“Sam!” I shout as I shoot up from the bed. My eyes dart all over the small bleak nurse’s office. Two unused cots lay empty next to mine. We are partially hidden from the rest of the room by a blue curtain. I slide off the bed and peek around the side of the divider. The usual short and stout nurse is nowhere to be found. The smell of cough drops and stale coffee is hard on the air. The spiny chair is vacant like the cots. The entire room was devoid of all human life, but the computer screen showing every student’s name in the school is left on. It is against school policy to leave those files open. I was around when Mr. Langston was lectured on it last year and was eventually fired because of it. The nurse is someone who I’d expect to follow policy. It’s strange. The only reason I could see her leaving it open is if aliens beamed her up. I look around quickly one last time before bolting for the open door, suddenly getting that sickly feeling simply from being alone.
I walk into highest traffic hallway in all of Sea Coast, but to my surprise, not a soul is lingering around the bathrooms or avoiding going back to class. I turn my head just enough to see if someone is behind me, but the long linoleum hall that echoed my footsteps is occupied by one and only one. A light flickers and makes a zapping sound overhead, causing me to jump and start to run. I know something is wrong. Something feels wrong. Cold sweat begins to drip down my neck. I run down the hall checking every door with a window. Books, binders, pens, pencils coat the desks, but their owners are gone. My chest starts to tighten and my hands start to shake as I ran faster and faster towards the front door. A loud, repetitive, metallic clang reverberates through the halls. It’s the bell. Its something I’ve never heard in an empty school. In a minute the quad should be flooded with kids. I brace my wrists to take the impact of the door I’m running full speed at.
I burst through the door, with another loud clang, out onto the grassy square of land. Brick buildings circle me like a shield, usually providing a safe, familiar place, quiet in the autumn sun. But it’s different. The buildings are taller, leaning down over me, all wearing an imposing look. The small grassy trek seems to grow and distort the world so far, yet the buildings leaning in too close. The sun is high in the sky. The empty quad is devoid of shadows. I’m suddenly aware of my panicked breathing as I try desperately to find a single life form.
Then I blinked and four slender bodies are walking toward me. I feel a wave of relief wash over me. I rush toward the figures assuming I will know at least one of them. As they approached I realize they are four boys, all of them the exact same height. It is as if four copies of the same person are walking toward me. My run slows to a jog to a walk and finally to a halt. Once again feeling uneasy. As they approach it becomes clear that they bare little resemblance beyond their height. The one furthest to the left is angry looking with shaggy black hair that almost covers both strikingly ice blue eyes. I notice the black cord strung around his neck. The silver ring looped through the cord belonged to his father. His name is Ace. Next to him stands maybe his complete opposite. A golden headed boy with sparkling green eyes. He displays a mouth full of glimmering white teeth. Under his arm he coddles a soccer ball that he is rarely seen without. His name is Cole. Next to him is a boy with dark hair like Ace’s, but cut shorter more like Cole’s. His eyes are blue like Ace’s, but they are filled with mischief. What makes him stand out is the large spiraling and twisting tattoo that covers his shoulder and slightly dips down his arm. I’d recognize the pattern anywhere. His name is Azurick. The very last boy to my left has greenish eyes like Cole’s, but are less exotic, more comforting. His light brown hair is cut shortest and fluffed up a bit more giving him a distinct look from the other three. His face is serious and bored. The scar that cuts across his chest peeks out from the collar of his shirt. His name is Jack.
None of them looked at the other. Because only I see all four. Because all four live in different worlds located only in my mind. Ace is a gang leader, drug-addicted maniac/sweetheart. Cole is a popular, soccer star, jackass. Azurick is a powerful, mischievous witch in training. Jack is a high-ranking dragon rider who hides his emotions. They are boys I’ve dreamt up. Boys that populate my stories and my mind, but here they are, standing in front of me, living breathing hallucinations.
I grip my head as they come to a stop in front of me. I know them. They look like they know me. I can’t help, but move backward. Seeing them, so real I could touch them, it’s too much. My ankle twists under me as I back away. I hit the ground hard, all four boys lurching forward to grab me. They collide in a bright light. I close my eyes. A smooth cool hand grasps mine and pulls me up from my seated position. I squint into the light trying to see the face the hand belongs to.
