Chapter 4: Lost Puppy

"I have the crumbiest ceramics teacher," Amber complained to us.

 

The three of us had taken a seat at a bench under a large oak tree. It provided us shade and exclusion from the masses. Just getting my lunch had proved to be a hassle when all the guys started hooting and hollering at me as I passed by to get my tray. I should've listened to Violetta when she told me not to go in there, but I was too damn headstrong.

 

"I wish they had an open lunch period," Violetta murmured to herself as she vigorously wrote in her notepad.

 

"All those pretty Jaguars in the parking lot going to waste," Amber teased and Violetta laughed.

 

"It's funny at this school," Violetta started to say, "we're surrounded by some of the most influential people that this city has to offer and yet most of them can't even put two sentences together."

 

"Amen to that, sister," Amber laughed and I smiled.

 

"This guy was trying to talk to me and he kept using a run the run on phrase, 'you know what I'm sayin' over and over. I had enough and was thankful that the bell rang," Violetta said to us and now Amber was in hysterics.

 

"I get all the death stares. Suddenly liking black means you're a devil worshiper. Has anyone ever stopped to think that maybe it's my favorite color?" Amber asked us and Violetta started clapping.

 

"Now I remember why I stopped coming, but it is refreshing to be back," Violetta said then she and Amber turned to me.

 

"So far I've been called out of my name about twenty times and forced to sit next to a girl I absolutely detest in science class. The math room smells like old man and it makes my stomach churn," I told them and they nodded in unison.

 

"I'm glad my counselor's giving me the option of graduating early next year. I can't imagine much more of this, but I have to be here. Ever since Eliza...," Amber said, but she stopped herself and Violetta patted her back, "ok, well ever since Eliza passed away all I've wanted to do was become a homicide investigator. I've been looking into it and all I need to do is get my high school diploma and then join the Police force. Then I'll work my way up the ranks. It might take five years, but that's what I'm going to do it."

 

"That's so admirable," I said to Amber and she thanked me.

 

"I don't know how you can eat that food, Myra, it all tastes like cardboard to me," Violetta said to me and now I laughed.

 

"It's pretty good, plus I'm starving," I told her and Amber's head popped up.

 

"Oh I forgot to tell you two, Crystal's pregnant!" Amber announced, but I played it off like I didn't know.

 

"How are she and Robbie going to support a baby on their own like that?" Violetta asked out loud.

 

"No idea, but I'm happy for the both of them," Amber said and I agreed.

 

"I'm happy too, but I think it's a bit irresponsible. Babies should be brought into this world under the best circumstances," Violetta said and neither Amber or I had anything to add to that.

 

"Oh, well look who it is," Amber called out to something behind me.

 

I turned around to see Jimmy walking toward us with a tray full of food.

 

"What are you doing here?" I asked Jimmy as he took a seat next to me.

 

"I go here now," Jimmy said gruffly to me.

 

"Looks like you've joined the dark side too," Violetta quipped and we all began to laugh.

 

"So what brings you to Graham High?" I asked Jimmy and he answered me between bites.

 

"Get this, so I get a call out of the bull from Coach Randall begging me to enroll myself here at school so I could be on his team. Apparently he heard about my freshmen year at my old high school and he wants me to play," Jimmy said to me.

 

"What position?" I asked already knowing what he was going to say.

 

"Quarter back," Jimmy answered me and something slithered in my stomach.

 

"You're replacing Langston," I told Jimmy and he nodded.

 

"I know and coach says I need a lot of conditioning. I'm supposed to be a Junior, but I don't have enough credits so technically I'm a Sophomore, but that still bumps me up to the Varsity team," Jimmy said to us.

 

"So you mean we all get to cheer you on at the football games this fall?" Amber asked Jimmy who had taken another huge bite out of his sandwich.

 

"You got that right," Jimmy said beaming from ear to ear.

