Penelope woke up to her alarm clock ringing loudly. It seemed even noisier than usual. Her eyes were bleary and her head was pounding. 

She had only gotten four hours of sleep. As of yesterday, she and Odysseus finally started dating and she had been too excited to sleep. They stayed up on FaceTime until 1:30 AM, when Polites had walked in and started grilling Odysseus, much to Penelope’s amusement. 

She looked over to her desk chair to see Odysseus’s red hoodie draped over it. He gave it to her yesterday afternoon and as of that moment, she had no plans to give it back. It was warm, oversized, and it smelled like him.

Pulling herself out of bed, Penelope got excited for the day. She actually hadn’t been this excited about school in a hot moment, but knowing that she was going there to see, well, her boyfriend, it gave her a whole new perspective. 

On that note, she really shouldn’t have been surprised, but guess whose car pulled up in her driveway?

“Hey, Pen. You ready to go?”

Wow, he was hot. It was warmer that day, 70 degrees out, so he had on a black short-sleeved shirt and dear gods, his arms, she never knew she’d be attracted to arms but dear gods-

Penelope grinned and got into the car. “You didn’t tell me you were picking me up.”

“Surprise,” Odysseus smiled. “I just wanted to see you and honestly, I couldn’t wait until you got to school.”

She leaned over the center console for a quick kiss. “That’s sweet.”

“So I had a few things I wanted to ask you about. First of all, do you want to come over tonight? We’re having mostaccioli.”

“I’ll text my parents and ask, but yeah, I’d love to. Mostaccioli is the best. So your parents will be there?” Penelope asked nervously.

“Yeah, if that’s okay. Polites, Ctimene, and Eurylochus will also be there, it’s our Thursday night dinner tradition. We all get together, eat some type of Mediterranean cuisine, and play Trivial Pursuit for three hours. Last month Polites made shawarma and it was bomb.”

Penelope smiled. “I love that. In my family, we all have such wildly different schedules that I really only see Iphthime at school and I think the last time all four of us was together was for my grandma’s birthday brunch.”

“Yikes. Speaking of birthdays, Halloween is coming up.”

“How is that a segue? What is the connection between my grandma’s birthday and Halloween?” Penelope asked, confused.

“They’re both holidays, I guess. Anyway, Circe’s throwing a party and the entire junior and senior classes are invited. Do you want to go? If not, we can just stay in and watch movies and eat candy and shit too.”

It was still early, October didn’t start for another week. But Spooky Season was a huge moment at their school and the first weekend of October was reserved for the big senior Halloween party. Penelope remembered Helen telling her about it last year, but Penelope hadn’t gone. She and Iphthime stayed in and watched all of the Disney Channel Halloween specials.

“Yeah, we should totally go. Is it a costume party?”

“Yeah, it is. How do you feel about a couple’s costume?” 

Penelope smiled. “That sounds fun, let’s do it. Do you have any ideas?”

“Not yet, no. I wanted to bring it up to you first. I figured we’d talk about it and then reconvene after a brief recess.”

“A brief recess? What do you mean, a brief recess?”

“Once we get to school, we don’t have class together until lunch. It’s the worst.”

“Oh! Speaking of lunch, do we want to tell our friends? Is that like, a thing we’re okay with?”

“I like that we’re a ‘we’ now,” Odysseus said softly. “Anyway, I’m completely okay with telling them. I almost accidentally told Ctimene this morning when I was talking about dinner. But if you don’t want to, we can keep it lowkey. Or if you want to wait until you tell your parents, I’m okay with that too. We can take it slow.”

Penelope inspected Odysseus’s face. His eyes were a dark blue, kind of like the ocean on a cloudy day. He had really long, dark eyelashes, meant to make any girl jealous. His hair swooped in front of eyes and Pen pushed it back. “You’re pretty.”

“And like, I don’t mind telling them,” she continued. “I think they’ve basically been the ones waiting for us anyway. Maybe we just give it a day or two?”

“Okay.” Forehead kiss. “We can do that.”

After the short ride to school, Odysseus got out of the minivan and walked around the side to open the door for Penelope like the gentleman he was. Penelope turned around to face him and smiled up at him.

