Momentum

Golden.

I reach over and poke Alex's shoulder with my pencil to wake her up. The forward sits up and looks around the dark classroom with groggy eyes. The light reflecting off the white screen at the front of the room illuminates her features, highlighting the curves and edges on her face.

I smile to myself and look back at the slide without lifting my head from my hand, my elbow resting on the desk. Our economics teacher is teaching us about supply and demand by sitting at the back of the class and clicking Next Slide while no more than three of us take notes. They really pay some teachers for showing up and doing the bare minimum.

Alex and I head to the cafeteria as soon as the bell rings to meet up with Kelly and Christen. We find the defender and the forward at our usual table. Christen scoots over so I can sit next to her, and Alex sets her backpack down beside Kelly.

"I'm gonna get in line. I'm starving."

Kelly and Christen already have chicken sandwiches on their trays, along with various fruits and vegtables. The food served by the school isn't great, but some dishes are better than others. I pull my lunch box out of my backpack, and Kelly and Christen shoot each other amused glances.

"What?"

"Nothing, Toby." Kelly reaches over and steals a granola bar from me. "We just think it's cute that you're in the twelfth grade and you still bring a lunch box to school."

"Other people bring lunch boxes still."

Christen grabs the Go-Gurt I brought. "I don't know about that, Tobs."

Alex slides into the spot next to Kelly, a chicken sandwich on her tray as well. They must taste alright if everyone is ordering them. My best friend sees my open lunch box and takes the apple I packed for myself, leaving me with only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to munch on.

"Do you guys want to go see the new It movie on Saturday?"

Kelly shakes her head in response to Alex's question. "I'll pass. The trailers alone scare the shit out of me."

"Getting scared is the whole point of going!" She tugs on the defender's arm. "Come on, Kelly, it'll be fun."

Kelly sighs and looks over at Christen and I. "Are you two going?"

Christen nods, and I say, "I just have to ask my mom."

She rolls her eyes. "I guess I'll go. I don't want to feel left out when you guys are talking about it on Monday."

Alex smiles, victorious, and takes a bite of her food. "You'll have a good time. Promise."

We finish our lunches and head outside to the quad, where the science teachers have set up a booth to promote interest in the upcoming science fair. I recognize one of them as my chemistry teacher from sophomore year. I was one of her favorite students; she liked how I was constantly asking about chemicals and how they interacted with each other. She always encouraged me to nurture my passion for the subject, as the number of women who pursue a career in science is far too low. She holds a flyer out to a boy walking by, but he pretends that he doesn't see her.

I tap my friends on their shoulders and nod towards the stand. Kelly and Alex raise their eyebrows, skeptical, but Christen just shrugs and begins to lead the way over to the enthusiastic teacher.

"There's a science fair coming up?"

The educator's eyes light up upon seeing Christen, and she hands a flyer to each of us. "There sure is! My colleagues and I finally convinced the superintendent to sign off on a district-wide competition for seniors who plan on majoring in a scientific discipline in college. You girls are more than welcome to sign up."