by E K Ballard
Rob sighed. “Kristin, just please, do it for now. I hate it, too. More than you do.”
“Tell her to do as you say and to be thankful she is getting a meal at all!” called Rebecca from the other room.
“Why don’t you tell mom to go get a job so we don’t have to take welfare!” snapped Kristin.
When she heard her mother get up from her chair in the other room, Kristin hurried outside lest she get into another physical confrontation. Through the door, she heard her mother and father arguing about her.
On Tuesday morning, Kristin and Lucas went in to town with Rob, who went in to work at seven every morning. They would walk the half mile from the store to school in plenty of time.
As they walked to school on their first day, Kristin and Lucas were nervous. They walked without talking much, except to say that they looked forward to getting internet access again. They each had their own laptop, and Kristin had all the papers she had written for the last two years saved. Her computer was getting slow, but she knew she wasn’t going to be getting a new one anytime soon.
They got to school twenty minutes early, and Lucas went over to the west campus, where the middle school was. Kristin went through the main doors and headed down the hallway where she thought her first period class was. She consulted her schedule and saw she had AP Calculus with Mrs. Black in room 502. She walked through the crowds of milling students, looking at numbers on doors. They weren’t even close to the 500’s. She asked a woman standing in the hall where room 502 was, and was told that was in the math wing and given directions to get there.
She eventually found the classroom and took a seat in the front row. The teacher seemed surprised when she walked in, and asked, “Are you here for AP Calculus?”
Kristin nodded. Where was the rest of the class?
“Are you a junior?”
“Yes. It says on my schedule I have AP Calculus with Black.”
“That’s me, Mrs. Black. I wasn’t prepared to have class today because I rarely have any juniors taking this class. The class is mostly seniors.” She smiled and said, “So, the good news is you won’t have class today. You can go to the cafeteria and get breakfast, or go to the library.”
Kristin repacked her bag and left. She decided she was going to try to locate her other classrooms, and find the library when she was finished scouting out her classes.
The same thing happened when she went to AP Chemistry and Spanish V. The only full classes she had were English 11 and AP US History. Journalism had nine students in it, and they were given books and told they could go.
Kristin got to English 11 early and was able to get a seat up front and in the center. She took out her laptop and noticed that no one else was using a computer. She wondered if kids could use computers in class. They could at her old school, but she didn’t know if she should have hers out. She put it away and took out a notebook and pen.
When the second bell rang, an older woman with shoulder-length gray hair walked into the room and shut the door behind her. “Good morning, my name is Mrs. O’Malley, and welcome to your first day of English 11. I am going to pass out the course expectations and a syllabus. Your first homework assignment is to read over the expectations with your parents. Have them signed and returned to me by Friday.”
Kristin picked up the stacks of papers placed on her desk, took one from each pile, and passed them back to the person sitting behind her. She scanned the course expectations and moved on to the syllabus. She had read almost all of the books on the list last year. They read A Midsummer Night’s Dream back in 8th grade.
When class was dismissed, Kristin approached Mrs. O’Malley’s desk.
“Mrs. O’Malley?” Kristin said.
“Yes?”
“Um, I was reading over the syllabus, and I see that almost everything that we are supposed to read this year I read for my English class last year. I’m on a wait list for AP Lit, but if I can’t get in, I was wondering if there was any way I could get placed in a higher level English class.”
“Didn’t you take 10th grade English last year? You shouldn’t have read any of these yet,” Mrs. O’Malley said, frowning.
“I just moved here from Florida,” Kristin explained. “I read everything on this list either last year or the year before. I still have my papers from that class. I can send you the one I wrote on The Odyssey.”
“Yes, please do. What is your name again?”
“Kristin. Kristin Olson.”
“All right, Kristin Olson, I will keep my eyes open for an email from you. Send it to the address on the course expectations.”
“Thanks.”
She went to the cafeteria and saw an empty table. Suddenly being the new person at school hit her, and she felt her eyes tearing. She didn’t think she could go through the humiliating process of getting free food and eating by herself. She went to the library instead and found a chair in the back corner where she could sit alone.
She went through her assignments from last year and picked two papers that she had written for two of the readings on Mrs. O’Malley’s syllabus. She sent them off, and having no homework yet, browsed the internet for the rest of the time.
After school, Kristin met Lucas in front of the school. Her stomach was growling.
“How was it?” she asked.
“Good,” he said. “But I am going to have to buy a PE uniform.” Kristin and Lucas both hated asking their dad for money.
“You could ask them to sponsor you,” Kristin suggested. She was going to have to ask her dad to fill out a fee waiver form for her AP classes.
They walked back to the store where they contemplated asking their dad for school expense money while he finished stocking shelves.
* * *
Now that Kristin knew her way around the school, she was able to get to all her classes quickly and find a seat up front. The halls were overflowing with students, and Kristin found herself getting jostled as she tried to make her way through the throngs of students. They didn’t have hallways at her last school, and she wasn’t used to so many students in such small quarters.
She considered getting a locker, but decided that carrying her books around was easiest. This way she could get her work done no matter where she was.