“You’re wearing my hoodie,” he stated. “It looks good on you.”

“I like it. It smells good.”

Odysseus kissed Penelope’s cheek. “Okay so I would totally love for us to just hang out in my car all day, but we gotta go in now. I’ll drop you off at your first class.”

Penelope wasn’t exactly sure what she expected from being in a relationship. She went about her morning classes like usual, but there was a new feeling. Something small, but something special. It was nice knowing she had someone to have. Odysseus, just the mere thought of him, brought a smile to her face. And maybe it was just the fact that he was new and exciting, but something about him… he was good.

At lunch, Penelope easily found her table. Wow, her table. Having a friend group again was weird.

She sat next to Odysseus, scooting her chair ever so slightly closer. He smiled at her and nudged her ankle with his.

“Oh guys, Pen’s coming to dinner tonight.” Odysseus mentioned nonchalantly.

“Pen’s coming to dinner?!” Ctimene yelled excitedly. “This is the best news of my life. Pen, you’re gonna have so much fun. And Mom’s mostaccioli is so great, it’ll be awesome. Plus, Trivial Pursuit will be so much better.”

“Ctimene, chill.” Polites rolled his eyes.

“No, I won’t. Do you not see the potential? Penelope knows things. She could actually finally beat Eurylochus! His undefeated streak might be over.”

Polites’s eyes glinted. “No way, you’re right. So fucking help me if Eurylochus wins one more time, I might actually lose it.”

“What is all this hate for?” Eurylochus protested. “I’m sorry I know stuff?”

Odysseus chuckled. He looked over at a confused Penelope. “Eurylochus has won the past three Thursdays. If he wins tonight, it’ll be a full month of him winning. Also, we have this rule that if you win, you’re out of the drawing pool to cook next week. But when Eurylochus cooks, he makes falafel and it’s so great, but we haven’t had it in almost two months.”

“Ctimene’s getting a little crazy about it,” Polites elaborated, “even though he’s literally their boyfriend and she can go over to his house whenever and he’ll totally make it for her.”

“It’s not the same though!”

Her brothers rolled their eyes. “It’s totally the same.”

“Anyway,” Ctimene continued, “I remember when I brought Eurylochus to the first family dinner. I had Odysseus and Polites cover for me, saying they were just inviting a friend over because I was so nervous.”

Penelope shot Odysseus an anxious look. She had three major problems right now. First of all, she hadn’t been nervous about dinner when he brought it up this morning but now that Ctimene mentioned it, she was kind of freaking out. Secondly, would Odysseus’s parents like her? What if they didn’t? What would happen? Would she and Odysseus have to break up? She hoped not; she did really like him. 

And finally, did Ctimene think they were dating? Well, she wouldn’t be wrong, they were dating, but Pen had wanted to wait a tiny bit to tell them.

Odysseus reached over under the table and squeezed Penelope’s hand. “It’ll be fun.”

“What should I wear?”

“What you’re wearing now works,” Odysseus replied.

Penelope ignored him and looked over at Ctimene. “He says that about everything, what should I actually wear?”

“What you’re wearing now, for real. It’s totally casual. The hoodie’s cute too, I like the oversized look. Where did you get it?”

“Uh…” Penelope was at a loss for words. “Someone gave it to me, I’m not sure.”

Ctimene nodded. “Odysseus, where did you get that hoodie?”

“Amazon,” he replied without batting an eye.

After school, Odysseus and Penelope met by his minivan. “Okay so we have some time to kill before dinner. My mom doesn’t get home until 3:45 and she doesn’t want anyone home because she says we just get in the way while she’s cooking. Which is fair, but she’s the one who chose to have three of us so maybe she brought this on herself.”

Penelope laughed. Her grandma had so many children and grandchildren and had always complained about the same thing. “What do you want to do?”

“We could go get coffee or something, just the two of us. Or we could just sit in my car.”

“And do what?”

“Well…” Odysseus shot Pen a look. “I mean, we always could…”

“I’m not making out with you in your car, Odysseus,” Penelope joked. “The center console will bruise my ribs.”

