Certain Taste

Chapter 4: Certain Taste

 

 

 

 

 

            Lunch time again. Only this time, he was eating alone, dead set on making it home without really talking to anybody. He stepped onto the bus knowing he’d probably be riding it much more frequently. He popped in some ear-buds and started playing some C-Rabbit, and tuned out. At home life was a constant waiting game. If he could, he would try to actualize great things he could be doing. Missing the thought of trying to keep friends and bounding to the bathroom every once in a while, sometimes the kitchen. He formed a habit of flipping the channels on TV. Surfing for something good on, if he thought of anything else, it was much more than he could take. The screen was a like-ness of life that he could have never imagined. The characters were astoundingly great. The focus usually being on the growth of comedic, satiric, or heroic characters. The art of which they, portrayed life in the way of human (or super human) should try to be, especially if they wanted to protect something. “The world was kind of like that.” He thought. After he cut off the television, he sought the comfort of sleep. Then realized he had some homework to do. He got out the worksheet and jotted what he thought were the right answers to a health questionnaire, under dim lights. Slowly putting the binder back into his backpack. Clicking off the lamp, and flipping off the lights before falling asleep. The following day was a Thursday. Trevor was slugging around the hallway outside his chemistry class. Before he knew it he noticed a girl in black and white stripes. Leggings and sweater, with a light blue jean skirt. She was sitting on the ground next to some lockers that were barely used. Humming to herself and nodding her head. “That’s a bit bizarre.” He thought. “Um, hey…” he said. “Well, hello there!” Surprised she knew anyone was there from his first impression of her. “You’re sitting on the floor you know.” “Yep, what of it?” she said with a coy playfulness. He looked at her with a putridly piercing smile and said, “Oh nothing. Just seemed like something I’d like to do.” He proceeded to sit down. “How do you feel about morning?” she asked. “They’re okay, got to go through them.” he said. “You’re pretty optimistic.” she said.. “Yeah, well, at least there’s something going on here.” He replied. “That’s true.” she said.. “I do have it going on.” Trevor broke out with the cheesiest smile. “You may have a point.” He could tell she enjoyed this off-color banter. “You.” She posed and pointed as if they weren’t already having a conversation. “What’s your name?”

            “Mine? It would be Trevor.” He responded. “What’s my name?” she proclaimed and dropped a blank face. “I could possibly know?” He posed. “You may, you may not.” She beamed. “I don’t know who you are. You could be my professional stalker.”

            “That would be a grand profession.” He said, satisfactorily. “I could gain a lot from that.” He could almost laugh with the non-sense he was coming back with. “Let’s say I didn’t know your name. Would you confess to me?” he knew he was getting somewhere. “Oh you got me. I probably would. I am Alice.” “I’m elated.” He beamed back. “I thought you were Trevor!?” she said with mock-shock. “Now you’re even more suspicious. I’ll have to keep an eye on you.” She once again smiled. “Ah, I’ll have to watch my back!” he exclaimed. “You sure are.” she said mischievously. “Am what?” he asked confusedly. “Elated, of course.” she said.. “You may have a point.” He repeated with a mischievous smile. “Yay!” She belted. Which caught him off guard. “Whoa, what is it?” he asked. “We did a thing.” She answered. “I do believe you’re right.” He admitted. “Say it with me do it.” she proclaimed. “Okay, okay.” He relented. “Yay!” They both let out. They also shared a short laugh and went ahead and got up. “Well I have business to attend to.” He burst relieved. “And I have fairies to chase.”

            He then said the first thing that came to his mind. “So much to do and so little time.” He almost laughed again. “I will find you on the latter!” She exclaimed. “Then it is so!” he beamed. “I thought I was supposed to be her stalker.” He thought, walking to his chemistry class. Feeling ignited throughout the day, he could not stop being happy. He got out of his desk in French class. Moving toward the lunch room he saw this girl he had Health class with last period, or the one before that anyway.  “Hey, what’s your name again?” She looked back, obviously not knowing who was talking to her. “Oh, uh… Ashley.” she said with hastiness.  “Trevor, right?” she said. “Yeah, I just didn’t know if you knew anything about the homework tonight.”

