The day passed in a blur after the whole Damien situation. Tate didn't bother acknowledging him, deciding she had better things to focus on. Besides, he wasn't worth her energy.
Near the end of the day, Mr. Matthew made an announcement. "There will be a math test next week to assess your strengths and weaknesses."
Tate groaned internally. Strengths and weaknesses? She was full of weaknesses when it came to math. Who even invented math, and why did they hate her?
As soon as the bell rang, she grabbed her bag and bolted out of the classroom, eager to escape. In her rush, she accidentally bumped into someone's shoulder—Damien's. She didn't look back or apologize. She didn't care. He had treated her like dirt without even knowing her, so she wasn't going to waste her time caring about his feelings.
She wanted this year to be different. And that meant ignoring people like Damien.
As she made her way into the hallway, she glanced at her watch. She had thirty minutes to get home before a new episode of her favorite show dropped. She wanted to be one of the first to watch it before her mom did. She loved her mom, but watching anything with her was unbearable. She always asked too many questions and predicted every single storyline, ruining the experience.
Just as she was about to speed up, she heard someone calling her name.
"Tate! Hey, Tate, wait up!"
She turned to see Landon jogging toward her, slightly out of breath.
When he finally caught up, she raised a brow. "Are you okay? Why are you running and shouting my name like that?"
"Just—come with me," he said between breaths.
"No." She didn't feel like going anywhere.
"Come on, Tate. It's important." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her into an empty classroom before she could protest further.
"Alright, spill," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm late for something."
Landon hesitated. "You have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Especially your friends."
Tate let out a dry chuckle. "What friends?"
"I'm serious."
"Fine. I promise."
"Promise-promise?"
Tate rolled her eyes. "Yes, Landon. I promise."
He took a deep breath. "Allen likes you."
Tate blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
She stared at him, waiting for him to say he was joking. The universe must be playing some cruel prank on her.
"What do you mean Allen likes me?" she finally asked. "And why are you telling me this instead of him?"
"He's nervous," Landon explained. "He doesn't know how to approach you."
Tate didn't know what to say. If someone had told her this when she was thirteen, she would've been jumping for joy. But now? She just stared blankly at Landon.
"Say something," he urged. "Just not 'no.'"
"I… don't know what to say," she admitted. "This caught me off guard."
"Look, just think about it, okay?"
Tate sighed. "Fine, I'll think about it."
She had no intention of thinking about it. She just wanted to get rid of Landon so she could go home and watch her show.
Finally free, she hurried out of the school. As she walked home, her mind wandered. The universe was funny. Allen was cute, sure, but she didn't feel an ounce of anything for him. And even if she did, she couldn't fathom why someone like him would like someone like her.
When she got home and stepped into the living room, she immediately heard her mom's voice on a call.
She groaned internally. Screw Landon for making her late. Now she'd have to watch the show with her mom.
When her mom spotted her, she smiled. "Hi, Tate. How was your first day?"
Tate hesitated. She couldn't exactly tell her mom how she had been in her head all day, or about the jerk who refused to sit next to her, or how Landon had just casually dropped a bomb on her.
So instead, she simply said, "Fine, Mom."
"Good. Go bring out the things for dinner from the freezer."
Some people preferred to store their groceries in a fridge, but her mom swore by the deep freezer. Tate figured it was probably her African side showing.
She pulled out everything they needed, and her mom instructed her to shower and come back to help with dinner. It was just the two of them tonight—her dad was away on a work trip, and her brother was in college, five states away.
"Okay," Tate muttered before heading upstairs.
Later that evening, after dinner, they watched the show together. As expected, her mom spent most of the time predicting plot twists out loud. But before the episode even ended, she had dozed off on the couch.
Tate shook her head, amused