Part Eleven

Mom called me about two seconds after the bell rang.

“Are you doing anything today?” she asked.

I sighed. “The bell just rang. You’re lucky you didn’t call a few seconds earlier. I forgot to turn the ringer off.”

“Well, are you?”

 “No Mom. I’m coming right home. I thought I was supposed to call you.”

My mom was quiet for a moment. Then, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Be home quickly!”

“Okay, bye.”

I hung up before she said anything else.

Out front, Tristin caught up to me through the mounds of fussy students. I was trapped in a pseudo-worried bubble of the same sort as all day yesterday and today.

“Yeah, I’m fine. No, I won’t have lasting damage.”

“Break it up, people!” Tristin shouted. “Don’t you have busses to catch or something? Let the man have his peace already!”

His tactics worked; he freed me.

I joked, “You’re my savior, come to rescue me from the clutches of the Popularity Dragon. How can I ever thank you, Sir Knight?”

Tristin laughed. “Another fight with me should pull you out of debt.”

I laughed back and we made plans to meet in the field after we finished our homework.

(I didn’t tell Mom exactly what we were going to do.)