“My ribs can get bruised, I don’t mind.”

Penelope rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re sweet. But also, we should have at least some decorum. What if someone sees us? Then we’re screwed.”

“Pen,” Odysseus said, taking her hands in his. “I don’t really care who sees us. I just like you and being with you.”

She looked down at her feet, her face flushed. Damn it, Odysseus. If he kept this up, she might just have to marry him, who knew?

“Let’s go get coffee. And some pastries, I could really go for a croissant.”

So there it was. They went on their first official date. Of course, Pen didn’t call it that. They were just hanging out, killing time. And maybe it was just the excitement of being in a new relationship, but it was the most fun Penelope had in a while. It was a nice little thing they had going and it felt kind of like a new verse in a song of romance. 

It was good.

--

You know that one meme that’s like “If I had a nickel for every time this happened, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice, right?”

Well, if Penelope had a nickel for every time she called Helen at the crack of dawn for fashion advice that week, she would have had two nickels. Which wasn’t a lot, but it was weird that it had happened twice.

Helen answered the FaceTime, toothbrush sticking out of her mouth and hair in a messy bun. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know what to wear,” Penelope complained.

“Damn, two days in a row? That’s strange. You don’t usually have a problem coming up with cute outfits, what’s going on?”

Penelope sighed. “I don’t know, I just feel like nothing in my closet looks good enough.”

“Well, why do you need to look nice? Just throw on a sweater and leggings and call it a day,” Helen shrugged.

“No, but like- I just… ugh, I just want to look good today. I can’t explain why.”

“Is there maybe someone you want to impress?” Helen asked in a suggestive tone, wiggling her eyebrows and altogether being completely unsubtle. 

“Helen, that was by far the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Okay, whatever. Point is, why do you want to dress nice?”

“I just like dressing up!” Penelope responded defensively.

Penelope could practically feel the skepticism through the phone. She knew that there was a more specific answer, but if she hadn’t even admitted it to herself yet, she wasn’t ready to tell Helen.

“Pen, I think we both know that there’s a reason you want to dress up. But if you don’t want to say it, I won’t push you,” Helen said, resigned.

Penelope’s inner voice poked at her. C’mon, Penelope, we all know why you want to dress up. It’s ‘cause you think he’s- OKAY maybe it was time to stop thinking.

“Thank you,” Penelope said. “But seriously, what am I supposed to wear?”

“What about a dress? Don’t you have that cute one with the flowers that I got you for your birthday?” Helen asked, putting her toothbrush away.

Penelope perked up. “Yeah, that white one! Gods, I forgot how much I like it. I’ll wear that and then pair it with like, my high-tops or something. Thanks, Hel.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “Okay, I thought we agreed that nickname actually sucks.”

“Yeah, fair enough. Thanks for the help, we’ll talk later,” Penelope promised.

“Let me know how it goes with Odysseus!”

Before Penelope could respond, Helen ended the call. She rolled her eyes. Helen had a tendency to do that, to make an abrupt comment and then run away from the conversation before she had to explain.

After Penelope got ready, she grabbed the gas money Odysseus had given her and shoved it in her pocket, planning to give it back to him. She was still walking to school for the time being, but she didn’t mind. It gave her a chance to clear her head before the busy day began.

Once her hair was braided, her lunch was packed, and her papers were sorted, she started out the door but stopped when she saw a black minivan in her driveway. That’s… not my car. 

She stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out whose it could possibly be. Her father, Icarius, had left early that morning. Her mother, Periboea, had already dropped Iphthime off at school for band, then went to work. So who could it be?

The window rolled down and she saw a frustratingly cute face smile at her. “Good morning!”

Penelope couldn’t believe her eyes. Why exactly was Odysseus Ithaca in her driveway at 7:45 in the morning?

“Good morning? Why are you here?”

“Wow, straight to the point,” Odysseus grinned. “I figured you wouldn’t take my gas money, and since you wouldn’t take it, you wouldn’t have a car full of gas to drive. So here I am, with a car full of gas, offering my Ubering services to my chemistry partner, free of charge, of course.”

