As far as my grandpa was concerned though, the experiments he did, as well as his in-depth study of time, were pretty cool. And over the weekend, I learned a lot about him. Oliver and I spent ages reading through the notebooks I’d found, and Oliver helped me work on my slides for my presentation. Without him explaining Grandpa’s notes to me, I’d have no idea what I was telling my classmates. But even though Oliver and I found it interesting, I was still worried that no one in my class would care about it. Especially not compared to Jade’s presentation about her war hero ancestor.
“Alright class, settle down,” Mrs. Clarke said, clapping her hands as she walked inside. “Now then, I hope you all have your presentations ready. We’ll get through as many as we can today.”
She picked up the dreaded hat, and the class groaned in unison. I swear she did it on purpose. She could just go alphabetically through the class names. But oh no, she had to dump all our names in a hat and draw them out randomly. I crossed my fingers under my desk as she reached in for the first name. Thankfully, the name she called out wasn’t mine.
“Jade. It looks like you’re up first,” Mrs. Clarke announced, already beaming at her.
I would never understand what people saw in that girl. She was exactly as her name said, jaded and annoying. She was also not very bright at all, but she still spent her days making fun of all the smart people.
“Awesome!” she said excitedly. “Do you have all the things my mom dropped off?”
“I do, right here. Now, remember, these artifacts are antiques and very valuable. So you can’t pass them around, ok? Everyone will have to come up and look at them closer after your presentation.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. C.”
I mimed gagging, and Kate stifled a laugh behind her hand while Jade set up her slideshow on the computer. She had numerous photos of an old man that looked nothing like her. Mrs. Clarke helped lay out several items in small, shadowboxes and the class muttered excitedly at the sight of the old civil war era pistol, or part of it at least, as well as a medal, a knife, and an old uniform shirt. I slumped in my chair and wished I could disappear.
Jade flipped off the lights and started in on her presentation. It wasn’t hard to miss that she was staring at Zac nearly the entire time and he was staring right back. He even winked at her. Winked! I slumped even lower and glanced at the photograph of my grandpa. Mom swore she had more things of his lying around, but I tore our house apart over the weekend and found nothing cool to show, aside from the few things in the box in the attic. Jade talked on and on, flipping through slides and the class oohed and ahhed in all the right places. By the end, most kids were nearly out of their seats for their chance to look at the artifacts up close.
“Zac, how about your row comes up first?” Jade suggested happily and took her place beside the items so she could show them off.
“OMG!” I heard Kate whisper, and I smirked in agreement.
Could Jade make herself any more obvious? Why weren’t she and Zac a thing yet? She batted her eyelashes as he asked her about the pistol, leaning closer to him as if she was going to kiss him right there in class! When my row was called up, I followed the others, ready to take a quick glimpse and dart back to my seat. I didn’t want to stand there and stare at Jade and the casual but cool way she styled her hair, or her cute pink top and blue skinny jeans. I tugged at the hem of the oversized sweater I’d thrown on that morning because I was cold. Then I smoothed down my frizzy hair, self-conscious of how uncool I probably looked.
“Are you ready to do yours?” Jade whispered to me in an undertone as I joined the group who had been asked to view all the items on display.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I replied sharply.
She shrugged casually. “Just wondering how you fill out a tree with only half the tree.”
I glared at her, opening my mouth to tell her off for being so mean. Of course, she had to know my business, didn’t she? But what right did she have to comment on that? As tempted as I was to say something back, Mrs. Clarke was right there, and I wasn’t going to spend the rest of class in the principal’s office. Gritting my teeth and imagining myself lunging across the table and tackling Jade to the floor, I returned to my seat and sank back into my chair with my head in my hands. I was not going to let her get to me. I rubbed my sleeve over my eyes and glared at her.
“Hey Holly, you ok?”
I froze, then slowly turned. “Zac?”
“Yeah,” he said, smiling. “You look upset. Just wanted to make sure you were alright?”
Was this really happening? I subtly pinched my arm and smiled through the sharp pain. Yep, this was real. “Yeah, I’m good, just had something in my eye.” My crush was speaking to me. The cutest guy in the class was asking me if I was alright. I smiled and tried not to act like an idiot. “Who did you do your project on?” I asked quietly.
“Er, no one interesting. Just my great-uncle. He did something with astronomy I think.”
“Oh wow! That’s pretty cool,” I said, thankful my voice sounded normal, and I wasn’t gushing. I caught Kate’s wide-eyed look behind him as she returned to her spot.
“You think so? I wasn’t sure,” Zac said. It was the first time I’d ever heard him sound self-conscious.
“Trust me; it’s neat. My grandpa worked in physics and did something with time.”
I glanced up towards the front to see Jade packing up her things and handing them to Mrs. Clarke. All the while though, her narrowed gaze was focused on me and filled with the promise of getting me back for talking to Zac. All I did was smile at her, loving how red her face had turned.
“With time? That sounds really cool!” Zac asked, his smile widening with what seemed like genuine interest.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Mrs. Clarke picked up the hat and called us back to attention. “Let’s see who goes next,” she said and drew out another slip of paper. “Holly, you’re up.”
