MY BEST FRIEND ELI ⁂ E.M.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

To say Flossie was panicked... yeah that was the understatement of the century. She had promised Demetri she would be at the math club meeting on Saturday morning, and her word was the best thing she had to offer.

Of course, now she had another promise she had to keep as well— Cobra Kai training at some scrap lot at 12.

The meeting ended at 11:45, the junk yard at 12, it seemed impossible. Fifteen minutes to get there on her shitty old bike that could barely make it to Eli's down the block? How was she gonna pull it off? The thought was enough to give her anxiety all morning.

As Demetri's mom dropped the two kids off before 10 AM, they shuffled up the stairs of the school together— not yet conversing. Flossie had a serious attitude problem in the morning, and both friends were trying to live in the peace surrounding them because they knew what the impending situation would be— a violent, sarcastic, nerd fight.

Demetri kept glancing at her, wearing athletic clothing, and scrunched his nose in disgust. "What are you wearing?" He sasses. "You look like my grandma."

Flossie glanced down to her sweats and rubbed her forehead. "What? Is your grandma super cool or something?" She joked, but it kind of stung.

Demetri knew she couldn't get new, nice clothing, and his jab made her upset. The way he laughed, and looked at her with a gross look, it reminded her of Yasmine. She had to keep repeating in her head— this was Demetri not Yasmine, he didn't actually mean it like that. Why was her trust getting worse? Nothing even happened.

Flossie brushed it off as her nerves being high—trying to figure out a solution to how she was going to get to the metal scrap yard on time.

As the two walked into the classroom,
Flossie almost turned around and walked right out.

How was it possible that these kids were more nerdy than Demetri and her? And why were there no girls?

"No way," she whispered to her best friend. "Demetri, there's no way I'm doing this."

He rolled her eyes at her, shoving her shoulder lightly to sit next to a kid that has some serious head gear. The kid gave her a big smile, "I saw how you beat up Kyler and his friend. So cool!" He muttered through the metal in his mouth.

Flossie cringed awkwardly, she knew she shouldn't be judging— she was a geek too— but she was majorly uncomfortable. To try and divert his attention, she looked into his scrap paper that had equations she wasn't familiar with. "So.. what's that?" She asked.

The boy smiled brighter, "oh! I'm working on the math to turn my garage into a self-sustaining ecosystem."

Giving an uncertain thumbs up, Flossie turned back to Demetri and muttered, "are you kidding me?"

Demetri rolled his eyes, whispering back to the girl madly. "You said you'd give it one chance," he pointed out and she crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Yeah, yeah," she whispered. "One chance," she muttered even lower.

It strangely turned out that Flossie was increasingly good at math... Well, more accurately, with Demetri on her team and her competitive nature combined, they beat everyone else in the practice tests.

After the mathlete practice had concluded, Demetri waited awkwardly in the hallway for Flossie— for some unknown reason she was speaking with the teacher.

She skipped to him happily, "'Metri! You'll never believe what just happened," she boasted in a proud nature.

Demetri glanced to her briefly, "You went into the classroom and accidentally stumbled into an inter-dimensional portal that propelled you 5,000 years into the future, where you built a time machine, and now you're back, to bring me with you to the year 7010, where we are transported to work at the think-a-torium by telepathically controlled flying dolphins?"

Flossie deadpanned, confused on where to start with that statement, but then just shook him off. "No, I joined your math club."

The boy widened his eyes confused, "well who would have ever guessed that?!"

The girl shook her head at the statement, laughing lightly. "I guess what I am trying to say," she stumbled over her words. "Was that you were right."

He enjoyed hearing her say this, as it was a notion unfamiliar to her. "And that makes you... wrong!" He chorused happily, unable to hide the sarcastic smile that lingered.

Flossie had always been right, always had to be right, and now, for once, she was admitting defeat. It made Demetri almost giddy with pride. He was finally right for once.

"Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. "Rub it in some more—"

Her composure dropped suddenly as she remembered something—- karate. She was late, and she was panicking. "Demetri!" She almost cried out, and he looked to her worriedly.

"What's wrong? You were wrong one time and now your world is collapsing around you—"

"This isn't a time for jokes," she hissed, nervously. "I'm late for practice. Sensei is going to kill me. I can't do this!"

Demetri felt his heart drop a little, seeing his friend have a nervous break down. Why was she so worried about being a little late? "Flossie," he said calmly, placing an unsure hand on her arm. "If karate is making you," he motioned to her current state, "that stressed then maybe it's not good for you."

The girl shook her head lightly. "No, Demetri. I'm not gonna quit, so don't try to convince me," she muttered, shifting anxiously from one foot to the other. "Eli and Miguel would be so disappointed. I have to stick this through."

The boy scrunched his eyebrows at his best friend in uncertainty. "But what about what you want?" He questioned her lightly. "Does it make you happy?"

Flossie seemed baffled by his question, almost backing up. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"What I mean is— seeing you just now, in there, you seemed so happy and you were doing so well. No offense, but the only thing karate has done for you was give you a big ego and more anxiety issues," he winced once he realized what he said. "No.." he tried again. "I mean, don't do it for Eli or Miguel. Do it because you want to. And if you don't want to, then don't."

Flossie considered her friends advice intently, biting her tongue in anxious thought. "How do I know what I want?" She said lowly, almost desperate.

Demetri, though he was shocked at the question, didn't let it show.

"If Eli or Miguel weren't there— would you go?"

She thought about that the rest of the day, as she skipped practice and laid bed bound, exhausted by her nervous break down.