STAGE: Dallas County Pirates High School

TIME: 3:45 PM

Trying to drown out my thoughts did not work as well as I thought. I tried to distract myself by looking at the raindrops sliding against the windowpane. The sight of the road overpass still haunted me. Others socialized throughout the classroom. 

“You know what I think it is?” From her class desk, Bianca tapped her nose, deliberating. “Global warming,” quickly, she pointed to me with blank-faced confidence. 

Our eyes met. There was a pressure in my chest and a heat that I didn't quite understand. Nervous, “Global warming,” my voice definitely did not crack. However, over the loud thuds of rainwater and lightning cracking, I doubt she heard anything out of the ordinary. 

“Exactly! One day, it could be sunny with no sight of clouds in the sky. And the other could bring a heavy rain shower. What’s next? A blizzard?” 

“It hasn’t snowed in Texas in four years. The closest we’ve had to snow was hail.” 

“Well, hail it may be.” She changed her tone so fast. That confidence was paper thin. It was actually relieving. Suddenly, she was not the robot or the ‘know-all’ people made her out to be. She was just a girl, as simple as that.  

“Are you doing anything Friday?”

 “No, why?”

“Although we don’t know each other all too well, do you wanna be partners?” 

“Partners for what?” 

“The science fair….” Did she own a calendar? Did she know how to listen? I was not asking for my health, you know. “The fair that Mr. Williams was talking about just now.” 

“Oh, that.” Yes, that! What was with this girl? If I knew anyone else besides Max, I would not have asked this airhead. She was smart, right? That was what everyone was saying, right?  “I must’ve distracted myself so much I spaced out for a good portion of his lecture.” Oh… Oh no… “Why do you need me?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be the Know-all?” 

By her reaction, I must have said the wrong thing. In fact, I know I said the wrong thing because her expression changed so drastically. It was not in her face because that thing barely moved half the time. It was her eyes. The vibe was definitely off as she shifted in her seat. “Not even three weeks new to this school, and you already know my nickname. I guess I’ll always be known by that,” she sighed, packing her books. “I couldn’t help but notice yesterday that you skimmed through your quiz near the end of class. It wasn’t like you were rushing but simply breezing through it.”

“You noticed all that?”

Silently she watched me. She looked me up and down, sizing me up with her cold eyes. I was not a book! She could not read me like that! What was she even doing? “You know, I have a feeling you have some brains in you. I actually would not mind you being my partner.” 

“I wouldn’t call it brains, but yeah, sure,” I was just happy to be over with the ordeal. I definitely asked the wrong person to be my partner. But what was I going to do? I needed someone who actually paid attention to Mr. Williams’ lecture. So, I just went along with her, “I’ll be your partner.” 

“Great!”

“You have any ideas you want to do?” 

“Not a clue.” This girl nearly made me fall out of my seat. She was a piece of work. Then, she sharply snapped her fingers, pointing at me yet again. “How about we make a tribute to one of my favorite scientists?” Lord, I did not think I had the strength to endure this. Luckily, she finished her thought without provocation. “Well, technically, he’s a professor. But I see him as a scientist in my eyes.” She returned to scrounging around her table and retrieved multiple books from her backpack. Selecting a familiar green book, Bianca held it close as she faced me yet again. By her face alone, her level of passion was way too high. I did not even think she could make that expression. “I preordered this two weeks ago. I stopped by the bookstore to pick it up before the field trip. The ideas he shares are complete science-fiction, but the way he explains them makes it so real.” Handing me the book, she watched as I flipped it to the front cover. All this fuss over a book. She must have been crushing hard on this guy. He… I froze worse than a freshwater lake during a blizzard. The sight of the man with dreadlocks and glasses, the same man connected to Skull Hacker’s job, on the cover shocked me. I was numb. The book was titled ‘The Biography of Professor Jeroham-’ Although my thumb covered the man’s last name, I knew exactly what it said, because I knew this man. I was just getting used to seeing his face, hearing his voice. Maybe what I saw back at Bluebonnet Lake is the reason why I’m back to reacting so… He was a man that haunted me, weighed on my family. And he was… “Kieren?” 

“...How about we do something else?” I slyly suggested, handing the book back to her. 

“Why? What’s wrong with the-” The bell interrupted her. Talk about being saved by the bell. “We’ll talk about that later, okay?” I sprang from my seat and swung my backpack on. 

“Okay...” She recoiled, confused by my reaction. Anyone would be, but I could not have this conversation. Not now… “Wait,” she too sprung up, “don’t you need my number?” 

“No need! I’ll just look you up on Facebooked!” I sped up towards the door to exit the class.