“Dude, what are you staring at, the wall?â€? Mike snaps me out of my ogling trance. I drop all my books into my locker and suggest skipping class today. Mike stares at me: an A+ student ready to skip class. To my surprise however, he follows after with a chortle.

“Wow, you’re really new to this, aren’t you? Don’t you know that you have to skip class with someone? Otherwise it’s just not fun,â€? he begins to walk back to his locker but I stop him. “I already am meeting someone, I just forgot about it until now,â€? I can feel my nose flaring- a telltale sign that I’m lying.

Mike just nods but keeps his eyes on my nostrils, like he’s asking me to tell him the truth. I realize that my fist is still locked around his forearm. I release him, and walk away.