School started again and Justin heard from Emily even less. She was still working at the ice cream shop in the evenings and on weekends.
When he saw her in the hallway, she looked extra worn out. She didn't even bothering to wear makeup anymore to hide it so he made sure to keep leaving snacks in her locker with encouraging notes.
Finding himself with very little to do, Justin enrolled in computer classes at the local community college in the evenings. His parents were unsure about it at first but he told them it would look good on his resume when it was time to actually go to college so they eventually agreed. He already knew a lot of what was being taught but having extra projects to do was helpful in distracting him.
One day, he went to the ice cream shop when Emily was supposed to be working and was surprised to find someone else working the counter. Was Emily sick?
