"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies"

***

"I hate this."

"You hate everything, Dev," I said, not once looking up from my book. This was already the fifth time he said this in the last half an hour so it was nothing new to me.

I heard him sigh loudly. "This is true."

Mr. V was sick today so we had a substitute teacher in class. Our class knew that Mr. V probably had a teaching lesson set up for her but this substitute teacher has been sitting on the teacher's desk with her phone since the class started. The only thing she has done was introduced herself, what our readings were for the week, and that we need to get them done by the end of the week to write an essay.

"Devon is just whining so he can avoid his ex," Akito said, sitting behind him with some worksheets from another class all over his desk. Akito took his starbucks on the corner of his desk and started taking a sip.

Devon turned around to give Akito the middle finger.

"Fuck off." He then turned to me. "You're a snitch for telling everyone that."

I shook my head. "I can't believe that you didn't mention you guys breaking up. We were going to find out at some point."

"I can believe it," Archy said, with his usual spot in front of me. "He didn't even tell us when he was dating Asami to begin with."

"Can you keep your voice down please?" Devon hissed with a scowl marring his features. "Some of us are trying to work."

"You're literally on your phone," Archy said, gesturing to his empty desk with only his phone in the middle.

I turned to look at Asami. She was leaning in, talking to Annabel and France. Her usually styled hair was tied back in a messy ponytail. She was rubbing her arms that were covered with a leather jacket and her red corduroys.

My eyes fell on Francesca, who was smiling at whatever Asami was saying. Her brown hair was falling over her purple sweater. She kept toying with the ends of it while she was talking to Asami.

"You're going to catch flies if you are going to stare at her with your mouth open France," Akito whispered loudly, leaning his body towards my direction.

"Maybe there's something on her face," Archy said, talking equally as loud.

I looked at the two of them. 

"Whose face?" I asked. 

"Girl France. Who else could we possibly be talking about?" Akito asked like it was an obvious question, a smirk growing on his face. He had the straw of his drink in his mouth while he was giving a mischievous smile to me.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" I asked, leaning back into my chair.

"Because you're staring at girl France," Akito said.

"Can you both shut up and stop saying her name so loudly? I wasn't even doing that." I hissed, leaning in to make them stop talking loudly before someone hears it. I knew I was lying, but there was no way I was going to admit that out loud.

"Do we need a code name?" Archy asked us.

"Hmm. What about Basil? Kind of like her last name," Devon suggested, peering up from his phone.

"Prosciutto," Archy pitched.

"Rigatoni," Devon added.

"Carbonara."

"Mozzarella."

"Stock market crash of 1929?" Akito suggested.

Everyone paused to look at Akito.

"Why in God's name would we call her that?" Archy asked.

Akito got quiet, shrugging before looking back at his work. "It was the first words on my Econ assignment assignment." Akito said.

"What are you guys even talking about this?" I asked, praying that this conversation ends.

"You're literally staring at her dude," Devon insisted. "You keep doing that in class. It's almost painful to watch."

"I was not," I protested, my voice getting snippy at him.

"De-nial is a river in Egypt," Alex spoke up from his desk, looking up from his book. It was the first thing he properly said to us since class started. "Just get your ass up and talk to her, France."

"He's been like this since the beginning of time. Do you remember when it took him two weeks to tell our middle school teacher he was allergic to strawberries and he kept getting hives from the strawberries on her desk every day?" Archy reminded Alex.

"Yup," was all Alex said plainly before looking back at the rest of us.

I saw a flash of hurt cross Archy's face before he repressed that feeling down. Archy was too nice sometimes for his own good. He wasn't the type to confront people unless absolutely necessary and would avoid conflict whenever possible.

"It's not a big deal guys. I wasn't even staring at her. She's fine to do what she wants."

"So you don't care that a guy is asking her out right now?" Akito said casually.

My mouth almost dropped. "What?" I flipped around to see Francesca talking to Asami. I looked around her, not seeing anybody else around them. I looked back at Akito who began to laugh.

"She's fine to do what she wants," Akito said in a high pitch voice which sounds nothing like my voice. I frowned. Akito had this shit eating grin that I could only describe as punchable. The other boys began to snicker along with them.

"Whipped," Alex said with a fake cough. Even though he's been a snappier asshole than normal lately, he still gave a smirk.

"I could kick both of your asses right now if I wanted to," I told Akito and Alex.

"Sounds hot," Akito said.

"We both know you won't," Alex said.

"Well Chris is talking to her now so no need to get up," Akito told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny," I said with sarcasm, looking at the page of my book that I had been on for the last fifteen minutes.

"No Chris is," Devon confirmed. "I can see him from here."

I turned around and I saw that Chris has approached her desk. His hands were shoved into his jeans, talking to France about who knows what. France was smiling at him, responding to whatever he was saying.

When did they even come friends?

"What the fuck she sees in that guy?" Alex said with disgust, shaking his head with disapproval. "Who would even be friends with him?"

"Uh. We were in sixth grade," Akito pointed out.

I had forgotten when there was a time Chris use to hang out with us. I didn't know what happened but one summer, he stopped hanging out with us and next thing I knew, I saw him later hanging out with Lenny. Since then, it's just been mild insults and annoying comments.