Jade took her seat as I stood and said to Zac, “Wish me luck!”
He smiled back, giving me the confidence I needed. I moved to the front and uploaded my presentation on the computer. I then set up the photograph of my grandpa along with his award, and dove right in. I told everyone about my grandpa and his work in the labs. I started to get into the experiments he did, but as I looked out over the class, I saw half of them with their eyes closed. Kate, a true friend, did her best to look intrigued. A few people started laughing at the back of the class.
“Settle down,” Mrs. Clarke scolded, also sounding bored.
Inwardly, I groaned and tried to push through the rest of my speech. I looked over the class once more, ready to stare at the back wall, so I didn’t have to see all the bored faces. That was when I spotted Zac. The interest on his face was genuine, and it bolstered my confidence. My crush was interested in my presentation! I continued, nearly at the end, and was ready to finish strong when a chair scraping across the floor caught my attention.
Jade. The mean look on her face told me she saw just how interested Zac was. Clearly, I had drawn her attention to it, and now she was trying to distract him. I choked on my next few words and had to stop and clear my throat. A few snickers echoed around the room, and I quickly ended my speech. There was a polite smattering of applause, but no compliments from Mrs. Clarke as she had done for Jade’s project. I avoided Jade as I sat back down, but I felt her glare from across the room all the same.
“Good job,” Kate said to me, but it was Zac who tapped me on the shoulder.
“He was a pretty cool dude, your grandpa,” he whispered as Mrs. Clarke called out the next name. “Nice presentation.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, Holly,” Jade added in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear. “That was such a great presentation. I’m so glad we spent the time hearing all about your stuffy old grandpa in a lab.” She laughed at her joke and I half-hoped Zac would say something to make her shut up. But he was silent.
So much for my
crush caring about me. I spent the rest of class doodling in my notebook and wishing Zac hadn’t said anything in the first place. Him being nice to me gave me hope that I had a chance with him, but now…now I knew that would never happen. Not with Jade hanging around. I rested my cheek on my palm and wondered how bad it would be if I didn’t talk for the rest of the year. It was March. I could make it work.
Why did I even like Zac? He was cute and funny, but once he was around his friends or Jade, he acted completely different. I would never change myself to fit in. Last year when we started middle school, Kate and I had promised ourselves that.
And I wasn’t about to break that promise now for some boy, no matter how much I wished I could be like Jade, even if only for a day to see what it would be like. I liked my oversized sweaters and not always perfect hair. I didn’t wear makeup, and I liked painting my nails outrageous colors instead of getting a manicure all the time.
I was me, and I wasn’t going to apologize for it. Not one bit.
I picked at my usual sandwich for lunch; I wasn’t interested in eating right then.
Instead, I pulled out bits of salad and dropped them on my plate. The great speech I’d given myself barely an hour ago, about being myself and not worrying about girls like Jade, did nothing to lift my spirits now.
“You’re really going to let it bug you?” Kate asked as she nibbled on her sandwich.
“Huh?”
“Jade and her presentation.”
I tossed down the food in my hands. “It’s not just that. Zac was talking to me, you heard him, and the second she opened her mouth, he forgot I existed. Why do people react like that around her? Why?”
I shoved my tray aside and wished I could fake being sick enough to go home early. Though I might be able to convince the school nurse, Mom would see right through me, like always. I was terrible at lying to her. I’m still not sure how I got through the whole weekend without telling her about the metal box I’d found along with the photos.
I had the family photo I’d found with me at school. I hadn’t been able to leave it at home; not now that I had something of Dad. I wanted to take it out and look at it, but I hadn’t told Kate about my weekend yet. I loved her to death, but she liked to ask non-stop questions. I knew I’d get emotional over my father, and having that happen at school was not part of the plan. I was still reeling from Jade’s glaring and her snide comments about me not knowing who my dad was.
“There’s Zac now,” Kate said, interrupting my thoughts as she nodded her head towards the cafeteria doors. “Why don’t you go over and say hi?”
“Are you insane?” I whispered and ducked lower. “I can’t do that!”
“Why not? What’s the worst that can happen? He was trying to talk to you in class.”
I stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Gee, I don’t know. He laughs at me, doesn’t want to talk to me, and the entire school sees it! My presentation was bad enough. I don’t need to make my life any worse.”
She shook her head as I attempted to calm my racing heart. At the same time, Zac and his friends went to sit at their usual table, joking and laughing loudly about who knows what.
“You said it yourself, though,” she said quietly, “he was interested in your presentation, and I doubt he said what he did for a laugh.”
“And?”
“And maybe it’s worth taking a risk now and then. Come on, Holly. You always dream of being adventurous, well now’s your chance. Go do something a little crazy for once.”
I groaned. But deep down inside, I knew Kate was right. Was I this much of a coward that I couldn’t even talk to one boy? I took a deep breath and pushed back from the table. Kate smiled encouragingly. I was about to head over and talk to him about my grandpa’s experiments when Jade’s loud squeal cut through the cafeteria. She and her gaggle of friends ran to Zac’s table and sat down without even asking, taking over any empty seats. She leaned in close and placed her hand on his arm, whispering something to him that had him laughing hysterically a few seconds later.