 

"Go team, go team, rah, rah, rah," Violetta mocked, but I thought she was pretty good and I told her so.

 

"I used to cheerlead back in middle school, but not anymore," Violetta admitted to us.

 

"Try out for this school's team," I recommended to Violetta.

 

"Oh, I don't think I could," Violetta started, but I knew that's what she wanted to do.

 

"They're having try outs tomorrow. Just sign up for it. The worst thing they can do is tell you no," I advised her.

 

"I second that," Amber chimed in and I could tell Violetta was going to do it.

 

"I have practice after school for four hours," Jimmy groaned.

 

"That's typical so work hard and get used to it," I said to him and he rolled his eyes at me.

 

"I forgot your brothers were Kevin and Mike," Jimmy grunted to me.

 

"Of course, I'm reminded of that everyday," I said to Jimmy.

 

"So is Sonny here today?" Violetta asked me.

 

"Yes, or at least he should be. I haven't seen any of my brothers today. They all have their own rides here. My mom dropped me off," I explained to her while swirling my spaghetti around my fork.

 

"How cute, so you haven't seen those two witches today, have you?" Amber asked me and could only assume she meant Daisy and Kimmy.

 

"Nope and I hope it stays that way. The less I see of them the better my day goes," I admitted to Amber just as the bell rang.

 

"Well I've got a stinking history class next," Amber said to us all.

 

"I've got drama," Violetta said.

 

"Weight lifting class," Jimmy chimed in.

 

"English," I added and they all cringed for me.

 

Mrs. Quinn made for a lovely English teacher. She spent the entire class period telling us about her first day of high school and how she felt like a small fish in a big tank.

 

"So many people walking in front of me and I was such a small girl I almost got stepped on. As time went on though I made friendships, really firm friendships, and flourished. I hope the same happens for each and everyone of you," Mrs. Quinn said to us with a smile of sincerity on her face.

 

Unfortunately once again I was forced together with people I didn't care. They were staring at me, whispering about me, and texting each other. I was so over it. While Mrs. Quinn passed around a course review hand out I got a text message from a number I didn't recognize.

 

"Rick is here today and he wants to reunite with you," it read and I looked up to see a group of girls snickering in the far left corner of the classroom.

 

I responded back with, "well you better tell your daddy that I'm going to have to reschedule him then."

 

I looked up and one of the girls, named Molly Simms', jaw dropped and she looked angry. The others tried to contain their laughter, but they couldn't.

 

"Please, no snickering during scheduled reading times you'll disturb the other students," Mrs. Quinn told them.

 

When the bell rang for us to go to our last class of the day, Molly came up to me.

 

"I bet you think you're so funny," she told me as a crowd gathered around us.

 

"I don't know about me being funny, but I know you're not," I said to her.

 

She was as tall as me with freckles dominating her face. Her sickly looking pale blue eyes and thin hair only made her appearance worse.

 

"We all know what you did last summer," Molly told me and this caused laughter among her friends.

 

"And I know what you didn't do that you can only dream of," I retorted and she went completely red.

 

I made my way to my last class that was located on the very edge of the school. Ms. Reynolds' painting class was located in one of the huge buildings that the school designated for the Arts. I saw Violetta as I was walking and she stopped to chat.

 

"Ugh, physical education next, but I was talking to this girl in my drama class who's co-captain of cheerleading team and she wrote my name down on her list of candidates. Tell me you and Amber can watch me try out tomorrow? I'd die if I had to go alone," Violetta said to me.

 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I told Violetta and we parted ways just before the first bell rang.

 

The painting room was very spacious. It felt like it had it's own air in there. Ms. Reynolds was a lanky looking teacher with long hair, longer than Crystal's, and today she wore a leotard with a knee length skirt to cover her bottom half.

 

"Come in, come in children," Ms. Reynolds said to all the students who were slowly coming in, "this is a place of peace, a place to let out all of the negative energy in the day."

