A few minutes later, Karyn, Buffy, and Jon made their way to class. Karyn had calmed down, Buffy had put on the bra that Jon had given her, and Jon mostly just stood there feeling useless. Both of the girls, however, appreciated his presence.
All three had English this period, and while Mrs. Stein seemed to ignore Karyn and Buffy's entrance, she scolded Jon harshly for being late.
Eventually, Jon was able to take a seat towards the back of the class, just behind Karyn and two seats over from Buffy. He pretended to look at the whiteboard, but really he was looking at the girl in front of him.
Karyn Black. Shrinking, dopey, somewhat juvenile. Jon didn't dislike her, but he knew that if she wasn't friends with Buffy, he'd have never even considered talking to her. Over time, he did develop a sort of... fondness for her, but to his mind, the relationship fell just shy of actual friendship. She was a girl he sometimes hung out with, sometimes would do favors for, sometimes would expect favors from, but when they both went off to different colleges, Jon didn't imagine he'd keep in touch.
Buffy, on the other hand, was someone he'd bonded with from day one. The memories were fuzzy, but it seemed like they had been friends forever. He just constantly felt a need to help her that he didn't understand. She was a normal enough girl. A bit of an athlete, a bit of a tomboy, but it's not like there was anything special about her. And yet, to Jon there was. Almost like he was created to support her.
