"Collin!" Berry hissed under his breath and leaned into the isle between their desks.

Collin shot a glance at the teacher who seemed absorbed in the computer screen on her desk for the moment. He reached over and snatched the note Berry held out to him. Both boys sat straight again and Collin unfolded the crumpled paper and smoothed it flat on his desk. His cheeks flushed and he broke out in a sweat.

Emma is asking if she could have your number. (I think she wants to be your girlfriend)

Collin looked across the room at Emma who appeared busy drawing with a colorful-looking Pokémon pen. His heart pounded in his throat. He dried his palms on his jeans and tried to look casual by shrugging his shoulders as he mouthed 'ok' back to Berry. 

Berry grinned devilishly and murmured 'ooh' loud enough to cause the students around him to turn but low enough to go undetected by the teacher who now stood lecturing the class on exponents. 

Collin tried to focus on class while out of the corner of his eye he saw Berry write out his cell number on a small shred of paper. He wondered what else Berry wrote because there were definitely words in addition to numbers. Then Berry reached diagonally up the aisle to Greta who appeared to be intently focused on the teacher. Without turning her head, she dropped her hand to her side at precisely the right moment to accept Berry's return correspondence. 

Collin was holding his breath waiting to see if Greta would read the note and pass it on to Emma when he was called on.

"And what would it be to the third power, Collin?"

Collin's head snapped forward and he sat up straight. "What?" he asked.

The teacher tilted her head to one side and repeated the question. "What would four to the third power be?"

Collin flushed again and fidgeted in his seat. He stared at the ceiling counting and managed to produce the correct answer. The teacher moved on.

He looked across the room but Emma and Greta were both raising their hands for the next question. He felt his cell phone in his pocket vibrate. Slowly he pulled it out and held it between his thigh and the wall, making sure the teacher was engaged on the other side of the classroom.

Hi.

                       Hi.

This is Emma.

                       This is Collin.

I know, silly. Berry gave me your number.

Collin bit his lip, the redness returning to his cheeks. He had blown it.

Want to go with me?

Now Collin was perspiring in earnest. His fingers shook as he typed his reply.

                          K.

The teacher's voice yanked him back to reality. "And as a reminder, any phones used during class will be confiscated until the end of the school day in the Principal's office."

Collin hastily shoved his phone back into his pocket and stared straight ahead for the remainder of  the class. He ignored Berry's attempts to get his attention including his low whistles, heavy breathing, and kissing noises.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell rang. Collin avoided any chance of eye contact or worse, a face to face encounter, with Emma and shot out the door. Berry followed hot on his heels asking question after question.

"Where will you go on a date?" 

"I don't know," said Collin. "Maybe we could go get boba tea after school."

"Ooh," sang Berry. "You know what boba means in Chinese don't you!"