The New Girl at Schoolby world1245ChaptersChapter One: Insert clever name hereChapter Two: What A Dream?Chapter Three: Today Was Supposed to Be A Good DayChapter One: Insert clever name hereSo, riddle me this, if you could choose any one pony to become human, who would it be? Well, honestly, I would pick Twilight, because her personality is soo similar to mine, but that is not what fate had in store for me. So, that morning had started out like every other morning, with, you know, a meteor shower. You know, giant space rocks falling from the sky, no big deal. What was a big deal was the fact that I missed the bus. Stupid space rocks had distracted me. So, by the time I actually got to school, it was halfway through second period. I got my tardy slip from the office, and hurried down to Mrs. Krane's class. With a class size of eight, it was officially the hardest class to sneak into. After pausing at the door for a few seconds, I decided that there was no use in stalling. I slowly creaked the door open to find that Mrs. Krane was in the process of giving a lesson on photo comp*. "So glad you could join us, Austen," Mrs. Krane said, then went back to her teaching. I quickly bee lined for my chair, which, with my glorious luck, was across the room, by the windows. I was so distracted by getting out my notebook for the note taking I needed to catch up on, that I almost completely overlooked the new girl sitting at my table. She had a kind of humble beauty about her. She had on a sun beam hoodie and a pair of matching capris. She had a butterfly clip tied into her ponytail, and the most beautiful blue eyes. It took me the fact that she was blushing for me to realize that I was gawking at her. I quickly looked towards the SMART** board and began taking notes. After a solid 26 minutes of me being bright red from embarrassment, the bell rang. I was about to get up and head to my third hour class, but I stopped. I decided to introduce myself to the new girl. "Hi, I'm Austen," I said with a warm smile. She returned a sheepish smile then got up, packed up her notebook, and quickly walked out of the classroom. I must've had a pretty bewildered look on my face because Mrs. Krane started explaining to me. "That's Emma, she just got here this morning. She's kind of shy." "I noticed. Well, sorry about being late, I missed the bus." I tell her a I leave the classroom. I quickly speed down to biology, and get in right as the bell is ringing. "Morning, Welling," I say to the teacher. "Morning, Austen," he says as I take my seat. I look next to me and right where Megan usually sit is Emma, smiling nervously at Mr. Welling. "Hey," Mr. Welling said to Emma. "Welcome to the squid class," "Ooo, squids? Where are they?" She asked excitedly. "Uh, there..." "That's the term Mr. Welling uses for people that don't pay attention in class," I cut in. I loved explaining that. "Oh," she murmured, disappointed. After that the rest of the class went as usual, half of the people on there phones and another quarter of them asleep. How did these kids pass physical science? After all the note taking, and Welling let us lose on the homework, I turned to Emma. "So, where ya from?" I asked. "Uh, well, that's an interesting question. Uh, I uh, came from, uh..." she nearly whispered. "You're not from this country, are you?" "Uh, n-no," she said. "You're from Canada, then?" I say, seeing as she didn't have an accent, and her skin was somewhat pale. "Uh..." BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! Emma left the class in a hurry. She was in such a rush, she forgot her notebook. "I guess I've got to go track her down," I say as I pick up the notebook. I know I shouldn't have done this, but as I was getting up, I opened the butterfly covered book and started flipping through the pages. Right there, on the inside page, was a check list that said: Shower, go to school, find elements. You had to give the girl points for organization, but what were these elements she wrote about? "Don't you have a class to go to, bud?" Mr. Welling asked, bringing me back down to Earth. "Oh, yeah, thanks Welling," I said. I could figure it out later, right now, I had to get to the fourth floor, and fast. I ran to the outside courtyard, and sprinted across to W hall. I power walked to the stair case and booked it up the stairs. I was to the third floor when the bell rang. "Crap," I said under my breath. I didn't need another tardy in this class. Then, you wouldn't believe what I saw. I saw Emma, looking around like she was lost. "You need help?" I asked her. "Uh, yes, a-a little bit, I mean, if you don't mind." She barely whispered. "Oh, it's no problem at all. What room are you looking for?" I whispered back. "401," she said, obviously comfortable with the tone. "Are we going to have all the same classes?" I whisper to myself. "That's right up these stairs. Same place I'm going. Oh, by the way, I'm Austen," I say. "I know. We had journalism together," she said, a little louder. "Well, come on, its not