“Fine,” I huffed, “how about how every time a civilization reaches a certain level of ‘greatness’ it gets wiped out? Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it and all that. Although, it’s the earth resetting itself to recover from what their ‘greatness’ has done to the environment.”
“Yeah, go with that, that should be interesting,” Mr. Hicks declared when Kyler scoffed. “Don’t forget to include the threat we face ourselves from the super volcano under Yellowstone.” Nodding, I smiled and glanced at Kyler to chuckle at the return of his grim scowl.
“So, do you want to work on today’s threat or the events that struck in history?” I offered with a sigh. Kyler crossed his arms mutinously, and I rolled my eyes. Sure, pout like a little boy because that will magically make everything go your way. Shrugging when he remained silent, I listed the ancient civilizations nature wiped out while ignoring Kyler. Towards the end of class, he peered at my list curiously, and I chuckled under my breath. He was like a curious puppy, only he was annoying instead of cute.
Revelations
The bell rang, saving me from whatever Kyler intended to say, and I shoved my notebook in my backpack and made my way into the hall. Char smiled as soon as he saw me, walking me to my next class after glaring over his shoulder. He kissed my forehead before I walked into calculus, waving to Zach, who grinned and beckoned me forward. Rolling my eyes, I gave Mrs. Young my homework, which she accepted with a warm smile and expressed her hope that I felt better.
Once class began, Mrs. Young announced a pop quiz, and the entire class groaned. After a moment, Zach chuckled, “I will totally do better than you.”
Smiling, I replied, “I hope you do.” I knew math was one of his preferred classes, although calculus was getting the best of him. So, I hoped he did better than me on this quiz. After Mrs. Young handed them out, I smiled with relief upon seeing it was simple questions. I finished mine within a few minutes, flipping it over on my desk while I waited for everyone else to finish. Bored, I sketched Zach on the blank back of my test, finishing it without him noticing even though he was done.
“All right, class, exchange papers with the person beside you so they can grade it,” Mrs. Young announced in a cheerful voice. Zach and I passed each other our quizzes with smiles, and I stuck my tongue out at him when he playfully scowled. As our teacher announced the answers, most of the class groaned, but I grew buoyant. Other than one tricky question, Zach got them all right. Pleased, I gave him his test, and he sighed. Frowning, I observed him, trying to determine what was wrong, and he chuckled while shaking his head.
“I’m fine, Angel, you just beat me by one, you little genius,” Zach informed me with a slight grin. “I am in awe of your almighty math skills.”
Chuckling, I rolled my eyes while my soul relaxed in relief that nothing was wrong. “That one was easy to miss. I read it a little closer than you, that’s the only reason I got it right,” I shrugged. “Otherwise, you defeated this quiz with valor, young knight.”
“I am pleased you think so, princess,” Zach replied with mock solemnity while bowing his head. We passed in our quizzes, which Mrs. Young checked over while we worked on the problems she put on the board. My cheeks burned, and I sank in my seat when our teacher announced I was the only one who got that question right. Instead of walking through it herself, she had me approach the board to write it out and explain it, saying perhaps my way made more sense to the class.
Instead of jeers or scowls, my classmates seemed happy, and I chewed my lip while walking to the board. Writing it out, I pretended I couldn’t feel their eyes on me and cleared my throat when my voice faltered. Forcing myself to sound calm, I walked through the problem, pointing out that while it seemed to require one formula, a specific word in the question declared a different one was necessary. When I glanced at Mrs. Young, she made a go on motion, and I explained the difference between the formulas and other ways to tell which one they needed.
Risking a glance, it surprised me to discover that everyone appeared to understand my explanation and my cheeks heated. I took my seat amid smiles and soft words of thanks, my cheeks burning hotter all the while, albeit it pleased me I helped my classmates. Mrs. Young announced our homework, and I chuckled when Zach sighed while we packed up to prepare for the bell. I swallowed nervously upon remembering I sat in front of Kyler in our next class.
Char waited for me outside this class too, and I smiled, happiness filling me when he and Zach high fived. The two of them chatted about how annoying homework was even after we were in our assigned seats for English. I stiffened, not having to look to know when Kyler walked in, feeling his glare as he passed. As soon as he sat, he kicked my chair, and it hurt so bad I whimpered while fighting my sudden lightheadedness.
Dakota, who sat to my right, snarled, and Char shook his head, standing and pulling me out of my seat to switch spots with me. Miss Kida asked him what he was doing, and he replied he
