During the last ten minutes of class, Mr. Edison always let students work on homework while he walked around and helped those who needed it. It was Algebra, so Marie zoomed right through the homework she was already familiar with before Mr. Edison finished teaching for the hour.

Instead, Marie pulled out her literature book and began reading, trying to do what Ms. Dickinson suggested and identify deeper symbolism in the story. She circled a paragraph going on and on about the white drapes in the character's living room. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it had to mean something if the author spent a whole paragraph on it.

A shadow fell across her desk. "Marie?"

She looked up to see Mr. Edison. "Oh, hello, sir. I finished the homework for this class. Is it okay if I do homework for my other class?"

Mr. Edison sat down next to her. "Can I see your finished homework?"

Marie pulled out her math homework and handed it to him. He skimmed through the page, his eyebrows raising higher and higher the farther he got through the page.

"Wow. This is remarkable." He glanced at her. "How'd you get through this so fast? It was a new concept."

Marie sighed, glancing at the spine of her math book. "I took algebra last year."

Mr. Edison looked confused. "Then why are you taking it again?"

Marie explained to him about her conflict with wanting to advance, but her art classes getting in the way. Mr. Edison frowned, but nodded.

"I'm annoyed because I might not be able to take calculus my senior year if I have to retake a math class already," Marie said.

Mr. Edison gave her a look she couldn't quite define. "I might have a way to help you."

He got up and disappeared in his office. A few moments later he came out with a book under his arm. "This class is too easy for you. And I want you to take calculus later. Learn as much as you can from this algebra 2 text book while I'm teaching algebra 1 here. Then I can answer any questions you have at the end of class during homework time. Would that be okay?"

Marie looked at the math book, excitement written on her face. "Really? Do you think this will work?"

"At the end of the semester, if you do well, I will vouch for your knowledge of algebra, and you can talk to Mr. Freud about going into geometry next semester. If you're not struggling too much, I could give you the algebra 2 tests when they're testing for it."

"Thank you," Marie said. "Thank you so much, sir!"

She probably thanked him more than twice. She cracked open the text book and began reading. Mr. Edison smiled and left to help another kid in her class.

***

Marie's first week of school compared to her second week was night and day different. She spent most of the first week frightened and wanting to get school over with. Now, with friends and a teacher in her favorite classes, she didn't feel as anxious in the morning. She had friends who liked being around her, even though they knew she was a charity case. They didn't bring it up again after she mentioned it, and it in no way hurt their friendship. It didn't matter to them she couldn't sing or dance. They still hadn't witnessed her horrible singing voice yet, but Abe was well aware of her dancing skill since they had dance class together. When they got together as friends, no one cared about each other's skills.

It was only a matter of time before they figured out how bad of a singer she was. Since the announcement of the freshman's test, there was a ton of singing. Not nearly as much as the first day of school, but still enough it made her uncomfortable. Every time she heard music in the halls, she panicked, thinking it would be her turn, but another day came and went with no singing.

On Friday, Sophie came to Marie's apartment for another sleepover.

"Come on in, Sophie," her dad said.

Sophie gave Marie's dad a high five. "Hey dad!"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not your biological father, Sophie."

"I spend so much time here you might as well be."

Marie gave her friend a hug.

"What's your big surprise?" Sophie asked as her dad moved back to the living room. The latest singing competition show was on the TV for background noise as he corrected homework on the coffee table.

"I've made friends!" Marie couldn't help but say.

Sophie seemed to flinch. "Cool! Should I be jealous?"

Marie could tell something was off. Were the students at her school giving her more grief? "Friends, Sophie. Not best friends."

Sophie gave a forced laugh. "Hey, I've got homework. Would it be okay if we went in your room so I can work on it?"

Marie gave her friend a look. Sophie, coming over to her house for a sleep over and wanting to do homework? What was going on?

"Yeah, sure."

Marie spread out on her bed as Sophie dropped her backpack by Marie's desk. She pulled out her laptop, and Marie tried hard not to be jealous of her friend who had her own laptop in high school. Sophie opened the thick laptop, gave an annoyed sigh, and started it up. While it was starting, she pulled out a thick textbook.

"Whatcha working on?" Marie asked.

"Stupid poetry class," Sophie answered with surprising vehemence.

"Oh."

Sophie double clicked on the keyboard mouse before rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "Tell me about these friends."

Marie began explaining her three friends to Sophie. She stopped typing to listen, though her hands were still posed over the keyboard.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "All boys?"

"Um, yeah." Marie glanced over at her friend. "Why?"

Sophie cocked her head to one side and the first hints of a smile crossed her lips. "Do they all fight for your attention?"

"What do you mean."

"I mean, three guys? All talking to you? Being your friend."

Marie sat up, resting on her elbows. "Get to the point."

The keyboard clacked away as Sophie turned back to her homework. "They all like you and want you to be their girlfriend."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Just cause they're guys who are hanging out with me, doesn't mean they all want to be my boyfriend."

"We're in high school. Of course that's what it means."

A prick of annoyance formed in Marie's gut. "No, they're not."

Sophie stopped typing. "Are any of them gay?"

"No! I mean, I don't think so. I don't know. That's not the point!"

Sophie clicked her tongue. "Marie, wake up. These boys have raging hormones inside them. You're in the middle of a love triangle. Wait, no, with three guys it adds another dimension." She tapped her chin. "Love tetrahedron."

