Cadence beamed at Kerass. She had always been afraid to show off her smile before. Even though her dentist told her that she had perfectly healthy teeth hers weren’t white. She was tired of all the why don’t you brush questions. But with Kerass all her insecurities vanished.
“You know, you have a beautiful smile,” Kerass said which only made her blush even more. He wasn’t the subtlest flirt in the world, but she had no complaints. The most popular guy in the freshmen class was complementing her on her smile. Her thoughts raced forward. She had the potential to be the most popular girl in their class, which had never happened before in her life. The thought of being most popular had never been all that appealing to her, but the closer she got to it the more she wanted it. Her desires were screaming at her to get it.
Then her smile disappeared. Kerass asked her if something was wrong. “It’s nothing,” she replied. “I’ll see you at the game.” She immediately began to feel guilty. Kerass came. He was the only person who showed. He wasn’t looking for a date he was looking for support. Her wants and desires couldn’t get in the way of that. Her thoughts changed from guilt to self-loathing. She hated herself for thinking of their relationship going so quickly. She hardly knew anything about him.
“Hey, don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure Jay’s a shoe in for joining.” His words broke her train of thought instantly. She thanked him again for caring so much about the peer support group and bid him farewell.
The bell rang signifying the end of the day. Football Fridays meant the school let out early, but they had to stay for a pep rally. Jay utterly hated the pep rallies. As much as he loved Kerass as his best friend, he just couldn’t stand not being the center of attention, not being in the spotlight. He often called himself a theater embryo. Performing was his passion.
“Hey,” she said. To his utmost surprise, Cadence was standing next to him as he was walking down the hallway. He couldn’t pinpoint why she would even want to be near him. She was so obviously into Kerass. The whole peer support group was just a way for her to get into his life. It was utterly pathetic. “Can we sit next to each other during the pep rally? I don’t really have anybody else to sit next to seeing that Kerass is in it.”
“Sure, I mean why not?” he asked his eyes alit with fire. This was it. It was the perfect opportunity to ruin her image of Kerass, to keep her away from him. “Ladies first,” he said opening the door for her to the school’s gymnasium.
Small talk wasn’t a specialty for either of them as they sat waiting for the pep rally to begin. The usual stupid peppy stuff happened. The cheerleaders came out and did a cheer. One cheerleader was nearly dropped, there was that one awkward guy who could jump into a full split that was incredibly painful for everyone to watch. The guy just kept on smiling while some girls bizarrely cheered him on. Then the dance team came on. They did some unbelievably inappropriate dance number that was cut short. They were quickly rushed out of the gym.
“You never saw this in Lutheran private school,” Cadence commented.
“Really? You went to private school?” he asked in response. She nodded and immediately explained that it had nothing to do with religion. She was easily impressionable, so they placed her in a Christian private school that would look out for her. “Why’d you switch over to public?”
“You really don’t need to know,” she said. Her glare told him everything. He wouldn’t ask her anything else about it.
After another 10 minutes of presenting people from fall teams he had never heard talked about in the hallways, the freshmen football team came out. Nobody cared about any other sport other than football at Oak Stream High. Kerass came out last after his other teammates were called out. Everyone stood up cheering. Kerass was getting a standing ovation.
“Cadence is in love with you!” Jay cried out. Nobody else aside from Kerass and Cadence heard it above the roar of the crowd but the poison had already started to spread. Mission accomplished, he thought to himself.
Cadence didn’t say a word to Jay after they walked out of the pep rally. She knew Kerass had heard what he shouted. She couldn’t tell if she was angry because he told Kerass or because he was right about what he said. There wasn’t anything that could be done. He already knew. She debated whether staying after school to see the football game was a good decision after all, but her mom already told her that she was going to pick her up and her cell phone didn’t have reception at the school.
The game was free for students with an ID. As packed out as the freshmen games usually were, this was a surprisingly small turnout. Friday afternoons were not the best time for people to stay and watch a football game. Freshmen games were usually played on Monday nights. The fact that the team always dominated the field made everyone’s Mondays a lot brighter. Cadence sat down near the top of the bleachers. She was hoping she wouldn’t be bothered or even noticed by Jay. As the time kept ticking away she realized that Jay wasn’t in the stands at least not the stands she was in. It was then that she noticed that she was in the away team stands. Shaking her head at her utter stupidity she got up and went to the home team stands. While a little fuller, the stands weren’t as packed out as people had promised. She decided to sit lower in the stands closer to the field to get a better look at Kerass while he played. Jay wasn’t anywhere in the home stands either. It couldn’t possibly be that he had grown a conscience since the pep rally. Even though she had only spent time with him then, that seemed out of character for him.
Number 22. That was the number of his jersey. She watched him as he made play after play that seemed to inevitably turn into a touchdown. She never watched football that often, but she had never seen a team dominate so strongly during a football game before. After he played an entire quarter, they were up by 50 points, so he was taken out and given a break on the bench. He turned around noticing that she was in the stands. He smiled at her and waved. She found herself smiling and waving back. She couldn’t control herself when he looked at her.
