Lyn-ding A Hand

                                    

                                          
Chapter Twenty-One | Lyn-ding A Hand
The summer came and went and, before he knew it, Parker was a sophomore in high school as a thirteen year old boy. 
The fallout with Selina had almost no affect on the overall friend group except for Spencer, who decided to stay with the friend group despite his twin sister's pouting. Spencer said that his sister was just trying to be nosey and that while she did have a massive crush on Parker, he knew because she wouldn't shut up about it, it was only part of her motivation to ask Parker to be her boyfriend. 
Her curiosity got the better of her and it divided some of the friends for a short time while their versions of the event circulated. 
Regardless, summer made for some great movie nights for the group of childhood friends and all of them managed to find time to see Parker virtually. There were large gaps of time where Parker wouldn't hear from anyone, but that was okay. 
The incident with Selina made Parker feel a bit more reserved and protective of himself, specifically about his condition. More time was dedicated to writing and studying late in the evenings because of it. The fallout initially left a bit of a hole in Parker's chest, but it was something Parker felt himself getting over quickly. 
Selina always had a flare for the dramatic and now was no exception. 
Parker also knew that the frustration of people not knowing about his condition and keeping it a secret would take its toll on him. It made him feel lonely and guarded, which combined during the new school year as Parker being a lot more quiet than he was in his previous grades. 
Some of his friends did ask why he was reluctant and if he felt comfortable with sharing more, but Parker quickly shut all of it down and retracted into himself. 
That is... until it came time to partner up in one of his English literature classes. 
Parker had hoped that he might be left to his own devices and write a story on his own, but there was an even number of students in the class which dashed his hopes. Parker sighed and leaned back in his chair. If he knew the general pattern, he would be writing the entire story alone along with the report and someone else would get a piece of the grade he earned. 
As his teacher read off the names of his fellow classmates, Parker heard his name called along with the name of a girl he had become acquainted with last year because of her writing. They had actually been at the same middle school as well and even shared a few classes now that Parker thought about it. They had never officially met, but that didn't stop him from knowing her name. 
Lyndsie Sullivan. 
She was a bit of a quiet, pensive girl, but her poetry was absolutely flawless. It reflected a spunky, upbeat kind of girl who was mature far beyond her years. Parker didn't need to be an adult to tell that Lyndsie was well spoken and knew exactly what she wanted and was willing to wait or do whatever was necessary to have it. 
She also had a subtle boldness about her. During a few instances where one of the other students was being picked on, it was Lyndsie who helped come to that student's aid. There was a subtle intimidation that loomed behind her bright green eyes, and she knew it. 
So, when Parker heard his name paired with hers, Parker felt a mild sense of unease settle over him. There was something about her that, when they had class discussion together, that made Parker feel like Lyndsie could see right through the camera. 
Still, this was just for class. He wasn't going to talk to her outside of class. They were meant to talk for assignments and that was all. 
Lyndsie came over to her new desk in front of Parker's camera that was set up in class and smiled politely as she organized all of her books and notes on the desk.