STAGE: Bluebonnet Lake

TIME: 9:00 AM

DATE: Wednesday, October 5th, 2016

Kieren’s Memory Bank: Accessing Memory…

Yesterday was a brisk sunny afternoon. Today… Dark clouds took up much of the dimly lit sky. Ah, Texas weather. You never failed in the spontaneity department. Max, Bianca, and most of the other first-year students walked down a trail. We were led by good old Mr. Williams, who I assumed was unironically dressed as a tacky tourist. Just what kind of fashion sense did these old men develop? He could not have spent all his life like that, could he? Shadows fell onto us, blanketing us as slivers of waning light crept through the red and orange leaves on the surrounding trees. It was such a bleak day that not even the living collage of Fall’s colors could pop. 

“Alright,” Mr. Williams clapped. It was alarming and so unnecessary. Most of us were right next to him. He did not need to be that loud. Maybe if he just sent a group text or a messenger blast, he would not have needed to blare his voice like some sort of caveman. I mean, really, whose man was this… “Let’s circle here!” Mr. Williams continued to rally us first-years, “Alright, kids, don’t sound so excited. F.Y.I., this is the time when you close your mouth and open your ears!” We did so as Mr. Williams looked up at the dim sky while positioning himself on a boulder. We had no choice. Who were we to argue? In their infinite knowledge, the state decided to give this psycho a license to teach.

“So much for the bug spray...”  He took out a field trip pamphlet from his inner vest pocket and cleared his throat. “Welcome High School Freshmen to the first annual ‘Get Out of Class Day!’ You will take a break from your studies to explore what nature offers.” Max sarcastically made a silent yawn by waving his hand over his mouth. “I saw that, Ramirez,” Mr. Williams did not even look up from his pamphlet. Either Max was so cliché that anyone could guess his next move, or Williams was just that good at noticing things without even looking. I mean, he practiced more than enough in class to do so. “During this trip, you will stick with the freshmen body and not wander off. Is that understood?” No one responded. “We will regroup here for lunch in about two hours. After that, you will return to your regular school schedule. You are now free to-” Guess he was not that good…. We all had wandered off way before he could react. Maybe the state should have double-checked his license? 

Arriving at the bridge, I leaned against the railing and looked out past the lake. It was beautiful, far different from the school roof view I imagined. The overpass of a road was a fair distance away. Still, it barely passed through my peripheral vision. This area… It gave me a sense of familiarity, but I could not recall why or as to how it did so. I just knew as if… Taking out my sketchbook, I seized the opportunity. Quiet, calm, it was just begging to be sketched. Rough sketches had become a hobby of mine. And this environment was the perfect subject. For some reason, my mind already knew what to illustrate as I glanced up after each errant line. Sadly, I was not alone. My newfound stalker… I mean associate… I mean, my classmate Max stood at my side watching me sketch. Wind breezes blow in our direction, taking control of my pencil and moving my hand to mark a stray line on my page. A leaf flew by, slapping Max in the face. It was hard not to laugh, so I tried to hide it. However, Max knew, shooting me the dirtiest of looks as he wiped the leaf from his face.

Max started complaining, “If they wanted to make a ‘Get Out of Class Day,’ why not make us stay home?” 

“Right?” I actually agreed with him. What was wrong with me? This was the same guy who thought it was smart to jump off a roof for popularity. “What’s the point of us walking around here for two hours?” 

“Exactly! It’s so dumb. We just have to go back to school anyway.” 

Were we becoming friends? Friends… Friends? Nope. It felt weird just thinking about it. Speaking of which, I saw Bianca kneeling to take a picture of a butterfly. Why was she messing with flying bugs? 

I asked my new friend, “Do you know anything about Bianca?” I asked, believing him to know absolutely nothing at all about her. But I was surprised when…  

“Well, she always has her head stuck in a book. She’s glued to that thing. People call her Bianca Know-all.” 

“Why Know All?”

“Cause she’s hella smart.”

“Hella?” What era was this? Did people use that word in real life? I never thought I would have heard this outside of a movie. 

“Shoot… Nobody knew the unassuming girl in the sixth grade from the UK would be at the top of our class. When it comes to the whole school, she’s tied with only my older brother Anthony. It’s weird for a first-year student to be tied with a senior with anything. Say, why do you ask?” 

“No reason.” Say? Was this guy… Then it started to make sense. It was something Anthony had said on that day, but I had overlooked it. I was well aware that Max was not the brightest kid, but his brother was the smartest kid in the school. Why the big difference? Well, Max was a daredevil. He must have hit his head and damaged his brain beyond repair. So with a heavy heart, I looked at him, feeling pity. 

“Why you looking at me like that?” 

“No reason,” I quickly said again. “You know, I’m still somewhat new here, and I wanted to know more about people. I only knew that she’s really smart and has rich parents.” 