good to be late to your first day in Coach Lawrence," Chapter Two: What A Dream?So, the rest of the day went pretty well, seeing as the new girl, Emma, was in all of my classes. Now, I had just started watching MLP, and I really wasn't caught up on it yet, either. That night, I was up late, watching it on my iPod, when I saw Fluttershy, and for some reason, I thought of Emma. I mean, she did have yellow clothes on and butterfly in her hair. I just didn't know. Then I had an idea. I thought it was a pretty good idea, too. I was inspired by how Twilight met Fluttershy, and how she couldn't stop obsessing over Spike. Now, I'm pretty sure that I couldn't get a Spike plushie online and have it by next week, the last week of the semester, so I decided to use what I had. I pulled out my secret collection of adorable stuffed animals. I studied them each and I picked the one I could part with to help satisfy my suspicion. I stuffed the toy I decided on into my backpack and set it by the door. I looked over at my alarm clock that cast its red light across the room. 1:48am shown brightly on the glossy black surface of the darkened ceiling. "I need to get to bed," I said, but I found myself reaching for my iPod. "No, Austen, you need to sleep." I pulled myself up into my bed, and clawed myself under the sheets. Then, something very unusual happened, I dreamed. That doesn't necessarily sound suspicious, but take into account that I haven't dreamt in like, a year. So, I was walking, er, drifting down a hall. The walls were lined with large stone bricks and in the distance you could here the slowly, deliberate slap of a hoof on the ground, like pacing. I drifted down the hall towards the sound. There was a large wood door, slightly cracked open and a familiar voice came from the inside. "Enjoying my lair, Austen?" It asked. "How do you know my name?" I asked quickly, surprised a sound came out. "Oh, I know you quite well, but first off," he snapped his fingers and he appeared on my head, much smaller. "I'm Discord, master of chaos," the creature said, offering me his lion paw with his eagle talons. "Wait, you're that one guy, that stole the Elements and nearly broke up their wielders' friendship." "Oh, yes, I did, oh, and what a joy it is." Discord said with a laugh. "Wait, so they haven't gotten them back? You still have them?" I said, nonchalantly. I mean, its just a dream. "Of course I do. I'm sure they're still bickering about who's better." "Really? Then where are the Elements?" "Oh, they're in this case, right here," he said. He snapped his fingers and he was off my head and in front of me, dressed like a jewelry store clerk as he opened the case. "As you can see, these are expertly crafted and very magical." "Really? I'm pretty sure the girls have them back right... now," I tried to bend the dream to my will. The Elements disappeared. "Oh, no, whatever shall I do?" Discord feinted. "Wait, what's this behind your ear?" he reached behind my ear and pulled out the element of honesty. He did this with the other ear, under my arms, and I pulled out the Element of Magic myself. (I wasn't gonna let him touch there.) I looked at him in astonishment. "So, you thought this was some crazy dream, huh? Well, keep dreaming, bucko. I'm as real as, well, this apple pie," he said. "What apple..." just then, an apple pie slammed onto my head. I licked my face. "If this weren't so delicious, I would be mad." "See, I'm not all that bad. Just a little insane," "What's fun without a little insanity?" "Well, its time for you to get back to bed, so, see ya around, Austen," he took out a straw and shot a spitball at my face. I woke up in my bed three minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. "And that's why I hate dreams." I say and slowly rise to a sitting position. I throw my legs over the side of my bed and walk to my alarm clock across the room. I flipped the switch on the side and then I tripped over something. I looked down and thought I saw an apple pie. I blinked and saw it was my backpack. I pull out my stuffed animal from my bag. "Stupid idea." I mutter to myself. I scooped it up and started towards the door grabbing a muffin on the way out. Author's Note Well, thanks for actually reading. It may be a little bit before I add a third chapter, because I've got another story I want to write. Well, peace out! Keep it real! Other 80's valedictions that no one really uses anymore. Chapter Three: Today Was Supposed to Be A Good DayThe sun pooled on the horizon, bursting soft pale rays into the sky. A slight breeze rustled the few remaining leaves on the trees, and the frigid air smelled of fresh bread from the bakery down the road. "Today's gonna be a good day," I say to no one in particular. I walked down the lonely street towards school. As I walked, I hum "Here Comes the Sun," You know, the one song by The Beatles that isn't all about drugs. About halfway to school, I saw someone I did not expect to see, I didn't even know they lived by me. Emma. I crossed