A tiny piece of his jersey near his chest caught the sunlight nearly blinding her. It was then that she noticed that he was wearing a necklace: a silver necklace with a cross on it. He must have been wearing it underneath his shirt every time she saw him. Either that or she was just completely oblivious that it was there. It was almost like an immediate turn off. As much as she liked Kerass and truly wanted to help him, she couldn’t stand all the hypocrites that claimed to be gracious professing truth based on a fictional account of some dead guy. She stood up and began to walk out.
Kerass called out after her as she walked past the bench. He asked her why she was leaving telling her that he wanted her to stay at the same time. “You obviously heard what Jay told you,” she said, her voice annoyed yet barely above a whisper.
“Yeah,” he said his voice breathy. “Is it true?”
“You know it is,” she said fighting to keep control of herself. His face lit up beaming.
“Good, I was hoping it was.”
She looked him straight in the eyes. “Listen,” she began explaining that she noticed the cross he wore. She told him that she wasn’t religious and that she wanted nothing to do with it, but she still wanted to be with him.
He responded that he wanted that too. “Stay,” he begged her, “for me.”
His eyes were glistening. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She told him that she would. She went back to the stands and sat down.
Jay sat at his desk at home. He hated what he had done during the pep rally. Their relationship wasn’t any of his business, even if he was Kerass’ best friend. He began to think through why he did it. He wasn’t usually a spiteful person. Flashing back through every second of that pep rally, he realized he didn’t like who he had become. He deserved to be let go from the school play. No man with an ego his size should ever have a lead role. He was always making the same mistakes.
He opened up his spiral notebook. Tucked and folded inside the separator was a flier for the Gay Straight Alliance. The slogan read: Do you believe in tolerance? Do you believe in acceptance? OR Do you believe in equality? He closed his eyes as tears started to form and run down his face. Silently begging that it wasn’t true, that it wasn’t a mistake. He put the flier back inside the notebook.
He knew why he had acted the way he did during the pep rally. He was just hoping and wishing with all he had that he didn’t have to accept it. His friendship with Kerass wasn’t just a friendship to him. He had an undeniable crush on Kerass. His cell phone rang at his desk. Kerass was calling him. He ignored the call immediately sending Kerass to voicemail. Tears flew down his face as he gasped for air. He hoped and begged whatever higher power he was calling out to that he wouldn’t lose his best friend over this.
Kerass knocked on the front door. His best friend was never good at keeping secrets from him and he knew he was hiding something. He wouldn’t have skipped out on the game that he promised to go to unless he was trying to hide something. The door opened slowly. The puffy red eyes told him everything: Jay had been crying.
“Please, not now, Kerass,” Jay begged closing the door on him.
Kerass’ hand stopped him. “What’s going on? What’s wrong Jay?” he asked.
Jay started up crying again. Kerass tried to hug him, but Jay pushed him back with more force than he had ever seen from him. “Don’t, just don’t ok.”
“Please tell me,” Kerass pleaded with him. “I want to help in any way I can.”
Jay was sobbing by that point. “I have something I need to tell you,” he said in between sobs.
“What?” Kerass responded. “Tell me,” he said as gently as he possibly could. “Please.”
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Fallen Leaves - Chapter 2: They Don't Know About Us
Kerass stood still while his thoughts ran rampant. He was silently begging her to respond. Any response would be fine by this point. Anything that relieved the awkward tension of this one-way conversation. With a dispirited sigh, Kerass turned around and began to walk away.
“Wait!” Cadence called out after him.
He turned back around and entered the classroom looking straight into her eyes. It was a look that could see through any lie that she would conjure up. “Well, will you?” he asked dryly, his eyes never straying even for a millisecond from his gaze on her.
“What do you need…or should I say want help with?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“I don’t have friends.” he started to say. She instantly started laughing. He told her that if she was just going to treat it like a joke then he was wasting his time. He didn’t want to be wrong about her, she had seemed different, but he was obviously wrong.
She responded that she was sorry. It had taken her aback, so her natural response was to laugh at any shock that came her way. “You seem like you have all the friends in the world. I don’t see why you would need support from this group or even friends for that matter.”
“They only care about one thing and that’s not me. They don’t give a crap about me. They only care about my stats,” he sighed utterly frustrated and disappointed in the whole situation. Breaking the silence he said, “All right, if you don’t want to help me then that’s fine.”
“It’s just awkward for me ok. You’re the only person who showed up. I don’t think this group should be just a one-on-one thing. Listen,” she began. She explained that if he were to bring at least one other person then she would do whatever she could to make him more confident with himself. She promised she would be his friend, but he would have to bring at least one other person along with him.
“All right, you’ve got yourself a deal,” he said. They exchanged brief goodbyes before Kerass walked out of the classroom. He crumpled up the announcement for the peer support group which he held in his hand. Seeing the poster for The Crucible his eyes lit up. Tossing the peer support group announcement in the nearest trashcan, he walked down the now deserted hallways pondering on how he would ever get Jay to agree to a peer support group. If he were to get Jay to agree, he would have to be honest with him about his depression. Honesty wasn’t one of Kerass’ strongest qualities. He had the best poker face of anyone in the freshmen class, aside from maybe the new girl. The only way he could truly get the support that he wanted was to grab Jay and drag him into the group himself. He reassured himself that if he couldn’t trust Jay, his best friend, he wouldn’t be able to trust anyone. Then why did he still feel dirty about telling Jay about his depression? He could be genuine with Jay, he knew that as a certainty…but he still felt uncomfortable with letting Jay completely in.
