It Had to Be You

twelve

FROM all the excitement that took place over the course of the weekend, it completely slipped my mind that I had a bio test on Monday.

"You okay?" Alex asked from beside me, leaning over so that I could hear him. "You're paler than usual."

I nodded. "I'm fine."

"You forgot, didn't you?"

Damn it. "Sometimes, I really hate how smart you are." I shook my head, turning to catch his baby blues. "I showered for the first time in days last night and then took a well deserved nap. Do you really think a bio test would be on my mind?"

Of all things I had to worry about, this class wasn't one of them.

Alex chuckled. "Who needs science when you're going to be an acting major, right?"

Right. At least, that's what I liked to tell myself.

The entire test was a mess, half of the material I didn't remember writing down in my notes and the other half were worded so intricately, it left me second guessing my second guesses.

As the bell rang, I stood from my desk with an unsatisfied sigh, dropping the test on the way out of the door. Alex quickly met up with me, laughing like it was the funniest thing he had witnessed all day.

"I looked over when I was done and you were writing something, and when I stood up I saw you had wrote 'I don't know' in all caps." Alex told me, trying his best to sober up and act like a supportive friend. I rolled my eyes.

It wasn't long until his laughter spluttered out again and I found myself growing agitated. "Not everyone can be a valedictorian like you, Alexander."

"Not a valedictorian, but the valedictorian." He corrected me, bumping into my shoulder. "C'mon, I'm only trying to cheer you up."

"Try harder."

He huffed. "Fine. It was only one test. There'll be plenty of opportunities for you to get your grade up if you totally bombed that test."

"Not if, but when." I mocked him, pushing through a group of people as they refused to move out of the way. "And tell me something, how does making fun of someone over their failures help cheer them up?"

Alex only shrugged. "Works on Bryce."

"What works on me?" Bryce asked as he tagged along. We were all heading to our next class, Economics, another class I don't seem to do too well in.

"Telling you you're an idiot after you fail always seems to cheer you up."

"True." Bryce agreed, giving off waves and bright smiles to those who've called out to him. "I like being reminded of my failures. It helps me move forward."

That's an interesting way to look at it.

"Norah," Bryce called me and I glanced at him briefly, "when are you gonna forgive Ellie? Last night, she literally asked me which color was a better match for her skin tone."

"How the fuck should you know?" Alex snorted.

"That's what I said!"

Alex continued on. "What does it matter? She'll end up looking amazing in whatever color she chooses."

"That's what I told her, too. And then she yelled at me, told me that boys were useless and hung up on me."

Alex let out a low whistle. "Sounds like Caroline. She asked me Saturday which nail polish she should use, and showed me two shades of pink. They looked the same to me, so I told her she should use them both. You know, alternate the colors and stuff? Yeah, she got super pissed at me."