She thought she was going to like her classes, and was hoping she would be moving up to another English class. Mrs. O’Malley told her that she had gotten Kristin’s email but hadn’t had time to read over her papers. Seeing Kristin’s disappointment, she promised she would get to it by the end of the week.
Kristin was excited at what they were going to be doing in Journalism. For one quarter of the semester, students would be responsible for coming up with the content of the school paper while the other quarter would require maintaining the online paper on a daily basis as well as putting out a print version every month. Her teacher, Mr. Manning, told the class that he had already created a schedule that assigned each student an activity that needed to be covered.
Kristin saw she wasn’t scheduled to maintain the website until the second quarter, and her first assignment was an away game for the Stowe Girls’ Varsity Soccer team on Tuesday. She raised her hand.
“Yes?” Mr. Manning called on her.
“How are we supposed to get to away games if we don’t drive?” she asked.
“Good question. You can travel on the team bus. You will need to contact the coach to find out when the bus leaves. I will have your press badges ready for you tomorrow, which will get you into the games for free, so don’t lose them, forget them, or loan them out.”
After school, she and Lucas met at the library and worked until it closed at four. They walked to the store and went home with their dad. They were getting a routine down, and except for her English class, she felt her classes were going to be interesting, and in some cases, challenging.
“Dad, I have to go to an away soccer game next week for Journalism. I’ll need a ride home probably around seven.”
“
Great,” Rob said. “Every roundtrip to town eats up a gallon of gas.”
“I need a new math book,” Lucas said quietly.
“Why? Where’s the one you had?”
“It’s gone.”
“Come on, Lucas, lost textbooks aren’t something we need to spend money on right now! Where did you have it last?”
“It’s up on a roof.”
“What! How the hell did it end up there?” Rob demanded.
“These kids took it from me and threw it up there,” Lucas said.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, they were just making fun of me for taking math at the high school.”
“Well, I’m not buying you a new book. Tell your teacher what happened and the book thieves can pay for a new one!”
Chapter Ten
When Kristin got to school on Monday, she saw that she had an email from Mrs. O’Malley.
It read: “Kristin, please go to guidance and tell them I want you to bring a course change form to class with you. You don’t belong in English 11, so let’s see if we can find you a seat in American Literature. Unfortunately AP Lit class is still full, and I don’t think that is going to change. I have copied Mrs. Schultz in so she knows to be expecting you.” Kristin responded with a quick thank you to Mrs. O’Malley.
Kristin went to guidance right away, and Mrs. Schultz was waiting for her.
“I’m sorry we can’t get you in to AP Lit. The teachers were promised no more than twenty-five kids per class, and we aren’t making exceptions.”
“Thanks for trying.”
“Here, take this form to Mrs. O’Malley and bring it to me as soon as she signs it.”
Kristin brought the paper to Mrs. O’Malley.
“You are quite a talented writer. Those papers show insight and a depth of knowledge that is unusual in an 11th grade student.” She signed the paper. “Take this to guidance, and good luck!”
Kristin returned to guidance and gave the papers to Mrs. Schultz, who sat down at her computer.
“Let’s see…the easiest thing to do would be to put you in a section that is going on right now, which is with Mr. Starke. He has a pretty full class right now, I don’t think he is going to like it if we put you in there.” She tried juggling Kristin’s schedule, but unless Kristin wanted to drop Journalism she would have to take American Literature 4th period.
“Oh, good, someone just dropped that class, so Mr. Starke will still have 25 students. That worked out perfectly.” She printed out Kristin’s new schedule and gave her a late pass to get in to American Literature.
The door to Mr. Starke’s room was locked, so Kristin had to knock. The door was opened by a man in his 50’s with tufts of grey hair trying to cover his mainly bald head.
“Yes?” he asked irritably. “What can I do for you?” He stood in the doorway, blocking her entrance.
Kristin handed him her late pass and said, “My schedule was just changed. I’m in this class now.”
“This class is full,” he said. “We don’t have any more desks available. Go back and tell them I have 25 students in here already.” With that, he shut the door in her face and left her in the hallway.
Kristin went back to guidance and told Mrs. Schultz what had happened. Mrs. Schultz sighed and said, “I will email Mr. Starke right now and tell him he still has 25.” She sent off an email, and gave Kristin another pass.
Kristin walked back to the class. This time when she knocked, a student opened the door and let Kristin in. She entered the room and stopped as 25 sets of eyes stared at her. She felt self-conscious for being late and disrupting class a second time.
Mr. Starke saw her standing there and snapped, “I said there is no room for you in this class! You will have to go back to guidance, and they will need to find another section for you.” Kristin saw there was an empty desk in the back of the room.
“Mrs. Schultz just sent you an email,” Kristin said. “Someone dropped the class, so she said you still have 25.”
Kristin stood by the front of the room while Mr. Starke checked his email.
“Yes, okay, fine,” he said hurriedly. “Freeman dropped, so you can have her seat. Who was working with Freeman on their group project?”
No one answered.