Turning the corner walking down the science hallway to his locker, he heard sniffling. He walked down the hallway hearing it echoing down the hall. Whoever it was was attempting to hide in the stairwell. It was a good hiding place when you didn’t want to be seen, however everything you said was amplified from the higher ceilings. He walked down the hallway to see who it was and if they needed any help. Walking down the first set of stairs reaching the landing between floors, he found Jay in the corner balled up and crying.
“Jay, what happened?” Kerass asked.
Jay looked up surprised that Kerass had found him in this condition. “It’s nothing really I’m fine.” Kerass told Jay he was a terrible liar which brought a small smile to Jay’s face. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Kerass stared blankly at him. Jay told him that the good news was that he would be able to see his football game Friday afternoon.
“Is play practice cancelled?” Kerass asked in response.
“Let me finish,” Jay said with sheer devastation. “I got let go.” Sighing he continued saying that the director felt that he was so far behind with his line memorization that he wouldn’t be able to partake in the show anymore.
Kerass placed his hand on Jay’s shoulder. Jay leaned into Kerass crying in his shoulder. He didn’t say a word. This was a silent unspoken moment between the two. Their friendship supported each other in any way they possibly could. A bond this strong could not be openly shown at Oak Stream High without rumors flying around about each of their sexualities being questioned. Nothing was said between them and neither would ever mention this moment to each other again.
The rest of the week flew by for Cadence, but something inside of her had changed. She smiled a lot more than she had ever done since she had transferred to Oak Stream High. Slowly but surely, more and more makeup was being applied to her face. Walking down the stairs on Friday, her mother finally asked about what had changed over the course of the week. “I thought you had said nobody showed up to the peer support group.”
Setting her book bag by the door and sitting down at the dining room table Cadence said, “I told you one person showed up.” Her mom responded saying that she thought she was thinking of dropping the group all together. Her smile gave her away. She was wearing mascara. “Who’s the guy?”
“What guy?” Cadence asked surprised that her mom had noticed. Her mother pointed out that she was wearing her mascara. She responded that she had changed her mind about beauty products and that she wanted to slowly start applying it on. Her mother just stared at her with her arms crossed. “Can’t I just be happy?” Cadence asked.
Her mother shook her head. The more questions she asked, the bigger Cadence’s smile became, but she wouldn’t budge. Her mother let her go rush off to the bus stop hoping and praying that her newfound happiness would last.
The bus rolled up at the usual time. Cadence stepped on and took her usual spot up front, only now when she looked to the back of the bus Kerass was no longer sleeping but wide awake beaming at her. He got up and walked down the isle and sat right beside her.
“I think I know how to save your club,” Kerass said.
“How?” Cadence responded. She didn’t look at his face while she asked. She wasn’t sure why, but ever since he had stared straight at her after school that day she couldn’t look him straight in the eyes.
He laughed asking if she was still intimidated. He reassured her that he would reserve that stare for the football field. She was now able to look at his face but not directly into his eyes. “Jay. I’m gonna ask Jay,” he said.
“And what makes you so certain that he’ll want to join? I mean…he wasn’t the one that showed up after school.”
Kerass asked if she was kidding. He was certainly a lot happier. She couldn’t tell if this was an act or not, but she decided to play along. He had repeatedly been nicer to her and her mom had noticed that morning that she was a lot more giddy than she had ever been. His voice drew her back into their conversation. “Jay’s my best friend. He’ll do anything for me. Plus, I think he needs it.”
“Now come on, that’s a little bold of you to speak directly for him,” she said and instantly regretted speaking her mind so bluntly. “I love that you want to save the group, Kerass, but maybe it’s just a lost cause. I mean, you and I can still be friends,” she said a lot more gingerly.
“No, I really think I can get him to say yes,” he said. Now she looked straight into his eyes. They seemed so genuine, so real. He couldn’t possibly be lying to her. She told him that she believed him, but she wanted confirmation before the next meeting otherwise the group was going to stop. His smile reassured her that he’d be able to save it no problem.
“You want me to do what!?” Jay exclaimed at the top of his voice. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Why would you even ask me that?”
“Don’t get all excited,” Kerass responded his eyes commanding him to keep his voice down.
“Why?” Jay asked. He continued asking why he would ever want to join the peer support group. Kerass responded by reminding him of the unspoken event. Jay retorted that that was a low blow and only a moment of weakness. It wasn’t a reoccurring problem by any stretch.
“For me then,” Kerass said his voice barely above a whisper. “Please.”
Jay couldn’t bear to see Kerass look so glum, but he wasn’t going to budge. There was no way that he would ever join the peer support group. “I can’t promise you anything. I’ll think about it over the game.”
Kerass beamed. His smile showed that he was convinced he was winning the discussion. “Thanks Jay, you’re the best you know that?”
“Of course I know that but nothing’s been decided yet.”
