Dangling Conversations
- The next day at school, Joni tells Paul they have to talk, and pulls him into an empty classroom.
- An argument about Chuck ensues.
- Turns out Chuck once had a crush on Infinite Darlene, but she rejected him and he went nuts, trashing her locker and badmouthing her to the whole school.
- Joni, like 99.99% of teens who like lame people, doesn't want to hear how lame he is.
- After talking to Joni, Paul sees Noah standing next to his locker, which is not 264, but 263.
- Noah's playing it cool, so another awkward conversation ensues.
- Infinite Darlene comes running up and breaks the tension—that is, until she says to Noah that he must be the boy Paul likes, and he sure is cute.
- Paul is afraid Noah will dislike Infinite Darlene, but instead he tells her she's a pretty girl.
- Score one for Noah.
- Infinite Darlene doesn't stay silently impressed for long, though—she knows about Joni and Chuck, and she's ready to talk some sense into Joni in a big way.
- She walks away to do just that.
- Once she's gone, Noah asks Paul if he has a few hours after school to help him paint some music, because Noah is the kind of adorable boy who paints music.
- Paul, of course, says yes.