by Raathi Chota
“What a photobomb, dude,” Liam snorted as he showed us the picture. It was a perfect picture of Benny and me, but Aidan seemed to pop out of nowhere. He jumped in the background, so he looked like an idiot with his mouth wide open and arms raised. We laughed as we walked up the stairs and into the crowded hallways. I saw Miranda and Melissa by the lockers, and I went to them while Benny greeted Nick and Marcus.
“Hey, guys,” I greeted as Miranda rummaged through her locker.
“Hey, guys? That’s all you say?” Melissa demanded as she held her phone in her hand.
“Hello?”
“I follow this account on Instagram that shows all the raves, silent discos, and frat parties. Guess who I found on their profile?” Melissa asked as she tilted her head at me. Miranda looked at the picture and glared at me. I raised a brow then snatched Melissa’s phone to look at the picture. My jaw dropped when I saw Blake and me at the paint party. “Your hands are literally all over each other.”
“I was drunk, okay? Also I had a strange craving for meat,” I mumbled.
“Meat?” Miranda stated as she stared at me.
“Yeah. I know, right? Weird.”
“You didn’t do any drugs, right?” Miranda asked, and I shook my head.
“No, just Keene, but he’s okay, just bald,” I replied. Melissa gasped as she started to mumble out words. A hard look filled her features as I stared into her blue eyes.
“Paint party…shaving heads. You guys did the bucket list, didn’t you?” she squealed.
“Yeah, not everything though, just the important stuff.” I giggled.
“Wait…I still wanna know who you dressed up in sexy lingerie for?” Miranda asked as she shut her locker then leaned against it.
“My boyfriend, obviously,” I said as Melissa gave me a look.
“Really?” they asked in unison as I rolled my eyes.
“Yes! You even made me wear it to his party.” I pointed to Melissa. Marcus and Benny came and stood on either side of me, and I looked up at Benny.
“Right?” I asked.
“Huh?” He squinted his eyes.
“Just say yes.” I sighed as I noticed Melissa’s grin.
“Yes.” Benny dragged as he gave me a weird look.
“Told you.” I pulled my tongue at Miranda, who rolled her eyes.
“Yo, guys, we got assembly,” Ethan called as he approached us.
“Ugh, what do they want now?” Marcus groaned as he swung an arm around Miranda’s shoulder.
“Discussing the semester.” Ethan chuckled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. We walked to the school’s auditorium as I held hands with Benny. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out to see that Melissa tagged Blake and me in the picture. I glanced up and noticed the smirk on her lips. I scoffed and shoved my phone in my pocket. We entered the auditorium and noticed seniors had already taken their seats. I followed Benny to the center, where I sat next to him and Aidan. Miranda and Melissa sat behind us with their boyfriends, while Tiffany sat next to Aidan and Ethan sat beside Benny. Out the corner of my eye, Aidan slowly entwined his fingers with Tiffany. Miranda leaned forward as I turned to them.
“So are you two finally a thing?” Miranda asked, and we turned to look at them.
“Yes. You had your chance, Stevens,” Aidan said and put his hand over Miranda’s face, then pushed her away so he could kiss Tiffany. I laughed as Miranda scrunched her nose up and rubbed her forehead. Marcus grinned as he cupped her cheeks and kissed her. I turned to Benny; he was speaking to Ethan, who scoffed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when I noticed the looks on their faces.
“Coach assigned us to the freshman and sophomores with basketball,” Ethan grumbled.
“At least we’re getting extra credit in P.E.” Benny shrugged.
“So when will you guys be doing it?” I asked.
“After school and some periods in P.E.,” Ethan answered. I nodded, then glanced up at Blake, Carter, and Liam, who sat in front of us. Blake winked as he motioned to his phone that had the picture Melissa tagged us in. I rolled my eyes, then turned to the front to see Principal West. He tried to hush the students, but nobody listened. Coach Harris stepped forward and yelled. Everyone grew silent after that, and the people in the front took deep breaths as they placed their hands on their chests.
