A Love-Hate Relationship

15~ Closet Complications

Monday, December 6th

Felicia, Jordan, and Shari were already at our table at lunch. Penny, Marcus, Emmary, and Karen were nowhere to be seen.

I greeted my friends and sat down, saying grace and eagerly digging into my food. I was starving.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Penny and Karen are coming," said Felicia. "Marcus and Emmary are practicing some presentation for their AP Biology class, so they won't be here."

I nodded and raised my fork to my mouth, only to see Jordan and Shari gazing into each other's eyes with goofy smiles.

I quirked my brows. "What's with them?"

Felicia rolled her eyes. "They finally admitted their feelings to each other over the weekend, and now they can't stop being all lovey-dovey."

Jordan and Shari didn't even seem to acknowledge us as they continued staring.

"Uh... guys?" I snapped my fingers between them, making them blink out of their daze.

"Oh, uh... hi, Marissa." Shari smiled shyly.

I smirked. "Well, well, you two seem distracted."

Jordan chuckled nervously, scratching his nape. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

Felicia gave them a look. "Obvious? You might as well be shouting, 'We're boyfriend and girlfriend! We're boyfriend and girlfriend!'"

They blushed, their hands interlocked tightly with one another's.

"Congratulations, you two," I said.

Penny and Karen soon joined us, immediately smiling at the lovebirds next to us.

"Hey, Sharan," said Karen with a giggle.

"Sharan?"

"Shari and Jordan." Penny winked.

I laughed and shook my head.

The others started talking about other things, like their Thanksgivings, their Christmas plans, and their excitement for winter break. I reached down to open my backpack. Calculus was up next, and I wanted to review my work quickly before class.

I froze when I found my Geography paper in my folder instead.

"What the... I gave this in!" I held the paper in my hands, looking on both sides. It was definitely my Geography homework.

"What's wrong?" asked Penny.

I sifted through the rest of my papers, looking for my Calculus homework. "I... I think I gave Mr. Roster the wrong assignment."

"What did you give him?" asked Felicia.

"My Calculus paper!" I put my folder back in my bag. "How much time do we have before next period?"

Jordan looked at his watch. "About 20 minutes."

"Perfect. I'll see you guys later." I stood up, leaving my unfinished lunch tray.

"Wait, what are you gonna do?" asked Shari.

"Switch the papers before he notices! I can't get a bad grade over a mistaken assignment, especially in both Mr. Roster's class and an AP class!" I ran out, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

How did I not notice that?! Why didn't I check if I was handing in the correct paper?

I was out of breath by the time I reached the teacher's lounge. I'd passed by the room a lot of times between classes, so now I knew exactly where it was.