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*The Next Day*
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It was raining. The sky was still clear and light, but you could hear the pitter-patter of the droplets on the pavement outside, constant and repetitive, just loud enough to get on your nerves. Sometimes, it seemed to quiet, and you relaxed, but seconds later it would start up again.
“I’m choosing the groups, Blaike.” Jessa startled Lucy so she glanced away from the window.
“Okay,” Blaike said.
Jessa started pairing people up. They were down a person: Andrew was sick. There would be no groups of three. The teacher was just randomly saying names, not putting people with whoever they were next to.
“Morgan and…” Jessa glanced around. Her gaze flitted past Lucy. “Zoey. You’re with Morgan.”
She kept going until there were only two people left – they would be the last pair. Jessa said cheerfully, “Looks like you two are together, then.”
Lucy sighed and watched Blaike gather his stuff and switch seats with Baylen.
She muttered, “This is gonna be a long day.” Then, reluctantly, she asked Baylen, “What are we doing?”
“Uh– okay. I guess we’re, like, writing this thing together–”
“Could you please be any less specific?” Lucy didn’t mean to be rude– well, she kind of did. But not really. It was just how she talked.
Baylen kept talking. “Yeah, so we’re, I guess, asking each other five questions a day for a while? Like, then we maybe switch people or something?”
“So we just ask each other stuff and probably write down the questions and answers?” Lucy asked. She was almost certain she understood. There was just one more thing to confirm.
The other girl shrugged and nodded. “I guess, yeah.”
Lucy raised her hand. Jessa called on her, and she asked, “Uh, so…what’s the point of this? Like, do we make something off it, or what?”
Jessa straightened and addressed the whole room. “Yes. In two months, you’ll all be writing an essay about the person.”
“Okay. Cool. thanks.” Lucy said. Then to Baylen: “You wanna ask a question, or should I?”
Baylen grabbed two pieces of white, lined paper and said, “I’ll ask first, I guess. Unless you wanna…?”
“No, you go.” said Lucy. She didn’t really care, anyway.
“Okay. Uh. Favorite…book?” Baylen asked.
“The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt, Legacies,Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson, Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk, Legendborn and Bloodmarked, by Tracy Deon, and…yeah.”
“Okay” was all Baylen said as she scribbled the answers down. “You ask.”
“Right. Okay. Favorite…color, I guess?” Lucy knew a lot about Baylen, and she was already struggling to come up with questions she didn’t know the answers to.
“Blue.” Baylen paused to let Lucy write that down, then asked, “Yours?”
“Green.” Lucy fought the urge to redo her low ponytail, a nervous habit she had gained.
They kept going, but they really knew everything about each other. Nothing had changed. Except.
“Who’s your best friend now?” asked Baylen.
Lucy looked anywhere but Baylen’s face. “I plead the fifth.”
“Say what now?”
“You know,” Lucy said. “I have the right to remain silent. I’m not answering the question. Well, unless you go first.”
“Uh…sure. Okay. Morgan, easy.” Baylen was oblivious to how painful what she had said was.
Lucy chewed her cheeks and blinked. “Yeah. That makes sense. Uh, Zoey for me, I guess. ’Cause she’s like my only friend ’cause you, like…abandoned me…so. Yeah.” She let her words hang in the air between them. They were angry, lashing out at Baylen, but Lucy said them sarcastically, like it was all a joke and she was waiting for the punchline.
But, behind her disguises, and lies, and sarcastic insults, Lucy didn’t know who she was trying to convince anymore.171Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFjE3TbTEy
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that's it y'all.171Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxkAm4he5r