Kerass’ smile kept getting bigger. “Sure,” he said utterly convinced he had won. “Snap it.” They slid their right hands over each other and snapped in unison. Kerass walked down the hallway. The new girl walked over to Kerass. Jay watched from the distance not daring to be seen but not daring to look away. They were talking and laughing about something stupid probably. So that was the reason that Kerass wanted to join the peer support group. Whoever the new girl was had some spell over him. Jay had never seen Kerass quite like this before. Kerass was never himself around girls. He was always the actor his part being the football stud. This was different though. It almost looked like actual flirting. Jay couldn’t stand the forced smiles. Well, they probably weren’t forced, but he didn’t want Kerass to smile at anyone other than himself like that. It had always been Kerass and Jay. This new girl wasn’t going to take away his best friend. At that moment he decided the play was back on but it was a different character and a different stage. His goal was to stop this new girl from stealing away his best friend. He only needed to find the perfect opportunity to execute it. His performance was about to begin.
“Wait!” Cadence called out after him.
He turned back around and entered the classroom looking straight into her eyes. It was a look that could see through any lie that she would conjure up. “Well, will you?” he asked dryly, his eyes never straying even for a millisecond from his gaze on her.
“What do you need…or should I say want help with?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“I don’t have friends.” he started to say. She instantly started laughing. He told her that if she was just going to treat it like a joke then he was wasting his time. He didn’t want to be wrong about her, she had seemed different, but he was obviously wrong.
She responded that she was sorry. It had taken her aback, so her natural response was to laugh at any shock that came her way. “You seem like you have all the friends in the world. I don’t see why you would need support from this group or even friends for that matter.”
“They only care about one thing and that’s not me. They don’t give a crap about me. They only care about my stats,” he sighed utterly frustrated and disappointed in the whole situation. Breaking the silence he said, “All right, if you don’t want to help me then that’s fine.”
“It’s just awkward for me ok. You’re the only person who showed up. I don’t think this group should be just a one-on-one thing. Listen,” she began. She explained that if he were to bring at least one other person then she would do whatever she could to make him more confident with himself. She promised she would be his friend, but he would have to bring at least one other person along with him.
“All right, you’ve got yourself a deal,” he said. They exchanged brief goodbyes before Kerass walked out of the classroom. He crumpled up the announcement for the peer support group which he held in his hand. Seeing the poster for The Crucible his eyes lit up. Tossing the peer support group announcement in the nearest trashcan, he walked down the now deserted hallways pondering on how he would ever get Jay to agree to a peer support group. If he were to get Jay to agree, he would have to be honest with him about his depression. Honesty wasn’t one of Kerass’ strongest qualities. He had the best poker face of anyone in the freshmen class, aside from maybe the new girl. The only way he could truly get the support that he wanted was to grab Jay and drag him into the group himself. He reassured himself that if he couldn’t trust Jay, his best friend, he wouldn’t be able to trust anyone. Then why did he still feel dirty about telling Jay about his depression? He could be genuine with Jay, he knew that as a certainty…but he still felt uncomfortable with letting Jay completely in.
Turning the corner walking down the science hallway to his locker, he heard sniffling. He walked down the hallway hearing it echoing down the hall. Whoever it was was attempting to hide in the stairwell. It was a good hiding place when you didn’t want to be seen, however everything you said was amplified from the higher ceilings. He walked down the hallway to see who it was and if they needed any help. Walking down the first set of stairs reaching the landing between floors, he found Jay in the corner balled up and crying.
“Jay, what happened?” Kerass asked.
Jay looked up surprised that Kerass had found him in this condition. “It’s nothing really I’m fine.” Kerass told Jay he was a terrible liar which brought a small smile to Jay’s face. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Kerass stared blankly at him. Jay told him that the good news was that he would be able to see his football game Friday afternoon.
“Is play practice cancelled?” Kerass asked in response.
“Let me finish,” Jay said with sheer devastation. “I got let go.” Sighing he continued saying that the director felt that he was so far behind with his line memorization that he wouldn’t be able to partake in the show anymore.
Kerass placed his hand on Jay’s shoulder. Jay leaned into Kerass crying in his shoulder. He didn’t say a word. This was a silent unspoken moment between the two. Their friendship supported each other in any way they possibly could. A bond this strong could not be openly shown at Oak Stream High without rumors flying around about each of their sexualities being questioned. Nothing was said between them and neither would ever mention this moment to each other again.
The rest of the week flew by for Cadence, but something inside of her had changed. She smiled a lot more than she had ever done since she had transferred to Oak Stream High. Slowly but surely, more and more makeup was being applied to her face. Walking down the stairs on Friday, her mother finally asked about what had changed over the course of the week. “I thought you had said nobody showed up to the peer support group.”
Setting her book bag by the door and sitting down at the dining room table Cadence said, “I told you one person showed up.” Her mom responded saying that she thought she was thinking of dropping the group all together. Her smile gave her away. She was wearing mascara. “Who’s the guy?”
“What guy?” Cadence asked surprised that her mom had noticed. Her mother pointed out that she was wearing her mascara. She responded that she had changed her mind about beauty products and that she wanted to slowly start applying it on. Her mother just stared at her with her arms crossed. “Can’t I just be happy?” Cadence asked.
Her mother shook her head. The more questions she asked, the bigger Cadence’s smile became, but she wouldn’t budge. Her mother let her go rush off to the bus stop hoping and praying that her newfound happiness would last.
The bus rolled up at the usual time. Cadence stepped on and took her usual spot up front, only now when she looked to the back of the bus Kerass was no longer sleeping but wide awake beaming at her. He got up and walked down the isle and sat right beside her.
“I think I know how to save your club,” Kerass said.