Penelope opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but Odysseus cut her off. “I brought us coffee, hop in.”

To stunned to speak, Penelope put her stuff in the backseat and sat up front with Odysseus. “I have… so many questions.”

“Ask away,” Odysseus said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“First of all, you drove to pick me up? Don’t you literally live in the opposite direction?”

“Eh, it was only like five minutes out of my way,” Odysseus shrugged. “Not that bad.”

“Okay… second, where are your siblings?” Penelope asked, noting that it was only them in the minivan.

“Ctimene’s boyfriend, Eurylochus, picks her up every morning. Polites walks to school every morning, even in the rain, like a weirdo. He says it’s good for his immune system or some shit like that. And they’re both in band, with your sister too. Iphthime, right?”

“I- yeah,” Penelope replied.

“Drink your coffee, the ice is going to melt. What’s your next question?”

“You brought me coffee.”

“That’s not a question,” he laughed. “But yeah, I did.”

“Why?”

Odysseus set down his coffee and put the car in drive, presumably so he didn’t have to make eye contact with Penelope as he answered her. “I just did. I don’t know, I wanted to be nice. And like, you gave me that iced coffee yesterday, so I figured I would return the favor.”

Penelope stared at him. She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. He remembered her favorite flavor of coffee. “Okay, final question.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“How did you know what time I was leaving?”

Odysseus grinned. “See, that one I’m actually pretty proud of. Math and deductive reasoning. You get to school at about the same time every day, 8:00 AM, 15 minutes before school starts. And then, since you refused to accept the gas money, you’d be walking to school. I looked it up on Google Maps, how long it takes to walk from your house to school, and that said fifteen minutes. Boom, math.”

Penelope studied his face for a few moments before taking a breath. “Thank you.” Kind of stalker-ish, she noted internally, but for some reason she didn’t really care.

“You’re very welcome. Your dress looks really nice, by the way. I like the flowers. Red’s my favorite color.”

That brought a wide smile to Penelope’s face. “Thanks! Helen helped me pick it out.”

“Oh yeah, Helen’s your cousin, right? She just graduated?”

“Yeah, last June. She moved to Canada, but we still talk a lot. She’s my favorite person ever,” Penelope smiled at the memories. Helen was a wonderful older cousin— at the very least, she certainly spiced up family reunions.

“That’s chill, it’s good to have someone like that.”

Penelope wasn’t exactly sure how to keep the conversation going after that, so she didn’t. The car was silent for a little bit until Odysseus piped up. “Hey, we still have some time to kill before we like, actually have to be to school. Are you up for a gas station run?”

Under any other circumstances, Penelope would have said no. She had a routine and she hated sudden changes. But it was Odysseus. She found herself nodding as she said “Sure, why the heck not?”

“Fuck yeah!” Odysseus said excitedly. “Oh shit, are you okay with cursing? I noticed you don’t really curse, like at all, and if it makes you uncomfortable, I can stop.”

Penelope giggled. Ugh, she hated that word. Giggled. It made her sound like a nine-year-old. “Yeah, I don’t care. It’s not even like I try to avoid cursing, it’s just a thing that happens. I just don’t curse.”

Odysseus nodded in understanding as he pulled into the Speedway parking lot. “Okay, let’s go.”

They walked in and Odysseus made a beeline for the back of the store, where the energy drinks were. Penelope perused the snacks, trying to find a good breakfast food. (Spoiler alert: she found nothing.) She settled on grabbing a Snickers bar for later and some Bugles.

Penelope went to check out, using a crumpled five dollar bill she had found on the sidewalk out front to pay. Odysseus walked to meet her at the register, handing her a small plastic rectangle. “Here, use my Speedy Rewards card. I get points that way.

“Also,” he added, sticking a hand into his pocket, “take my keys and start the car. I have to grab some things real quick, but I’ll be right there.”

Penelope stared at him, speechless. He just gave her his keys? Nevertheless, Penelope checked out, thanked the cashier, and went to go start the car.

When Odysseus walked out, he was holding something that appeared to be double-bagged. What could he have possibly gotten at the gas station that needed to be double-bagged? Penelope wondered.