"That was before he became a total dickwad," Alex muttered.

"She deserves better than that," Devon said.

"Why are you talking about it like they are dating? Doesn't Chris have a girlfriend?" I asked. When Archy nodded in validation, I felt a sense of relief.

"You mean Val," Archy said. "They have been dating for months I heard."

"Oh yeah. Her," Akito said.

"Fuck all of them honestly. France better not be hanging out with the likes of them," Alex said with venom.

"Chill, Alex. I think she was just giving him a pencil," Archy said.

"You don't need to tell me to chill Archy," Alex said sharply, looking at him with annoyance. Archy's face dropped at his comment and changed into something I knew he was going to talk about. "Anyways, that's a long ass time to borrow a pencil. You just give the pencil and go. What is there to talk about more than that."

"I don't get why France can't get up to talk to her. We all know he wants to," Devon said, ignoring whatever was happening between Archy and Alex.

"Well stock market crash of 1929 is coming over here so there is his chance," Akito said.

"Hey France," the subject of our conversation said. The group immediately went quiet, all turning back to their work. "We need to work on that next essay due in a few days."

Francesca was smiling brightly at me, the same way she was with Asami and Chris.

"Definitely. I can't believe that he is making us read all these pages," I said, gesturing through the book right now in my hands.

"I know right," she said, sitting on the edge of my seat. Her legs were crossed, her hand falling on my desk to keep herself upright. I looked at her hand, noting the black nail polish and a few rings across all of her dainty fingers.

"Hey girl France. Are there anyone special in your life?" Akito asked with special interest.

Francesca put a hand over her chin and pretended to think. "Well I do have an older brother, but he's like old."

Akito shook his head. "Nah. I'm talking about boyfriend? Girlfriend? Current lover? Crazy exes? Hot crushes? What's your deal?"

I saw her hand turned into a fist on my desk at the ex comment. She stiffened, just slightly enough for me to notice being close but didn't seem like something anyone noticed.

"Why? You got someone in mind for me?" she asked, not missing a beat.

"Well actually I do know a guy-" Akito was interrupted by Devon slamming his desk behind to hit Akito's desk, his coffee spilling across the table. Akito cursed loudly taking his papers away from the desk and got up. He turned to Devon with agitation. "What the fuck, Dev?"

"Sorry. I thought I saw a spider," Devon said innocently. He looked at me with a glance that was clear he did it to my benefit. I gave a slight nod of thanks.

Akito started mumbling something under his breath, walking away to clean up the mess on his table.

"They are having a moment. Why don't we meet after school tomorrow and knock it out once and for all?" I suggested to Francesca, diverting her from whatever was happening now.

"Are you going to read 100 pages by tomorrow?" she asked skeptically.

"You doubt me," I joked. "How about you add an extra day then?"

Akito came back, dropping the paper towel in his hand onto the table, something that I ignored.

She chuckled. "I believe in you," she said. "Day after tomorrow night it is. I will text you. Talk to you soon."

That was all she said before she headed back to where Asami and Annabelle was sitting.

"Awwww she believes in you," Akito said while he was wiping down his table.

I rolled my eyes. "Go away."

"Is meeting after school something more?" Archy teased. "Little fun before Thanksgiving next week." 

"Speaking of that, what's everyone's Thanksgiving Plans next week?" Devon asked.  "Are you guys coming over for my family dinner? My parents are trying to get a headcount," Devon asked.

Devon's family goes all out from Thanksgiving. Because Archy and Akito doesn't really celebrate Thanksgiving at their homes, Devon invites all of us to his. Even sometimes Mom works during the holiday so Devon's Thanksgiving is the back up plan.

"Pretty sure I stop by in the evening," I said.

"I can as always," Archy confirmed.

"I can't," Akito said apologetically. "I have work to do."

My eyes narrowed at his apologetic face. He looked at me before looking back at Devon. He never did work over the holidays if he could. He would do it in the week, during class, or while we hang out.

But he never does it during the holidays. He calls it the only time he truly takes a break.

"I can't also," Alex added quickly. "Having some relatives over."

"I also have a football match this Friday that determines if we make it to semi-finals. Are you guys able to come?"  Archy asked, though he was mostly looking at Alex.

"We should be there," I said with no hesitation.

"My family are coming in later this week so I probably have to stay home," Alex said immediately after.

Archy frowned at him. "Seriously? It's like the farthest our team has every gotten in the history of the game and you can't come for even an hour?" Archy asked with disbelief.

Alex's face twisted into something of discomfort. He rubbed the back of his neck with discomfort. "You can tell that to my parents."

"Um I can't go too. Sorry Archy," Akito said apologetically. "Too much work."

What work is he always talking about?

Archy looked at me and pointed a finger in my direction. "It's not the weekend so you are fair game," Archy said. I nodded quickly, trying to assuaging the stress I can sense is radiating off him. "It's no worries guys. If you can't come then that's it. That's okay."

Archy pulled back a painful tight smile before he went back to work. I looked at Alex, who was already going back to work. When I looked at Akito, I saw a forlorn look come over his face. He looked at Archy for a moment longer before silently resuming his work.

Everything is suppose to be okay.

Then why does it not feel that way?

Author's Note: Just curious, who is your favorite character?