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High-school math was just as boring as middle-school math.
Buford didn't want to be seen as a nerd, though, so it wasn't like he was going to tell the teacher he could solve those equations in his sleep. Instead, he'd just keep goofing off during class and half-assing his homework.
It'd be more be more fun if any of his friends were in class with him…
Whatever.
When the bell rang, he was more than happy to get out of there. Why'd math have to be the last class of the day? At least it was Friday. He had the whole weekend ahead of him before he had to deal with school again.
"Hey, Buford!" Isabella greeted cheerily, waiting next to his locker.
"Whatchu want?" he grunted out as he put away his books.
"Do you have any weekend plans?" she asked. "I know Baljeet's busy with midterms…"
"No," he said. He blew a strand of hair out of his face. Ever since he'd started growing it out, it had been prone to tickling his nose. "Just gonna hang out with Biff."
Isabella nodded. "Well, we're having a girls' sleepover at my place tonight. It's gonna be a lot of fun. I've got snacks, and we're going to order pizza, and my parents will be gone. They're going to a restaurant expo."
Buford slammed his locker shut. "Cool," he said. "Have fun."
She drooped, the smile falling from her face. "You don't want to come?"
He stutter-stepped before freezing in his tracks, asking, "What?"
"Well, it's a girls' night, so…" Isabella said, trailing off. "I thought you'd want to come over. I was hoping you would."
Ever since he'd talked to Uncle P, he'd been doing a lot of – ugh – 'soul-searching' to figure out how he felt about things, but it had taken him a few months before he'd told his friends any of that. He'd actually only told them the week before last, so he hadn't realized…
He'd never admit it out loud, but he had the best friends.
Quietly, he told her, "Yeah, I think I'd like that."
The two of them split up as they left the school since Buford needed to head home and pack an overnight bag.
"Ma!" he hollered out as he entered his house. "I'm going to Izzy's tonight! I'll be back tomorrow!"
He was halfway through packing his bag when his mother knocked on his door.
"You kids having a sleepover?" she asked when she poked her head in. "Why's it not at Linda's like usual? Something going on?"
Buford shook his head. Double-checking he had everything he needed, he zipped his duffel closed and walked over to his ma. "It's at Izzy's cuz it's a girls' only sleepover. The boys aren't invited."
She melted. "Oh, my sweet baby, look at you!" She pinched his cheek. "That's so exciting!"
Scuffing the toe of his shoe across the floor, he flushed slightly. "Yeah," he said. He pulled his tough exterior back together and said, "Anyway, I gotta go now. Love you, Ma."
He didn't bother knocking once he got to Isabella's house. Su casa es his casa and all that, or whatever the saying was.
When he walked into her living room, the other girls were sitting in a circle around the room, and the floor between them was covered in… girly accessories?
"Surprise!" Isabella said, smiling brightly at him.
Buford dropped his duffel bag to the floor and stared at the hair bows and jewelry and scarves littering the room. "What's all this about?"
"We figured you deserved a 'Welcome to Girlhood' party," Gretchen told him.
"Yeah, so we all got together a bunch of stuff and figured we could do a wardrobe swap!" Adyson added. "Well… An accessories swap – since most of us wear different sizes."
"But you get first dibs on anything you like," Isabella promised, "since this party is for you."
He stared at the group for a long moment, then blinked back the tears welling up in his eyes. "It's just allergies; I'm not cryin'," he said firmly, as he wiped at his face. "'m not a baby."
Graciously, Isabella said, "Yeah, the wind sure has been kicking the pollen up pretty bad lately. Need a tissue?"
After sniffling one last time, he said, "Nah, I'm good." He plopped down between Isabella and Ginger and said, "Show me whatchu ladies brought."
Katie clipped barrettes into his hair and said, "You look so pretty with your hair grown out. Are you going to go longer?"
Holly looped a bracelet onto his wrist and said, "Silver's definitely the way to go for you. I bet this one would look even better if we painted your nails."
Millie dug out a small pair of earrings in the shape of tiny orange fish and said, "If you're feeling really adventurous, maybe we can pierce your ears tonight!"
Was this what it was like to be one of the girls?
He did end up letting them piece his ears that night because he wasn't a wuss. Isabella had steady enough hands she could be a surgeon, so he trusted her to do it right. Ginger loaned him a pair of tiny gold studs to wear until the holes healed, and Adyson held his hand while Isabella poked him.
Not that he needed her to.
He was letting her cuz she was squeamish, that's all.
By the time he left the next morning, tuckered out from staying up all night gossiping about crushes and school drama and – weirdly – local politicians (Gretchen was way too invested in the personal lives of the Danville City Council members), he was… happy.
Buford hadn't realized how much he'd wanted something like that, being one of the girls, getting to join in on their fun.
It was definitely different, compared to a typical boys' sleepover, but different in the best ways.
Maybe Isabella would be willing to host another one soon…
Or maybe he could host it next time.