“Sam…” I gasp. Sam’s serious face is surrounded in the blinding white light. He nods and his face starts to shake like an old TV screen going in and out of channel. His serious face is replaced with Cole’s smile for half a second. Then Azurick’s mischievous eyes clear into view only to be replaced a moment later by Jack’s scowl. But the scowl dissipates when Ace’s icy eyes and angry grimace take its place. Their stay is cut short when it comes full circle and Sam’s face again fills its correct place. He is all of them. He is everything. I clutch my chest, just noticing air had stopped flowing in and out of my lungs. I inhale sharply causing hot air to thrust itself into my throat and lungs. I choke forgetting how to work everything in my body. Black creeps in around the edges and again I am falling. This time I didn’t feel the impact.
“Should we call someone?”
“No. Shh! Look! She’s waking up!” voices buzzed above me. I struggle to keep my eyes open. Everything is foggy like I’m underwater.
“Circe!” Cricket’s voice makes the water drain away as I shoot up in bed searching for her. She rushes into the nurse’s office grasping at my hand as she cuddles in as close to my cot as she can. Jacob stares at me with wide eyes like I may explode at any minute. The nurse I had been searching for in my dream is standing at the end of the cot I had been laying in. I whip my head around, everything is just the way I had seen it. Just this time there were people. Panic rises in my throat and the cold sweat is back.
“Is this real?!” I scream jumping away from the cot. I rush toward the door, but Cricket’s hand holds me back.
“Circe calm down it’s ok!” her voice is strained and shaky.
“You need to lay back down!” the nurse yells walking quickly after me.
“No!” I try to rip Cricket’s fingers from my wrist as I pull my body weight away from hers to escape the nurse. “Cricket is this a dream? Cricket I saw them all! They are outside! It’s Sam!” I try desperately to explain to her.
“This is real Circe! You are awake, it’s ok!” she gives me one last tug and I give in. I put my hand on my head feeling for who knows what.
“What time is it?” I look back and forth between the three horrified people.
“Just past eleven dear,” the nurse squeaks nervously. Her round, thick glasses always make her eyes as big as dinner plates, but they look even bigger than usual right now.
“I have math class,” I feel my cheeks for the same unknown reason I had felt my head for.
“You should lay down again dear,” the nurse makes a move to guide me toward the cot. I throw myself violently away from her like one touch would kill me. I shake my head. I’m sure what is happening.
“I just don’t feel like myself and something familiar is what I think I need,” I reason as much with them as with myself.
“Well I guess you know your body best…” the nurse looks nervously between Cricket and Jacob like she is hoping they know what to do.
“Ok then math?” I look at Cricket who is still griping my wrist with unnecessary force. She chews the inside of her cheek for a moment then lets my hand fall.
“Here is your bag,” Jacob passes the small backpack over the white cot.
“Thanks,” I smile at each person for a few seconds trying to reassure him or her. None look reassured when I finish my sweep. I nod and turn out of the room into the crowded hallway. I keep my head down watching my feet meet the scuffed linoleum then fly away from it only to meet it again a moment later. I bank a right and push open the heavy, supposedly fireproof door that leads to the stairwell. I half climb, half am pushed up the crowded stairs dodging bodies as I go. I reach the top and let myself be taken by the tide of students onto the next floor’s busy hallway. My classroom is luckily first on the left and I don’t have to spend another moment pressed up against sweaty kids in a smelly hall. My math room is 90% of the time in the dark. I like it that way. The lights in schools have always given me a headache. The unnatural yellow glow, buzzing and occasional flickering makes me sick by the end of the day. I’m thankful my math teacher, as crazy as he is, keeps the lights off. That way I don’t feel sick because of the lights, just the subject matter.
“Seats people, load up Geogebra!” he demands in his angry tone that we had come to know as his normal voice. “Seats” is the longest word in the sentence because of his slight lisp that makes listening to him all that more difficult. I weave in and out of the cold metal desks and plant myself between a few sophomores that I played soccer with earlier that fall. Math is my Achilles’ heel. So I am the lone junior in a class of mainly sophomores and even some freshmen.
