As the teacher continues to drone on about biology, I can't ignore the elephant in the room. If Simon is here in the real world, what part of the story are we in? From what I remember, the plot begins while Simon is still in school.
The problem is that the school he attends is in England, not America. I let out a quiet sigh. Maybe I'm overthinking this. It could just be a coincidence. I mean, there are millions of people in England, and it's not like his appearance or personality is all that unique.
For now I should just observe.
Let's just focus on the lesson.
I look up at the board, now filled with diagrams of a eukaryotic cell with labels pointing to the nucleus, mitochondria, and parts I vaguely recognize.
"I hope you all have this written down," the teacher says as he finishes. "This will be on your first test."
My stomach drops.
I glance down at my notebook.
It's completely empty.
Not even a half-written sentence. No diagrams. No scribbles. Just blank white paper staring back at me.
Did I really zone out that hard?
I flip the page, then another, hoping maybe I wrote it somewhere else.
Nothing.
A chill runs up my spine. I could've sworn I was paying attention at least enough to write something.
I steal a glance at Jane's notebook. Her page is filled edge to edge with neat notes and tiny doodles in the margins.
Panic starts to creep in, and before I can start writing down as much as I can, the bell rings, signaling the end of first period.
"Time just flew by today," the teacher says with a light laugh. "That's all for today's class. I hope you all have a nice rest of your day."
He turns to the board and erases everything, each swipe of the eraser making my chest tighten a little more.
Jane looks over at my desk. "What's got you looking so defeated?" she asks. Her eyes drift to my notebook, still completely blank.
She lets out a small chuckle. "If you want, I can share my notes with you."
"Are you an angel?" The words slip out before I can stop myself, my voice cracking just a little as a tear threatens to form.
Jane leans back, hands on her hips, a smug grin on her face. "Of course I'm an angel! Sharing my notes? That's basically a divine act. You should be grateful, mortal." She lets out a dramatic sigh, as if the weight of her generosity is crushing her.
"Anyway, let's get a move on before we're late for the next class." She grabs her bag and shoots me a look to hurry up.
I open the door and we start heading to the next class.
"Hey, Jane, I've got to ask you something," I say as we walk side by side, giving her a questioning look.
"What is it?" Jane replies, her expression suggesting she expected this question sooner or later.
"That drawing you gave me, the one with the weird circle and patterns. What was it?" I slow my pace, trying to gauge her reaction.
Jane stops moving before responding. "Don't worry about it. It was nothing important. I was just practicing how to draw magic circles for a book I'm writing," she says dismissively.
I stop too, looking into her eyes. "Then… where did it go?"
She flinches. "What do you mean, 'where did it go'? I thought you kept it. I didn't see it on your desk." Now, she's avoiding eye contact, her gaze darting away.
"Jane…" I say softly, leaning a little closer, "you're hiding something, aren't you?"
She freezes, her fingers tightening around her bag strap. "I'm not hiding anything," she replies, though her voice is just a fraction too high, a fraction too tense.
My heart pounds. That's not how she usually sounds. I glance around to make sure no one's paying attention and whisper, "The doodle… it disappeared. Did something happen to it?"
Before I can get a response, the bell rings, signaling the start of second period.
"Oh no we're late," Jane says quickly before darting past me.
"Hey wait!" I reach out, grabbing for the collar of her uniform, determined to get answers. But my fingers pass straight through it.
I freeze.
"Hey, stop you didn't answer my questions yet!" I call out.
She keeps running and turns the corner, disappearing from sight.
My heart pounds. That was weird. I could've sworn I grabbed her. And did the bell ring early? Has it really been five minutes already? Was I so focused on getting answers that time just… slipped by?
I shake my head. No time to think about that now, I'm late.
As I run toward my next class, one thought sticks in my mind. I'll ask her at lunch. We don't share second period anyway, and there's no way I'm letting this go.
When I open the door for my next class, the bell rings again
Weird. I thought I was late.
"Cutting it close, Mr. Watson. Take your seat so I can start class," the teacher says.
Her golden eyes lock onto me, silently urging me to hurry.
Feeling my face heat up, I quickly take a seat in the middle of the classroom.
As the teacher begins her lesson, my mind drifts back to Jane. None of it makes sense. Her reaction, the missing doodle, my hand going right through her collar…
And why did the bell ring twice?
All that conversation left me with were more questions than answers.
Feeling frustrated, I shove those thoughts to the back of my mind and force myself to focus on class. Math has never been my strong suit, and unlike my biology teacher, this one doesn't seem particularly forgiving.
The lesson continues, and I diligently take notes on linear equations graphs, slopes, and examples filling up the page. For now, numbers are easier to deal with than disappearing drawings, strange bells, and a best friend who might be hiding something important.