“How?” Cadence responded. She didn’t look at his face while she asked. She wasn’t sure why, but ever since he had stared straight at her after school that day she couldn’t look him straight in the eyes.
He laughed asking if she was still intimidated. He reassured her that he would reserve that stare for the football field. She was now able to look at his face but not directly into his eyes. “Jay. I’m gonna ask Jay,” he said.
“And what makes you so certain that he’ll want to join? I mean…he wasn’t the one that showed up after school.”
Kerass asked if she was kidding. He was certainly a lot happier. She couldn’t tell if this was an act or not, but she decided to play along. He had repeatedly been nicer to her and her mom had noticed that morning that she was a lot more giddy than she had ever been. His voice drew her back into their conversation. “Jay’s my best friend. He’ll do anything for me. Plus, I think he needs it.”
“Now come on, that’s a little bold of you to speak directly for him,” she said and instantly regretted speaking her mind so bluntly. “I love that you want to save the group, Kerass, but maybe it’s just a lost cause. I mean, you and I can still be friends,” she said a lot more gingerly.
“No, I really think I can get him to say yes,” he said. Now she looked straight into his eyes. They seemed so genuine, so real. He couldn’t possibly be lying to her. She told him that she believed him, but she wanted confirmation before the next meeting otherwise the group was going to stop. His smile reassured her that he’d be able to save it no problem.
“You want me to do what!?” Jay exclaimed at the top of his voice. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Why would you even ask me that?”
“Don’t get all excited,” Kerass responded his eyes commanding him to keep his voice down.
“Why?” Jay asked. He continued asking why he would ever want to join the peer support group. Kerass responded by reminding him of the unspoken event. Jay retorted that that was a low blow and only a moment of weakness. It wasn’t a reoccurring problem by any stretch.
“For me then,” Kerass said his voice barely above a whisper. “Please.”
Jay couldn’t bear to see Kerass look so glum, but he wasn’t going to budge. There was no way that he would ever join the peer support group. “I can’t promise you anything. I’ll think about it over the game.”
Kerass beamed. His smile showed that he was convinced he was winning the discussion. “Thanks Jay, you’re the best you know that?”
“Of course I know that but nothing’s been decided yet.”
Kerass’ smile kept getting bigger. “Sure,” he said utterly convinced he had won. “Snap it.” They slid their right hands over each other and snapped in unison. Kerass walked down the hallway. The new girl walked over to Kerass. Jay watched from the distance not daring to be seen but not daring to look away. They were talking and laughing about something stupid probably. So that was the reason that Kerass wanted to join the peer support group. Whoever the new girl was had some spell over him. Jay had never seen Kerass quite like this before. Kerass was never himself around girls. He was always the actor his part being the football stud. This was different though. It almost looked like actual flirting. Jay couldn’t stand the forced smiles. Well, they probably weren’t forced, but he didn’t want Kerass to smile at anyone other than himself like that. It had always been Kerass and Jay. This new girl wasn’t going to take away his best friend. At that moment he decided the play was back on but it was a different character and a different stage. His goal was to stop this new girl from stealing away his best friend. He only needed to find the perfect opportunity to execute it. His performance was about to begin.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Fallen Leaves - Chapter 1: Another World
I want to do something that means something to someone, anyone, she said to herself. Cadence Harris looked at herself in the mirror. She had shoulder length golden brown hair that she always pushed back into a ponytail. She didn’t wear any makeup. It wasn’t really a statement as much as it was the fact that she didn’t want to pay for it. There were more important things to spend money on than simply manufactured beauty. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she felt content with her look for the first time that day. She was in no way stunning, but she wasn’t ugly either. She had an essence of purity and innocence about her, something that could never be manufactured.
Her textbooks were stacked neatly on her desk inside her room. She was taking all advance classes, which always made her mom smile. Her Geometry homework sat unfinished. Looking at the clock, Cadence felt she had enough time to get to school early enough so she could meet up with Ms. Flinch, her geometry teacher, and attempt to get some one-on-one time before her geometry class started at 7:20 sharp. The clock read 6:03. She placed her books and her homework in her book bag. Slipping her book bag around her shoulder, she decided it was time to leave her bedroom and begin the day.
Her mother sat at the dining room table sipping a cup of tea. Her mother had a pixie cut. Seeing Cadence step in, her mother held up her cup.
“Nah, just water, Ma,” she said.
Her mother started to get up, but Cadence stopped her saying she would get a glass for herself.
“Is it today?” her mother asked.
“What?” Cadence asked even though she had heard her the first time. Sometimes Cadence just started talking before she gave her brain time to process what had just been said. By the time she had said the word ‘what’ she had already processed what was said. She carried her glass of water over to the table, placed her book bag at the foot of the door, and started sitting down while her mother repeated her question.
“Yeah, actually,” Cadence said with a smile. As much as she attempted to suppress her excitement, the happier, the more excited she became.
Her mother returned the smile. “Don’t try to hold it back! You should be very proud of yourself. It’s a great idea and I’m certain a lot of people will go for it.”
“Thanks, Ma,” Cadence whispered her response back.
They continued to sit in silence as the time slipped away. The clock now read 6:20. Cadence grabbed her book bag and walked out of the door. Her mother stepped in the doorframe beckoning her back in. Cadence kissed her cheek.
