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The school cafeteria was filled with students excited about this being their last week of junior high school. Graduation was rapidly approaching, and everybody had received their yearbooks. Kimi was first to find a seat. She took a bite of her ham sandwich as she flipped through the pages of the yearbook. Everyone was so focused on signing the yearbooks that she hadn’t even had a chance to really look through the pictures.
Lil approached with her lunch and took a seat across from her. She reached into her backpack to pull out a yearbook, along with a green gel pen.
Lil handed it to her. “Sign please.”
Kimi raised a brow. “No hi, Kimi. How was your day so far?”
Lil gave a faint smile. “Sorry. I’m just trying to get you off my checklist. I want to make sure you have space to sign it before I run out. I didn’t realize I’ve made so many friends in Junior High!”
Kimi closed her yearbook and passed it to Lil. “Fine, but you have to return the favor. Oh, and please write something more original than keep in touch. That is all anyone has been writing so far.”
“It’s been ‘stay cool’ for me. I’m glad people at least think I’m cool,” Lil said.
Kimi’s eyes wandered over to Tommy and Phil who were walking together towards them. Tommy had a straight face while Phil was visibly down in the dumps about something. “Speaking of cool, there’s Tommy. Oh yeah, and Phil.”
Lil smirked. “Have you written Tommy, I’m head over heels for you in his yearbook yet?”
Kimi shrugged. “Actually, I can’t really explain it but my feelings for him have been fading lately.”
“So, who’s the new guy?” Lil asked.
“No new guy,” Kimi said. “I think that this crush has gone on so long that I’m bored of it now.”
Phil took a seat beside Lil, slamming his tray on the table, while Tommy sat down calmly.
Lil shot him an angry look. “What’s your deal?”
“My deal twin sis, is that I’m ruined. Ruined!” Phil announced dramatically. “I found out from the school counselor that if I flunk math class, then I have to repeat eighth grade! Then the math teacher stops me on my way out of class and tells me, the only way I’m going to pass is if I pass the final exam! There’s no way I’m going to pass! I’ve barely understood a thing he’s said all year!”
Lil shot him a stern look. “Well, that’s what happens when you prioritize video games over homework.”
“How is that in any way comforting?” Phil asked.
“Chuckie’s the best at this stuff but he’s been too busy spazzing over his own final exams that I don’t think that he can help you,” Tommy said.
Phil sighed then put his head on the table. “Great. I will be in Dil’s class next year while the rest of you are in high school.”
Kimi couldn’t help but smile. “All hope isn’t lost, Phil. I’m no math whiz, but I got a B last quarter. I can try to catch you up to speed.”
He lifted his head up and looked at her. “You would do that?”
She shrugged. “I’ll give it a shot. We can’t let one of our musketeers fall behind. Right, guys?”
Tommy and Lil remained silent.
Kimi asked more aggressively. “Right, guys?”
“Right, right,” Tommy and Lil both said quietly.
“Thanks, Kimi,” Phil replied. “I guess we should get started after school. I’m going to need all the help I can get. Uhh, we better not do it at my place. I don’t want my mom finding out about this.”
“If we do it at mine then Chuckie is just going to lecture you,” Kimi acknowledged. “How about we do it at the Java Lava?”
“Sure,” Phil agreed. “Maybe I will be able to pull a miracle out of my butt after all.”
Tommy smirked. “Hey Lil. Want to make a wager on this?”
“Sure,” Lil smiled. “I’ll bet five bucks that Phil fails. He will never be able to learn everything he needs to know all at once.”
Tommy waved a five-dollar bill in the air. “I think he will pass. He’s been in this situation before, and he always pulls himself out of it.”
Phil scowled at them. “I can’t believe that you’re using me as a bet during a time like this.”
“Hey, if I win then I’m five dollars closer to my new camera,” Tommy said.
Kimi interjected. “Let’s focus on what’s important here. Getting Phil to ninth grade.”
Phil smiled. “Again. Thank you, Kimi.”