“Do you want to tell me what you’re carrying?” Penelope asked curiously.

Odysseus grinned. “Don’t worry about it.” 

It was strange, but it was like all of Penelope’s anxiety disappeared when she was with Odysseus. They continued a back-and-forth conversation until they got to the school, neither of them missing a beat.

When they arrived, Penelope got her stuff out of the car and walked over to the other side to finish talking to Odysseus. “Oh, by the way,” she said, reaching into her pocket and grabbing the $10 he had left in her car the night before. “This is for you.”

“Oh my gods, Penelope. I’m not taking the money back.”

“Look, you drove me to school today, it’s only fair. Now we’re even, I don’t need the $10,” Penelope argued, shoving it into his hand.

Odysseus took the $10 and slipped it back into Penelope’s pocket. Oh gods, they were really close, weren’t they? Penelope could feel the slight touch of his hand on her hip; she could smell the coffee on his breath. They locked eyes. Penelope couldn’t find it in herself to look away.

“You’re taking it,” Odysseus said, his voice low. “Deal with it.”

Dear gods, Penelope didn’t know what to do. She felt like she was going to spontaneously combust. There was something in the way Odysseus talked to her, in his voice, that made her feel weak in the knees. She sighed, out of both exasperation and… she wasn’t quite sure what that other emotion was. Lust? Yearning? Just having a crush on someone? Who knows.

Odysseus cleared his throat and stepped back. “Anyways, now that I’ve won the gas-money-debate, let’s go to class. You have AmLit first hour, right? I’ll walk with you, I have class right across the hall.”

Penelope nodded, semi on autopilot. She wasn’t completely sure what was going on. All she knew was that Odysseus was being really nice and she was… kinda into it? Okay, not kinda. Really into it.

When they got to the classroom, he hid his hands in his pocket like he was trying to refrain from doing something. “Okay, so… I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Lunch?”

“Yeah, you’re sitting with us, right?” Odysseus asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Penelope replied. “See you in a bit.”

She watched Odysseus walk down the hall, a frown forming on her face. His class wasn’t across the hallway, it was at the other end of that school. That liar.

Penelope walked into her first hour, distracted by the thought of her new lunch table. She was honestly really excited, because she hadn’t had a fun place to sit for lunch since Helen graduated. She was an introvert, so Helen and all of her extroverted friends had basically adopted her.

It wasn’t that Penelope didn’t have friends or that she didn’t talk to people, she just didn’t have many close friends. Her circle of friends consisted of Helen, Iphthime, and… Odysseus? Maybe? She wasn’t sure if he counted as a close friend.

Eventually, the day rolled around to lunch and Penelope mentally prepared herself to talk to people. She had met Ctimene a few times, when she hung out with Iphthime. Obviously, she knew Eurylochus, he was her vice president. Polites was the only person at that table Penelope had never interacted with. And then there was Odysseus.

Every time Penelope had thought of Odysseus in the last twenty-four hours, her hands started shaking, her insides twisted, and she started playing with her hair. When she pictured sitting across from him at lunch and getting to talk to him again, she got this funny feeling that she couldn’t explain.

Penelope retrieved her lunchbox out of her locker and made her way to the cafeteria. She scanned the room for any sight of Odysseus. He had worn a purple hoodie that day, so he shouldn’t have been too hard to find.

Across the room, Odysseus waved at her. “Penelope! Hey, I got you a chair, come sit.”

Penelope walked over to the table, seeing that the empty chair Odysseus had saved for her was in between Odysseus and Ctimene. The table was round, just like most tables on campus. 

“Hey, how’s your day going?” Penelope asked him.

“Good,” he smiled. “And I have my mom’s homemade cookies in my lunch today, so extra good now. Oh, that reminds me-”

Odysseus pulled a bottle of cold coffee out of his backpack. “This is for you.”

“I- thank you. That’s really sweet of you.”

“Of course.”

Ctimene, on Penelope’s left, asked, “Hey, Penelope, where’s Iphthime?”

“I think she has late lunch.”

“Oh, duh, I should have known that.”