“I love you, Cadence,” her mother said as Cadence began to walk away.
Cadence turned around and with a smile said, “Yeah, I love you too.” She walked away as the bus pulled up on the end of the street. She felt the urge to run even though the bus was only a house over. The bus was 5 minutes earlier than usual, or she was 5 minutes later, she couldn’t tell.
Stepping on, she knew it was just going to be another normal day. She saw him again. Sitting in the very back of the bus sleeping in his letterman jacket as usual was the most athletic boy in her class. Athletics were big at Oak Stream High. Kerass Coscarelli was only a freshman, but his strength and size brought people in droves to see freshman football games. More people watched the freshmen games than the varsity games. He bore a crew cut, which only increased his intimidation factor on the field. He seemed a million miles away from Cadence.
The bus pulled into Oak Stream’s parking lot. Cadence immediately began walking from point A, the bus, to point C, the geometry classroom. There was no time for point B. Point B did not exist. Point B was reserved for talking to friends, but after transferring to Oak Stream midway through her freshman year, she had yet to gain any. A month and a half had gone by since she had transferred and she felt like she had barely been noticed. No one stopped her in the hall as she made her way to the geometry room and sat down at 7:00. Oak Stream felt like another world entirely, one she had yet to learn the societal rules of.
Jay Meyer jumped as his locker was closed in front of him. Kerass laughed at Jay while he held his hand over his heart trying to calm himself down. Jay smiled back at him. “You’re such a jerk, you know that?”
“Oh yeah, then why you smiling?” Kerass responded.
Jay then joined in with the laughter. Jay had gelled jet black hair. The spikes in his hair only made him stand out more in a sea of people that just went with the flow. Jay wore a red shirt. In black letters ‘The Crucible – See it March 12-14’ was written on the center of the shirt.
“How’s rehearsals going?” Kerass asked.
Jay paused looking guilty. “They could always be better, I guess.”
Kerass could sense that something was wrong. He asked Jay about it and Jay responded that he had yet to memorize his lines. The yelling from his fellow cast mates and the show’s director shook him up pretty badly. “I’m sorry,” Kerass offered. Jay accepted it with a smile on his face.
“It’ll be fine. I play the evil judge. I get to wear a wig. At least I don’t have to change my hair this time,” Jay said with a smirk.
Kerass yawned attempting to stay awake. Jay play punched him in the stomach knocking the wind out of Kerass. Kerass smiled right back at Jay.
“How are your stats coming, football stud?” Jay asked.
“For one thing I’m not a stud. You know I don’t pay attention to that sorta stuff,” Kerass said.
Jay smiled. “Yeah, I know.”
Kerass sighed, finally awake. “Are you coming to the game Friday afternoon?”
The smile immediately left Jay’s face. Jay explained that he would love to, but he had rehearsal during that time. He then began to promise that he would come to every game he possibly could, but he would have to skip this one. “Go score a basket for me, ok?”
“They’re called touchdowns…” Kerass said agitated.
“You can’t blame me, I don’t understand anything about this sports stuff.”
Kerass’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re friends.” Kerass pulled out his geometry homework. “Hey, do you have Ms. Flinch?”
“Nah, I have Mr. Martin. You know, that whole weird two first names thing?”
Kerass said that he had best go to her room to try to figure out the answer to the problem. “Maybe I could get some one-on-one tutoring time or something.” Jay told him to snap it. They slid their right hands over each other and snapped in unison. That was their ritual to end every conversation. It beat saying goodbye by a long shot, plus to them it looked cool. It was all just another day between the two of them.
Kerass sprinted up the stairs two at a time to reach the math hallway. By the time he made it to room M25, it was only 7:05. Someone was already in the room. He felt like he recognized her outside of the classroom for some reason, but he couldn’t quite place it. She was the new girl, of that he was certain. “I bet we have the same question. Do you mind if I join in?” She shook her head. He sat down right beside her. He glanced over at her sheet of paper making sure of her name before he said anything else. “You’re new here, right, Cadence?”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod.
“Hey, are you that girl?” He asked. “That girl they’ve talked about on the announcements?”
She smiled back at him. A few more questions were asked to no avail before they both became solely focused on finding the obtuse angle. The problem was actually quite simple once the teacher explained it.
The announcements came on over an intercom full of static. The usual things were announced. The freshmen football game was Friday at 3:30. Kerass’s stats began to be read. He immediately covered his ears trying to block out all sound until the announcement was over. Cadence mouthed to him that it was over which instantly relieved him. He looked back up just in time to hear that play rehearsals were Thursday and Friday from 2:30-5:00.
“And lastly, the peer support group meets up for their first meeting ever after school at 2:30 today in the English hallway at room D60. Ask Mr. Hendricks or Cadence Harris for more details. Now, let us pause for a minute of silence.”
The intercom went silent. Eyes shifted over to Cadence who remained silent staring at the white board.
The end of the day seemed like it took forever to get to, but finally the final bell rang. Cadence made her way down to room D60 and made it at 2:14 sharp. Mr. Hendricks said he had a meeting to go to, but he would return once it was over at 3:00. Cadence smiled at him as he walked out the door.