Phil had walked out of the meeting with the school counselor feeling completely hopeless. Math had always been a pain in the butt, but this year it was his worst enemy. At some point earlier in the year, he had stopped understanding. He never bothered with any kind of tutoring because it cut into his video game and computer time, and now he was paying for it. Even though he wasn’t sure if Kimi could really accomplish teaching him everything he needed to know, she had offered him a glimpse of hope.
Kimi passed Lil her yearbook. “Done.”
Lil grabbed it then focused on writing. “Still working on yours.”
Kimi handed her yearbook to Phil, offering him a bright smile. “Sign?”
He suddenly froze. “Uhh. Give me some time to think about what to write, okay?”
She put it back in her backpack. “Okay, but promise me that you’ll write something. Even if it’s just some lame keep in touch message.”
Tommy took offense. “Hey, I told you to keep in touch!”
“I’ve known you since I was in diapers. You should have something more meaningful to say to me than that,” Kimi argued.
Tommy shrugged. “I blanked under the pressure.”
Kimi stood up, strapped her backpack to her back, and then grabbed her lunch tray. “I have to stop by the library before the bell rings.” She turned to Phil. “Be at Java Lava by three-thirty, okay?”
Phil nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Kimi wore headphones as she hummed to herself while entering the Java Lava. Before she had any opportunity to spot Phil, Chaz was immediately talking to her.
Chaz leaned over the counter. “Hi honey! How was school?”
“Lots and lots of yearbook signing,” Kimi smiled. “I’m actually here to meet Phil, so can we talk later?”
Chaz looked over at Phil, who was sitting at a table. “Well, that explains why he’s been sitting here for about twenty minutes now. I almost went and offered him a drink, but then I noticed he actually has a book open, and I didn’t want to disturb him.”
“Yeah, we have homework to do,” Kimi explained. “Let us have some privacy, okay?”
Chaz nodded. “Sure thing.”
Kimi found Phil and took a seat across from him. He had a math book out ready, with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. After attempting to figure it out himself for the past twenty minutes, he was glad to see her.
Kimi placed her backpack on the floor. “I’m glad to see you’ve gotten a head start.”
“I feel like I’m wasting your time,” Phil sighed. “Since when does math have the alphabet in it? Why? None of it makes any sense.”
Kimi gave him a reassuring smile. “Phil, you’re smarter than you think. Having a bad subject doesn’t mean you’re dumb. We all have a bad subject.”
Phil raised a brow. “Even you?”
“All the dates in History class? I’m terrible at memorizing them,” Kimi admitted. “I’m only telling you this, but I only passed History because I wrote the answers on my hand with a pen most of the semester.”
Phil’s jaw dropped. “Kimi Finster, a cheater?! Say it isn’t so!”
Kimi hissed. “Not so loud!”
Phil remained shocked. “Sorry… but you, cheating? My brain doesn’t compute.”
“I’m not proud of it,” Kimi said shamefully. “I just didn’t want an F.”
“I know the feeling of not wanting an F,” Phil sighed. “Thank you for believing in me.”
“I know you better than you think,” Kimi smirked. “Remember, I’ve known you since diapers. I know that if you take the time to really focus on something you can do it. I’ve seen you do it before.”
A smile flashed on Phil’s face. “Wow, I didn’t know you had such a strong opinion of me.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Kimi said.
“So, what other opinions do you have?” Phil asked curiously.
Kimi took a moment to think. “Well, I think you’re really funny. When I’m having a bad day, sometimes I enjoy just being around you to lighten the mood.”
Phil shrugged. “What can I say? I just like to see you smile.”
“Enough about you. What do you like about me?”
“Hmm. Let’s see,” Phil thought for a second. “I was having a horrible day before you came along and gave me some hope. You seem to see the best in everybody.”
“I just know you, Phil DeVille. I know what you’re capable of, even if you don’t quite know it yet,” Kimi said.
“See?” Phil replied. “Tommy and Lil didn’t help much, but you made me feel like I can do it.”
Kimi locked eyes with him. For the first time her long-time friend Phil was making her heart race, the same feeling that only Tommy had done for her before. That scared her because her feelings for Tommy went nowhere, so she assumed this would only go the same way.