“Rich is not even half of it. Her parents have sued people for really dumb reasons. They practically live in court.” 

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah. Back in middle school, this kid would shoot spitballs at people. Bianca was his prime target because she would never respond. She would just sit there and continue reading. Eventually, he got sued by her parents once they found out.” 

“Dang. That’s cold. He had it coming, though.” Wait… that kid wouldn’t happen to be… Of course, it would be him. Spit Ball Kid. Guess he never learned his lesson after all this time.

As riveting as our conversation was, it was short-lived. When Bianca came to the bridge, “I can’t stand the couple making out in the woods,” she passed by us, sat down, and put her back against the railing. If she had not said words, I would have thought she was ignoring us because of the lack of eye contact… It made me feel so small like she did not even acknowledge that I existed. She took out a green book from her backpack. My observant self only now noticed her voice's slight, proper dialect. How did I miss it? 

“What ‘cha doing?” Max was braver than I was. He just engaged her with no second thought.

“Spending my time wisely,” again, there was no eye contact. She just licked her finger and flipped to the next page. Max and I could only nod our heads to the side in an understanding manner. 

“We might as well do the same,” I pulled out my Odyssey from my jacket pocket. 

Excited, “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Max also took out his own Odyssey. I swear, this guy would get excited for a breeze if someone had told him it was ‘cool’ beforehand. The two of us sat right down, back against the railing like Bianca, and played against each other online. “Believe it or not, I tried getting into esports.” Why is he giving me his villain origin story? No one asked him for all that…. “Y’know, so I can make some fast money. Win over all the girls. Drop out of school before I could even turn fifteen.” Max had to be describing our generation’s version of the American Dream in a nutshell. As someone who lived that dream at one point, I really wanted to know… Where the hell were my girls fawning over me and my fast money? Somehow, I felt cheated. “All the teams I auditioned for said I wasn’t good enough. They even said I was annoying as hell,” he continued to be oblivious to the cold hard truth. I looked over to Bianca, but she was so far gone into her book that I was surprised she even remembered how to breathe. “But look at me now! Playing Smashing Bros. with Kieren the Game Blogger!”

Again, he used that name. Was my old gaming moniker really that important to him? It was basically free; he could have just taken it if he wanted. “I don’t go by that name anymore....”

“What? Nuh-uh, I don’t buy that. You’ve been going by that name for years.” 

“With everything that happened this summer, the name is just something I wanted to get away from.” 

“Is that why you haven’t been active on your blog since June?” 

“Exactly.” 

“Just so you know,” Max sat his console on his lap, “I’m not like your so-called fans. I never gave up on you, even after... you know.”

Who could hate this guy? “Thanks, man.” All I could say about this lovable oaf was that he really was a straightforward guy. And it was refreshing to know exactly what he was thinking in that pond of a brain of his, even if that pond was only shin deep.  

“No problem,” he raised his console to bump against mine. Not to be rude, but this was a four-hundred-dollar device. There was no way in hell… And I caved. Before I knew it, my ears heard the sharp clang of foreign-produced cheap plastic tapping against each other. I just could not leave the guy hanging. “Let’s get back to the game. My Wee Fit Trainer is beating up your General Falcon.” 

As we continued playing, “Freeman...” A creepy, feminine voice called out to me. I cringed. My focus turned toward where Bianca sat. 

“Don’t ever do that again.” 

“Do what?” Deep in her book, Bianca was turning her page. Just how fast did she read? 

“Say my name in that creepy whisper.” 

“Your name is the last thing that would come out of my mouth.” 

“I heard someone say my name. Someone with a feminine voice. Not only was it coming from your general direction, but you’re also the only girl here.” 

“Sounds like you have imaginary friends. At your age,” she turned her page yet again, “that’s a sign of schizophrenia. Nobody said your name. And nobody will.” 

“You’re tripping,” Max raised his brow. But honestly, I could not tell if he was talking to me or her. It had to be her, right? 

“Freeman..” There was that voice again. “Freeman...” What did it want? 

“You guys seriously don’t hear that?” I had to ensure it was not just my mind playing tricks on me. “Someone’s saying my name in that creepy whisper.”

“I don’t hear anything,” Bianca shut her book, annoyed that she had to engage with us. At least, I think she was annoyed. She always had this stone-faced expression. Was she an android? Just then, lightning cracked. “Except that,” she pointed up.  

We slowly looked up, which was a big mistake. Immediately, a downpour of rain began to wash over us. Seeking shelter, we ran. Other students were nearby, running all the same. I followed Max and Bianca as they seemed to know where they were going. I know… I know… But to be fair, Max did get us off that bridge pretty fast. 

“Freeman...” Again, with the voices! Could it just leave me alone?  But then, I looked back at the general area of the whisper, spotting the overpass. And I froze at the sight. Now and only now, did I realize why the lake was so familiar...