the street and sped up to catch up with her. "Good morning," I greeted her cheerfully. "Hey," she murmured, but it wasn't as much shy as it was depressed. "Is something wrong?" She nodded, but looked hesitant to speak her mind. I didn't want to push the issue. "Well, if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know, 'kay?" "'Kay," she said. There was a silence that befell us that we accepted. I didn't want to make her talk about it, and she looked like she didn't want to, either. I turned my attention to the horizon ahead. I saw the bright blob of spilled sun that wouldn't bother to clean itself up. I saw the sun reflect off of Emma's yellow jacket, which seemed way too heavy to me, so she must not be used to the cold. This wouldn't have been so awkward if I didn't know the landscape, I think. "So, did you get the homework for Ms. Krane's done?" I asked. She gave a slight nod. "Really brutal with the writing restrictions, huh?" I said, hoping to get a reply, but all I recieved was a shrug. I decided to stop talking and try to enjoy the walk to school. Spoiler alert: I wasn't successful. I walk into my first period class, band (That's right, I'm a band geek.), and I'm greeted by my friend, homie, and partner-in-crime, Darin. "Where were you yesterday?" he asked, sliding his DJ PON-3 headphones off his head and around his neck. I looked up at the tall, stout, and generally bad-ass teen in front of me and said boldly, "Fogging up the windows of my brother's car with his girlfriend," This recieved a solid punch connecting with my shoulder. Okay, so, maybe I'm not the best with the ladies. Note to Reader: I am, and always have been, a nerd. Not a cool one, either. The ones that are slightly over weight, dorky, and most importantly, can barely get a girl to look at them. Up there, was just to help my self esteem. "I slept in, where else would I be?" I growled at him. "And why was that?" he asked in a belittling tone. "The same reason you're usually late, my alarm clock didn't go off," I replied in an even tone. (Note: This is how we normally behave. We're as close as brothers and fight like them, too.) "Come on, let's get set up. Don't want Castor chewing us out," So, I walked across the stage of Memorial Hall, a local auditorium that we rented from the city, to a dressing room we call the Woodwind Room. I walked in to see Hannah unscrewing the lightbulbs from their sockets around the mirrors. "Hannah," I said, "do you have to start your shananigans this early? Seriously?" I asked, and was probably the eighth person to point it out. She replied with her classic reply, "They bother me," "Whatever," I say. I scoot past her towards the middle of the room. I squat down, open my instrument case, and quickly slam together my bass clarinet. I then pulled out the peg, and begin the morning routine of trying to shove the peg into its hole. After twenty minutes of listening to the rest of the band warm up and begin working on our christmas music, I could feel tears of frustration stinging my eyes. I wasn't two hours into the school day and it had already gone to shit. I was so focused on trying to get the peg in the bottom of my instrument that I didn't notice the girl standing over me. She wasn't exactly standing over me, she was at the counter, which I assume is usually for stage make up, her yellow coat on the ground at her side. She was looking at me, though, a half-assembled flute in her hand. I wanted to ask her two things in that moment. Why she was here, and if she had just heard me cuss out a pole? I ended up not asking either. "Everything alright?" she asked, in her soft, sweet voice. "Yeah, everything's fine." I said, quickly blinking the tears from my eyes. Whether frustration or sadness, I didn't want to cry in front of her. "Why're here so late?" I asked. "Oh, I couldn't find the band room," she said, a slight blush on her face. "But, you were here yesterday. Weren't you?" I inquired. "I, uh," she stammered. She probably got here late yesterday. "So, how long've you played the flute?" I asked, quickly trying to change the subject. "A bit," she said. I saw the blush start to shade from her face and a slight twinkle return to her sky blue eyes. "Um, do... do you have any grease or anything?" she asked. "Yeah, why?" I asked, holding up my tube of cork grease. “You might want to put that on the rod, then slide it in,” she said, then she walked out the door to the flutes’ section, leaving me alone to grease my rod. I finally slid it in, tightened the screw, and went out onto the stage. The rest of band was uneventful, and Mrs. Krane’s class was a brutal as ever, but I got through it. I walked into Mr. Welling’s classroom and said, “Hey,” to my curly haired friend Megan. “Hey, Austen,” she said in an even tone. “Something up?” I asked, knowing she’s usually more energenic. “Nah, nothing to worry about,” she said, faking a smile. I made a mental note to text her later. I turned around just as the bell rang and Emma took her seat next to