I keep my head down, already starting to zone out with the thought that I would have no idea how to do any of this when I had to take the test later this week. “This is Sam!” I feel my eyes widen as I look up to see the stern face, dark hair and grey eyes. He looks over the class and raises his hand to give a slight wave. “Take a seat.” Sam dips around each desk until he finds his way to the last seat available in the back of the room. I keep my head straight. I feel eyes watching me. Whether my mind is imagining it or that people are actually staring at me I don’t want to know. I focus hard on the white board jumbled with numbers and letter that made less and less sense as time creeps on. I feel as jumbled as the marks on the board. All I can think of is Sam. Who is Sam? I do everything I can to keep myself facing forward. When the hour is finally up I briskly stride through the open door with the other students. When I think it’s safe I give in to temptation and look behind me.
He is nowhere to be found. I turn to follow the stream of students through the slowly closing then quickly opening door to the stairwell. I glance around trying to find him when I turn back forward I almost smash into a tall person wearing a black t-shirt. My hand claps over my mouth like if he heard me breathing my life may end. I slow my pace and wait for students to fill in the space between us. I figure eventually he’d turn away from my path, but he never does. I follow him down the steps just four steps behind every time. My head starts to ache and my hands start to shake. Earlier this morning I could have cared less about this kid. Now my senses are on high and every thought, action, blink and breath seems somehow connected to him. He turns to the left reading the numbers on the doors as he goes. The crowd of kids disperses as Sam and I trot down the hall to the very last room. He turn into the room and I fling myself against the wall. I’m fully aware of every single one of my actions, even the tiniest twitch. Air floods in through my nose and trickles slowly out my mouth. I cross my arms and stride into the biology class trying to look confident.
A few of the sophomores wave to me and I give them a half smile. I scan the room, a basement classroom, few windows, mostly desks, mostly filled with sophomores. Sam is at the back of the room talking quietly to Ms. Sullivan who is nodding quickly with a smile on her face. I move over to Jessica and Linda’s table. “Who’s that?” I ask looking toward Sam who is now nodding while Ms. Sullivan speaks. Jessica shrugs.
“Heard he’s like you,” Linda leans in while talking. I feel the color drain from my face. Her eyes dart around the room then land on Sam. “You know, too smart for class?”
“Oh right,” I ring my hands and turn to Ms. Sullivan as she clears her throat.
“Everyone this is Sam,” she gestures to him and he walks forward to do his silent wave. “He will be helping us like Circe does. Pull out your journals we are going outside again today.” I watch as every head dips down and then reappears with a different colored notebook.
“Why do you look all panicky?” Sam’s cool voice tickles my ears.
“It’s nothing,” I say keeping my attention on a few boys who had begun to write on each others notebooks, like Jacob had done to mine just a few hours ago.
“Well clearly it’s not nothing,” he sounds amused. I cross my arms and give him a sideways look. My tongue traces the line where my bottom teeth met my gums. “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he defends.
“It’s nothing, just let it be. Why are you here?” I know I sound accusatory.
“It’s nothing, just let it be,” he replies as he turns to look at the teacher. Ms. Sullivan gives the class another quick assignment before moving over to stand by us.
“Circe, Sam got a perfect score on his Biology SAT II just like you!” Ms. Sullivan gushes quietly. “He’s taking AP environmental science like you, but he’s so good at bio Mr. Leed thought it would be nice if he helped us out like you!” I nod and give her a half smile.
“That’s nice.” I can tell she is taken aback by my tone.
“Who died?” Ms. Sullivan jokes. This time I’m taken aback and look at Sam who also looks shaken up. “Oh, oh I was just making fun of you two having such seldom faces!” She turns quickly, yelling over the class that had broken into chatter. “Head on out!” Chairs scrap against linoleum as kids hustled toward the door. I round up the rear closing the class door behind me. I pull the straps to my backpack tight as I follow the rest of the pack.
We walk out into the un-New England like weather. It’s sunny, bright and warm on the last day of April. The group of boys who had been messing around in the class slow down and eventually are walking with me.
“He’s pretty cute,” a boy named RJ who had a bad habit of hitting on me jokes mostly to his friends. “Circe’s probably got it hot for Sammy.” He is taller than me and no doubt is the best-looking kid in the class, but he is too cocky for me. I look at him sideways.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than rate other guys on their cuteness?” I scoff and the three other boys let out different sounds of approval of the burn I had just inflicted.
