Chapter 15

Katie and Imene waited outside the door as Sandra went in to collect her stuff. As Sandra walked toward her desk, she tried not to think about the reason she had stormed out of the classroom. She hesitated for a moment as she noticed her books were nowhere in sight. Wondering why no one was coming into the room, she turned and glanced at the door. Sandra jumped when her English teacher spoke.

"Are you looking for your books, Sandra?" She was sitting behind her desk.

Sandra nodded as she took a step toward the teacher's desk. Sandra began to feel nervous as her teacher pulled Sandra's belongings from under the desk. When her teacher began speaking again, Sandra was certain she was going to be reprimanded for running out of class and causing a scene.

"Isn't there one more class?" Sandra asked.

"No, my schedule is three classes in a row, then the last class is my break." Her teacher explained.

"I want you to know that I asked May to revise her presentation." She continued, as she took her thin framed glasses off and set the on the desk.

"Why?" Sandra asked, bewildered.

"Well, even though I am a very strong believer that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don't think this project called for such a radical presentation." Her teacher explained calmly.

Sandra wasn't exactly sure how to respond, so she simply nodded her head in understanding.

"In addition to that," Her teacher continued. "I do believe she had an ulterior motive to her speech."

Sandra shifted her gaze nervously, as she thought of May's presentation. She slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up her books as her teacher wrote something on a slip of paper.

"Sandra, I understand you've been going through a hard time recently. I know that sometimes, as a teenager, some situations may feel like the end of the world, but take it from someone with a vast array of teenage issues; you will overcome these obstacles and be better in the end for it." She handed Sandra the slip with a comforting smile. As Sandra took the slip, her teacher briefly squeezed her hand. "Please, don't let this small bump slow you down."

Her teacher put her glasses on and began grading papers. Sandra stood there for a moment, looking at the slip of paper. It was a late slip for her next class.

"Thanks, Miss." Sandra said with a small smile as she turned to walk away. When she got to the door, Katie and Imene were still waiting.

"What took you so long?" Katie whined comically.

"My teacher wanted to talk to me." Sandra explained as she began walking. Katie and Imene followed her. Sandra stopped short and turned around. She glanced around before speaking.

"Let's skip!" Sandra suggested excitedly.

"But won't we get in trouble?" Imene asked.

"We're going to get in trouble anyway, for being this late." Katie interjected.

"Okay." Imene answered hesitantly.

"Yes!" Sandra exclaimed quietly. "Come on!" She turned and walked briskly toward the staircase.

They ran down the stairs, slowing down at each floor, just in case they saw a teacher. As the got to the first floor, they quickly ran to the back of the staircase where the school's side door was. Sandra quickly checked to see if the coast was clear before pushing the door open. The three of them walked at a fast pace to get away from the school quickly, but not too quickly to catch anyone's attention.

They walked to Katie's house. Sandra felt much better after spending some time with her two best friends. They all dropped their bags at the door as they walked into Katie's house. Katie and Sandra made a bee line for the kitchen while Imene followed behind. Imene & Sandra sat at the table while Katie was bent over in the fridge looking for something to eat.

"How about some beef stew?" Katie said from inside the fridge.

"No, we just had that yesterday." Sandra replied.

"How about some tuna salad?" Katie suggested.

"I don't really like tuna." Imene said quickly.

"Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce?" Katie tried again.

"Okay!" Imene and Sandra said almost at the same time.

While Katie put the spaghetti and sauce in the microwave, Sandra pulled her phone out of her purse. She texted Jimmy to let him know she was out of school. She knew his shift would be ending soon.

"Who are you talking to?" Imene asked inquisitively.

"Jimmy." Sandra said with a small smile.

"You should invite him over." Katie said as she pressed start on the microwave.

"I want to meet him!" Imene pleaded.

Sandra's phone vibrated and she immediately snatched it up from the table. She smiled as she replied. Imene and Katie glanced at each other as Sandra's phone vibrated and she giggled. She had a smirk on her face from the moment she began texting him until his last response.

"He'll be here in about fifteen minutes." Sandra said, her eyes sparkling.

"Aw! Sandra, you're glowing!" Katie gushed. "See, I knew you two would get back together."

Katie took the food out of the microwave and separated it into three portions. She put all three plates on the table and sat down. Just as she was about to take her first bite, she paused with her fork in mid air.

"Should I have left some for Jimmy?" She asked, setting her fork back down.

"Well, I probably won't eat all of mine, so I'll save half for him." Sandra suggested.

Katie accepted Sandra's suggestion without a word and began eating. As they ate, the girls began talking about which country they'd visit if they got the chance. Sandra chose Ireland, Katie chose Italy, and Imene said she'd just like to go back to France. They talked about what France was like and why Imene decided to do the foreign exchange program.

As Katie brought her plate and Imene's plate to the sink, there was a knock at the door. Sandra jumped up from her chair and ran to the door. Katie and Imene could hear her talking and giggling on the way back to the kitchen.

"And my friend Imene is here, too." Sandra said as they reached the kitchen. "She really wanted to meet you."

"Hey Katie." Jimmy said before looking at Imene. "Hi, I'm Jimmy."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Imene said as Jimmy pulled a seat up next to Sandra's.

"So, was today a half day? It seems a little early for you to be out." Jimmy said, checking his phone for the time.

"We skipped." Imene explained before Sandra could speak.

"What?" Jimmy said, looking at Sandra. He sounded disappointed. "Sandra, why would you skip?"

"Look, Jimmy," Katie began as she sat back in her chair. "Sandra had a really bad day. We practically forced her."

Jimmy looked at Sandra for confirmation. Sandra simply shrugged her shoulders. Imene looked a little confused, but caught on before Jimmy glanced back at her.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now." Jimmy sighed. "Please don't do it again Sandra, you know I'd hate for you to get in trouble."

"Okay." Sandra complied, as she pushed her plate toward him. "We saved you some leftover spaghetti."

Jimmy took the plate as he smiled at Sandra.

"You know, you won't always be able to bribe me with food." Jimmy warned Sandra as he stuffed a large clump of spaghetti into his mouth.

"Well, until then," Sandra began her sentence, but didn't finish as Jimmy laughed.

Sandra checked her watch every so often. After they ate, the four of them migrated to the living room to watch some television. Sandra fell asleep as she leaned on Jimmy. After a few shows had passed, Sandra bolted up. She checked her watch, it was four in the afternoon.

"Shoot!" She exclaimed. "I have to go home." Sandra stood up, letting out a large yawn.

"Why?" Jimmy and Katie asked at the same time.

"My mom wants to take me and my sisters out to dinner." She explained with a look of disgust.

"I should be getting home soon, too." Imene agreed. "But I had a lot of fun!"

"Aw, everybody's leaving me!" Katie whined with a laugh. She gave Sandra a hug. "Have fun with your mom and sisters!" She teased as everyone walked out the door.