me. “Okay, so, today we start presenting your biome projects,” Mr. Welling boomed in his loud voice. Of course, he asked for volunteers and Rylee stood up. “Go, Colbert!” I yelled as he got up to the board, which received a laugh from everyone in the room except Emma. So, the “Colbert Marks,” thing we do to make fun of him comes from the fact that that’s his name on Facebook. I stood up, walked to the front of the classroom, and began my presentation on the fictional biome I had created which was "The Everfree Forest." I hadn't created it, but it was fictional all the same. As I went over the different creatures, I saw pained expressions from Emma. It was almost as if she had experienced the manticore and the hydra. It worried me. I finished and then sat down. "Everything alright, Emma?" I whispered. She nodded meekly. The rest of the hour finished without incident. I decided to walk up to health with Emma to make sure she didn't get lost again. We hurried up the stairs and when we got to the top, I said, "Hey," to Coach Skyros. In class today, we just did busy work, so I took the opportunity to quickly scribble a note to Emma. Hey, it said and I passed it to her. Should we really be passing notes? she replied in beautiful cursive. Probably not, but we aren't allowed to talk and I needed to ask you something, What is it? she wrote back in careful handwriting. Then, I got butterflies in my stomach. What felt like three, possibly pink... anyways, I couldn't follow through with it. I could not ask her what I wanted to. I'd just need to talk to her after class if I got the chance. I was about to scribble something back when Coach said. "Austen, are you passing notes?" "No, sir," I was quick to say and shoved the note in my backpack. The rest of the hour is pretty dull, along with the rest of the day. Emma and I didn't get a chance to talk until after school. "Um... you wanted to ask me something?" Emma said in a shy voice. Then, I felt my stomach tingle with nerves. Why? I didn't know. It was a simple question. Not something like asking her out or anything. It was a simple question. "Um, I noticed you struggling with the math homework yesterday, and I wanted to know if you wanted some help with it," I said. She seemed to fiddle with her butterfly earing for a moment, and then replied. "Um, okay," she said shyly. "So, um, my place, tomorrow after school?" She just nodded. And that's when things got weird. Author's Note Sorry it took so long for this chapter, guys. I wrote it and rewrote it and I wanted to get it just right. And as always, thanks for reading.
Chapter One: Insert clever name hereSo, riddle me this, if you could choose any one pony to become human, who would it be? Well, honestly, I would pick Twilight, because her personality is soo similar to mine, but that is not what fate had in store for me. So, that morning had started out like every other morning, with, you know, a meteor shower. You know, giant space rocks falling from the sky, no big deal. What was a big deal was the fact that I missed the bus. Stupid space rocks had distracted me. So, by the time I actually got to school, it was halfway through second period. I got my tardy slip from the office, and hurried down to Mrs. Krane's class. With a class size of eight, it was officially the hardest class to sneak into. After pausing at the door for a few seconds, I decided that there was no use in stalling. I slowly creaked the door open to find that Mrs. Krane was in the process of giving a lesson on photo comp*. "So glad you could join us, Austen," Mrs. Krane said, then went back to her teaching. I quickly bee lined for my chair, which, with my glorious luck, was across the room, by the windows. I was so distracted by getting out my notebook for the note taking I needed to catch up on, that I almost completely overlooked the new girl sitting at my table. She had a kind of humble beauty about her. She had on a sun beam hoodie and a pair of matching capris. She had a butterfly clip tied into her ponytail, and the most beautiful blue eyes. It took me the fact that she was blushing for me to realize that I was gawking at her. I quickly looked towards the SMART** board and began taking notes. After a solid 26 minutes of me being bright red from embarrassment, the bell rang. I was about to get up and head to my third hour class, but I stopped. I decided to introduce myself to the new girl. "Hi, I'm Austen," I said with a warm smile. She returned a sheepish smile then got up, packed up her notebook, and quickly walked out of the classroom. I must've had a pretty bewildered look on my face because Mrs. Krane started explaining to me. "That's Emma, she just got here this morning. She's kind of shy." "I noticed. Well, sorry about being late, I missed the bus." I tell her a I leave the classroom. I quickly speed down to biology, and get in right as the bell is ringing. "Morning, Welling," I say to the teacher. "Morning, Austen," he says as I take my seat. I look next to me and right where Megan