Her excitement was boiling over. She couldn’t wait for people to walk inside the door. The time kept ticking on. 2:20…2:30…2:40…she was getting anxious. Nobody had shown up. She was about to leave, but decided instead to stay behind until Mr. Hendricks had returned. She walked over to the window and stared at the barren trees outside.
There was a knock at the door. Her first thought was to look at the clock. It was 2:45. Her eyes fell down on the person who stood in the doorway. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Kerass. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said stepping inside the door.
She continued to stare at him. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be happening. Nobody was happier in the freshmen class than Kerass. No one had gotten more support than Kerass. Everybody liked Kerass. Why was he the only one to show up for the peer support group?
“Is the meeting over?” he asked.
“No,” she replied back, surprised that her voice actually worked. She looked into his eyes. They were filled with such sorrow. They seemed so empty. She had to say something. She had to ask. “Why are you here, Kerass?”
“I need help.”
She sighed, trying to muster the courage to keep talking. Nothing was helping. She was still in shock that he was the only one who had shown up.
“Please.”
Her textbooks were stacked neatly on her desk inside her room. She was taking all advance classes, which always made her mom smile. Her Geometry homework sat unfinished. Looking at the clock, Cadence felt she had enough time to get to school early enough so she could meet up with Ms. Flinch, her geometry teacher, and attempt to get some one-on-one time before her geometry class started at 7:20 sharp. The clock read 6:03. She placed her books and her homework in her book bag. Slipping her book bag around her shoulder, she decided it was time to leave her bedroom and begin the day.
Her mother sat at the dining room table sipping a cup of tea. Her mother had a pixie cut. Seeing Cadence step in, her mother held up her cup.
“Nah, just water, Ma,” she said.
Her mother started to get up, but Cadence stopped her saying she would get a glass for herself.
“Is it today?” her mother asked.
“What?” Cadence asked even though she had heard her the first time. Sometimes Cadence just started talking before she gave her brain time to process what had just been said. By the time she had said the word ‘what’ she had already processed what was said. She carried her glass of water over to the table, placed her book bag at the foot of the door, and started sitting down while her mother repeated her question.
“Yeah, actually,” Cadence said with a smile. As much as she attempted to suppress her excitement, the happier, the more excited she became.
Her mother returned the smile. “Don’t try to hold it back! You should be very proud of yourself. It’s a great idea and I’m certain a lot of people will go for it.”
“Thanks, Ma,” Cadence whispered her response back.
They continued to sit in silence as the time slipped away. The clock now read 6:20. Cadence grabbed her book bag and walked out of the door. Her mother stepped in the doorframe beckoning her back in. Cadence kissed her cheek.
“I love you, Cadence,” her mother said as Cadence began to walk away.
Cadence turned around and with a smile said, “Yeah, I love you too.” She walked away as the bus pulled up on the end of the street. She felt the urge to run even though the bus was only a house over. The bus was 5 minutes earlier than usual, or she was 5 minutes later, she couldn’t tell.
Stepping on, she knew it was just going to be another normal day. She saw him again. Sitting in the very back of the bus sleeping in his letterman jacket as usual was the most athletic boy in her class. Athletics were big at Oak Stream High. Kerass Coscarelli was only a freshman, but his strength and size brought people in droves to see freshman football games. More people watched the freshmen games than the varsity games. He bore a crew cut, which only increased his intimidation factor on the field. He seemed a million miles away from Cadence.
The bus pulled into Oak Stream’s parking lot. Cadence immediately began walking from point A, the bus, to point C, the geometry classroom. There was no time for point B. Point B did not exist. Point B was reserved for talking to friends, but after transferring to Oak Stream midway through her freshman year, she had yet to gain any. A month and a half had gone by since she had transferred and she felt like she had barely been noticed. No one stopped her in the hall as she made her way to the geometry room and sat down at 7:00. Oak Stream felt like another world entirely, one she had yet to learn the societal rules of.
Jay Meyer jumped as his locker was closed in front of him. Kerass laughed at Jay while he held his hand over his heart trying to calm himself down. Jay smiled back at him. “You’re such a jerk, you know that?”
“Oh yeah, then why you smiling?” Kerass responded.
Jay then joined in with the laughter. Jay had gelled jet black hair. The spikes in his hair only made him stand out more in a sea of people that just went with the flow. Jay wore a red shirt. In black letters ‘The Crucible – See it March 12-14’ was written on the center of the shirt.
“How’s rehearsals going?” Kerass asked.
Jay paused looking guilty. “They could always be better, I guess.”
Kerass could sense that something was wrong. He asked Jay about it and Jay responded that he had yet to memorize his lines. The yelling from his fellow cast mates and the show’s director shook him up pretty badly. “I’m sorry,” Kerass offered. Jay accepted it with a smile on his face.
“It’ll be fine. I play the evil judge. I get to wear a wig. At least I don’t have to change my hair this time,” Jay said with a smirk.
Kerass yawned attempting to stay awake. Jay play punched him in the stomach knocking the wind out of Kerass. Kerass smiled right back at Jay.
“How are your stats coming, football stud?” Jay asked.
“For one thing I’m not a stud. You know I don’t pay attention to that sorta stuff,” Kerass said.
Jay smiled. “Yeah, I know.”
Kerass sighed, finally awake. “Are you coming to the game Friday afternoon?”