“Well I would have something, or someone, to do. But you keep shutting me down,” RJ smiles now walking backward in front of me.
“Go hit on someone your own maturity level,” I raise my eyebrows at him. Again the other boys laugh.
“Give it up RJ,” a boy named Henry laughs. He pushes RJ backward. RJ glared at Henry and pushes him back.
“Stop,” I say angrily as I walk past them.
“Fine,” RJ’s voice is suddenly close. His arm wraps around my waist.
“RJ!” I yelp trying to escape from his arms. Instead he successfully wraps the other one around me as well. I flip around to face him. “Are you kidding me? Do you know how much trouble I’ll get you in?” I growl pushing on his chest making as much distance between us as possible.
“I think you’re worth it,” his words are like a snake slithering closer. I feel his hand move south and I grab it.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” fire rises in my chest and the moment before I release it on him. He’s gone. I push the loose hair from my face just in time to see Sam pushing RJ up against a tree.
“Seeing as I’m your new teacher I don’t want to hit you, yet. But believe me, anything like this happens again and I won’t hesitate,” Sam’s voice is sharp, clear and quiet. He snaps his teeth like a wolf warning to stay away or lose your life. This, like many other things he had done, sends chills racing through me. He lets RJ drop. RJ tries to play it cool, but he is so shaken up he has a hard time standing. Sam glances at me before turning back to the group that had collected at the bottom of the grassy hill we had just descended from. Just beyond them was a pond that in this sunlight reminded me of Sam’s eyes. I walked faster to catch up to him.
“Hey,” I cup my hands over my eyes as I speak, not looking at him.
“Hey,” his tone and inflection match mine perfectly.
“Sorry I kind of gave you the cold shoulder back there.”
“I basically give everyone the cold shoulder. I take no offense,” he lowers his voice as we reach the group. Ms. Sullivan is giving instructions on what she wants the group to find and sketch. It looks like she missed the little RJ miss-hap.
“I’ve just been having these really awful dreams lately. They have really started to shake me up.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had a good dream,” he pauses and looks down on me. “Or a dream at all.” He shrugs as we start to follow behind the group of kids heading into the woods that circle the large pond. “You know your way around here right? Because I have a horrible sense of direction.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I smile. “I only know how to get around because I have been here before. I’m a visual learner,” I use my hands to widen my eyes for affect.
“Me too,” he gives a half smile, but it is gone in an instant when Jessica and Linda approach us. “More new people…” Sam sighs just before they are in earshot.
“Hi, I’m Jess,” she smiles proudly. She is a confident girl. It would be hard not to be, with her platinum blond hair, bright blue eyes, athletic body and abilities. She is incredible at every sport she plays.
“And I’m Linda,” she presses her glasses up her nose as she speaks. She has dark hair, dark eyes and dark glasses. She is smart and pretty, but lacks the confidence that radiates off her best friend.
“Hi,” Sam presses his lips together like he is bored. He looks past them and they look at each other awkwardly.
“Uhh, well ok then. Bye I guess,” Jess shrugs and pulls Linda away with her.
“Are you trying to be distant and mysterious?” I smile at him as we march off toward a maple tree, which hopefully most of the kids had already found. They are supposed to be sketching it. “Oh that’s good Dan!” I point to his sketch and he looks up to smile at me. I keep walking feeling Sam’s eyes on me. I look back toward him. He is following me slowly like a dog’s eyes follow a lovely looking piece of meat from your plate.
“What are we playing follow the leader now?”
“Sorry,” he says quickly.
“No, no, its ok!” I laugh. “Its human nature to be curious.” He looks at me and touches his figure to his nose like we were playing charades and I had just gotten it.
“It’s a short block today guys head back in for lunch!” Ms. Sullivan calls as she emerges from the woods on the other side of the pond. Most kids take off running to the far off school, but Sam and I lag behind following after the slowpokes.
“I don’t try to be distant and mysterious you know?” his face has lost its softness. “I just come across like that. I’m not very open.”