usually sit is Emma, smiling nervously at Mr. Welling. "Hey," Mr. Welling said to Emma. "Welcome to the squid class," "Ooo, squids? Where are they?" She asked excitedly. "Uh, there..." "That's the term Mr. Welling uses for people that don't pay attention in class," I cut in. I loved explaining that. "Oh," she murmured, disappointed. After that the rest of the class went as usual, half of the people on there phones and another quarter of them asleep. How did these kids pass physical science? After all the note taking, and Welling let us lose on the homework, I turned to Emma. "So, where ya from?" I asked. "Uh, well, that's an interesting question. Uh, I uh, came from, uh..." she nearly whispered. "You're not from this country, are you?" "Uh, n-no," she said. "You're from Canada, then?" I say, seeing as she didn't have an accent, and her skin was somewhat pale. "Uh..." BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! Emma left the class in a hurry. She was in such a rush, she forgot her notebook. "I guess I've got to go track her down," I say as I pick up the notebook. I know I shouldn't have done this, but as I was getting up, I opened the butterfly covered book and started flipping through the pages. Right there, on the inside page, was a check list that said: Shower, go to school, find elements. You had to give the girl points for organization, but what were these elements she wrote about? "Don't you have a class to go to, bud?" Mr. Welling asked, bringing me back down to Earth. "Oh, yeah, thanks Welling," I said. I could figure it out later, right now, I had to get to the fourth floor, and fast. I ran to the outside courtyard, and sprinted across to W hall. I power walked to the stair case and booked it up the stairs. I was to the third floor when the bell rang. "Crap," I said under my breath. I didn't need another tardy in this class. Then, you wouldn't believe what I saw. I saw Emma, looking around like she was lost. "You need help?" I asked her. "Uh, yes, a-a little bit, I mean, if you don't mind." She barely whispered. "Oh, it's no problem at all. What room are you looking for?" I whispered back. "401," she said, obviously comfortable with the tone. "Are we going to have all the same classes?" I whisper to myself. "That's right up these stairs. Same place I'm going. Oh, by the way, I'm Austen," I say. "I know. We had journalism together," she said, a little louder. "Well, come on, its not good to be late to your first day in Coach Lawrence,"
Chapter Two: What A Dream?So, the rest of the day went pretty well, seeing as the new girl, Emma, was in all of my classes. Now, I had just started watching MLP, and I really wasn't caught up on it yet, either. That night, I was up late, watching it on my iPod, when I saw Fluttershy, and for some reason, I thought of Emma. I mean, she did have yellow clothes on and butterfly in her hair. I just didn't know. Then I had an idea. I thought it was a pretty good idea, too. I was inspired by how Twilight met Fluttershy, and how she couldn't stop obsessing over Spike. Now, I'm pretty sure that I couldn't get a Spike plushie online and have it by next week, the last week of the semester, so I decided to use what I had. I pulled out my secret collection of adorable stuffed animals. I studied them each and I picked the one I could part with to help satisfy my suspicion. I stuffed the toy I decided on into my backpack and set it by the door. I looked over at my alarm clock that cast its red light across the room. 1:48am shown brightly on the glossy black surface of the darkened ceiling. "I need to get to bed," I said, but I found myself reaching for my iPod. "No, Austen, you need to sleep." I pulled myself up into my bed, and clawed myself under the sheets. Then, something very unusual happened, I dreamed. That doesn't necessarily sound suspicious, but take into account that I haven't dreamt in like, a year. So, I was walking, er, drifting down a hall. The walls were lined with large stone bricks and in the distance you could here the slowly, deliberate slap of a hoof on the ground, like pacing. I drifted down the hall towards the sound. There was a large wood door, slightly cracked open and a familiar voice came from the inside. "Enjoying my lair, Austen?" It asked. "How do you know my name?" I asked quickly, surprised a sound came out. "Oh, I know you quite well, but first off," he snapped his fingers and he appeared on my head, much smaller. "I'm Discord, master of chaos," the creature said, offering me his lion paw with his eagle talons. "Wait, you're that one guy, that stole the Elements and nearly broke up their wielders' friendship." "Oh, yes, I did, oh, and what a joy it is." Discord said with a laugh. "Wait, so they haven't gotten them back? You still have them?" I said, nonchalantly. I mean, its just a dream. "Of course I do. I'm sure they're still bickering about who's better." "Really? Then where are the Elements?" "Oh, they're in this case, right here," he said. He snapped his fingers and he