“Come on people, who was partnered with Andrea Freeman?”
“I think Jamie’s her partner,” someone said.
“Jamie? Wake up. Freeman dropped my class so you’ve got a new partner.” With that, Kristin went and sat down in the empty desk.
At the end of class, Kristin stood up and gathered up her books. She turned and looked at the girl who sat behind her, who had shoulder length, shaggy black hair and blue eyes that fleetingly reminded Kristin of the color of the shallow gulf water on Siesta Key beach in Sarasota.
“Hi, I’m Kristin.”
The girl seemed to struggle with that. “I’m Jamie.”
Jamie stood up and Kristin looked up at her towering body.
“Wow, you’re tall,” said Kristin.
“So I’m told,” said Jamie.
“How tall are you?” Kristin asked.
“I don’t know, around six feet.”
“No way, my dad is six feet and you’re taller than him,” Kristin said.
Jamie just shrugged and gave a sheepish smile that showed small dimples.
“You caught me.”
“When can you meet to go over this project?” Kristin asked.
“I have lunch 5th period and 8th period free.”
“Me, too,” said Kristin. “Why don’t you meet me in the library 8th period?”
“Okay.”
“Kristin,” said Mr. Starke. “Here is a syllabus and some other course papers you will need. Take a textbook.” He pointed to a stack on the counter. “Be ready to turn in an overview of your project next week with an explanation of what you hope to accomplish.”
Kristin took a book and put it in her bag. “I’ll see you later,” she said to Jamie as she left.
“See you.”
Chapter Eleven
Jamie dreaded the first week of school, but she had hoped for a chance to see Kristin. Jamie had been searching for Kristin since the moment she arrived at school, and was soon rewarded. She saw her curly auburn hair leaving Mrs. Black’s room as Jamie was walking towards the classroom. Jamie felt her heart skip a beat, as Kristin walked down the hallway, preoccupied with putting her books in her bag.
At lunch, Jamie sat with Lissy and Sam and watched Kristin go through the lunch line.
“I don’t get that girls wardrobe,” said Lissy. “Why does she wear those big sweaters every day? It’s like we’re in the arctic or something.”
Jamie picked at her lunch. “I don’t care what she wears.”
“Why don’t you ask her to come sit with us?” Lissy asked.
“Yeah, okay, what would I say? Hi, I’m Jamie the big dumb lesbian who is hot for you. Would that work?”
“Give it a try, why not?” Lissy laughed. “I’m still trying to get her number.”
“Stop. I won’t call her.”
“You will if I get it. Or I’ll call her.”
“And say what?”
“I’ll tell her she has a secret admirer,” Lissy said.
“Do not call her.”
* * *
Jamie hated all her classes, but she especially hated American Literature. There was a ton of reading, and Mr. Starke was making them all do some stupid group project for the semester. No one wanted Jamie in their group, and the other kids quickly chose groups of three, leaving Jamie without a partner until Andrea Freeman came to class late.
Jamie wanted to work with Andrea about as much as Andrea wanted to work with Jamie.
Andrea wasn’t in class, leaving the seat in front of Jamie empty, making it harder for Jamie to hide her daydreaming. She was thinking of Kristin, and her insanely beautiful hair, when there was a knock on the classroom door.
Mr. Starke answered the door, and Jam
ie listened to him speak rudely to someone out in the hallway.
“What an asshole,” Mason said to Jamie.
Mr. Starke shut the door and came back in the room, this time moving around the class, trying to keep everyone’s attention.
“You will find that our exploration into American poets will lead you blissfully ensconced in what some of our forefathers experienced,” he was saying.
“What a bunch of bullshit,” Jamie muttered.
“I’m sorry, did someone say something?” Mr. Starke stopped pacing the aisles. “Did someone over here have something they wanted to add?”
Mr. Starke made his way towards Jamie, who stayed silent. Mason shot her a smile.
“Jamie, did you have something to say?” Mr. Starke was standing over her.
There was a series of knocks on the door.
“What now? Someone up front, open the door.” Mr. Starke continued to glower down at Jamie.
The door was opened, and Jamie caught her breath when Kristin walked into the room. Kristin had a bag over one shoulder and was carrying a piece of paper in her hand.
Jamie listened in fascination as Mr. Starke and Kristin went back and forth over whether Kristin should stay. She stared at Kristin’s face and hair, and admired her confidence in dealing with Starke.
Jamie was brought out of her reverie.
“Jamie! Wake up. Freeman dropped my class, so you’ve got a new partner.”
Kristin walked up Jamie’s row of desks and made an attempt at a smile at Jamie before she took the seat right in front of her.
Jamie reminded herself to breathe as she sat motionless in her chair.
All through class, Jamie stared at the back of Kristin’s head. Her hair was the coolest color Jamie had ever seen. It wasn’t red, and it wasn’t brown. It was in between. It was wavy up top, and then broke into tighter curls as it got closer to the ends. Jamie wanted to reach out and touch her hair and feel if it was soft or coarse, but she refrained.
What was she going to say when class was over?