“Don’t feel like you need to explain that to me. I am the same exact way.” He nods and we walk in silence to the cafeteria. We walk into the buzzing café and I head right for the furthest right table in the back. Around it is Jacob, Alice and Cricket. Mackenzie and Mark are at the next table talking quietly. I look over at Sam and nod for him to follow me to the table. Jacob taps Cricket and she turns to look at us. She frowns as she spins out of the chair, heading straight at us.
“Cricket?” I mumble as she picks up speed. She pushes past me and her fist meets Sam’s nose. Sam buckles under her weight. Sending them both out over the ugly carpeted ground. “Cricket!” I yell pulling her off Sam.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sam shouts while holding his nose.
“Nothing I feel fine. What’s wrong with you? Broken nose?” Cricket snickers as she lets me pull her up to her feet.
“You are a fucking crazy person!” Sam barks as he pushes himself up off the floor still holding his nose.
“You leave her alone!” Cricket pushes me behind her.
“Cricket? What are you talking about?” I yell over her. She turns to me and glares.
“Whatever,” Sam stalks out the way we came in.
“What is wrong with you?” I yell as her red face turns to me, fire in her eyes.
“Jacob told me what happened in history. Then you passed out! Then the whole time you were out cold you were mumbling about him! You need to stay away from him!” she roars.
“I know you think you have my best interests at heart, but this is ridiculous! He’s brand new and has no one. It doesn’t help that you just punched him in the fucking face!” I bark back my heart pounding in my head as I scream louder and louder. She stares at me. It isn’t often we don’t get along, but when we don’t it’s explosive. I break our staring contest realizing the lunchroom is quiet around us. Every pair of eyes is glued to Cricket and me. I turn on my heel and march out like Sam.
I rub my face, heat is radiating off me. I know I’m bright red. The last time Cricket and I got into a scrap like that, it was over her boyfriend. He’s a great guy, but at that time she had been spending a lot of time with him. Before they started dating she spent almost all her time with me. Since then we spend less time together, but she is still one of the most important people in my life. Our lives have overlapped in the most personal places and we’ll always be connected. I know later today we’d probably make up, but right now I couldn’t be around her. I push the heavy metal doors open with my back and walked out onto the quad. A group of senior boys are playing with a hacky sack on the opposite side of the lawn. In the middle sits the large oak tree with two benches dowsed in its shade. It was planted by the first graduating class, or so says the small wooden and brass plate at the foot of its trunk. I yawn as I sit down to watch the boys play. My mind wanders aimlessly going over everything I need to do for homework.
I shoot up off the bench realizing I had fallen asleep thinking of my math homework. I rub my eyes and look around. The boys continued to play noisily and I wonder out loud, “Can’t believe they didn’t wake me up.” I rub the sleep out of my eyes trying to remember the dream that plagued my sleep. “Oh,” I say surprised. “No dream.”
All of a sudden it starts to rain. I look up; the big, heavy drops rain down on my face. Soaking me in a matter of seconds. I look back down on the now darkening schoolyard hoping to see the seniors scatter like ants. Instead they all stop looking up into the sky. One of the boys is hit with a drop. He screams out as he grabs his arm wearing a face twisted with pain. The whole group turns to him as the rain starts to hit them too. It is like acid against their skin. Slowly I can see the holes the rain is burning through them. Their screams cut across the yard, so loud and gruesome I grab my ears. They start to run to the closest building. But the rain is coming too fast. Now they are walking, then crawling, then they are only moving their arms. Their screams start to bubble like they are drowning. They are reduced to puddles across the entire yard.
I open my eyes and feel my head. “Oh my lord.”
“Bad dream?” Sam’s cool voice makes the fear drain from my body. I nod as I sit up to look at him.
“Come here,” he flicks his hand inviting me closer. I slink along the bench into his open arms. I let my head lay back on his shoulder. “I won’t let them hurt you, Circe. Circe. Circe? Circe!”
I shoot up off the bench for a third time. I flip off it and land on the hard ground. “Ow,” I frown as I rub my head to look up at Jacob who is standing over me.
“Were you sleeping?” Jacob laughs.
“Barely,” I moan pulling myself back up onto the bench.
“Class starts in like five minutes. How are you feeling by the way? And what are you doing Friday?” Jacob splutters out in one breath while waiting for me to stand up and pull my bag on.