was off my head and in front of me, dressed like a jewelry store clerk as he opened the case. "As you can see, these are expertly crafted and very magical." "Really? I'm pretty sure the girls have them back right... now," I tried to bend the dream to my will. The Elements disappeared. "Oh, no, whatever shall I do?" Discord feinted. "Wait, what's this behind your ear?" he reached behind my ear and pulled out the element of honesty. He did this with the other ear, under my arms, and I pulled out the Element of Magic myself. (I wasn't gonna let him touch there.) I looked at him in astonishment. "So, you thought this was some crazy dream, huh? Well, keep dreaming, bucko. I'm as real as, well, this apple pie," he said. "What apple..." just then, an apple pie slammed onto my head. I licked my face. "If this weren't so delicious, I would be mad." "See, I'm not all that bad. Just a little insane," "What's fun without a little insanity?" "Well, its time for you to get back to bed, so, see ya around, Austen," he took out a straw and shot a spitball at my face. I woke up in my bed three minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. "And that's why I hate dreams." I say and slowly rise to a sitting position. I throw my legs over the side of my bed and walk to my alarm clock across the room. I flipped the switch on the side and then I tripped over something. I looked down and thought I saw an apple pie. I blinked and saw it was my backpack. I pull out my stuffed animal from my bag. "Stupid idea." I mutter to myself. I scooped it up and started towards the door grabbing a muffin on the way out. Author's Note Well, thanks for actually reading. It may be a little bit before I add a third chapter, because I've got another story I want to write. Well, peace out! Keep it real! Other 80's valedictions that no one really uses anymore.
Chapter Three: Today Was Supposed to Be A Good DayThe sun pooled on the horizon, bursting soft pale rays into the sky. A slight breeze rustled the few remaining leaves on the trees, and the frigid air smelled of fresh bread from the bakery down the road. "Today's gonna be a good day," I say to no one in particular. I walked down the lonely street towards school. As I walked, I hum "Here Comes the Sun," You know, the one song by The Beatles that isn't all about drugs. About halfway to school, I saw someone I did not expect to see, I didn't even know they lived by me. Emma. I crossed the street and sped up to catch up with her. "Good morning," I greeted her cheerfully. "Hey," she murmured, but it wasn't as much shy as it was depressed. "Is something wrong?" She nodded, but looked hesitant to speak her mind. I didn't want to push the issue. "Well, if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know, 'kay?" "'Kay," she said. There was a silence that befell us that we accepted. I didn't want to make her talk about it, and she looked like she didn't want to, either. I turned my attention to the horizon ahead. I saw the bright blob of spilled sun that wouldn't bother to clean itself up. I saw the sun reflect off of Emma's yellow jacket, which seemed way too heavy to me, so she must not be used to the cold. This wouldn't have been so awkward if I didn't know the landscape, I think. "So, did you get the homework for Ms. Krane's done?" I asked. She gave a slight nod. "Really brutal with the writing restrictions, huh?" I said, hoping to get a reply, but all I recieved was a shrug. I decided to stop talking and try to enjoy the walk to school. Spoiler alert: I wasn't successful. I walk into my first period class, band (That's right, I'm a band geek.), and I'm greeted by my friend, homie, and partner-in-crime, Darin. "Where were you yesterday?" he asked, sliding his DJ PON-3 headphones off his head and around his neck. I looked up at the tall, stout, and generally bad-ass teen in front of me and said boldly, "Fogging up the windows of my brother's car with his girlfriend," This recieved a solid punch connecting with my shoulder. Okay, so, maybe I'm not the best with the ladies. Note to Reader: I am, and always have been, a nerd. Not a cool one, either. The ones that are slightly over weight, dorky, and most importantly, can barely get a girl to look at them. Up there, was just to help my self esteem. "I slept in, where else would I be?" I growled at him. "And why was that?" he asked in a belittling tone. "The same reason you're usually late, my alarm clock didn't go off," I replied in an even tone. (Note: This is how we normally behave. We're as close as brothers and fight like them, too.) "Come on, let's get set up. Don't want Castor chewing us out," So, I walked across the stage of Memorial Hall, a local auditorium that we rented from the city, to a dressing room we call the Woodwind Room. I walked in to see Hannah unscrewing the lightbulbs from their sockets around the mirrors. "Hannah," I said, "do you have to start your shananigans this early? Seriously?" I asked, and was probably the eighth person to point it out. She replied