“Oh, we don’t have any tonight. Last night’s work was easy, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, for sure. Sorry for being weird in class.” He knew it was because she was really pretty but dressed weird to him. Which made it even weirder? “Oh, it’s okay!” she exclaimed. “You have the right to be weird, after all.”

 

“You know it!” He giggled awkwardly. “See you.” “See ya.” She said.. He then proceeded to walk to the lunch room. Today was fish and cinnamon apples. “Pretty good stuff.” He thought. He noticed this girl sitting at a table bored. She was kind of cute. She was short, strange and had two different colored eyes. Trev walked over and sat down next to her. “Hi there.” She turned around and gave a look of shock as if she’d seen a ghost. “Huhhhh!” she screamed and scared the crap out of him. “Would you be my boyfriend!?” she asked with the craziest enthusiasm he’d ever heard. “W-what?” he stuttered. “Would youuu like to be my boyfriend.” She enunciated. He started thinking about all the things being a boyfriend entails.  Then about how completely odd this was for he’d just met her. “Well, I don’t know, I’ll have to think about…”

            Cut-off, she shot him a genuine “puppy-dog” eyes-face. “You don’t want to be my boyfriend?” She asked with sincere disappointment. “I don’t know the first thing about you!” he almost screamed. “B-but I’ve seen you around and I know I could never find it in me to talk to you, but here you are talking to me.” She then admitted to him. A startling response that was also flattering. “I’m not really sure how to take this…” he grumbled. “TAKE ME!” she said. In a weirdly demanding way.  “Shh, he said. Keep it down.” He was becoming embarrassed. “Besides, what’re you, property?” he scoffed. “Well, technically yes.” Confused by her response he let her continue. “I do live on property.”

“Now that makes total sense, but I don’t think that’s really the way you should look-at it.” He told her. “Well, you’re looking at me, right?” she asked. “Right and you’re not my property.”

“But, I wanna be your property.”

            “You should already know my intention of coming over here was not to claim you as my property.” He said. “You should know my intention is making you make me your property.”

            “That’s a lofty goal.” He said sarcastically. “Well, this could be an easy task or a hard one. I’m trying to make it easy. But, just for you.” She said and winked with a smile. “What makes you so determined?” he asked. “I don’t even know your name. Do you know mine?”

“Yes. It’s Trevor.” She said.. “Should I even ask how you know?”

            “My big sister Ashley told me.” She replied. “You mean the Ashley in my grade?”

“Yeah, her, she told me to sit close to you.” Well this is awkward. “And what might be your name?”

“I’m Michelle, nice to meet you. Now will you please be my boyfriend.” How ludicrous. “I’ll tell you what. We have two more conversations like this and I will be your boyfriend.”

“Aw, fine. Deal.” She relented. “Good now run along now.” He said as a mock-command. “But, I’m still eating!” she said.. “Oh right, I guess it’ll be me who leaves.”

 