“Thank you.” Principal West nodded at Coach. “Graduating class of 2017. These next few months will be the busiest time of your high school experience,” he said as everyone groaned. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed Aidan pulled out a small remote. I watched as he pressed a button, then the projector behind Principal West turned on. He continued to talk as Aidan hit another button. My eyes widened as everyone laughed at the picture of Principal West by the beach in a Speedo. Liam spun around and high-fived Aidan as they cheered. Principal West turned around and glared at the projector while Mr. Bronx and Coach Harris snickered. “Turn it off!” he yelled, but it went to the next picture, which was Coach and his pet fish Max. People laughed as they took out their phones and recorded. Coach glared at the image, then yelled louder than Principal West. I nudged Aidan, who sighed, then pressed another button. Instead, it changed to a picture that made the guys whistle. Last year, Miss Rosa was gone for a couple of months to Hawaii. Seeing the picture of her in a white bikini at the beach made the guys act like dogs. Carter stood up and raised his arms.
“The Lord is with us!” he exclaimed, then bowed to the picture. Griffon didn’t find it funny as he scanned the students, then pointed with his index finger at Aidan and Liam. The final picture was of Mrs. Singleton. She was a rigorous, old fashioned teacher. Everyone laughed at the picture, which seemed to be her doing karaoke in a pantsuit. Aidan finally turned it off after everyone composed themselves. The teachers looked pissed as they glared at us. Principal West nodded as he approached the mic.
“Very well, whoever is responsible for that, it was a great laugh, and I’ll let it slide since it’s the first day back.” Mrs. Singleton huffed. “As I said, we teachers will be looking for nominations for Valedictorian. Counselors will be available if you need help with your applications for college, and then there are finals. Now as we said before winter break, you’ll receive new schedules. You’ll collect them from your homeroom teacher on the way out.”
I got my schedule from Miss Rosa and scanned through it. Not much had changed. I had new teachers for AP Biology and Elective classes. Instead of Calculus on Monday first period, I had AP Physics. I was happy with the days I had Study Hall but scoffed at P.E. on Friday.
“Hey, guess who’s joining your Physics class?” Melissa stated as she held up her schedule.
“I thought you didn’t take Physics,” I said as we walked to class.
“Yeah, well, it was either this or Mrs. Singleton’s Bio class, and I don’t want that bitch all up in my face,” she said as we entered the classroom. I stopped to see the desks had changed. The teacher’s desk was still in the front, but our desks were on either side and faced each other. There was a significant gap in the middle that separated the four rows.
“Mr. Gorton, are you blind? The board is that way,” Liam said. The teacher was drawing on the board. It was a sketch of the classroom and our seating plan. Each desk had a name on it, and people caught on as they went to find their desk.
“Why do we have a seating plan?” Melissa asked as I looked at the board to see that I sat next to her but in front.
“It’s my classroom, and fascinating people are being put in my class,” he said as we took our seats. I took out my stuff, then glanced up to see Blake and Carter opposite me. Melissa sat on my left while Erwin, who also wore glasses, sat on my right.
“Fascinating people,” Melissa groaned as she watched Kelly and Austin walk in. Benny walked into the class and glanced at the board. He looked at me, then smiled as he sat behind me.
“Do you hate me?” Liam asked as Kelly and Austin sat on either side of him.
“Mr. Sanchez, I
hate every one of you. Don’t assume you’re special,” Mr. Gorton joked as he winked at Liam. “All right, class, settle down! I know you’re eager to tell your friends what an excellent winter break you had, but it couldn’t be better than mine, so let’s move on.” He wiped the board. “Get out a paper and pen because I’ll explain how the semester will work. It’s short, and I want to get through everything.” Mr. Gorton took off his jacket and hung it over the chair. He stood in the middle of the class and glanced around. I pushed my glasses up to see him stare at Blake, who had his hands shoved in his pockets. “Blake, are you going to remember everything I say magically?”
“Sure.” Blake shrugged as his lips drew into a straight line.
“Are you also going to get a degree one day magically?”
“I don’t see yours anywhere.”