The smile immediately left Jay’s face. Jay explained that he would love to, but he had rehearsal during that time. He then began to promise that he would come to every game he possibly could, but he would have to skip this one. “Go score a basket for me, ok?”
“They’re called touchdowns…” Kerass said agitated.
“You can’t blame me, I don’t understand anything about this sports stuff.”
Kerass’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re friends.” Kerass pulled out his geometry homework. “Hey, do you have Ms. Flinch?”
“Nah, I have Mr. Martin. You know, that whole weird two first names thing?”
Kerass said that he had best go to her room to try to figure out the answer to the problem. “Maybe I could get some one-on-one tutoring time or something.” Jay told him to snap it. They slid their right hands over each other and snapped in unison. That was their ritual to end every conversation. It beat saying goodbye by a long shot, plus to them it looked cool. It was all just another day between the two of them.
Kerass sprinted up the stairs two at a time to reach the math hallway. By the time he made it to room M25, it was only 7:05. Someone was already in the room. He felt like he recognized her outside of the classroom for some reason, but he couldn’t quite place it. She was the new girl, of that he was certain. “I bet we have the same question. Do you mind if I join in?” She shook her head. He sat down right beside her. He glanced over at her sheet of paper making sure of her name before he said anything else. “You’re new here, right, Cadence?”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod.
“Hey, are you that girl?” He asked. “That girl they’ve talked about on the announcements?”
She smiled back at him. A few more questions were asked to no avail before they both became solely focused on finding the obtuse angle. The problem was actually quite simple once the teacher explained it.
The announcements came on over an intercom full of static. The usual things were announced. The freshmen football game was Friday at 3:30. Kerass’s stats began to be read. He immediately covered his ears trying to block out all sound until the announcement was over. Cadence mouthed to him that it was over which instantly relieved him. He looked back up just in time to hear that play rehearsals were Thursday and Friday from 2:30-5:00.
“And lastly, the peer support group meets up for their first meeting ever after school at 2:30 today in the English hallway at room D60. Ask Mr. Hendricks or Cadence Harris for more details. Now, let us pause for a minute of silence.”
The intercom went silent. Eyes shifted over to Cadence who remained silent staring at the white board.
The end of the day seemed like it took forever to get to, but finally the final bell rang. Cadence made her way down to room D60 and made it at 2:14 sharp. Mr. Hendricks said he had a meeting to go to, but he would return once it was over at 3:00. Cadence smiled at him as he walked out the door.
Her excitement was boiling over. She couldn’t wait for people to walk inside the door. The time kept ticking on. 2:20…2:30…2:40…she was getting anxious. Nobody had shown up. She was about to leave, but decided instead to stay behind until Mr. Hendricks had returned. She walked over to the window and stared at the barren trees outside.
There was a knock at the door. Her first thought was to look at the clock. It was 2:45. Her eyes fell down on the person who stood in the doorway. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Kerass. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said stepping inside the door.
She continued to stare at him. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be happening. Nobody was happier in the freshmen class than Kerass. No one had gotten more support than Kerass. Everybody liked Kerass. Why was he the only one to show up for the peer support group?
“Is the meeting over?” he asked.
“No,” she replied back, surprised that her voice actually worked. She looked into his eyes. They were filled with such sorrow. They seemed so empty. She had to say something. She had to ask. “Why are you here, Kerass?”
“I need help.”
She sighed, trying to muster the courage to keep talking. Nothing was helping. She was still in shock that he was the only one who had shown up.
“Please.”
Introduction: Now Exactly What Is This?
Hey everyone!
I'm Steve McFarland. This story means a lot to me and I'm beyond thrilled that you're taking the time to read it. There are many more years to come where we can share the journey of this story and myself as a writer together. This is a blog that showcases a teen drama. The formula is simple: 1. write 10 chapters a year showcasing an entire school year and 2. do this for 25 years. If you are seeing this within the first week, congratulations! You and I are about to embark on an incredible journey and I can't wait to see how the whole project will ultimately turn out.
Sundays are upload days. 10 weeks every summer a new season, or year if you will, shall be uploaded on the blog. What's amazing is overtime you'll see, just as I have seen, how much I've grown as a storyteller. NO subject is off limits. There's a fair share of controversial subjects the story tackles, but hopefully each is handled with truthfulness and care. I sincerely hope you will grow to love the characters as much as I have grown to love them. Without further ado, please embark on the journey with me. Chapter 1 awaits.
Steve McFarland
I'm Steve McFarland. This story means a lot to me and I'm beyond thrilled that you're taking the time to read it. There are many more years to come where we can share the journey of this story and myself as a writer together. This is a blog that showcases a teen drama. The formula is simple: 1. write 10 chapters a year showcasing an entire school year and 2. do this for 25 years. If you are seeing this within the first week, congratulations! You and I are about to embark on an incredible journey and I can't wait to see how the whole project will ultimately turn out.
Sundays are upload days. 10 weeks every summer a new season, or year if you will, shall be uploaded on the blog. What's amazing is overtime you'll see, just as I have seen, how much I've grown as a storyteller. NO subject is off limits. There's a fair share of controversial subjects the story tackles, but hopefully each is handled with truthfulness and care. I sincerely hope you will grow to love the characters as much as I have grown to love them. Without further ado, please embark on the journey with me. Chapter 1 awaits.
Steve McFarland
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