"Its already January 7th H O W?"
"Time flies when your having fun"
"You're*"

"Hey," Clyde waves to me as I get to the bus stop.
I wave and greet him back as the bus pulls onto our street.
After the bus pulls to a stop we climb up the steps and head for the back of the bus.
I open my phone, seeing a meme in one of my group chats I hold back my laughter as I show it to Clyde. He takes a moment and suddenly he bursts into laughter and I finally let mine out.
We roar with laughter at the image, ending with gasps for air.
Once I've caught my breath, I glance around the seat just in time to see Amber staring back at me before quickly scooting away from the aisle.

"I'll see you after I put my violin away," I wave to Clyde, who nods as he veers away while talking to Rider.

As the hours go by, I begin to see people whispering to each other in the halls.
While I copy the notes into my math binder, I notice a girl on to the right side of the classroom glancing towards Clyde and I every once in a while. Every time I catch her, she hides her face behind her curly black hair and I can see her fawn colored hand grip her pencil tighter.
Once we begin to work on our homework assignment, I see her whisper something to the kid in the seat behind her. They glance towards me then back to her with a shrug.

"Hey Lana," Jax begins, following me to my strings locker.
"Hey," I glance around the classroom, letting out a short sigh when I don't see Aubrey in the room.
"So, I was talking to my friend Katrina-" they're cut off by the bell ringing loudly over the speakers.
"Mhm," I acknowledge as we walk to our seats.
Jax continues just as enthusiastically as before, "She mentioned something about you having a-"
"Hello class!" Mrs. Roger claps her hands together excitedly.

Still upset that Aubrey wasnt here today, I weave between lunch tables with Clyde on our way to our table. The people around us glance at us then whisper and nod to those around them.
"Cheers to the happy couple," a few girls at the table adjacent to our normal table lift their milk cartons as Clyde and I walk by.
"Huh?" I raise an eyebrow, glancing to Clyde.
Clyde shrugs, "no idea."
As we sit down, Ashley looks to us excitedly, reaching for my hands once my plate is on the table, "I'm so excited for you two! Though, I wish you had told us first!"
"What do you mean 'excited for the two of you'?" I raise an eyebrow, taking my hands away from her grasp.
"Your relationship!" Ashley glances between the two of us, "Monica told me last period?" She begins to trail off.
"We're not together?" Clyde trails off, sitting in his usual spot.
"And don't plan on ever being together-" I break off, glancing to Clyde for confirmation.
Clyde nods and looks around the table, "judging by all your faces, you all heard the same?"
"Shawna told me," Tristan shrugs.
"Amelia actually spoke to me- with words," Rider nods.
"She spoke to you? She hasn't responded to my messages in weeks-" I break off.
"Turns out, she's now living with a foster family in the area," Rider shrugs, "she asked if she and I could try again."
"Thats good!" I think back to the day she had shown up at my house crying, "what'd you say?"
"That I'm free on Friday night," Rider laughs, "I'm not passing that up!"