CHAPTER EIGHT
MEET NEW PEOPLE

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     WHEN SHE DIDN'T SEE NED, MJ OR PETER AT LUNCH, Alma was pretty curious about where they were since they've all been sitting together since school started. She asked Nadia while they were in the cafeteria and she reminded her about the Academic Decathlon in Washington D.C. and she had to admit it felt weird without all five of them sitting together. It had always been the two of them for years but now that they had three extra people with them, it felt weird to not have them around.

     "On the bright side, Flash isn't here," Nadia said and Alma laughed as she leaned against the lockers while Nadia put a textbook in her bag.

     There really was an upside. But the downside was that most of her friends weren't there. Alma also thought about how Liz had asked her to help set up the gym for the homecoming dance. There were most likely going to be a few other people putting up decorations but Alma knew she wasn't going to know who they were and just because she was an energetic person who liked meeting new people, that didn't mean she was comfortable around every single stranger she meets. Not to mention that she didn't know these people so she didn't know if they would be okay with how forward she could be. Not everyone was like Nadia who learned all the tips and tricks to get her to settle down when she needed to. Or Ned and Peter who was more than happy to be on the receiving end of her gestures of affection. Or MJ who may have been a little apprehensive at first but got used to Alma the more they hung out with each other. So Alma looked at Nadia with a hopeful gleam in her eyes and grabbed her hand.

     "Can you come with me to the gym to help decorate for the homecoming dance on Thursday?" she asked.

     The brown skinned girl smiled as she laced their fingers together and looked at Alma. "Of course. Not exactly in a meet-new-people kind of headspace?" Nadia questioned as they started walking to the doors and Alma nodded. "No worries. I gotcha."

     "Thank you. Liz said she needed someone when she asked me but I don't know why she chose me specifically. We don't really know each other so I don't know why she asked me to help and I'm sure she has plenty of friends who can do the job. It's not that I don't want to but I just don't really know anyone besides you, Peter, Ned and MJ," Alma said and cleared her throat when she realized she had been on the edge of rambling.

     "Maybe she thought you seemed like the perfect person for the job," Nadia replied.

     The blonde sighed as they left the school and headed to the train station so they could go home. "Is your mom not picking you up today?" Alma asked as they waited by the bench.

     "Both my parents are busy tonight. I'm not gonna lie, it feels weird not having one of them give me a ride. Is this the same feeling you got when your dad had enough time to give us a ride to school yesterday?" Nadia asked and Alma laughed as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "Something like that. He's always so busy because he works so much but I can't be mad at him because I know he's trying his best. It hasn't been easy for either of us since he and my mom split up," she replied.

     "I will be one hundred percent honest. I never liked your mom one bit," Nadia said with a look on her face that made her look like she just smelled something bad which made Alma laugh. "I'm serious! She always had something to complain about and it was like there was not one thing in the world that could make her shut up or just talk about something she did like for a change."

     "I get it. Remember last year when I got that A minus on my physics test and I was so happy because that was my best score at the time?" Alma asked and Nadia nodded her head as the train arrived.

     "Yeah. I helped you study like wild for that test and you worked so hard for that score," she replied.

     Alma sighed as they got on the train and her shoulders dropped. "Yeah, well I showed it to her that night and instead of being happy that I finally got an A in that class, she lectured me asking why that was the best I could do and why I couldn't have done better. My dad had to step in and tell her that I was trying my best and then she said that maybe I would've already been an A-average student at a prestigious science centered school if I tried harder," she said.

     "Well, now there's another reason why I don't like her," Nadia grumbled under her breath.

     "Yeah, well she's supposed to come visit soon but still hasn't told my dad when," Alma said.

     "Do you think she's going to just show up without confirming and expect you to just go along with it anyway?" Nadia asked.

     "Who knows?" Alma replied as she heard her stop was announced. "I'll see you tomorrow."

     "Bye," Nadia said as Alma stood up and got off the train.

     She had her headphones on for the rest of the way home until she got back to the apartment and went to her room to put her bag down. She checked her phone to see if she got anything from her father but so far there was nothing so she tossed her phone onto the bed and put her hair in a ponytail as she looked out the window. Suddenly she was thinking about homecoming and she still thought about going. There were still days to decide and Liz asking her to help decorate kind of made her want to go to see what the decorations looked like during the dance. This would also be the first time she and Nadia would go to a school event since they spent every other one watching movies and eating snacks at Alma's place since they both agreed it was more fun over there.

     She picked up her phone and her thumb hovered over the keyboard as she looked at the unanswered texts she sent to her mother. She sighed as she tossed her phone back onto the bed and grabbed some clothes to change into. As soon as she finished changing, she went into the living room to look through the collection of movies for something to watch. The conversation with Nadia about her mom and still not knowing when she was supposed to visit put a damper on her mood and she hoped that watching a movie would take her mind off it. Fortunately, it did help but only until the movie was finished.

     She did plenty of things to keep herself occupied until she heard the lock click but she stayed in her position, lying on her back on the floor with her arms stretched out beside her and her legs leaning against the long edge of her bed. She heard footsteps in the hallway and looked towards the door as her father walked in with an awkward smile.

     "Hey, baby," he said as he walked over and Alma sighed as she looked at his upside-down face.

     "Hey, Papa," she replied.

     "One of those days?" he asked as he looked around her bedroom.

     Her laptop was still open and the screen had gone black and some books were piled beside the bed and her notebook was open on her desk.

     "Yep," Alma replied while nodding her head.

     "Okay, I don't wanna make this awkward but we need to talk," he said as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Your mom finally called and said she's coming on Tuesday."

     "I have school on Tuesday. And Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday. Why couldn't she come on a Saturday or Sunday?" Alma groaned and her father sighed empathetically.

     "I know, sweetheart, but it's the only day that works," he said.

     Alma scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "You mean the only day that works for her," she grumbled.

     "I know it hasn't been easy."

     "It wasn't easy but it was definitely better than having her here to constantly lecture me."

     "It's only for a day. And then after that if we have time, we can watch a movie," her father said and Alma sighed.

     "Did she at least say what we're doing?" she asked.

     "No but I just want you to try your best," her father said and she groaned.

     "Fine but I can't promise I won't be thinking it in my head the whole day," she replied and her father laughed as he stood up.

     "Fair enough," he said as he left her room to leave her alone with her thoughts.

     That was going to be an interesting conversation with Nadia.