 

This was going to be strange.

 

Ms. Reynolds proved to be the most eccentric teacher I'd ever met. She did not believe in paperwork and no syllabuses were given out. As a matter of fact we went around the class introducing each other. I knew about three people in the class, but when it came time for me to introduce myself they didn't say a thing.

 

When the last bell of the day rang I got up to walk out, but someone grabbed my arm.

 

"Hey," she said and I had no idea who she was.

 

She stood at about five foot six with thick looking short brown hair. She was of average weight and nothing about her face was remarkable.

 

"Who are you?" I asked her in disgust.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry," she laughed nervously, "I'm Celia."

 

"I still don't know you," I told her.

 

She moved around with displaced energy. I could tell being bold wasn't in her nature and I felt sorry for her.

 

"I'm Arthur's daughter," Celia said to me and now I knew exactly who she was.

 

Arthur was my mother's boyfriend. They'd been dating since the beginning of summer and mom seemed to really like him. I remember mom telling me he had a daughter, but I'd forgotten it as quickly as it was told me until now.

 

"Hi," I said to her, but I didn't really know where to go with the conversation.

 

"Yea, hi. I haven't met your mother or anything, but my dad is crazy about her," Celia told me and this wasn't news to me.

 

"Oh, really?" I asked her as I moved out of the classroom with the others and she followed.

 

"Yes he is. My mom and he divorced when I was seven, but I go back and forth between the two. He hasn't told you much about me, has he?" Celia asked and I didn't know how to answer so I just made up an excuse.

 

"That's not true, I'm just always busy so I don't get a chance to talk to him when he's around," I said to her hoping she'd drop the subject.

 

"Makes sense," she giggled and I wanted to know what was funny about that.

 

"Where does your mom live?" I asked her.

 

"Oh, in Suncrest Village," Celia responded and I was impressed.

 

Suncrest Village wasn't as expensive as Pinewood Acres, but the houses were all uniformed and nice. It was about twenty minutes away from the school by car.

 

Celia seemed to be walking to the same exact place that I was. I didn't want to be rude and ask her go away now so I just subtly said: "I'm waiting for my mom to pick me up."

 

"They didn't tell you?" Celia asked me.

 

"Didn't tell me what?" I asked her and now I knew something was up.

 

"Your mom is picking us both up and we're going out for lunch together," Celia said and the way her mouth contorted and I knew she was upset that no one had explained any of this to me.

 

"Well, ok," was all I responded with because my cell phone started buzzing with a text.

 

It was Greg wanting to know how my first day was. He said he was already at home and waiting to come over. I texted him that today would not be a good day and that I'd call him later.

 

"I just don't understand. My dad said all of this to me when he dropped me off for school," Celia complained in a very nasally voice that was reminiscent to that of nails on a chalkboard.

 

"If it makes you feel any better," I started as we crossed the threshold that lead us from the humdrum of high school life to the other side where the real world lay, "no one said a thing to me."

 

Celia pursed her thin lips together and for a moment I thought she was going to cry.

 

"My dad hasn't always been honest with me and now I feel like a fool for believing anything that he's told me," Celia said to me and now I understood why she was so upset.

 

"That's life," I said to her and she just stared back at me.

 

We were not standing there for long when mom pulled up in a brand new all white Range Rover. I started toward it and Celia followed me like a lost puppy.

 

"Hello girls," mom said to us both from the driver's seat of the vehicle.

 

"This is slick," I said to mom as I attempted to get into the front.

 

"No, this seat is reserved for Celia," mom said to me and my eyebrows went up with shock.

 

Celia happily pushed me aside and climbed in next to mom. I stood there blinking and then I opened up the back door and got in. Mom pulled away from the curb and we were off.

Reviews

[Tina Kline]

What a snub at the ending! I wouldn't blame Myra for that. At first I thought that
girl might be another possible friend for Myra. But now I wonder.

Really good chapter.