Chapter 32: Interpret

"Were your parents there?" He asks when I come back out. He's returned to his usual smug swagger while I was in my house, I can see. I'm still feeling a little heavy from the conversation- and I also have questions.

He didn't finish his sentence, before he asked what I would accept daily, and now I'm curious as to what he was going to say. He didn't- what? He wanted me to be able to- what? And why was it so important to him to pay me? Because he's grateful that I stayed at his house on Saturday, when he was in what his mom called a 'not-the-best mood'? Or is he really concerned that my parents will be mad at me? In which case, why would he care so much? Does he actually like me, like Raymond suggested, or does he want something from me and doesn't want me blaming him for my parent's anger?

He doesn't show any signs of even having the conversation, much less the fact that he addressed something he doesn't seem to usually address. "Do you have your homework? Wouldn't want to ruin your perfect record and have to come up with another cover story again."

I roll my eyes at him. "Yes, I have my homework. And if I forgot it, that would be on me, not you, so I wouldn't let you cover for me."

He hums a little as I get into the car, putting my backpack at my feet. He reverses out of my driveway and turns onto the road to the school. "I do have really good cover stories, though. I think Dr. Love favours you even more than before."

"None of the teachers favour me. They just appreciate that I do my homework and study."

"I'll bet that even if you were late turning in your homework assignments, none of the teachers would dock you marks, because you're 'usually such a good student'."

"I'm not testing that theory."

He flashes me a toothy smirk. "So you concede?"

"No, I'm just not willing to hang the fate of my 'perfect record', as you call it, on your assumption."

"You're not willing to bet your perfect record on your perfect record?"

I roll my eyes. "I'm not willing to bet my perfect record on anything but my own hard work."

"Very self-sufficient of you," he comments as he pulls up in front of the school. Already, people are whispering as they see me in his passenger seat. I try to shrink down, but it's too late. I look at him, and he's smirking, as usual.

"Don't worry. If you look less guilty, then it won't be as big of a deal."

"What if the teachers hear that I came to school with you? They'll think I did something- I don't know, that they'd think you'd do!"

"What do they think I do?"

"Who knows! Nobody knows anything about you!"

"You do."

"I'm not going to just start telling everyone. That'd be rude to you, and no one would even believe me."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't worry. I'll make sure none of the teachers think that you joined a gang or graffitied a building over the weekend."

I blink at him. "Really?"

He opens his car door and gets out. "I covered for your tardy with Dr. Love, didn't I? Now come on. And stop looking so sheepish. Tip: stop thinking about what the teachers will think, and focus on what the students will think."

I get out of the car as well, confused. "Why? What will the students think?"

He settles an arm around my shoulder and leans in a little as we walk towards the school. "That you're not the teacher's pet anymore."

He's right. Nobody's ignoring me, or giving me scathing looks as we pass. Everyone seems a lot more surprised than annoyed at my existence. A few people even look awed that I'm coming to school with the school's eccentric millionaire.

"See? Being associated with me isn't all bad."

"Hey, I'm not upset about it. I just don't want teachers to think that I'm letting you cheat off of me. That doesn't look good for either of us."

"I know, I'm kidding. I know how my record looks, especially compared to yours."

"I'm not ashamed to be seen with you. And I'm really glad that we're friends. That you find me interesting. I just-"

"Todd, I know. I'm not offended. Stop worrying."

I still feel rude. And I don't want him to think that I don't think he's a great person, I'm just worried about what the teachers will think, because they don't know him. I lean into him a little, and he squeezes my shoulder. It's reassuring.

We get to English together, with his arm still wrapped around my shoulder. I say good morning to Mr. Hawkes, who looks stupefied as he looks at us (maybe because we seem like very unlikely friends?). I take my usual seat, and Noah sits next to me.

Class starts, and Mr. Hawkes (still looking kind of stunned) goes over the weekend homework assignment. He doesn't have us hand it in, but instead introduces the next assignment: to do the same type of analysis with another Shakespeare poem. Everyone will choose their own, and nobody can have the same one. We'll have the class time to choose a poem and tell him which one we're doing, and start on the analysis if we have time. It's due tomorrow, so slightly less detail than the weekend assignment is acceptable.

As soon as he returns to his desk, everyone starts talking. Noah turns to me, smirking a little.

"So, have you already finished this assignment? Did you do it while Mr. Hawkes was still talking?"

I roll my eyes. "No, I was taking notes while he was talking. But I am thinking that I might do one of the Fair Youth Sonnets."

"Which one? Aren't there like, 126?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind doing Sonnet 18, since it's so well-known. I could mention the modern-day themes and contemporary ideas related to it."

He's grinning. "You should talk to Mr. Hawkes pretty quickly, then. Most people in this class are lazy and won't want to put too much effort into choosing a poem, and since Sonnet 18 is so common..."

"Good point." I stand up and go to Mr. Hawkes desk. Unsurprisingly, I'm the first person (the lesson basically just ended. Most people are talking about their weekend, still).

"Todd, have you chosen your poem?"

"Yes. I'd like to do Sonnet 18?"

"A good choice." He marks it down on his list. "One of the most commonly known. I'm sure you'll do it justice."

"Would I be allowed to mention the present-day interpretations?"

He smiles. "Of course. I'd put that in your written piece."

"Thank you." I go back to my seat to find Noah on his phone.

"I'm assuming you got it?"

"Yup. What are you thinking?"

"I'm basically considering all the poems I've done for Jackie. Ooh, or I could do that one that she gave me for next week..."

"Which one is that?"

"Also a Fair Youth Sonnet, incidentally. Um..." he flicks through his phone. "Sonnet 73."

"Going to ask Mr. Hawkes now, then?"

"I mean, if I've chosen, I might as well." He stands up and goes to his desk, causing a few surprised faces. I watch as he talks to Mr. Hawkes, who looks about as shocked as the rest of the class that Noah's the second person to choose his poem. Then, he comes back, giving me a smirk, and sits back down. "Well, that's done."

"I'll bet we could finish in class."

"I'll bet I can finish before you."

"Oh, you're on."

He grins and pulls his phone back out, rapidly typing. I flip to a blank page in my notes and search up the poem on my laptop to copy down. I annotate it while I'm copying it, not finding it very difficult because I kind of mentally annotate every poem I read anyways. Then for the written section, which Mr. Hawkes said only had to be a few sentences, due to the due date.

This poem is a love poem written for an unidentified 'Fair Youth' that Shakespeare wrote Sonnets 1-126 about. Sonnet 18 compares the youth to a summer's day, saying that the youth is superior for many reasons. While summer can be windy, cloudy, and too hot, the youth is mild, agreeable, and forever beautiful. The rhyming couplet concluding the sonnet declares that as long as man lives and sees, the youth's beauty will live forever in Shakespeare's poetry. As Shakespeare's work is widely known, specifically Sonnet 18, the fair youth has indeed been immortalized by Shakespeare's poetry.

"Done!"

He scowls. "I'm one sentence away. It's Mario Kart all over again."

I grin. "Guess you'll have to wait to get back at me, this time."

He smirks. "I'll remember."

Dedicated to @cornonthecobby for all the support! Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments :)

What do you think of people seeing Todd with the millionaire? The students' reactions? How about Mr. Hawkes's reaction? Todd and the millionaire racing to finish their assignment? Let me know!

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