“I’m fine and nothing, I think,” I rub the back of my head where it had collided with the bench as we start toward the math and science building.
“A bunch of people are going down to Nenet Beach at like five. They were talking about it at lunch. I’m only going if you are. John thinks he’s busy,” he explains with mostly his hands.
“Yeah, yeah I’ll go. It’s very social of you Jacob,” I joke with him. He squints his eyes at me to show his displeasure. Jacob is what you would call an unsocial butterfly. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, but the ones he does have he’s had for a long time and they’ll stay his friends for a long time. The reason he and I get along so well is because I’m the same way. We rather stay home and play hours of mindless video games then go out and cause trouble. Not cause we are goody-two shoes’, but because we find no fun in that sort of thing. It’s very rare that we would go to a party or anything of that nature. But we do go to the beach when we have the opportunity. Nights on the beach are different. It is like a different world where nothing from outside those few hours applies. Which for me is good. For kids with girlfriends and boyfriends it’s bad. Because NOTHING applies.
Two weeks ago Jacob made-out with a girl named Lindsey and ever since he’s been itching to get back with her. Unfortunately for him, she was all fun on the beach, but then come Monday morning he found out she has a boyfriend who she isn’t going to dump anytime soon.
“You hoping to get some Lindsey action?” I elbow him in the side.
“Yes mam,” he winks.
“Good luck, my brother!” I yell as we walk into our environmental science class. This is the best period of the day by far. My best friends occupied half the room. Rose sits next to Cricket with Alice on her other side in the very front. Behind her are Mackenzie and Mark. Behind them are Nate and Mackenzie’s twin Matt. They are all busily discussing everything under the sun.
The other side is filled with the most brilliant kids in junior year. They are slightly nerdy and geeky and awkward, but it doesn’t matter because they are friends with one another and they are nice, so we have fun together. Well we have fun with most of them. In the very back a tall boy has his legs up on the table. He leans as far back as he can, resting his head in his hands. He has his dark eyes barely open. He is what us New Englanders call a punk. Not necessarily because he listens to punk music, but because he’s a troublemaker. He wears shirts with violent band names, black jeans and huge boots everyday. His bright green hair is styled into a Mohawk. He is often disrespectful and rude. He’s the sort of person I wonder what they are thinking about. It’s human nature to be curious. I pass Cricket, Rose and Alice, sliding into the chair next to Mackenzie. Jacob sits in the chair next to mine on the other side of the room next to John among the smart kids.
“Good afternoon!” Mr. Scott is scribbling furiously on the board in front of us. He is drawing another contraption. He is an engineer by profession, but he had just got his masters in environmental science. This is the last year he’d be teaching; he is going off to make green buildings and that sort of thing. His reddish curls are sent spiraling around his face as he spins around and grins. “Guess what we’re going to do you guys?” He raises his boney arms to add emphasis. There was a knock on the door interrupting another teacher today. Every head in the room turns to see why. Sam leans in through the doorway looking toward Mr. Scott.
“Hi, I’m Sam,” his voice is calm again. He looks all right; actually you wouldn’t even know an hour or so before a fist almost broke his nose.
“Welcome!” Mr. Scott opens his arms wide and continues to grin ear to ear. “I’m Mr. Scott! Do you know everyone here?”
“No sorry,” Sam looks around the room. “I don’t really know any of them.” His eyes lock on mine for half a second. Just long enough for me to know it was directed at me. I glance down at Cricket who has crossed her arms.
“Ok let’s go around, say your name, age and favorite video game!” Mr. Scott yells enthusiastically. “You first.” He nods at Rose.
“Hi, I’m Rose. Only 16,” she frowns. “I love Super Mario Kart!” she bats her eyelashes as she speaks. Then she looks at Alice as she begins to speak.
“Alice,” she waves. “17 and I can’t choose… Probably Harvest Moon.” Cricket goes next then Mackenzie and Mark. Sam stares intently at each speaker as they tell him the same information over and over.
“Hi, I’m Circe,” Sam’s staring makes my skin crawl. “17, and a game probably no one’s heard of. It’s by a small company located in Sweden. The game is called The Dream Machine.” Sam’s mouth drops like I had just told him I killed a few families.
