Neal was popular enough that blocking the hallway and yelling about it only earned him smiles and laughter, but Mandy, unused to such attention, wanted to escape as soon as possible.

“Uh, Neal, I gotta go to English-”

“Yeah, I know, I’m in your class!” Neal grinned at her and then, to Mandy’s complete and utter astonishment, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the staircase. “C’mon, let’s go!”

Mandy, too stunned to protest, let him hold her hand all the way to English class. He dropped it at the doorway and bounded inside without looking back. Mandy made her way to her seat and sat down shakily. What was going on? Why was Neal Rowan, of all people, suddenly…interested in her? To make the situation worse, Neal kept sneaking her cute looks during class, making Mandy so distracted that Mrs. Angelo asked if she needed to see the nurse.

When the bell finally rang, Mandy was grateful to head to lunch, but before she could do so, Neal caught up with her.