He headed out into the hall, toward his next class. He walked in and froze, suddenly realizing the current situation wasn't limited to just Zoe.
This wasn't his first time in this class, and he couldn't say he knew everyone, but as he walked in and headed toward his usual seat, a stranger sitting next to him greeted him. "You ready for the quiz?" She said, as if she knew him.
Jon froze...he had no idea who this person was. "Quiz?" He wasn't sure...was this a Zoe like situation...or just some classmate he'd never noticed before? There was just something..familiar about her.
"You know, she mentioned it yesterday..." the girl said. She seemed friendly, with shoulder length hair tied with some sort of hair clip. She was attractive, in a wholesome kind of way. He looked around for a clue. Binder with stickers on it, bookbag next to her on the floor.
"Sorry..." he said. "I guess...there's a lot on my mind..."
She paused, looking concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"Not exactly," he said, not trying to come up with a story when he wasn't sure who she was. Maybe he could text Zoe...if texting in class wasn't against the rules. "I mean...it's kind of personal."
"Okay..." she said, accepting that.
Class began. "Before we get started," Miss Pearsall said, "are there any questions...aside from Miss Duncan?"
The girl seemed to blush a little. "Actually, I don't have any today, Miss Pearsall."
Wait...Duncan? Jon said, looking at the girl...really looking. He hadn't recognized it initially...it was Jay, only....a girl version of Jay. But it was more than that. Jay was a stereotypical nerdy type...intelligent, socially awkward outside of his social group...Jon had always been on decent terms with him, but they weren't exactly friends.
First Zoe...now Jay...he tried to focus on the quiz, and was able to do that for a bit, but...as the class drew to a close and he got up, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Jon, are you sure you're all right?" Girl Jay asked...he wasn't sure what else to call her. He couldn't unsee it. "If you need to talk to someone..." She definitely had a level of emotional intelligence her male counterpart hadn't, if nothing else.
Jon made a quick excuse and left.
Dawn Duncan frowned. She and Jon were friendly, but they weren't friends per se. Maybe she'd better talk to Zoe. Something about this worried her.
