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     The next three weeks went by in a rush of Trig homework, art experimenting, hanging and laughing with my new friends, and passing notes with Artyem. By the end of the week, Lena, Artyem, Alanna, and i realized we were just about the only ones in our art class who were serious about art. There were three other students who were, but they were all freshmen, except Antoinette, and we didn't know them until they moved to our table.

 

     Antoinette, Jack, and Tom migrated over to our table around the middle of the week. Jack was quiet and didn't talk much at all, and Tom was brilliant with clay. He switched to Ceramics, but stayed in our class period. Antoinette, Ant for short, was amazing with a pencil and paper, and was the only one out of the three who really joined our group. She was a junior and had gone to Wilson High for the first two years of high school, until they built Foundation High and switched up the school zones. Lena and Alanna were still as inseperable as ever, which was understandable since they'd been best friends since kindergarten.

 

     i learned the story one day when we hung out at the park. it turns out Lena's parents are deaf, so she knew sign language. Alanna's parents could never afford to send her to a special school, and they both worked, so she couldn't homeschool. Snce kindergarten, Lena and Alanna have been deliberately put in the same classes, so Lena could translate for Alanna. i learned some about Artyem too. Artyem's great-grandparents on his mom's side were Russian, and his dad moved and remarried. He lived with his mom, just like me. The difference was, he went to visit his dad in the summer and every other holiday. Antoinette's parents were still together, but they worked a lot, so she spent most of her time with her grandma.

 

     i told them about my family too. About how Dawn came from a super-conservative family who disowned her when she took part in the hippie movement and voiced her own opinions. About how i didn't know my dad, and how Dawn never talked about it and i never asked. i almost told them about my dream, but i didn't. i told them about my art instead. Sometimes, when it was really hot outside we'd go to The igloo, an ice cream place right next to the park, and sit there in the AC eating ice cream or drinking milkshakes. Sometimes we'd hang out in Lena's room and once we hung out in Artyem's room, which was his remodeled garage.

 

     Lena had maps of Greece and postcards from her grandparents, who lived in Greece, covering one whole wall. Artyem's room was full of his knife collection, sketches, and random stuff he'd made. This included a crossbow and a scythe, which was really cool.

 

     Then at the end of the fourth week, everything came screeching to a halt...

Reviews

Alanna reminds me of me, except I don't sign, I have hearing-aids.
it's nice to be able to relate to certain characters.

and yes! something's going to happen next!

[John Stussy]

Very informative though very short chapter. You formed your characters even more, masterfully too, then make the reader need to go on by giving them all of that with an abrupt ending. Time to see what happened, methinks.

[Mr. Revan]

nice cliffhanger at the end.. this chapter was short, and im like... you really have to put a cliffhanger, right here?!?!?!?

cant wait to read more =]