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thirty-seven

F L O R E N C E

"Did you see the way he was looking at you Florence?!" Nora exclaims as we sit down at our lunch table.

"OH MY GOD! Flo he's so into you!" Riley shouts loud enough for the tables around us to hear. Good thing Lucien graduated. Buddy would've been stomping over here demanding us to tell him who's into me.

"Guys I don't know, I mean he seems nice but he could have been looking at someone behind me." I try to rationalize feeling that they are getting too ahead of themselves.

"No." Riley flat out disagrees.

"Yeah say what you want to say girl, but trust me he's into you." I guess Nora disagrees too. I mean the boy is cute and we do make eye contact a lot but boys suck. I live with four of them and I don't know if I could even have a boyfriend. Plus, I don't even want one. I do think it's nice that someone may have a crush on me. My cheeks are warm and I feel giddy.

I unzip my lunch bag ignoring my friends giggles and excitement about this boy. I pull out the sticky note Emilio writes me everyday. Today is a little drawing though. It's a cartoon of Bucky pooping in front of Massimo's door. That incident has become an inside joke between me, Dominic, Emilio, and Lucien. Massimo doesn't know we make fun of him.

"Nora what about the boy from your English class?" I ask her trying to get the focus off me. She beams at me as she updates us on every single detail of her blooming romance. Riley keeps slamming her fists down on the table at every small detail. She is ecstatic. She lives on gossip, drama, and romance.

"Oh my god you guys won't believe what happened in Biology! You know Brady?" I gasp a few minutes later remembering the chaotic event that happened early this morning in period one.

"Uh yeah!" They both say.

"The vice principal walks in asking to speak with him. Ten minutes later Brady comes back and he's muttering shit about how the vice principal is fucking crazy. Ms. Lipton looks at him and asks him if everything is alright. He ignored her, took his chair, and fucking threw it across the classroom before taking his biology papers ripping it up and throwing them out. He then walked out slamming the door shut behind him!"

"Yeah! I went to elementary school with him and he always caused scenes in class. In grade two he told the teacher to shut the fuck up." Riley nods her head indulging into the drama.

"What a piece of shit. He's so rude." Nora pipes up.

"I agree. He's failing too." I mention.

We spent the rest of lunch talking about Brady and his idiot friends. Saying goodbye to Nora, Riley and I make our way to art class. As we turn into the art hallway we bump into the boy who has a "crush" on me.

"Hey Jayden!" Riley greets him. "You know Florence right?!"

I've never wanted to murder her more.

"Yeah I do, nice to finally meet you Florence." He smiles at me. His hands are in his pocket and he looks kinda awkward. His awkwardness makes me feel better.

"It's nice to meet you too!" I give him the biggest smile I can, in hopes to ease his nerves.

"I'll see you around hopefully?" He asks just as the bell rings.

"Yup!"

"Don't worry she won't be a stranger!" Riley shouts as I wave goodbye.

"I actually hate you!" I jab her side laughing.

"What? If I didn't say anything you too would only ever stare at each other and not do anything about your big fat crushes!"

"Nora would not approve." I shrug.