They both look up. “Hey.”
Penelope flashes a friendly smile. “Hi.”
“How are you, Penelope? I feel like it’s been a long week,” I say, reaching for a few of my fries.
She takes a bite of food and nods. “Yeah, no kidding. I’ve been so busy with class and at the rink. I don’t have time for anything.”
“How’s that going?” I ask, taking a bite of my burger.
“It’s good. How are you?”
I give her a thumbs up with my mouth full of food, and she smiles.
Gianna peels her banana. “I came home so late last night. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
“How was your mom’s?” she asks.
“Surprisingly,” I say, “it was good. She had a guy over.”
Gianna scrunches her face. “Like a boyfriend?”
I nod. “His name is Tyr.”
Her brows furrow. “Tire.”
I chuckle. “That’s what I said.”
Gianna shrugs at Penelope. “Okay.”
I continue to eat while Gianna and Penelope chat.
Room 3B in the library is mine again. I have my Real Analysis open, and I’m actually working on it. There’s a feeling in my chest that’s lighter. I work through multiple assignments, keeping an eye on the clock.
When the knob turns, my heart flutters. I glance at the clock. Benson is three minutes early. He has his backpack on one shoulder and a paper bag in his hand.
“Hi,” he says.
I sit up straight and offer a friendly smile. “Hi. How are you?”
He looks down at the paper bag in his hands. “Couldn’t be better. I think you’re going to be happy.”
“Happy?” I question, wondering what he means.
“Two things,” he says, handing over the paper bag nonchalantly. “This.” He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a packet stapled together. “And this.”
I grab the paper bag, a bit suspicious. “What is this?”
“Look inside.”
Excitement fills me. I’ve never been gifted something before. I grab the bag and unroll it. When I peek inside, there’s a Hershey’s, a Milky Way, a Reese’s, a Twix, a Kit Kat, and a bag of pretzels at the bottom. I stare at it for a moment and then look up at him.
“No way,” I mutter, unable to hide my smile.
“You’re not allergic to dairy, are you?” He’s looking at me, a bit worried if I approve or not.
“If I were, I wouldn’t care.” I look back into the bag, knowing exactly which one I’m going to eat first. “Thank you so much, Benson. This was so nice of you.”
