Send by Patty Blount

friends?”
    â€œI hope so.” I grinned wide and was rewarded with a bright full-wattage smile.
    â€œGuess I’ll, um, see you in class Monday?”
    I nodded. Kenny was grinning ear to ear. My work here was done.

Kickin’ Butts and Takin’ Names
    I drew my jacket edges together, shivering in the cold November air, and jogged straight to class, not even bothering to stop at my locker first. I was ridiculously eager to see Julie, and as soon as I let myself think that, I forced myself to slow down. “Friends. That’s all,” I repeated.
    I saw Brandon. “Hey, Brandon!” He burrowed into his jacket and kept walking.
    What the hell was that about?
    Relax, dude.
    At least Kenny was speaking to me. I didn’t know why that was comforting.
    Told you, bro. I’m a gift.
    Yeah. Whatever.
    I grabbed my seat, opened a notebook, and reviewed my work. I was the only member of my team in speech class so far. Then the airhead brigade arrived, the scent of mousse, body spray, and flavored lip gloss trailing behind them. They spotted me. I quickly averted my eyes. No eye contact. That was the first rule of staying incognito. I occupied my time jotting down the highlights of an article I’d found in one of Dr. P’s waiting room back issues that supported our law.
    The air changed. A subtle shift that made my skin tingle. I lifted my eyes, watched Jeff and Julie walk into the room together. His lips twisted into a smirk, so I watched Julie instead. She settled into her seat. Her eyes met mine, held. Where my skin tingled before, it almost sizzled when she grinned. I hardly heard Paul and Lisa sit down and say good morning.
    â€œJust friends,” I repeated.
    â€œOkay, everyone, let’s get started.” Mr. Williams walked to our team, dropped a pile of handouts on Lisa’s desk. I took one, read the list of topics. School terms should be twelve months instead of ten. Hm. Smoking should be banned in all public places . Okay. Hunting for sport should be banned. Good luck. Mr. Williams was now taping signs to the walls in each corner of the classroom. The first said, “Strongly Agree.” It was joined by “Agree,” “Disagree,” and “Strongly Disagree.” “You have one minute to decide your position on the first topic. I want you each to consider not just how you feel about the topic but why. Then get up and stand in the appropriate corner. Ready?” He pulled a stop watch from his pocket and clicked it. “Decide.”
    Over the cacophony of chairs scraping the floor, shoes squeaking, and voices laughing, the entire class met up under the “Strongly Disagree” sign in the front corner by the window.
    â€œHm. I shouldn’t be surprised.” Mr. Williams smirked. “Guess nobody wants to go to school all year.” He crossed his arms, grinned like the devil. “Now convince me why it’s a bad idea.” His eyes scanned the crowd gathered beneath the sign and settled on me.
    Of course.
    â€œMr. Ellison! Enlighten me.”
    My face heated when I felt everyone’s eyes on me while I scrambled for something to say. “Uh, um, summer jobs, summer internships. Both are important for seniors considering college, and a twelve-month school term would eliminate opportunities.”
    â€œExcellent.”
    Kiss ass.
    I smirked at Kenny and turned to watch one of the airheads blush and stammer her way through a response. “Um, well, like, summer is for the beach and you know—”
    â€œNo, Ms. Magee, I don’t know. What about the beach?”
    â€œUm, well, society relies on the money people pay to use the beach, and if teens are still in school throughout the summer, the economy could, like, suffer?”
    Williams angled his head. “Better. Next. How about Ms. Murphy?”
    â€œYeah, okay. How about the increase in taxes in an already-strained economy for the funds needed to pay the