2+1 part II

A lot of time had passed, about six months, actually. Not much had changed since September, except that she was becoming increasingly attached to certain acquaintances, perhaps even friends. She didn't like the word, or maybe she thought so. Whenever you have a lot of "friends," it always turns out that friends are either acquaintances or enemies... She

never considered the literal meaning of the term, or maybe she'd convinced herself that was...

One day, a cloud crept into her idyll, obscuring the ever-shining sun.

She'd never been able to suppress her problems, and when she did, she'd eventually explode, and usually the innocent suffered. That was the case here.

Her eternal peace at home was seriously disrupted by a certain tiny device called a "modem"—everyone knows what that means. She found out a little later, actually at the end of the summer, but now she was "overreacting" a bit, and she knew it. She'd be on chat rooms or on "gg," and then she'd exist unconsciously at school, and so it went. Her dad finally started interfering with her nightlife after a meeting. When he saw her grades, he got furious and basically forbade her from using the internet after 10 p.m. Hmm, well, it seemed normal, except for one problem: Her friends would get online around 9:30 p.m. At first, she complied with the terms of the agreement, but over time, she let it go. And this reflected in her grades, or academic achievements, whichever you prefer. A threat in Physics, you know what grade, meant, in her opinion, the end of the world. She'd never been a top student, but she wasn't just an average student either. And now, on top of that, she'd be grounded from everything: phone, internet, television, even music. She knew her dad was capable of this because her older sister had the same problem when they were in high school.

And Olek wasn't bothered at all; such problems were standard for him. Wera had similar problems and a different perspective on them. They were sick of school, they wanted time off, but it was still so long, less than a month, but for them it felt like an eternity...

Despite these many problems, something wonderful, mysterious, and at the same time familiar since the dawn of time, began to take place before her eyes. A bond of friendship, and even something more, began to form between Olaf and Weronika... They spent more and more time together, talking, laughing, and the looks and gestures spoke for themselves. He had always liked Weronika. She knew it, and besides, her friend wasn't the type to be unattractive with the opposite sex, quite the opposite. One overcast day, during a long break, the two of them were chatting as usual, leaning against the wall. When they called her, she approached them, intrigued by the mysteriousness in their voices.

"Kinga, we want to tell you something..." Weronika began.

"Nio?" she replied.

"We're a couple!" she finished.

This news took her completely by surprise, but she smiled. She knew they deserved happiness – both of them.

"That's wonderful!" she said.

Each of them had their own problems and past experiences. They weren't your typical three sixteen-year-olds. In fact, they were very different from each other, and that was what united them. Unfortunately, Kinga wasn't having it as well as the others in the "pack." Her mental breakdowns were becoming more frequent, her problems began to pile up, and she began to doubt everything she had ever believed in. Even people who knew her outside of school noticed this. Finally, her anger reached its peak – she exploded, starting to yell at Olek at school. She became angry at his texts and comments, which hadn't bothered her in the slightest before. And perhaps because he was taking his studies too lightly.

"Why are you so 'furious'!" he said, irritated.

"Because I might fail physics!" "And not only..." she stated.

"Not only you!" "Wera" chimed in.

"But it's the first time in my life

I've felt this way!" "Me too, and I don't take it out on everyone!" she stated, or rather shouted.

"I don't..." she began.

"Sure... why are you yelling like that? It's not our fault!" Olaf finished.

"You won't have such a hard time at home!" she defended herself.

They didn't say anything more, leaving her alone. A moment later, the bell rang, and she went to class, even though she didn't feel like it. During the lesson, they treated her like air. Actually, for the first time, they had an open argument, not a quarrel like before, and what about it? She couldn't forgive herself for exploding over such stupidity; she never reacted like that. Lately, she had often had new experiences, not necessarily positive ones. This was one of them.

"As usual, he ruins everything!" she thought dejectedly.

Little had sunk in during this lesson, or the next. Finally, she made a decision. She wouldn't argue over something so trivial and would apologize. It was always hard for her to admit her mistake, and she wasn't the only one who struggled with it. During the break, she approached them and said,

"I'm sorry, I don't want to argue right before the weekend... I shouldn't have reacted like that...

" "I'm sorry too. Let's forget about it, okay?

" "And about what?" she said, smiling, and they embraced in agreement. "Olek, I'm sorry too...

" "No problem," he replied.

In the afternoon, they went to the lake near the school, her favorite place, although she couldn't wait to see it in the spring... by the way, Weronika and Olaf walked her to the bus stop and waved as she got on the bus. She saw them holding hands as they walked away.

She returned home truly happy, for the first time in a long time. She wasn't worried about school, she was simply happy, and she knew she would overcome all her problems. And when, in the evening, doubts about herself and her level of knowledge overtook her, someone she could count on in every situation recently appeared again. It was like her Guardian Angel on Earth...