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‘Sorry. I know you are. What were you trying to say?’

‘I’ve always wanted a friend who was... uh... well, friendly. I mean, like, y’know... the opposite of me... Not that, uh, I didn’t want any other type of friend, but just. Really outgoing people... they always intimidate me, but...’

‘I see. So you’re thinking it’s too good to be true.’

‘Basically, yeah...’

Garovel shrugged. ‘Maybe it is. Maybe he’s secretly a total dick.’

‘What the...? This was your idea!’

‘Yeah, and it’s worth seeing through. But you still shouldn’t get your hopes up too much. Better to be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed.’

Hector had to nod at that as he started for his next class.

At the day’s end, it was time to pay a visit to the carpentry club once again. Strangely, he hadn’t been dreading it. He knew it would be terrible, but something about the necessity of it, the unavoidability, made it easy to just accept.

He entered the workroom to the sight of a dozen familiar faces and a handful of new ones. He heard the chatter dull as a few people noticed him. Lance Alexander approached him straight away.

“Please tell me you came to return the mask.”

“Sorry,” Hector said. “I lost it.”

“Geez. Well, could you at least tell that to Ms. Trent? She didn’t believe me when I told her you took it. She gave me detention.”

Hector nodded. “I’ll tell her.”

Lance eyed him. “I’m sure you won’t mind if I go with you.”

“Just... show me where she is.”

Lance led him into the back room where the club instructor sat at her desk, marking quiz papers. She looked up as they entered. “Hector?” she said. “What brings you here?”