Seesaw Game

2 months, 61 days, 1,464 hours, and god knows how many minutes before it was the end of high school. Impatient feet began tapping against the tiles of the floor as only four more minutes were left before school let out. Mrs.Roberts, the Algebra 2, began to write on the board on tutoring to help final scores, but Abby wasn’t worried. She wasn’t the smartest, but she did maintain good grades, but this year she tried her hardest to get into their local university. It had great programs for her perferred major and she wasn’t going to be alone either because her best friend had applied as well.

The bell rings and the screeching of chairs and desks being pushed echoes throughout the small classroom. The hallways are just as crowded as Abby holds her books to her chest, fighting her way through the bodies of those bigger than her. Huffing, she spotted Joey and grabbed his shirt tugging it hard enough to get his attention. “My mom just texted me and told me that I got letters in the mail. I’m just so nervous, what if I don’t get in or you don’t? You know I wouldn’t go without you?” She leaned against the locker next to his as another person bumped into her, almost knocking her down. It’s natural to not see short people when they’re in a rush, but’s still common curtesy to apologize afterwards.

Waiting boredly for class to let out, a boy aimlessly flipped a pencil around between his fingers - a quiet sigh passing through his lips as he did so. He had a hand pressed against his cheek as he leaned forward in his seat, his soft brown gaze fixating themselves through lowered lids on said pencil, despite his thoughts being elsewhere. Graduation was just around the corner, and he’d managed to apply to a few colleges. One college, however, was one that a friend of his was wishing to attend, and she wanted him to go with her. Of course, he’d previously had no issues with the thought of that... Until he’d received another college offer. Joey was now stuck between deciding which school he’d ultimately attend, and he didn’t want to let Abby down if he were to choose a different university. What would he do? How could he go about bringing this up?

After the familiar sound of the school bell rang throughout the halls, Joey abruptly, yet subconsciously, stopped flipping his pencil - holding it within his grasp for a few moments. He almost hadn’t even heard the bell since he was so deep in thought - a random classmate had to tap his shoulder to bring him back to the world. Sighing once more, he placed his pencil against his desk’s wooden surface, and proceeded to pack his things. Once he’d made his way through the halls and to his locker, he blinked and turned as he felt something tug on his shirt. It was Abby. He was beginning to smile at her in amusement, but it turned into an awkward one as soon as college was mentioned. "Oh, haha," he’d laugh as he turned and managed to look busy while stuffing a textbook into his locker and taking out another in exchange, "Really? That’s good. I wouldn’t worry too much though, I’m sure you got accepted. You’re a smart girl." Joey wasn’t the best at offering reassurance, but he didn’t want Abby to feel too paranoid.

“Yeah, yeah. You mean we are smart enough to get accepted,” Abby smiled brightly at him and began swinging her arms. Her and Joey went way back, they were neighbors since middle school and kinda clicked due to their love of anime. The feelings between them were strictly platonic, regardless that she herself once had a small crush on him during junior year but she valued their friendship as is it more than to risk her. “Are we walking home today or did you want to catch the bus?”

A small chuckle discharged itself from Joey’s chest at Abby’s words. "Yeah, right, I mean just that." He replied jokingly as he stepped back to shut his locker. He needed a moment to contemplate her question. He placed his gaze on the ceiling in thought, reaching a hand back to rub the back of his neck as he did so. "Hmm, I think I’d rather take the bus," he answered as he looked back at Abby, allowing a sheepish grin to dominate his facial features through closed eyes, "Walking is too much of a hassle for me."

“I bet breathing is too much for you too,” She giggled and looped arms with him before walking towards the doors that led to the buses. Once she climbed aboard, she took the seat closest to the window and pulled him aside so no one else would try to sit with her. In all honestly, she was ready to leave public school. Very often she would get picked on because of her height or get very inappropriate comments made towards her. The only guy she ever felt truly comfortable with was Joey, and she wondered if he felt that way towards her too. “You know that if you’re caught up with everything you don’t have to show up for the remaining classes. If you’re done, this means we can have sleepovers and rewatch a lot of anime.”

Joey shook his head and waved off what she was saying with a motion, looking forward while holding his head a bit high. "No, no, not all of the time..." He spoke matter of factly, before offering her a playful side eye. "Just sometimes." After taking a seat on the bus, Joey removed his backpack and placed it on his lap, listening to Abby as he briefly opened up his phone. Joey noticed the physical contact that Abby gave him frequently, but he often didn’t pay much mind to it due to carelessness. They’d been friends for so long, he found himself having a hard time viewing her as a woman - and by "as a woman", he mean’t someone he could potentially go out with. He knew that the two would receive looks sometimes, and fellow classmates had even asked at some point if the two were together, but it’s not the case. A few times, he’d even request to kill the amount of contact in public, as it would embarrass him. Overall, Abby had kind of been similar to a sister to him, if anything. He did find comfort in her presence, though, and often caught himself slipping and getting a little too comfortable, thus the reason for the casted presumed dating looks and asked questions. "Hm, really? Well, that’s good to know. I think I’m just about done, then." He replied while clicking his phone off, allowing himself to stretch a bit. "Sounds good, but what anime would you like to rewatch, Little Miss Picky? Choosing anime to watch with you can be real bothersome sometimes." He teased.

Abby pouted and crossed her arms in a childish manner. It was very true that she was hard to deal with when it came to watching shows or doing anything due to her limited attention span. “Why do you always try and come at me like this, I thought we were best friends and here you are coming at my neck,” She grumbled before pinching his cheeks. “You better start treating me with respect or else I’m not going to support you whenever we graduate college and you don’t have a job and I’m thriving.” Abby let go of his cheeks right as the bus stopped at their spot, she grabbed her stuff and began shuffling through the narrow walkway. Only then did she feel a strong yank coming at the back of her skull, she stumbled before holding on the chair. Loud laughter echoed through the bus as she pulled her hair back from a smirking girl who wanted to see if her hair was ‘real’. Abby then hurried and got off the bus as tears began brim around her eyes. She hated crying, especially over immature acts like this, and this was another reason why she was ready to graduate. It meant a new start and she’d never have to worry about stuff like this again. Quickly wiping her eyes, she flashed a smile at Joey, “Well I’m done. I got my papers today from the guidance counselor, that’s why I asked if you wanted to sleep over.”