes me tired but I don't want to fall asleep until Mom gets back, so I head to the living room and turn on the TV. I'm re-watching my favorite show, The Office, for the hundredth time and I'm currently in Season 5.

***

"You told him your nickname!? You never do that!"

It's the next day and I'm telling Amelia about last night while we walk to our lockers. I forgot to call her back last night, so she's making me tell her every single detail.

"Yeah, I don't know why I did. I fell asleep before Mom got home so I'll ask her how it went today and tell you." I promise her.

"You better! Speaking of crushes... Guess who I saw in the halls today?"

She smirks at me as she gathers her books for class.

"Oh my god Amelia, I'm guessing Ian."

"Your prince charming!" She exclaims.

"He's not my prince charming," I tell her, but inside I'm smiling. I'm actually looking forward to math class today for the first time ever. I can't wait to see Ian.

"Anyone, you like?" I ask Amelia, mostly to pull attention away from me and my crush on Ian.

"Eh, not really. All the boys are the same as last year except for Ian and you've already claimed him, plus he's not my type. Want to hang out at my house tonight, Mom bought ice cream." I turn toward her excitedly.

"What kind?"

"Mint Chip of course." Her family knows me well.

"Then obviously!" Every Friday night, Amelia and I hang out sometimes sleeping over, taking turns at each of our houses. At mine, we usually go in the hot tube or swim depending on the weather and at hers, we watch old sitcoms and eat ice cream in her den. Currently, we're making our way through Full House for the second time because it's just that good.

We split off and head to class a little late. I hurry to math which is just around the corner and bump into someone walking in front of me. I stumble into his back and almost knock the textbooks out of both of our hands.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." I apologize before I even know who it is. But then, he turns around.

"Hey don't worry about it, it's no problem. Are you okay?" It's Ian. I bumped into Ian. Of course, it's him and of course, all of our interactions are me making a fool out of myself. This is extremely embarrassing.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just sort of a klutz." That's not true but it's something to say.

"Want to walk to math together?" He gestures at my textbook and I nod.

"So, how was your summer?" He asks me.

"Um, okay. I don't know, I didn't really do anything except helping my mom at the book store." God, why did I mention my mom like I was a little kid or something? It makes me sound younger and like I have no other friends, which is sort of true but he doesn't need to know that. "Amelia, my best friend was in Hawaii so that's why I didn't really do anything fun." I quickly add to let him know that I do have friends my age. "How was yours?"

"Fine, you know." He says like I do know when really I don't. "Just skateboarding." We then arrive at math a couple of minutes late and heads turn to look at us as we walk in together. I can feel my face turning bright red, but before we take our seats Ian and I lock eyes and share a look that I can't explain but it makes the butterfly's in my stomach come back and makes me fall into my seat as my legs give out.

"Your late Mr. Zander." Mr. Holland tells Ian in a stern voice.

"I know, I'm sorry sir. I had to go back and get a book I forgot in my locker." Mr. Holland seems to accept this and turns now to me. I'm expecting him to be annoyed with me too, but instead, he says,

"Are you okay Miss Clark? Did you get lost in those busy hallways?" A few people in class chuckle but I sit there, confused and not knowing what to say.

"Um, no. I was just late. Sorry." I feel my face growing hot, once again.

"See me after class is over Miss Clark." Mr. Holland says and then turns back to the class which doesn't even look like it's started yet. I have no idea what just happened. Why did Mr. Holland just single me out after he made fun of me? And why didn't he treat me the same way he treated Ian?

I glance toward Ian and see he's looking in my direction. He gives me a confused face and half a shrug which I return.

"Alright gang, I let you all choose where to sit on the first day, but I'm going to give out assigned seating now. The seating chart is projected on the screen and will be final until the end of the semester, no switching and no exceptions." Mr. Holland points to the screen and I scan for my name.

Desks 4/5: Ian Zander and Marjorie Clark

Oh my god. I'm sitting next to Ian for the rest of the semester. I can hardly contain my excitement. What are the odds that we get assigned partners? As we all move around the room I start to feel more nervous than excited. What if he thinks I'm stupid or dumb because I'm not as good at math as him? What if I'm too nervous to talk to him and he thinks I'm weird or super shy or only remembers me as a klutz or--

"Marjorie! We meet again." I am cut off by Ian who has now sat down on my left side.

"Yeah." I can't think of anything witty or flirty to say. So I bring up the whole being late thing. "Is it just me or was that whole being late and getting lost in the halls and having to see him after class thing weird?"

"No, not just you. I found it weird too. I don't know why he gave you more bullshit for being late than me. I mean, you're definitely smarter and you pay attention in class." Did Ian just call me smart? In math class of all places. The one place I don't feel smart in.

"Trust me, I am not smart in math. Your smarter even if you don't pay attention." Am I flirting? For the first time in my life, am I actually talking to a boy I like without fucking it up as soon as I open my mouth?

"Well, good luck after class, I hope you survive." His eyes are sparkling as he tries to remain serious.

"Ha ha." I deadpan, but I'm half smiling too. "But thanks, I might need it." Mr. Holland then calls the class back to order and we get started. But of course, all I can think of is my conversation with Ian and how close he is to me right this second. If I move my arm a little over to the left it will touch his arm which is laying on his desk. I want to do this but I don't know how to do so casually and I think it might be too soon given we had our first conversation since 3rd grade just minutes ago.

Mr. Holland assigns us two math worksheets that are due by next Tuesday even though it's a Friday! I groan along with the whole class and he has to use his 'settle down gang' phrase to get us back to order.

"How am I supposed to do these?" Ian whispers in frustration to me.

"I have no clue how I'm going to do them either," I say. And then, "But I could give you my number and we could figure it out together this weekend if you want." Oh god, did I really just say that? I've never asked or given a boy my number before! There's just something about him that makes him too easy to talk to and I open my mouth before my brain can make me chicken out.

"Sure, I'll give you mine too." We exchange numbers and now I can text him whenever I want, and that wasn't even that hard too!

By the end of class, I'm feeling great and Ian has laughed at all my jokes about Mr. Holland that I almost forget that I have to stay back and talk to Mr. Holland about god knows what. As the rest of the class leaves for their next classes, butterfly's form in my stomach. Except these butterfly's aren't the good kind I get when I talk to Ian, these are mean butterfly's that make me want to run away and cry. Mr. Holland comes over to my desk and sits in an empty seat beside me.

"Do you know why I asked you to stay, Marjorie?"