Long- Distance Friendship

The wind howled outside, making me lose my focus once again, as I sat at my desk, contemplating the question on the test.
“Two more minutes,” the teacher announced at her desk.
I looked up at the clock wondering why time had to be so cruel and go by so fast.
I scribbled a bullshit answer to the open ended question and turned the paper in just as the bell rang.
“Have a good day!” the teacher exclaimed on my way out the door. The instant I left the classroom I was met with a crowd of bustling teenagers hurrying to their next class.
“Jodie!” someone hollered from behind me.
I turned around just as someone ran straight into me, knocking the books in my hand to the floor. The person sidestepped me as I kneeled down to pick up all my scattered belongings, which were being stepped on by everyone that passed by.
“Stupid idiot,” I muttered as I tried to retrieve my homework without someone stepping on my hand.
“Jodie!” someone hollered again, but much nearer to me now. I kept my head down, giving up on retrieving my math homework and just stuffed the other stuff in my backpack. “Hey, you! Don’t you dare moved,” the person said sternly. I looked to my left and saw Taylor, who was towering over a freshman. The freshman had stopped in his tracks and was right behind the paper. Taylor bent down and picked up my now dirty homework. “Okay, now move along. You’re creating traffic,” he said to the kid. The freshman scurried away, and Taylor went up to me and held out his hand for me. “Got everything?”
I sighed and accepted his hand. “I think so.”
“Okay, then let’s go.” Taylor started ahead of me, with my math homework in his hand, taking long strides and narrowly missing students that were in his way.
“Hey! Where are you going?” I shouted after him.
“I thought that we could use a little ice cream,” he responded over his shoulder. He shoved open the front door of the school and held it open for me from the outside.
“I can’t cut, Taylor. I have calculus next and I don’t want to miss it,” I said from the doorway.
“Not even this once?” he asked as the wind ruffled his dark, overgrown hair.
I shook my head apologetically and he walked back inside the building, letting the door slam behind him.
“It’s too cold to go anyway,” he reasoned as he slung his arm across my shoulders.
“And calculus is more important,” I added.
“Only if you’re planning on going to a prestigious college, Miss Brown University,” Taylor said, looking down at me with his warm brown eyes.
“Quit calling me that,” I said, shoving him away from me.
“Just promise me that you’ll visit me every holiday that you get, no matter what. And that I can visit you at college any time I want.” Taylor said, looking directly into my eyes with a stern expression on his face.
“I’ve already said ‘yes’ a billion times,” I answered exasperatedly, “Do you not believe me?”
“I just don’t want you to forget,” he said truthfully.
I hugged him to me with my right arm, and he turned to face me to give me a proper, full hug.
“Do you feel better now?” I asked into his chest. “Now that we’ve re-established the terms of our long-distance friendship?”
The bell rang then, signaling that the next class was starting.
“No. I won’t be able to visit you at Brown if they don't accept you because you missed calculus. Get moving to class, missy!” He pulled away from me, turned me in the right direction of calculus, and pushed me away. “And have fun!”
I scurried away, hoping that the teacher won’t mind that I’m late.
“Wait! You forgot your homework!”
I silently cursed and ran toward him as he met me halfway. He held it out for me and I accepted it before turning back around.
“Can we do ice cream after school then?” he asked.
I turned around to face him and walked backwards. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he had a hopeful expression on his face. “Sounds perfect.” I flashed him a smile, and before he could return it, I spun around and went into the calculus classroom.