“Ok, Nate,” Mr. Scott tries to nicely move us along. Nate and Matt repeat the same information for the seventh and eighth time. Then we move on through the brilliant students and Jacob.
“I’m Perry. I’m 37 and I like Batman: Arkham City,” he says plainly as the rest of us laugh.
“Jacob… Ok, ok. Felix?” Mr. Scott looks to the back of the room.
“Well, you know my name. I’m most likely going to be either 16 or 17 like everyone else. And I like anything with killing zombies,” Felix keeps his eyes closed as he speaks.
“Thank you Felix,” Mr. Scott sighs. “Now you!” We all look at Sam expectantly.
“Ok. Well, I’m Sam. 17 and you are going to think I’m copying Circe, but…” My mind plays the dream from earlier that day over in my head. Hearing him say my name over and over. “I am in love with that same game as her called The Dream Machine.”
“Never heard of it!” Jacob yells and most of the class is sent into another fit of giggles. I look around at them annoyed.
“Guys, guys. Take a seat wherever, Sam. They aren’t assigned seats, but they sit in the same place everyday,” Mr. Scott shrugs. Sam nods and walks up the aisle that our desks make. He takes one of the many empty seats. Of course it is next to Felix. They nod at each other and shake hands like they are having a silent conversation.
“Like I was saying before Sam showed up, new project! You are tasked with designing something to improve the school’s carbon footprint. You will be divided into groups of four. Pull out a little piece of paper and write your name on it, then fold it up,” Mr. Scott instructs. Everyone shuffles through their bag until they located a suitable piece of paper.
“Circe, let me barrow your pen when your done,” Rose looks backward at me.
“Why don’t you take theirs?” I point the pen at the back of Cricket and Alice’s heads.
“Because they are scarier than you,” she squints up her eyes with a big smile. Her dark hair died darker falls perfectly around her face. It is straight and manageable and looks good no matter what she does with it. A twinge of jealousy shakes through my body as I shake my head at her and write my name. I throw the pen at her when I finish. She made a loud un-human noise as the pen bounces off her and rolls under the table.
“Pass the papers forward!” he orders now standing at the edge of Rose, Cricket and Alice’s desk.
“Wait! I’m not finished!” Rose proclaims as she wriggles her way out from underneath the desk and back into her seat.
“Hurry,” Mr. Scott tells her as he receives all the other scraps covered in different colored names. She quickly pulls the pen across the page and folds the paper up as small as she can get it then delicately places the now triangle shaped paper in his hand. “Thank you Rose,” he mumbles as he adds hers to the hat now filled with papers.
“Took you long enough,” Mark mocks her. She spins around and waves her arms wildly as an attempt to hit him.
“Here we go!” Mr. Scott sticks his hand into the pile dramatically. He flips open the first note and reads, “Jacob!” Next he reads, “Chris!” He is the absolute smartest of the smartest kids.
“Oh yeah!” Jacob stands up and throws his fist in the air biting his lip at the same time.
“Cricket!” Mr. Scott continues. “And Mark!” I look over at Mackenzie whose face has fallen slightly. The next two calls are Mackenzie and Rose. They high-five as Mr. Scott reads off their other two group members James and Charles. It’s a good group for Rose and Mackenzie who could use the extra help, but it’s going to be extra work for James and Charles. After that group came Matt, Alice, Alyson and Nate. I hear Alice moan quietly when Alyson’s name is read, but then silently cheers when Nate’s name comes after. Nate is her long time love triangle boyfriend who she either loves or hates. There is no in between. I try to stay out of it.
“Ok last group. I seem to have done my math wrong… This group only has three,” Mr. Scott pulls out a crunched up ball. He carefully tries to un-scrunch it without ripping it. Once he finally gets it open he calls, “Felix!” While showing off the paper like he is proud he had opened it up. Then he pulls out a scrap simply folded in two. “Sam!” He holds it up again. “And last, but not least…” Mr. Scott’s hand dips into the hat once more.
“Circe.” Cricket’s tone is harsh.