with her classic reply, "They bother me," "Whatever," I say. I scoot past her towards the middle of the room. I squat down, open my instrument case, and quickly slam together my bass clarinet. I then pulled out the peg, and begin the morning routine of trying to shove the peg into its hole. After twenty minutes of listening to the rest of the band warm up and begin working on our christmas music, I could feel tears of frustration stinging my eyes. I wasn't two hours into the school day and it had already gone to shit. I was so focused on trying to get the peg in the bottom of my instrument that I didn't notice the girl standing over me. She wasn't exactly standing over me, she was at the counter, which I assume is usually for stage make up, her yellow coat on the ground at her side. She was looking at me, though, a half-assembled flute in her hand. I wanted to ask her two things in that moment. Why she was here, and if she had just heard me cuss out a pole? I ended up not asking either. "Everything alright?" she asked, in her soft, sweet voice. "Yeah, everything's fine." I said, quickly blinking the tears from my eyes. Whether frustration or sadness, I didn't want to cry in front of her. "Why're here so late?" I asked. "Oh, I couldn't find the band room," she said, a slight blush on her face. "But, you were here yesterday. Weren't you?" I inquired. "I, uh," she stammered. She probably got here late yesterday. "So, how long've you played the flute?" I asked, quickly trying to change the subject. "A bit," she said. I saw the blush start to shade from her face and a slight twinkle return to her sky blue eyes. "Um, do... do you have any grease or anything?" she asked. "Yeah, why?" I asked, holding up my tube of cork grease. “You might want to put that on the rod, then slide it in,” she said, then she walked out the door to the flutes’ section, leaving me alone to grease my rod. I finally slid it in, tightened the screw, and went out onto the stage. The rest of band was uneventful, and Mrs. Krane’s class was a brutal as ever, but I got through it. I walked into Mr. Welling’s classroom and said, “Hey,” to my curly haired friend Megan. “Hey, Austen,” she said in an even tone. “Something up?” I asked, knowing she’s usually more energenic. “Nah, nothing to worry about,” she said, faking a smile. I made a mental note to text her later. I turned around just as the bell rang and Emma took her seat next to me. “Okay, so, today we start presenting your biome projects,” Mr. Welling boomed in his loud voice. Of course, he asked for volunteers and Rylee stood up. “Go, Colbert!” I yelled as he got up to the board, which received a laugh from everyone in the room except Emma. So, the “Colbert Marks,” thing we do to make fun of him comes from the fact that that’s his name on Facebook. I stood up, walked to the front of the classroom, and began my presentation on the fictional biome I had created which was "The Everfree Forest." I hadn't created it, but it was fictional all the same. As I went over the different creatures, I saw pained expressions from Emma. It was almost as if she had experienced the manticore and the hydra. It worried me. I finished and then sat down. "Everything alright, Emma?" I whispered. She nodded meekly. The rest of the hour finished without incident. I decided to walk up to health with Emma to make sure she didn't get lost again. We hurried up the stairs and when we got to the top, I said, "Hey," to Coach Skyros. In class today, we just did busy work, so I took the opportunity to quickly scribble a note to Emma. Hey, it said and I passed it to her. Should we really be passing notes? she replied in beautiful cursive. Probably not, but we aren't allowed to talk and I needed to ask you something, What is it? she wrote back in careful handwriting. Then, I got butterflies in my stomach. What felt like three, possibly pink... anyways, I couldn't follow through with it. I could not ask her what I wanted to. I'd just need to talk to her after class if I got the chance. I was about to scribble something back when Coach said. "Austen, are you passing notes?" "No, sir," I was quick to say and shoved the note in my backpack. The rest of the hour is pretty dull, along with the rest of the day. Emma and I didn't get a chance to talk until after school. "Um... you wanted to ask me something?" Emma said in a shy voice. Then, I felt my stomach tingle with nerves. Why? I didn't know. It was a simple question. Not something like asking her out or anything. It was a simple question. "Um, I noticed you struggling with the math homework yesterday, and I wanted to know if you wanted some help with it," I said. She seemed to fiddle with her butterfly earing for a moment, and then replied. "Um, okay," she said shyly. "So, um, my place, tomorrow after school?" She just nodded. And that's when things got weird. Author's Note Sorry it took so long for this chapter, guys. I wrote it and rewrote it and I wanted to get it just right. And as always, thanks for reading.