Promptly, I sat back down and continued tearing apart my sandwich. This time, I imagined it was Jade I was tearing apart.
“Oh Holly, I’m sorry,” Kate sighed. “She won’t be around forever you know.”
“Yeah, in a year we’ll be at high school with more boys for her to throw herself at,” I muttered angrily. “Whatever…it’s fine.”
Kate looked like she wanted to say more, but stopped talking and finished eating her lunch instead. Every few seconds, I glanced across the cafeteria at the other table and froze. Jade was looking pointedly at me. She winked and leaned against Zac’s side.
“I’ll see you later,” I muttered to Kate as I stood. I dumped my food in the trash, set down my tray, and disappeared into a bathroom stall for the last few minutes of lunch telling myself to get it together. I would just have to stop crushing on Zac so hard. There were plenty of boys in this school, not like I had to have a boyfriend. I just thought it would be nice.
If I was honest with myself though, the real reason I wanted one was so I could rub it in Jade’s face.
The bell rang, and I stepped out of the stall to splash water on my face and get ready for the rest of the day. I took out the family photo for a few seconds, smiling down at the happy people caught in that moment forever.
“I’m going to figure out what happened to you, Dad,” I whispered. “One way or another.”
I tucked it safely away again and headed off to my next class, vowing to put Zac and Jade, and any other useless nonsense behind me. For a few hours at least.
Chapter 4
During the days after the incident in the cafeteria, I tried to act like my old happy self, but couldn’t seem to manage it. Jade continued to shoot me obnoxious looks and Zac was back to pretty much ignoring me. By the time Friday rolled around, I was ready for the weekend to start so I could have a few days not stressing about the drama in my life. At dinner that night, I felt Mom’s eyes on me. I tried to eat but was too upset about Jade and Zac to get much food down. When I pushed my plate away, she sighed.
“Is this about your presentation in class this week?” she asked.
“What? No, no that went fine,” I promised. “And that was like four days ago.”
“Then what’s got you all upset? This isn’t like you.”
I didn’t want to tell her it had to do with a boy at school, but I couldn’t think of a good enough lie; not one that she would believe. “I thought someone liked me. Now I’m not so sure, that’ all. It’s not a big deal, Mom, promise.”
“Alright,” she said, but I knew I hadn’t convinced her.
Thankfully she turned to Oliver next, and I was off the hook for the moment at least. My brother talked and talked about his project and all the tech that went into it. I nodded right along with Mom, but I’m pretty sure neither of us understood what he was going on about. He kept on with his explanation anyway. I think he just needed to talk some nights. My brother wasn’t the best at making friends and was always the quiet kid at school. At home, he could be himself. We loved him no matter how nerdy he sounded.
When we were cleaning up after dinner, he pulled me aside and whispered, “Meet me in the basement. I have something to show you.”
The metal box! I’d been so wrapped up in Zac and Jade I’d forgotten all about it. “You got the box open?” I asked, but stopped when I saw Mom appear behind him.
“What’s going on with you two?” she asked.
“Nothing,” we replied in unison.
“Right, sure. Keep your secrets. But I know when you’re getting along too well,” she warned, winking as she said it. “Go on about your mischief. I’ll finish the dishes.”
“Thanks, Mom!” We bolted out of the kitchen to the sound of her laughter. I headed straight for the basement while Oliver raced up to his room to grab the box. Pacing back and forth impatiently, I tugged at my sweater sleeves until I finally heard his feet pounding down the stairs.
“Finally!”
“Sorry, your highness,” he teased and set the heavy box down on the workbench.
“Did you already look?” I asked, hoping he had, and also that he hadn’t at the same time. It was torture waiting to see what was in that box and if it held any answers to who our Dad was…is.
“No, I was being nice and waiting for you. It took me the last two nights to pry into the thing,” Oliver muttered as he pulled off the blanket he’d used to cover it up. His hands rested on the top, and he looked at me. “Ready?”
I nodded, too excited to say anything. Holding my breath, I watched as he lifted the lid and we both eagerly peered inside. But there was nothing immediately awesome in view, except for some brownish paper. “What is that?”
“An envelope of some kind.”
I reached in and pulled it out. “Maybe it’s got more photos?” But this one looked older, much older. The envelope was heavily faded and worn at the corners as if someone had used it quite frequently. Peeking inside, I shook my head. “Nope, no photos.” I started to pull out the contents to see what they were but stopped when Oliver tugged on my sleeve. His jaw had dropped open, and his eyes were scrunched in confusion. “What?”
“What is this?” he indicated the box in front of us.
I stared at the box but had no idea what I was looking at or what the contents could be. “Looks like one of your crazy inventions.”
“Well, it’s not. So what is it?”
“You’re the genius, remember? You tell me.”
But my brother who knew everything looked more lost than I did. Inside the box was a device, kind of a battery looking thing with colored wires sticking out of it. At one end it was attached to another weird device…thing. It was topped with a heap of strange dials and knobs of varying sizes all marked with numbers, but not in any order that made sense to me.
Time Traveler - Books 1, 2, 3 & 4: Books for Girls aged 9-12 Page 3