“That’s right!” He holds up the very last shred of paper. “Get with your groups and start brainstorming!” Everyone gets up at once and groups form faster than I could even stand up to move. I bite my tongue as I cross the floor to Sam and Felix’s table. Both of them have their arms folded and both pairs of eyes follow my every move. I take a deep breath and pulled Jacob’s vacated chair up to the other side of their table.
“Hi,” I sigh letting myself fall into the chair. Felix chuckles and closes his eyes again. I chew the inside of my mouth feeling like I’m in the middle of the ocean and Sam and Felix are sharks who are debating whether they should rip me to shreds or not. Sam just stares blankly past me. “Well do you guys have some ideas or something?” I ask.
“Look princess,” Felix says his eyes flashing. “I’m not very good at playing with others.” He shifts his body so instead of leaning far away from the table he is right up against it, glaring at me with his big, dark holes he has instead of eyes.
“Is that why you die your hair green?” I say sarcastically as I too, moved so I’m right up against the table inches from his face.
“Whatever it takes so you won’t talk to me,” he growls.
“Guys,” Sam breaks into our staring contest by pushing both of us away from one another. “We’re in a group now. So shut up and work.” We both look at him, neither of us very happily.
“Whatever!” Felix shouts and throws his arms in the air in defeat. “You just better hope you don’t get on my nerves.” He points at me with a grimace on his face.
“I am shaking in my boots,” I say in a monotone voice.
“Just stop,” Sam growls. “Do either of you have any ideas?”
“What if we just plant a community garden?” Felix offers opening one eye.
“That could be cool. We could let different classes have different plots,” Sam states.
“Ok, garden it is!” I declare.
“I hope you’ve had some time to talk about you want to do, next step will be a proposal. You’re homework is to finish the proposal. This is our two-hour block so we have a little more than an hour left in class. Keep working!” Mr. Scott informs us as he walks around the room listening to each conversation.
“I guess we are going to need to find a place to put it?” Sam half asks, half tells us.
“Should we just put it in the quad?” Felix seems to be somewhat excited about what we are talking about. Well in comparison to his body language from before he seems excited. He is sitting up and looking back and forth between Sam and I.
“I don’t know if they’d let us. Maybe just behind the science building, it gets sun all day,” I suggest.
“Yeah sounds good to me,” Felix nods and looks at Sam who copies by nodding as well.
“Ok let’s start writing a proposal I guess,” I roll my chair toward the wall lined with computers as old as dinosaurs. We spend the rest of the period writing our proposal and end up being one of the only groups that actually finish. Surprisingly we get along well and before I know it, Mr. Scott was dismissing us and kids are rushing out the door.
“Well,” Felix sighs standing up and stretching his arms at the same time. “It’s been real, but I’m leaving. Good to meet you Sam,” they grab hands and pull each other into a man hug like they’ve known each other their whole lives. “I’ll see you bitches tomorrow!” He grins and pulls his bag over one shoulder.
“See you man,” Sam laughs quietly as he too pulls his bag on. “I’ll see you later Circe.” He crosses the room and turns out into the hall through the door that hung open.
“Wait up!” I call as I grab my bag and rush after him. I catch up to him halfway down the hallway. He stopped and was looking back towards me with those striking eyes. When I reach him he turns back around. Both of us head for the doorway.
“I’m sorry about your nose,” I look up at him.
“Its fine,” he glances down at me then back up at the door we are headed for.
“She has a short temper. And she’s pretty stubborn too,” I sigh as we start to climb the steps.
“I said it’s fine.” We walk in silence for a moment.
“Why so sad Sam?” I look up at him even though he isn’t looking at me.
“I dunno just tired,” he rubs his neck.
“Where are you from originally? I never asked.”
“Small town called Groton,” he says as we approach the hallway where most kids hang out after school.
“No way! That’s the last place I lived! What street?” I ask excitedly.
“Worton Row,” he says still not looking at me.
“Are you kidding me? That’s my street!”
“Oh yeah,” he keeps the same tone of voice, but I know he meant for it to seem like he wasn’t interested. We walk in quiet again, and then he looks at me. “Circe?” I barely heard him over the commotion of kids behind us arguing about something.
“Yes?” I stare up into his blank face. He opens his mouth to say something then closes it.
“I’ll see you later,” he says quietly as he turns out of the door and speeds up leaving me behind.
“Bye Sam,” I whisper.
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