Something tugged at her memory. She told her dad about her friends the night she met them, and he seemed to act weird. Now she realized her dad had the same thought but was more tactful about asking if one spent more time and attention on her than the others.

"You haven't been to my high school. These are where the brightest, most beautiful girls go to. Why would they be stuck on a charity case?" Marie asked.

"Suit yourself. But test it. Drop a word like 'relationship' or 'girlfriend' on them and see what they do." Sophie glanced to the side, picking at something between her teeth with her fingernail.

"One of my friends couldn't keep his eyes off a senior blonde TA when I first tried to introduce myself," Marie said. "Explain that!"

"Again, he's in high school. Once he realized how completely out of his league she is, he turned to you."

Marie felt the sting of her words. "Um. Ouch."

"Um, truth." Sophie turned back to her laptop.

Marie paused and gave her friend a scrutinizing look. She then got off the bed, used both hands to clap Sophie's laptop shut, then tossed it gently on the bed. Sophie gasped. "Hey!"

She stood in front of Sophie, hands on her hips. "Okay, what gives?"

"What?" Sophie tried to look innocent, but Marie wasn't buying it.

"You've insulted and demeaned me, which means something is bugging you. You know I hate when you do this. Come out and say what's wrong and stop insulting me."

Sophie about replied with what Marie assumed would be a snarky remark but stopped. Her anger softened, and Marie saw a hint of sadness in her features. "I'm sorry Marie. You're right." Sophie took a deep breath. "I overheard my parents talking about their work." She brought her legs to her chest and hugged her knees. "They caught me, and we had a huge fight."

Marie sat back on her bed, concerned. "About what?"

Sophie seemed to glare at her new laptop on Marie's bed. "Apparently the S.E.A. is more concerned with mathematicians and scientists than I originally thought. There's a rebel group getting out of hand, and now the S.E.A. is thinking all mathematicians and scientists will act rebelliously. My parents want to start cracking down on people who study what we do to make sure they're not going to be 'mad scientists'." Sophie rolled her eyes as she put 'mad scientists' in air quotes.

"Not all scientists are mad scientists!" Marie said.

"I know, but the S.E.A. doesn't care, because apparently the vast majority of us have already proven ourselves to be dangerous. Anyway, my parents caught me at the door." Sophie gave another lame smile. "My dad sat me down and told me enough was enough. I was in high school now and needed to consider my future. He told me to stop taking silly math classes and get serious about my studies or I'd be no better off than a hobo."

"What about my dad and I! We're way better off than hobos."

Sophie nodded. "That's what I said!"

"What did they say?" Marie asked.

She groaned and rubbed her temples. "I'd rather not repeat it. I yelled at them and said I'd rather live with you and your dad than in their mansion because at least here I could study the thing I loved." Sophie glared at the laptop. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you before. I kind of hate my parents right now. Can your dad seriously adopt me?"

Marie sighed. "If only." She put her head in her hands and stared at the floor. "Don't give up math. You've got way too much talent for it."

Sophie only sighed. "Being talented gives you a small chance at making a good future for yourself and being smart guarantees it. No, I've resigned to the fact I'll get a job creating cool props for shows and what not."

"There's nothing wrong with creating props," Marie sighed. "Who knows, maybe we'll get jobs together as prop designers."

Sophie smiled genuinely for the first time since she showed up. "Yes please! Though, by the time we get out of high school you'll already be married to one of your boyfriends."

Marie laughed as she picked up her pillow and chucked it at Sophie.

***

Sleep didn't come for Marie. Sophie was fast asleep on her cot next to Marie's bed. They had talked until two in the morning. It was now almost four. Marie's brain wouldn't shut off. She knew she should be concerned about the S.E.A. and what it meant for her favorite classes. Though she was afraid of what they could do, she felt helpless about it. It remained in the back of her mind, like an endangered poisonous spider she'd have to keep an eye on to make sure it didn't get closer. But the thing she couldn't stop thinking about was Sophie's revelation about her friends. She never had such mixed feelings as she did about this.

In sixth grade, Marie came to the conclusion she wouldn't be gorgeous. She gave herself a good look in the mirror and realized her frizzy hair, large forehead, thin lips, her bushy eyebrows she could never tame, were not what society deemed gorgeous. Everyone said she was beautiful in her own way, which was somehow worse. She was average looking, and it took her a while to decide there was nothing wrong with being average.

But then Sophie dropped this bomb on her. Was it possible her friends liked her in a relationship way? At first she resisted, but now, with the house quiet, it gave her time to think. It excited and scared her.

She turned over, sleep still far from her mind. The revelation was changing her perspective. She must be a notch above average if multiple boys liked her in hopes of making it a relationship. She heard all the time, especially from her dad, that she didn't need a boy to tell her she was beautiful to feel beautiful. Yet here she was, feeling beautiful because some guys might want to be with her.

Maybe it was as simple as the scientific method. She had a hypothesis. There was a chance she was beautiful. Running it through tests gave her data which agreed with her hypothesis. She was excited because the data she collected supported her hypothesis.

But did she want this? If she just wanted to be friends, would they all leave? Would she be friendless again? The thought of it filled her with dread. She didn't want to be alone again.

She resented Sophie's bluntness. Part of her wished Sophie let her live in her oblivious way. She curled up more in her bed, starting to miss her childhood where she could be friends with boys without worrying about hurting romantic feelings.