“Bye cutie!” she basically yelled as he walked off. “How embarrassing.” He thought. After school he gorged out on some friend mozzarella sticks. He pulled out some French homework on conjugations. To keep his mind off of the situation that ensued earlier that day, he tried to solve structured sentences that were set up in the eight forms of conjugations. As he did his best to finish up, he did think back on what they talked about. Speaking of which, he knew tomorrow would probably be the same thing, another conversation with her. “Kinda seems like moving fast.” He thought. He tried to fall asleep, but could not. So he got back up and turned on the TV. He stared at something along the lines of some reality television that was known as Little Devils, about people who live together with each other and do temp work that allows them to enjoy their time with partying and romantic experiences. “It’s crazy how they can do these things in a series that make an enjoyable show.” He laughed as he thought to himself. “It is time to go to bed though.” He lay down rather relieved. Getting up the next day he headed to the kitchen and decided to toast some waffles. Syrup. With no butter, that was the way he liked them. Morning routine. Always like a waiting game to get out the door.  Thinking about the context of the next conversation with Michelle, he just wanted to be at school. He just wanted to be at school this morning. But, sometimes he enjoyed the rides with Dane or waiting for the bus. Early morning was the same. Not too crowded hallways. Thin-white light shining through the thick-glass windows. Alice was no-where to be found on the floor near his chemistry class. Puzzled by why she was there before, he brushed off this feeling and walked into class. It was odd today considering there were many animals in the classroom today. Fish, hamsters, a bird, turtles, and even a rat. He recalled a joke about a class pet monkey that was fed laxatives and literally defecated itself to death that his Dad had told him once.

 

After class he walked down to the intersecting hallways. Turning left he saw the bathrooms and decided to go since he was there. Walking inside he immediately noticed the thick smell of tobacco smoke. It wasn’t quite an enticing smell, but he didn’t get alarmed. His parents smoked, after all and there was no reason to get gratuitously involved. Just after washing his hands, a guy came out of a stall reeking of billowy, short-cigar smoke. He began to wash his hands. He looked towards Trev and said, “Heyya, how ya doin’?” Trevor was struck by a daunting sense but loosened up knowing it was probably just that. “I’m pretty well.”

“Right on. I’m just takin’ a little break from the study thing.” He said. “Oh, fantastic. I was about to go to health class.” Trev responded. “Word. That’s what’s up. The name’s Marty, man.” He extended his reach for a handshake. With a shake of the hand he knew he had to divulge his name. “I’m Trevor. I’m in tenth-grade.” “Ah, well that’s an interesting way to describe yourself.” Marty said. “Yeah, hah. See you later.”

 

After brief words of departure, he walked out of the bathroom bewildered by the Non-chalant vaguity following the greeting. “There’s plenty to say about me, but not for bathroom conversation. I’m probably just over-thinking this.” Looking out towards the center of the top floor to snaking hallways, there was no one to be seen. He looked back and saw Marty coming out of bathroom, then turned around and trotted on to health class. He sat behind Ashley but he never spoke to her. Health class was a dim room with an assortment of students talking about serious and awkward subjects along with being a pseudo-gateway to drivers-ed. Be that as it may. He couldn’t help but notice she was once again wearing a black shirt of a rock band he’d probably never listened to. He couldn’t see the front of it. Today he was wearing a Paid-dues shirt he got right before school started. He felt pretty good today and he knew this. Time was ticking as the teacher went on about the importance of keeping active and he was thinking about the ways he did. Funny, it was never really crunch-time in health class.

            Tests with no answers, only solutions. Winding down about 7 minutes till class let out, he tapped Ashley on the shoulder. She looked back with a face that almost said, “What have you done?” He knew she was probably just surprised though. “Hey, um, what band is on your shirt?” She smiled, “A really popular band from Europe called SHE.” “Ah, what do they sound like?” he posed. “Like a grizzly bear chasing you around in the woods. Over guitars.” She sneered playfully. “Sounds like my kinda thing.” He laughed. “SHE is your kind of thing?” she said with complete mock-enthusiasm. He almost burst out laughing for the entire class to see. “SHE is definitely my thing.” she said with a cheesy smile. He quietly laughed even more. “Touché, I’ll have to give them a listen.” He jeered wistfully. Before he got up he realized this conversation made him think about Michelle. He made-off towards French class. French was a period he both liked and loathed. Mostly because he didn’t understand what was being said. He didn’t say anything to Samantha today. He recollected their last engagement being something about circus clowns or something. They had watched Cirque du Mond in class and it was somewhat entertaining. He just wasn’t much into various forms of tricks no matter how spectacular they might be.