“Papa ou ap tande tout sa.” I didn’t want to know what Tatiana’s dad would do to her, but Tatiana nodded and quickly ran to her desk to gather up her belongings. On the way out, Tatiana gave me a small smile and I knew in that moment that we would be besties. That and the fact that she’d feel indebted to me for the rest of eternity. I smiled back.
Tatiana coughed exaggeratedly and elbowed me lightly in the ribs, pulling me out of my thoughts. Peter Logan had joined our table and was looking at me expectantly.
“Uh...yes?” I said sheepishly.
“I said thanks for helping me study for that calculus exam. I got a B... I couldn’t have done it without your help.”
“Oh,” I answered, feeling my face grow hot. “You’re welcome.”
Peter looked at me for a bit longer than he should and smiled. Even I couldn’t figure out what to do to talk my way out of this. Unrequited crushing makes me nervous and everyone knows that nerves are the kryptonite of wit. Nina, Kaylee, and Tatiana looked back and forth between the both of us like they were watching a tennis match, which didn’t help either. If only I had Serena Williams’s skills.
“So...uh...high five,” I said and immediately regretted it. Kaylee snorted. Issa Rae in all her awkward black girl glory would be proud (or mortified). To my surprise, he held my gaze and slapped my hand. Then he frowned.
“What were you guys eating over here?” he asked, sniffing the air.
“Me?” I said quickly. “A peanut butter kaiser roll. Homemade. It was really—”
“Oh no. I have to wash my hands,” Peter interrupted. “I’m super allergic to peanuts. I’ll talk to you later, Alaine. Ladies.”
Peter backed off from our table, but as soon as he was a few feet away, he made a beeline for his book bag. He quickly gobbled up what looked like his allergy pill and raced to the bathroom. I turned back to the girls, trying unsuccessfully to conceal my mortification.
“I hope he’s okay,” I said as I turned to stare after him again.
“He’ll be all right,” Tatiana reassured me. “I bet he just breaks out in hives or something.”
“But hives are painful!” I replied, my horror growing. “And some people stop breathing!”
“He’s allergic to everything. It’s not his first rodeo. He’ll be fine,” Nina cut in. “So on to more important things. There’s nothing going on between you and Penicillin Pete?”
“I couldn’t have done it without your help,” Kaylee said, imitating Peter’s earlier statement in a low voice.
“Yeah, girl. You’re the Netflix to my chill,” Nina quipped.
Tatiana looked between the two of them and tried not to smile.
“What? Me and Peter? No way! Besides, peanut butter is legit a staple at my house. If he’s allergic, there’s no way we would ever work out. And I’m pretty sure you take an antihistamine or epinephrine for an allergy and not penicillin.”
“Could you imagine their kids?” Nina went on, ignoring me. “They’d either be allergic to everything or think they know it all.”
“Ugh. What if they’re both?” Kaylee said with an eye roll. “Tragic!”
Tatiana looked like a fish out of water as she listened to Nina and Kaylee go back and forth. I could tell that she was torn between keeping up her cool factor and standing up for me as her friend. Lucky for her, I didn’t particularly care about what those girls thought. And I didn’t want to watch my best friend short-circuit as she struggled through what I’m sure she thought was a major crisis of conscience.
“Number one, we’re, like, seventeen and this conversation is irrelevant. None of what we’re doing now matters,” I said as I stood up and quickly gathered my belongings. “And number two, would it really be the end of the world if our imaginary kid was a highly allergic know-it-all? Much better than being a dumb—”
“Alaine!” Tatiana interjected, saving me from what some would consider social suicide.
“I’ll see you later, Tatiana.”
“Don’t leave now!” Kaylee shouted as I walked away. “We wanted to see how long it would take before you snapped like your mother!”
I didn’t even bother to turn around as I gave her the finger. I may not know how to act cooler than I really am, but I have get-out-of-my-way-you’re-getting-on-my-nerves down to a science.
Friday, December 11
ST. CATHERINE DE’ RICCI ACADEMY:
UPDATED SENIOR CAREER DAY AGENDA
Welcome, parents and guardians, to one of our most cherished annual traditions: Career Day! This is an opportunity for you to shine and share your passions and career wisdom with our beloved students before they head off to winter break and, soon, college. Career Day wouldn’t be possible without you and we are particularly appreciative of your flexibility in light of recent updates to the schedule. Please find the complete agenda for today’s activities below. We are eternally grateful for your participation.
8:30 A.M.–9:30 A.M.
Breakfast
Continental breakfast provided for all attendees
9:30 A.M.–9:45 A.M.
Welcome
Sister Gayle Pollack, Principal
9:45 A.M.–10:00 A.M.
Mindfulness Moment: What is Success?
A special virtual message of contemplation for our students from the Bishop of Rome
10:00 A.M.–10:30 A.M.
Presentation by the Honorable Constantine Logan, Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida
The role of law and order and unbiased sentencing in the Florida judicial system
10:30 A.M.–11:00 A.M.
Presentation by Luciana Martinez, Latin Grammy Award-Winning International Pop Star
So you want to be famous? Do you even lift? Because dancing on stage is a workout
11:00 A.M.–11:30 A.M.
Presentation by Brenda Johnson, Head Coach and Lead Recruiter of the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders
How to ask for what you deserve in salary negotiations and look good doing it
11:30 A.M.–12:00 P.M.
Mindfulness Moment: A Conversation with Class President Nina Voltaire and Prescott Voltaire, Executive Producer of Will You Be Mine?
What did you just say to me? A lesson in conflict negotiation and anger management on the set of America’s biggest reality show
12:00 P.M.–1:00 P.M.
Keynote Luncheon: Josephine Kobayashi