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Raina nodded, satisfied as she stared him down. “Good. Now go find her and beg for her forgiveness, as you should.”
Jesse whistled as he took his seat again, handing a plate of pancakes to Nicole. “I’m impressed.”
Raina blushed. “I should be getting to class,” she said, pushing her chair away in her haste to leave.
“You have half an hour!” Jesse called after her.
When Raina shot a final glance at the table, he was still sitting in his seat, snagging a syrupy pancake off Nicole’s plate.
* * *
“Ican do better than that,” Theo argued as the cousins, Nicole, and Raina left the English classroom later that day.
Jesse brandished his English quiz in Theo’s face, grinning. “100, loser. Read it and weep.”
“I can do better,” Theo repeated.
“Oh yeah? Prove it.”
Smirking at his cousin, Theo handed over his own quiz. “So either I can’t read or you suck,” he said casually. “Because I believe that says...101.”
“How did you do that?” Jesse demanded, shoving the paper back at Theo. He crossed his arms, glaring at his cousin.
“I told you I could do better than you, so I did.”
“What, are those like your magic words or something?” Jesse asked grumpily.
Theo sighed. “Instead of writing a paragraph for the last question, I wrote a page and a half on how family members should let their children grow up and make their own decisions. Mrs. D. gave me an extra credit point.”
“So not fair,” Jesse protested, but he was inwardly pleased at the easy banter they’d fallen into. It had only been a few days since he’d accidentally outed Theo, and other than their conversation that night, Theo seemed to be doing his best to pretend it never happened. He was laughing and joking with his cousins, even if he did have a tendency to hide whenever someone they didn’t know well came over. Well, even more so than usual.
“Are they arguing about English again?” Gracie asked as she and Zara approached.
“Sadly,” Dean said, rolling his eyes.
Gracie ignored her boyfriend, walking over to link arms with Raina.
Jesse turned to Raina, about to ask her to take his side before a crackling nose filled the hallway as the loudspeakers screeched.
“Good morning, Trinity students,” Uncle Alex’s voice echoed through the halls. “I have a few announcements. I know this is your break, but please bear with me for a couple minutes. Classes will be delayed by five minutes. Mrs. Winkle’s math class, your period will be extended by five minutes so you may finish your test with the correct amount of time.”
Jesse turned to Theo, rolling his eyes. “Is he seriously going to talk about math tests for five minutes? Because I have a break now, but I’d still rather be in class.”
“Principal Ashcroft will be returning this week,” Uncle Alex continued. “I am unsure as to the day, but rest assured he will be back with us before the weekend and I know you will all be very happy to have him back.
On another note, I’m pleased to announce we’ll be having a belated Valentine’s Day, or winter dance, in a few weeks. I know Valentine’s Day is in a few days, but we’re waiting until the end of the month to host the dance so it doesn’t interfere with next week’s science tests.”
Jesse looked at his friends, surprised. “Valentine’s Day is in a few days?”
Dean laughed. “Did you not know this?”
“No,” Jesse said defensively. He knew Theo’s birthday was approaching soon, but he had forgotten that Valentine’s Day existed. “Why would I?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t realize either,” Raina told him quietly. “Valentine’s Day isn’t a holiday Orthodox Jews typically celebrate.”
Nicole leaned in as well. “Hey, I only know because I caught Gracie beading something for Dean’s present.”
“A few more seconds of your time, please, students. We will not be tolerating grand displays of affection. The usual rules still apply, so if you need to remind yourself of them, there is a handbook in my office. The administration will not hesitate to put students in detention for inappropriate behavior.”
