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2. Gemini-Jamal

"Talking to people any kind of way won't help your insecurity." I respond to her bitchy attitude.

"Well look you pretending to ignore me in a class with obvious group work isn't going to help my grade. You don't have to like me or anything like that but in this class suck it and at the least tolerate me." Her voice isn't the strongest and I can see she's serious.

I slump my shoulders a tad bit.

"Fine what's your name." It takes every ounce of my body to put some interest in it.

"Ray." She pulls some papers out of her bag and proceeds to ignore me.

"I'm Jamal." I respond to the side of her head.

"And I know that." I peek at the papers she's going through.

"Edison High Lady Tigers Track&Field" Is typed across the top of the page and I look over her physique.

"Your friends said you have practice today?" She nods her head in response.

"So after cursing me out and making me out and saying we need to work together you ignore. I swear you the last person who needs to be bougie." I say incredulously and scoffing in the process.

"And that's supposed to mean?" Her tone is already bored with me but that lights something in me.

"Exactly what the fuck I said" I slide my chair closer to her with the slight hopes of intimidating her. "You the last person who needs to be bougie."

She chuckles a little. "Is that right ain't that some shit." She laughs again but louder.

"Yeah ain't that some shit." I mock her.

"Whatever." She puts her papers away and looks up when our teacher starts going over the first day of school usual information.

This is my 13th high school and I need this to be my last one. Because know high school will except my grades or my behavior this was my last shot.

I look at my partner and she's dead set focused on the useless information.

Maybe this is what I need I don't need to check out from the jump because then I start cutting up in these people school and they kick my ass out.

"How do you stay focused on this shit." I whisper to her.

"Focused on the end so why worry about the beginning." She whispers back and I see a little smirk on her face.

It makes me smile.

"Senior?"

"172 days." She taps her clean nails on the desk.

"Counting down already huh. What you running from Perfect Patty." I whisper flicking the zipper on her pencil case.

"Trying to be the first person to be bougie." She chuckles as soon as the bell rings.

She rises up putting her book back on the desk and slipping the handouts in the back.

"Ray I'm coming see your practice today." I blurt out before thinking about what the fuck I actually said.

"Since my friends will be there and I have nothing better to do." I say quickly.

"It's just conditioning." Ray responds tossing her bag over her shoulders. "And I don't care either way." Her nonchalant attitude is drawing me in.

Walking out of the class with her I see her biting her lip and tapping away on her phone.

"So I'll see you after school right?" I question blocking the remainder of her path.