“Oh yes, it’s in my apartment on my wall, next to the other two. I’d bring it to school, but I wouldn’t want suckers like you drooling over it,” Mr. Gorton said as I bit the inside of my cheek. Blake threw his head back and let out a bitter laugh. Mr. Gorton rested his palms on Blake’s desk, and the two glared at each other. “Listen, Gunner, you’re in my class now. You follow my three simple rules.” He held up three fingers. “Rule number one, you can cuss, but not louder than me. Rule number two, don’t annoy me, and rule number three…I’m the teacher; you do as I say or get the hell out of my class.” Kelly snorted. “Got something to say, Kelly?” His gaze locked on Blake.
“Nothing at all.” Kelly faked a smile.
“For once.” Melissa sighed as she rolled her eyes.
“Right, since that’s cleared everyone, take notes. Every week we’ll have a pop quiz. The reason I’m saying every and not once is because I might give you every lesson just for the fun of it.” We groaned. “Every third week up until finals we’ll have a practice test on the units we’ve done. We have to get through five units and revision of the whole year’s work if you all want to pass.” He looked around. “If you need teachers to reference for your applications, I’ll be here every day after school. I’ll be available on Tuesday and Thursday for Study Hall, so if you don’t get anything during class, come ask me, or even after school,” Mr. Gorton said as we wrote down notes. “Yes, Mr. Sanchez?” Liam looked down on his paper, then at the teacher.
“What did you say after ‘take notes?’” he asked. Everyone groaned.
***
Benny and I sat down at our regular cafeteria table, and I realized mostly everyone was here. Liam stood up again and took pictures of us.
“Can’t you take one of the other people?” I pointed to everyone else.
“I wanna make this yearbook good. Have a separate page just for us.” Liam winked, then looked down at the picture. “Would you guys stop photobombing?” he groaned as he looked behind us. I followed his gaze to see Carter and Marcus.
“Whoa,” Carter said as he stared at the picture.
“What?” Marcus asked as he looked too.
“I look good.” Carter grinned then took a seat. I playfully rolled my eyes as I ate my fruit salad. I glanced up to see Aidan and Blake laugh as they approached the table.
“Where’d you get the pictures, though?” Blake asked as he sat opposite me.
“Principal West’s office computer,” Aidan said as Miranda gaped at him.
“Oh my god, and he had a picture of Miss Rosa.” She grimaced.
“I think it’s more disturbing that he had a picture of Mrs. Singleton,” Ethan said as we cringed.
“We took a family picture once, and Bethany was missing. We found her in the kitchen with a block of cheese,” Liam stated as he looked at us. “I think that’s where it all started.”
“How old is your cousin?” I thought of the girl obsessed with cheese.
“Twenty-two.” He smiled, and we stared at him.
“I think she’ll be perfect for Axel,” Blake confessed as we laughed. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed Jennifer standing up across the cafeteria. She spoke, but nobody heard her. Parker took something out of his pocket and threw it on the ground. It made a loud crack noise, which caught people’s attention.
“What now?” Aidan asked as he looked at Parker.
“Err…there has been some rumors going around, and I’d just like to, err…put an end to it,” Jennifer began, and I knew what was coming. “For a year and a half, I have been stumped on my sexuality. But it’s a new year, and well…I’m coming out as a proud lesbian. It’s 2017. I shouldn’t care what people think because this is me and I finally understand it.”
A smile crept up my face as I looked around. Everyone went silent as they looked at Jennifer. It was understandable to expect a reaction because she’s friends with Kelly, who quietly sat and stared at her friend. Jennifer looked around with a forlorn expression. I let out a sigh as I clapped. My friends turned to me with stunned looks. Jennifer gaped at me but immediately smiled as other people clapped too. She smiled, then took a seat. Everyone soon got back to his or her tables, and noise filled the cafeteria. I turned to Benny, who smiled at me.
“You did the right thing,” he said, then pecked my lips. I felt something being thrown at me, and I snapped my head to Carter and Liam, who stared at us.
“Yo, have respect for us single blokes.”
