It took him a little longer to find the classroom than he wanted and he ended up being late.
Mrs. Richardson looked up from her desk. "You're late, Mr. Gibson. Take your seat."
One good thing about being late was that everyone else was already sitting at their correct desks. It was easy for Jon to find his seat. It was the empty one.
He sat down, looking at the other students. He knew a lot of them from his other classes.
"Now, as I was saying ..." the teacher continued talking.
None of the four girls that were part of his "experiment" were in the class. However, he did see one of Karyn's "new" friends. It was Stephanie Wright. She seemed like she didn't want to be there, which was the typical vibe he got from all the Goths at the school, which now included Karyn.
Someone was coughing loudly. It broke Jon out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw that it was the teacher. "Pay attention, Mr. Gibson. I asked you a question."
Oh no. This was exactly what Jon didn't want to happen.
"Um, I didn't hear you," Jon said.
"Yes, I know. Your attention was elsewhere." She looked at Stephanie.
Then the Goth girl said "What?" She turned around and saw Jon. "Were you staring at me? You were staring at my friend today. Weren't you?"
"She told you about that?"
Stephanie's lip curled. "Stop staring at me and my friends. Just leave us the fuck alone."
Mrs. Hamilton turned to Stephanie. "Ms. Wright, that kind of language is not appropriate."
Stephanie looked like she didn't care.
The teacher looked back at Jon. "My question was: Do you have your homework? The rest of the students have turned theirs in."
"Oh. Yeah, here it is," he said, pulling the sheets out of his folder. Whew, Jon thought. I dodged that bullet. He handed her the homework and she walked back to the front of the room.
Stephanie turned her head and glared at Jon. Apparently, he made an enemy without wanting to.
Fortunately, Jon wasn't put on the spot during the rest of the class. Smooth sailing, he supposed. Although, he was in a constant nervous state for the entire time.
When it was over, he released a deep sigh of relief. He made it.
After he left the class, however, Stephanie pulled him aside and said "If I ever see you bothering me or my friends again, I'll fucking kill you."
Jon was stunned. Did she just give him a death threat? This was Karyn's friend?
"Wait a minute. You don't understand."
"What the fuck don't I understand?" She glared at him again.
"Nothing," Jon cowered. Then he watched the Goth girl walk away and disappear into the crowd of students.
It's okay. It's okay, Jon reassured himself. In just another few hours, another swap will occur, turning everything back to normal. Karyn will be his best friend again, Zoe will be a Goth, Sarah will be a bitchy spoiled brat, and Kyla will be a geek. Jon wouldn't have to worry about Stephanie's threat.