Odysseus, Eurylochus, and Polites started a huge discussion about the plays in the soccer match last night and how apparently, the defense should have fouled out? Penelope wasn’t sure. However, she was focused on something else. She slipped the $10 bill back into Odysseus’s lunchbox, along with a pink Post-It note. There was no way she’d let Odysseus win.

“Well, maybe the refs for this weekend’s match will be better,” Polites suggested.

“Oh!” Ctimene exclaimed. “This weekend! Penelope, do you have plans?”

“Uh, not as far as I know. Why?”

“Saturday, we’re all going out to the fall festival and to grab some dinner, you should come with. And actually, bring Iphthime. We’re going to go to Olive Tree, that pizzeria on Main Street, and we get a better deal by ordering for six people than ordering for four.”

“Wait, what about Perimedes and Elpenor?” Eurylochus asked.

Ctimene waved him off. “I talked to them already. They basically plan on getting wasted and making out under some bleachers somewhere.”

“Wait, what?!” Odysseus sputtered.

“Oh my gods, get with the program, dude. They’re dating. I thought we all knew this?”

“So I was right!” Odysseus looked over at Penelope, a triumphant grin on his face. “This is great, I was right.”

“I never said you weren’t,” Penelope laughed, “But good for you.”

“Anyway,” Ctimene continued, “do you want to come? We’d love to have you there.”

It sounded like Ctimene muttered something else under her breath, something that sounded suspiciously like “some of us more than others,” but Penelope brushed it aside. 

“Sure, I’d love to! Can you text me the details, like the time and location and stuff?”

“Yeah, what’s your number? Odysseus, what’s Penelope’s number?”

Odysseus rattled off some digits as Ctimene typed them into her phone. Penelope stared at the both of them. “How-?”

Odysseus’s face went hilariously red. Ctimene jumped in to answer. “Odysseus is really good at remembering random things. He knows everyone’s number, address, model of car. It’s wild.”

Eurylochus shot her a look. “Yeah, but he forgot my birthday last year.”

Polites elbowed him as Odysseus rushed to defend himself. “I did not forget it, I just forgot to tell you happy birthday.”

“Yeah, yeah. They’re the same thing, dipshit.”

Penelope smiled at the banter, but turned the focus of the conversation back to their weekend plans. “So Olive Tree first, then go walk around and do things?”

“Yeah,” Odysseus replied eagerly. “Athena, our family friend, owns Olive Tree, and she loves it when we pop in. I think you’ll like her.”

At the start of the year, Penelope had been so worried about whether or not she was going to have a group to spend her senior year with, but since Odysseus had invited her to their lunch table and everyone welcomed her with open arms, she felt a lot less alone.

--

hope you liked it!

Odysseus Ithaca was smart. He was. At least, that’s what his mother, Anticlea Ithaca, always told him. So if he was so smart, why was he two weeks into AP Chemistry and already failing? 

It wasn’t the teacher, Mr. Poseidon was fine for the most part. He could be a little gruff at times and you never really knew what side of him you would get on any given day, but that didn’t ruin the class. 

It wasn’t the homework. The homework was doable. Right now, they were really just reviewing everything they learned in Intro to Chemistry last year. 

So why was Odysseus failing?

Well, in his not-so-humble opinion, it couldn’t be explained with a specific reason. It could have been multiple things. He chalked it up to a case of senioritis, maybe with a side of just not liking Chemistry as much as Physics. After all, could you really pinpoint a reason why one of the school’s smartest students, who was in the running to become valedictorian, was failing his-

Yes. You could. Penelope Sparta.

Penelope Sparta was the coolest girl in school. And not like one of the stereotypical popular girls, who was snobbish and had a superiority complex. No, Penelope was the epitome of a girls’ girl (and she was also so nice to everyone, and she was really awesome and smart and kind and funny—). She would tell you if there was something stuck in your teeth, she would loan you her sweater because “It looks better on you!”. She was president of Student Council, yearbook co-editor, school tour guide for new students, and interestingly enough, one of the only other students in the running for valedictorian. Odysseus didn’t know how she could get any more perfect which naturally meant her very presence distracted him.

