Three - Unwavering Friendship Rrrrrrrring! It’s the Wednesday after the party, and lunch period was over now, so it was time for study hour. Our teacher had told us to come to the classroom for study hall, so I found my way there and took a seat. Over lunch, I’d been talking to Adrian; since Miles was in the other lunch hour, he was alone. We’d been chatting about the events of the party, and how he me Royce, along with the ruckus of a life that he’d landed himself in this year. Basically, Royce moved to Michigan to live with his cousin, Genesis. Their summer started the week before the party, so he and some friends drove here, into Toronto to meet Adrian. He hadn’t come “out of the closet” until March, apparently, so a lot of rumors spread around, starting sophomore year. He and Miles were the only ones left, but Miles had come out already; he never told anyone it was Adrian that he was with. Until Adrian said it was fine. After that, things were okay, and those who had been bystanders during Adrian’s long period of bullying grew to become friends with him. But none were as special as Miles himself. Thankfully, the people that hated Adrian in the past also began to simmer down. I put myself in the present, though. “Okay, Synergies. The projects were due today, so freshmen and sophomores, get with a junior or senior to get some peer evaluation. The juniors and seniors can hand their projects in to me via email.” I immediately raised my hand. Mrs. Strandil, my teacher, sighed. “Floyd, just… evaluate someone that recorded audio for their project, if anyone did.” I heard everyone push their chairs in to find a partner to work with. Reena’s soft voice stood out above the rest, sounding right beside me. “Uh… I-I did a recording…” she stammered. “You’re the best!” She helped me email my presentation (well, one should know why by now), and then we discussed hers. “I like your way of explaining… things, and it sounds great despite your stutter,” I commented. I obviously wouldn’t have known, but I think she smiled, because there was a noticeable bit of cheer in her voice. “Thanks!” Since it was technically study hall, we were allowed to talk once we were done evaluating each other. Despite that, the happiness in her voice disappeared almost immediately. “There’s something… I-I want to tell you about, though.” I practically froze out of concern. “You can tell me whatever.” Reena sighed loudly. “Remember my stories of getting moved into a ‘special’ class?” she asked. “Yeah, why?” “Well, things are… hard… sometimes.” I looked at her, puzzled. “Do they… think of you differently because you’re in Synergy?” I asked. Reena’s voice broke a bit as she tried to reply. “Y-yes, actually; they said I was weird, stupid, or worse, just flat out retarded.” She said that last word with scorn, though I could sense her underlying sorrow. “Are you crying…?” I wished I didn’t have to ask her just to know for sure, so I lowered my voice to a whisper. Reena didn’t answer. She doesn’t normally do that. Yup, she’s crying. “It’s okay,” I breathed. I could hear her, still crying. “W-we’re still friends… right?” she asked. I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder. “Of course.”
