Through the point of view of Beatrix
The day goes by quickly and I'm grateful. The classes aren't particularly hard, so the day is mostly a breeze.
When lunch time rolls around, I meet up with Anthony and we have lunch in the library.
"Are you nervous for the test?" He asks as I take a bite of the sandwich on my plate. I chew a little bit, and answer when my mouth is empty.
"Nervous, no. A little anxious? Maybe." I say to him, my forking stabbing into a small strawberry on my plate.
He watches as I pop the fruit into my mouth and begin to chew slowly.
"You have nothing to be anxious or nervous about B, we've been studying so hard this week. Probably harder than anyone in that class." Anthony points out to me, and I nod my head in agreement at his words.
"I knowww," I let out a childish whine, face palming at my overbearing anxiousness.
He's right, if anyone really studied for this quiz, it was me and Anthony.
I just need to calm down and not be so anxious all the time.
The bell rings to signal the end of the lunch period, and I let Anthony walk me to my class like usual.
"Hope you're ready to lose that bet." He chides playfully when we stop at the door.
My eyebrow raises at his bravado, and I have to resist the smile fighting to pull at my lips.
"And I hope you are ready to eat those words." I lean against the door gently as I engage in his stupidity.
"Honestly, I can't wait to see what you'll be cooking for me tomorrow." My head tilts as I say the words teasingly, and Anthony's eyes widen at my newfound bravado.
"Not a chance, B. I don't like to lose, and that makes me very competitive guy." His words are just as friendly and teasing as mine, but there's something in his tone that makes my stomach do a flip.
"I guess we'll see then," I state, opening the room door.
Anthony walks back slowly, and I watch as he opens his mouth to do the most embarrassing thing he could possibly think of.
"Later B!" He cups his mouth, yelling my nickname as he runs down the hallway.
My eyes widen at his sudden outburst and a couple people's heads turn to me. I practically run into the classroom to take my seat; and I don't think I had ever prayed harder for a class to start in my entire 21 years of living.
After an hour of working on my mug the bell rings out, dismissing the class. Slowly, I put my tools away, gather my things and head off to my next and final class.
When I get there, I'm one of the first people in class. I sit down and take my earliness as an opportunity to brush up on my notes for the quiz. I'm reading quietly when I hear the door open with a creak.
The sound of students and loud conversation begins to fill the room and the bell rings soon after.
Anthony plops down in the seat next to me, and I straighten up in my chair. The teacher comes in after a few minutes and tells us to clear everything off of our desks.
"And every phone must be away and off. If I see or hear anything, you're getting 6 points deducted off your test score." Mr. Grimm says as he places a paper in front of every desk.
I take out a pencil and clear everything off my desk as instructed.
"You may begin. If you finish early, you leave early. Good luck." With those words spoken I start to work on my test.
It goes pretty well for me. Everything I had studied by myself, and with Anthony was apart of the test material.
I circle the answer to a question and move onto the next.
This one is multiple choice, and it stumps me for a couple minutes while I contemplate on what best answer would be.
After a couple more seconds, I have my answer and circle it.
The test after that question is mostly a breeze and almost all of the answers come to me quickly. When I get to an open-ended question at the end of the test, I ensure that my answer is thorough and written with care.
Beside me, Anthony gets up to hand his work to the teacher. He comes back and starts putting his backpack on as I'm finishing up the final sentence in my answer.
"Good luck, B." He whispers, looking at me briefly before he gets up and leaves the classroom.
I sign my name at the top and hand it in to the professor. He takes it with a thank you and tells me I am allowed to leave early. After that, I gather up my things into my backpack and leave the class.
Out in the hallway, I look to my left and see Anthony hanging on some lockers before he spots me. I zip my backpack up as he jogs over, his curls bouncing with every step.
"How do you think you did?" He asks as we begin to walk down the hallway. I shrug my shoulders, but my expression and attitude are hopeful.
"I don't think I did too bad." I admit to him, holding my hands together as we pass the cafeteria. Anthony takes note of my optimism with a smile, and acknowledgement in the form of a head nod.
"That's good! I'm sure you did well on the test .. just not better than me." Anthony jokes, and I playfully bump him with my shoulder.
We continue to talk while walking down the hallway until we stop at my dorm, and I start turning the knob before I hear Anthony say something.
"I'll see you tomorrow-" My body turns as he talks, my lips pressing together in a thankful smile as I stare at the boy in front of me.
"Thank you, Anthony." I speak, cutting him off. He's surprised at my random outburst of gratitude but still lets me finish.
I clear my throat before speaking again.
"For .. being my friend. I um .. I haven't had a friend in a long time. So .. thank you." Anthony's eyes soften my words, and I watch as he breaks out into a wide smile. He leans against the door before responding to me.
"Thank you for letting me be your friend, Beatrix. I don't think I've enjoyed myself so much with someone in a while." Anthony laughs at the last part, but I feel my face slightly warm at his choice of words.
"Of course." I reply, opening the door to my dorm and stepping through.
When I'm on the other side of the door, I'm about to close it before I see Anthony's solemn expression.
He appears conflicted .. like he wants to tell me something.
I look at him, expectant to hear what he wants to say, but still nervous at what it could be.
"See you tomorrow B." Is all says before he turns to leave.
I'm forced to watch his back from the view of my door as he walks down the hallway.