“Why do you say blokes?” Aidan asked Carter, who rolled his shoulders.
“My sister is studying in the UK, and when we FaceTime, she always says blokes. Damn, now she’s growing on me,” Carter explained, then looked around the cafeteria.
“When’s the last time you got laid, dude?” Marcus asked.
“Obviously last night,” Carter replied with a playful roll of his eyes.
“Same,” Marcus blurted out, and I smirked at Miranda, whose eyes widened.
“Ooh,” Blake and Carter hollered as the rest of us laughed. Marcus grinned as he swung his arm over Miranda’s shoulder as she reddened.
The bell rang, and everyone rose to their feet. I swung my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the cafeteria. I followed Benny to the stairs, where he’d have Social Studies on the next floor. I kissed him on the cheek then walked down the hall to my locker. I opened my locker and took out my folder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blake lean on the locker next to me.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Stop calling me that, I beg of you,” I whined as I looked through my locker.
“Whatever you say, nerd.”
“Listen, err…my dad wants you all to come to the station after school.”
“Why?”
“Well, Levi told my dad what happened that night.”
“Oh yeah, Levi told us that he would tell your dad.”
“That’s funny, he didn’t tell me anything.”
“Well, maybe he just didn’t want you to worry.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter now. They found the body, and we have to answer a few questions.”
“How do they know that it’s his body?”
“Levi must’ve given a description.”
“Do you know what I just realized? You’re older than me.”
“What?”
“Yeah, your birthday is in June and mine is in August.”
“What year were you born, Blake?”
“1998,” he replied as I facepalmed.
“Oh my god, me too. I’m like two months older than you, Blake.”
“Wait. What the fuck? Then why did I tell Keene I’m seventeen?”
“Because you’re shit at math or a drunk doofus.”
“Probably both. I had a couple of drinks that night, but it’s cool, though. I dig older chicks.”
“It’s just two months, not much of a difference.”
“Whatever you say, baby girl.”
“Please stop calling me that!” I begged as he came closer.
“Why? You don’t like it, baby?” I felt his breath on my neck. “Baby, baby, baby,” he repeated as I threw my head back and groaned.
“U
gh!” I slammed my locker and started walking. “I’m supposed to be calling you baby, since I’m older!” I pointed out as he walked next to me.
“You’re right…” He trailed off as a smirk tugged at his lips.
“I-I was joking. I’m not going to call you that.”
“Aww, but with the whole age thing, it’s just numbers.”
“Yeah.”
“Like distance and height, they’re all just numbers, right, man?” he asked as Carter stood on my other side. I looked over my shoulder and wondered where he came from.
“Yeah.” Carter shrugged, and I instantly felt short as the two looked straight at each other.
“Dude, she’s older than me.” Blake pointed at me.
“Bro, older chicks are cool,” Carter said as his face brightened.
“Oh my god, it’s just a couple months. What other ‘older chicks’ do you guys know?” I looked at them. Blake and Carter smirked at each other, then nodded.
“Miss Rosa!” they said in unison, then high-fived each other over me.
“That’s just creepy.”
“So you’re telling me that you are not one of the girls in Calculus who check out Mr. Bronx?” Carter asked as he looked at me.
“Yes! It’s weird. I’ve known him for, like…forever.”
“Right.” Blake and Carter dragged as they winked at each other.
“Mr. Halls, get in here right now!” Miss Rosa scolded as we walked past her classroom.
“The beauty awaits.” Carter sighed as he fist-bumped Blake, then walked off.
“So let me get this straight…we’re both eighteen, right?” Blake asked as we walked to Photography class.
“Yes, Blake. Are you sure you’re not high?”
“I don’t know. The guys came over last night, and you know anything can happen with them.” He winked as he opened the door to let me in.
“I thought you’re slowing down on the cigarettes and stuff?”
“You said five a week, I’ve only had two so far,” he said as I glanced up to see Melissa sitting with someone else. She smirked and gestured to the table in the back, being the only empty table left.
“It’s only Monday.” I narrowed my eyes at Blake.