She quickly grabbed the Math book and opened up to the chapter they needed to begin with. “Alright. We need to actually get started on the studying.”
“Right,” Phil agreed. “The studying.”
For an hour and a half, the focus was strictly on math. Something about Kimi explaining it all to him was making it click faster than anything his math teacher ever taught. They continued on until Phil decided he needed a break. He put his paper in the book and then shut it.
“My brain is fried,” Phil yawned. “Let’s take fifteen.”
Kimi looked at him. “Hey Phil?”
“Yeah?”
“You still haven’t signed my yearbook.”
“I know,” Phil acknowledged. “It’s just with you I don’t want to write something basic. You deserve more than that. My mind’s just been everywhere today and I haven’t had time to find the right words.”
She looked at him hopefully. “So tomorrow?”
He smiled at her. “Tomorrow. I promise.”
“I never thought that you’d put so much work into signing my yearbook.”
“Yeah, well, it’s something that you’ll have forever. I don’t want you to think of me as the ‘keep in touch’ guy,” Phil explained.
Kimi’s interest peaked. “How do you want me to think of you?”
Phil shrugged. “Someone who cared more than that.”
Kimi spoke softly. “That’s sweet, Phil.”
“Yeah,” Phil shifted nervously. He decided he wanted something to drink. “I’ll go grab us a drink, then we can get back to work.”
Before he got up, Kimi stopped him. “Hey Phil?”
“Yeah?”
Kimi spoke nervously. “I know it’s a weird thing to ask, but would you walk me home after we’re done here?”
Phil smiled. “I’d like that. I mean… I need to make sure you get home safely.”
“Right,” Kimi said. “It’ll also give me a chance to give you a pop quiz on the way home.”
Phil shrugged. “What if I give you a call after dinner? After all, I need the extra help.”
Kimi smiled broadly. “I’d like that.”
Phil stood up. “Alright. I’ll go get us some drinks and then we can get back to work.”
Kimi tilted her head up at him. “Thanks, Phil.”
After they were done studying, Phil walked Kimi home as he had promised. Kimi asked basic math questions, but she could tell from the straight expression on his face that his mind was elsewhere.
She looked at him. “What are you thinking about?”
Phil let out a sigh. “Just about what life looks like if I don’t pass. I mean, I know you guys will be here, but you’ll be off meeting other kids and I’ll be with Dil. You’ll probably get together with Tommy, Lil will get a boyfriend, Chuckie will find a girlfriend, and I’ll be out of the loop for a whole year.”
“Don’t be so sure about Tommy and I,” Kimi looked down. “Lately I’ve been feeling like there’s life outside of crushing on Tommy, especially when I spend time with you.”
Phil raised a brow. “Me? Really?”
She looked at him confused. “Is that so unbelievable?”
“Kinda,” Phil gave a small chuckle. “I mean, if there’s a girl that I know that I’d want to be with, honestly, it’s you. I just never really entertained the idea because your crush on Tommy isn’t exactly a secret.”
“Well, a lot of things are changing including myself and I’ve grown out of that childhood crush I had. It really feels apparent when I’m around you,” Kimi confessed.
Phil raised a brow. “So, are you saying you like me?”
Kimi felt her face turn red. “It’s what I’m hinting at.”
“If you like me, and I like you, what should we do about it?” Phil asked.
Kimi placed her hand in his. “Let’s take this slowly, okay? Call me after dinner?”
“I’ll have to fight with Lil to get access to the phone, but I’ll call when I can,” Phil agreed.
“Same here. Chuckie will be glued on the phone with Tommy over that stupid video game. I’m going to have to pry the phone out of his hands,” Kimi said.
Phil held her hand tightly. “In the meantime, it’ll give me time to figure out what I’m putting in your yearbook.”
Kimi grew excited. “I still have to write in yours. Can I take it home with me and give it to you in the morning?”
“How about we trade? I’ll write in yours tonight too,” Phil offered.
“Deal,” Kimi said. “Well, we’re approaching my house.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when I can,” Phil promised.
Kimi grinned before she turned to walk inside. “I’ll be waiting.”