In the chemistry lab, everyone sat at tables instead of desks. There were roughly three people to a table, and at Odysseus’s table sat Odysseus, his adopted brother Polites, and Penelope. Odysseus and Penelope sat opposite each other, with Polites awkwardly in the middle.

During class, Penelope was an academic machine. She was taking notes, asking and answering questions, and basically ensuring her top spot in the class. She was in her comfort zone, not to mention she looked beautiful while doing it. Odysseus loved her eyes. And her hair. And her nose. There was just something about her face that drew him in, that captivated him-

“Odysseus, are you listening?”

Mr. Poseidon’s voice shook Odysseus out of his trance.“What? Yep, totally listening. Carbon, barium, yeah.”

“No, Mr. Ithaca,” Poseidon sighed. “We were talking about the project we’ll be starting next week. In the future, pay attention. I think you’ll find it to be useful.”

He walked around handing out the rubrics for the project. “You will pick your partners by next class. Groups of two are recommended, but because we have an odd number of people in this section, there may be one group of three.”

Odysseus looked over to Polites, who shifted awkwardly in his seat. Odysseus tilted his head, not sure why his brother was acting weirdly.

Poseidon talked about the project for a few more minutes about the importance of group work and with that, the bell rang, releasing the students to their next class. Walking alongside his brother, Polites sheepishly began to explain. 

“Okay so here’s the thing. It’s not that I don’t want to work with you. It’s just that… Perimedes and Elpenor asked me at like, the beginning of class. Also, you’ve been kind of zonked out in class lately?”

“Well, that doesn’t mean I-”

“Look, think of it this way-”

“Who else am I supposed to work with? Eurylochus? He’s obviously partnered with Ctimene. And you heard Mr. Poseidon, absolutely no single work,” Odysseus tried to protest.

“Okay, hot take. Maybe, just maybe, you partner with Penelope.” Polites threw his arms up.

“Penelope?! Are you insane? That requires actually talking to her.” Odysseus groaned. “I barely manage to sit next to her!”

“I’m trying to be your wing-man here, man. Just try. Or, think of it like this. She’s the reason your grade is dropping now, so maybe she can be the reason it goes back up,” Polites joked.

Odysseus rolled his eyes. But maybe Polites had a point? Who knew, maybe it was just delusion.

Later that day, when the final bell rang to go home, Penelope approached Odysseus at his locker. 

“Odysseus, hey!”

“Oh, Penelope! Hey!” Odysseus replied, a little too excited to see her. He shoved his hands in his pockets so she wouldn’t see him sweating. Then he took them out after belatedly realizing he still needed to grab his stuff.

“So about the AP Chem project… I kind of need a partner. I normally wouldn’t want one, but Mr. Poseidon made it obvious that we had to have one,” Penelope rambled. “And you know, you’re smart and stuff. I really want a good grade on this project and I think you might be my best shot. I know you usually partner with your brother on things like this, but just in case you didn’t already, I-”

“Yes.” Odysseus interrupted. “Sure, we can be partners.” On the outside, his face was the epitome of calm. On the inside—

Holy shit, Penelope Sparta just asked me to be her partner! This cannot be real life, am I dreaming?

“Okay cool!” Penelope grinned. “We can finalize more details tomorrow, but my house is only like, five minutes away from the school, so we could walk there after. It’s supposed to be a really nice day tomorrow, if that works for you.”

“Of course! That sounds good!” Odysseus stopped himself and took a breath. “We can meet by the senior lockers after seventh hour.”

“Great, I’ll give you my number.” Penelope rummaged through her bag, looking for a piece of paper. “Okay, I found a marker, but I can’t find paper.”

“Oh, I think I have-”

“Screw it, just give me your hand.” Penelope reached for his hand and scribbled her number on it. “Is that legible? Yeah, it should work.”

Odysseus was at a loss for words. “Uh, alright? I’ll see you after seventh period.”

“Alright, see you then,” Penelope nodded and dashed off to her next class. (It was AP World Literature, as Odysseus had figured out the first day of school.)

Odysseus smiled to himself at the potential of the next few days. Maybe Polites was right, maybe he did have a shot with Penelope.

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