National Honor Society and half my other extracurriculars. “Did anybody talk to you?”
Rina shook her head. “Cool,” I said, relieved. “Well, I’m either gonna work on my essay or do some SAT stuff until Paul gets here….” I trailed off as I tried to decide which.
Rina perked up. “He’s coming over?”
I gave her a warning glance. “Yes. For a study break.” I sighed. “Although I’ll probably still be studying, even while he’s here.”
“Then why invite him?”
“Well, we haven’t seen each other much lately and he’s starting to complain—”
“That’s so cute!” Rina exclaimed. “He misses you!”
“I know, I know,” I said, “and he’s totally right. But he sort of doesn’t get that this is, like, the busiest week of my whole life. He never has to study as much as I do, and right now I have to more than ever, so…” Rina nodded sympathetically and I realized I was rambling. Not that she minded. Or noticed. “Anyway,” I said. “I’m gonna go upstairs. Mom’s at the office till late, so do whatever.” I got up from the table.
“Cool, I’ll watch TV,” Rina said. “And I’ll make you some Euro flash cards.”
Sweet.
Half an hour later, I’d gotten zero wrong on an SAT math section. “Yay!” I said, then slammed the practice book shut, blowing some papers off my desk. I bent to pick them up. It was mostly scrap paper, plus some AP history handouts from last year and a Post-it from Paul that just said “hi” with a smiley face (note to self: clean desk more often). The last thing I picked up was the English take-home Rina had written for me. I was about to chuck it in the trash, but out of curiosity, I flipped past the cover page and started reading.
It was good.
In fact, it was better than the one I had outlined in detail and was planning on finishing tonight. If I were grading it, I would’ve given myself (well, Rina) an A already, and I was barely on page two.
“Oh, are you gonna use that? You should totally use that,” Rina said, suddenly poking her head in my bedroom door.
“Aaagh! Don’t sneak up like that!” I said, almost dropping the paper.
“Sorry.” Rina stepped into my room. “But are you gonna use that paper? Because technically…” She paused and smiled, her voice taking on a hint of deviousness. “It’s not like it’s actually cheating. You and I are the same person, and if I wrote it, that means you wrote it. Plus, I used all of your notes. See?”
“That logic is sketchy at best and totally evil at worst,” I said.
“Just sayin’.” She shrugged, the look on her face somehow blending innocence and “I dare you.”
“Tempting…very tempting,” I said, “but nope. I can’t do it.” I crumpled up the paper into a ball.
“The file’s still on your computer,” Rina singsonged.
“Only until I delete it,” I replied, parroting her tone of voice. I threw the wad of crumpled-up paper at her, and she giggled and went back downstairs.
A little later Paul rang the doorbell, and Rina dashed up the stairs to hide. “Hi!” I said, opening the door and stepping back so he could come in. He was wearing his letter jacket over a Celtics hoodie and carrying two large pizza boxes. He raised the pizzas in the air as I hugged him around the waist and dragged him down to the basement. I threw on the lights and we skittered over the cold cement floor near the stairs toward the carpeted section in front of the TV.
“Hello, stranger,” Paul said, putting the pizza boxes on the carpet and sitting down next to them. He smiled at me and leaned back against the couch, stretching out his long legs.
“Shut it,” I said. “It’s not my fault!” I sat down next to Paul, carefully studying his face for any signs that he’d heard something about Jake since the last time I’d talked tohim. Thankfully, there was nothing but his now-standard expression of slight exasperation at my overly busy schedule.
“Fair enough,” he said,
Rina shook her head. “Cool,” I said, relieved. “Well, I’m either gonna work on my essay or do some SAT stuff until Paul gets here….” I trailed off as I tried to decide which.
Rina perked up. “He’s coming over?”
I gave her a warning glance. “Yes. For a study break.” I sighed. “Although I’ll probably still be studying, even while he’s here.”
“Then why invite him?”
“Well, we haven’t seen each other much lately and he’s starting to complain—”
“That’s so cute!” Rina exclaimed. “He misses you!”
“I know, I know,” I said, “and he’s totally right. But he sort of doesn’t get that this is, like, the busiest week of my whole life. He never has to study as much as I do, and right now I have to more than ever, so…” Rina nodded sympathetically and I realized I was rambling. Not that she minded. Or noticed. “Anyway,” I said. “I’m gonna go upstairs. Mom’s at the office till late, so do whatever.” I got up from the table.
“Cool, I’ll watch TV,” Rina said. “And I’ll make you some Euro flash cards.”
Sweet.
Half an hour later, I’d gotten zero wrong on an SAT math section. “Yay!” I said, then slammed the practice book shut, blowing some papers off my desk. I bent to pick them up. It was mostly scrap paper, plus some AP history handouts from last year and a Post-it from Paul that just said “hi” with a smiley face (note to self: clean desk more often). The last thing I picked up was the English take-home Rina had written for me. I was about to chuck it in the trash, but out of curiosity, I flipped past the cover page and started reading.
It was good.
In fact, it was better than the one I had outlined in detail and was planning on finishing tonight. If I were grading it, I would’ve given myself (well, Rina) an A already, and I was barely on page two.
“Oh, are you gonna use that? You should totally use that,” Rina said, suddenly poking her head in my bedroom door.
“Aaagh! Don’t sneak up like that!” I said, almost dropping the paper.
“Sorry.” Rina stepped into my room. “But are you gonna use that paper? Because technically…” She paused and smiled, her voice taking on a hint of deviousness. “It’s not like it’s actually cheating. You and I are the same person, and if I wrote it, that means you wrote it. Plus, I used all of your notes. See?”
“That logic is sketchy at best and totally evil at worst,” I said.
“Just sayin’.” She shrugged, the look on her face somehow blending innocence and “I dare you.”
“Tempting…very tempting,” I said, “but nope. I can’t do it.” I crumpled up the paper into a ball.
“The file’s still on your computer,” Rina singsonged.
“Only until I delete it,” I replied, parroting her tone of voice. I threw the wad of crumpled-up paper at her, and she giggled and went back downstairs.
A little later Paul rang the doorbell, and Rina dashed up the stairs to hide. “Hi!” I said, opening the door and stepping back so he could come in. He was wearing his letter jacket over a Celtics hoodie and carrying two large pizza boxes. He raised the pizzas in the air as I hugged him around the waist and dragged him down to the basement. I threw on the lights and we skittered over the cold cement floor near the stairs toward the carpeted section in front of the TV.
“Hello, stranger,” Paul said, putting the pizza boxes on the carpet and sitting down next to them. He smiled at me and leaned back against the couch, stretching out his long legs.
“Shut it,” I said. “It’s not my fault!” I sat down next to Paul, carefully studying his face for any signs that he’d heard something about Jake since the last time I’d talked tohim. Thankfully, there was nothing but his now-standard expression of slight exasperation at my overly busy schedule.
“Fair enough,” he said,
Similar Books
