The hallway at Northview High was a chaotic sea of denim and overpriced backpacks, but for Toby, the world narrowed down to exactly four metal lockers.
He was at locker 412. She was at 414.
Sophie Chen was a whirlwind of colorful enamel pins and the faint scent of green tea. She was also currently struggling to shove a giant, half-finished papier-mâché volcano into her top shelf.
"Need a hand, Soph?" Toby asked, trying to sound a lot cooler than a guy who had just dropped his graphing calculator.
"It’s structural integrity is... questionable," Sophie panted, her bangs sticking to her forehead. "If I push too hard, Pompeii is going to happen right here in the hallway."
Toby stepped in, his shoulder brushing hers for a fraction of a second. The contact sent a jolt through him that was definitely more powerful than any static electricity they’d studied in Physics. He braced the base of the volcano while she maneuvered the "lava" flaps.
"On three," he whispered. "One, two... lift."
With a metallic clunk, the volcano slid home. They both let out a breath they’d been holding.
"You’re a lifesaver, Toby," she said, leaning back against the lockers. She looked up at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "How can I repay my knight in shining... flannel?"
Toby felt his ears turn red. "Uh, you could let me borrow your Lit notes? I missed third period for the swim meet."
Sophie’s smile softened. She reached into her bag, pulled out a notebook covered in holographic stars, and flipped to the back page. She scribbled something quickly, tore it out, and handed it to him.
"Notes are inside," she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But that's for later."
Tabus watched her disappear into the crowd, her ponytail swinging. He looked down at the paper. It wasn't a list of Gatsby symbols. It was a hand-drawn map of the library's "quiet zone" with a small 'X' marking the back corner table.
Underneath, in messy, beautiful handwriting, it said:
4:00 PM. I’ll bring the green tea. You bring the calculator. I think we need to solve for 'X'.
Toby leaned his head against his locker and exhaled. He didn't know much about advanced trigonometry yet, but he was pretty sure the angle between locker 412 and 414 was finally narrowing to zero.
