"Yo Adam!" called Tommy.
"Yeah, what's up?" asked Adam.
"Don't worry about helping me; I'll handle it."
"Handle what?"
"The 'thing' between Kari and me."
"Oh. Are you two…"
"No. Not yet. I'll just handle it from now on," concluded Tommy.
"All right."
Wednesday evening, Approximately 6:30 P.M.
"Hello, is Kari there?" asked Tommy.
"This is she," replied Kari.
"Oh, what's up Kari?"
"Nothing."
The two were silent for ten seconds.
"Well, guess what Adam told me."
"What?"
"He told me Tuesday, when you were gone, that he talked to you Monday about something, but he wouldn't tell me what. So, I called you to ask you."
"Oh. *Laughs* You'll have to ask him."
"You're telling me that I can't get any info out of you either?"
"Well… He asked me if I would go out with you."
"What! He came straight out and asked you like that?"
"No. You know he had to beat around the bush, but that's what he asked."
"And what did you say?"
"At first, I thought he was playing, but he started to look serious. I didn't give him a reason; then I started to tell him that I was gay to get him off my back."
"Oh."
"Tommy?"
"What?"
"I've got to go. My grandma wants to use the phone."
"I'll call tomorrow."
"All right. Bye."
"Bye," said Tommy as he hung up the phone.
_Gosh!_ thought Tommy. _I never expected that kind of response._
Tommy grabbed a piece of paper and began to write a few questions he would ask Kari tomorrow.
Thursday evening, Approximately 7:50 P.M.
"Hello, is Kari there?" asked Tommy.
"Yes, she is. Who's calling?" asked the voice.
"This is Tommy."
"Tommy, this is her grandmother. I'm on the phone right now. Could you call back later?"
"Yes, I can. Bye."
"Bye."
*Click*
Thursday evening, Approximately 8:05 P.M.
"Hello, is Kari there?" asked Tommy.
"Yes, she is," answered the voice. Someone calling Kari's name could be heard in the background.
"Yes?"
"What's up Kari?"
"Oh, hey Tommy."
"What have you been doing so far?"
"Nothing."
"Well back to what…"
"Tommy?"
"What?"
"My grandma needs to use the phone."
"Oh."
"Call me some other time."
"Ok, bye."
"Bye."
*Click*
Anger, frustration, and hate began to occupy Tommy's mind.
_So, she's trying to avoid me then.
_How could she try to play me for a fool? Doesn't she know I'm too smart for that?
_Her grandma needed to use the phone. Ha! What better lie to say. If she needed to use the phone so bad, she would have told me that when she picked up the phone._
Tommy put his cordless phone down. He put on his fleece and knit cap and went outside for a walk.
Tommy walked to a nearby playground and sat on a swing, contemplating about many things. One particular thought caught Tommy's attention.
_Hmm. That's it. No wonder she acted peculiar on the phone. She was just leading me on. She only recognized me for my skills to use towards her purpose.
_I wonder. Are all of my friendships like this? Almost all of my friends didn't know me until they heard about how smart I was. Maybe they're using me too. Pretending that they're my friends but secretly using me for my skills and athletics. Well, they've got another thing coming tomorrow.
_But I necessarily can't say that all of my friends are like that.
_Four particularly stand out for some reason. Aisha and Melinda have both sought my help physically through martial arts, so they can be excluded.
_The other two are Adam and Rocky. For some reason, they don't meet the required quota to be placed with the 'hate' group. Maybe it's because of our mutual friendship, one helps the other out and vice versa. Adam did try to help me out with Kari, and Rocky has been a great friend. So, I'll excuse Adam and Rocky and probably Aisha and Melinda too. As for Billy, he's always been a great friend.
_Well, I know that things will be different tomorrow. I won't be the friendly, understanding Tommy anymore but the cold-hearted, anti-social Tommy from now on. Everyone will experience my wrath (excluding the four) especially Maya. She better not talk to me anytime soon, or I'll have to cold-heartedly ignore her and feel no remorse. They've done it now. Almost nothing anyone can do will make me change._ thought Tommy.
He arose from the swing and began to walk home, thinking of the many atrocious things he could do the next day.
After a couple of calls to caring friends, Tommy changed his initial plan. He decided to not be anti-social. He half-heartedly decided against being cold-hearted towards Kari. Adam advised Tommy to talk to Kari about their conflict before Tommy did anything rash. Tommy decided to talk to Kari about their problem.
"Kari, I need to talk to you in private," said Tommy.
Tommy and Kari walked to an isolated corner.
"Kari, why do you think Adam asked you about 'me and you'?"
"I don't know. Ask him," said Kari in an exasperated tone of voice.
"All right," said Tommy as he left Kari to herself.
_Oh well. Kari's a lost cause_ thought Tommy as he walked to his usual sitting place at lunch.
Tommy eyed his friend Kim and began to talk to her.
_Maybe things will work out with us. At least, I know she has some decent sense._