by Kim Pritekel
Deciding my lopsided housed needed a shrub near the front door, I turned the pencil in my fingers and began to sketch.
THUD!
Nearly squealing in surprise, my head shot up to see a very exasperated Haley looking down at me. I looked to see her one hundred pound backpack sitting on the table where it had been tossed.
"So, were you trying to break the table in half? I’m sure if you do that again, you’ll succeed."
"I’m sorry. I think I scared you." She grinned at me. I looked down at my picture at the long line that was apparently an elongated shrub. I nodded.
"And you’d be right. What’s up?" With a heavy sigh, Haley flopped down in the chair next to me.
"I need help. Are you free? It’s Thursday, your tutoring day, right?" I nodded.
"Yeah, some guy named Kevin Rogers was supposed to show up, and," I glanced at my watch, "he’s really late. So, lucky you." I smiled. "What the problem?"
"Physics lab. I don’t understand this, Andi. I’ve never seen myself as stupid at all. So why am I suddenly now? I swear, something happened over the summer, and suddenly I’m just … stupid." I smiled.
"Let me see." Haley tugged her bag to her, and unzipped it, grabbing the lab book.
"I understand it, well I thought I did, but none of my labs come out right. I don’t get it, Andi."
"Hey, it’s okay." I could see the distress on her face and hear it in her voice. "We’ll work on this, okay?" She nodded, but I still don’t think she fully believed me. "Magnetism, huh?" She nodded again. "It’s not a real easy concept to grasp, so don’t worry."
"You get it."
"I’m a science geek, of course I get it." She smiled. "Okay, what have you done so far with the lab? Did you bring the magnets with you?" She reached into her backpack and drew out the magnets. "Alright. Now, show me what you’ve done so far."
"No, you’ll laugh." I grinned, shaking my head.
"Not at all. I need to see what you’ve done, Haley, and where you’re going wrong." She studied me for a moment, then with a sigh grabbed the magnets.
"You promise you won’t laugh?"
"Of course." She grabbed the textbook from me, reading the instruction, and began to perform the simple experiment. I watched her, amazed that she’d come to me again. Why not Rodman?
"I talked to Mr. Rodman yesterday, and he went over this with me, but unfortunately I guess it didn’t stick."
Oh. I guess she did.
"So I was your last hope, huh?" I grinned. She gave me a mock glare.
"So, are you watching?"
"Yep."
"Okay, so I get this far, they begin to pull, then suddenly they stop. I don’t get it."
"Do it again." I leaned forward, watching carefully. With a nod of my head, I reached into my bag, grabbing the paper I’d just gotten back today in English. I took the paperclip off, and reached over to the magnets that had, once again, stopped in the middle of the experiment. I held the metal clip directly between them, and within two seconds, both raced forward to slam together.
Haley sat back, surprised.
"How did you do that?" she asked, her eyes still on the magnets, tightly snuggled together.
"Well, unfortunately those instructions suck in that book. With these kind of magnets you need a metal component." I pulled the magnets apart, holding the paperclip up to show her. "There isn’t much metal here, but it’s enough." Haley grabbed the clip out of my fingers, looking at it, shaking her head. She looked at me with a grin.
"You’re good." I shrugged the compliment off, beaming inside. She opened her mouth, but I put my hand up to stop her.
"Don’t feel stupid. I’m sure just about everyone in the class is having the same problem." She smiled as she loaded everything back into her bag, fingering the magnets as she looked at me.
"Thanks, Andi. I think I’ll only pass physics this year because of you." I laughed.
"I doubt that, but thanks." Haley stood, lugging the backpack over her shoulder. She stopped and looked at me, narrowing her eyes as a thought occurred to her.
"So, are you done here? For today?" I nodded. "Come on. I’ll give you a ride home."
I looked out the window at the rear of the library. "It’s hardly raining or snowing outside." I looked up at her. She put a hand on her hip.
"Do you want a ride or not?" Without a word I stood, shoving everything into my bag, and following her out of the building.
We drove on in silence for a few minutes, trying not to hit any students who felt the need to wander around the parking lot and driveways of the high school. I shook my head.
"How did they ever make it to this age?" I heard Haley’s chuckle. Finally off grounds, she picked up the speed, and set out for home. On the way we passed a strip known as Grease Lane. Every type of fast food restaurant and pizza joint you could think of lined the street.
"Hey, are you hungry?" I turned to see Haley looking at Carlos’ Pizza Heaven.
"Sure."
I grabbed the oh shit handle above my door, and held on as with a small squeal of tires, we entered the parking lot. I looked at Haley, eyes wide.
"What?"
"How did you make it to this age?" She grinned, and pulled the parking break and turned off the engine.
Pizza Heaven was a place where the kids often came to hang out. I passed here every day on my walk home, and would see the same cars from the school parking lot shooting into this one. I’d almost gotten hit by them a few times.
I felt weird walking in with Haley, knowing we’d run into our peers here. I hadn’t even noticed I was walking a few paces behind Haley until I ran smack into her. I looked up at her, smiling sheepishly.
"You know, you’re not my slave. Feel free to walk with me." I said nothing, but began to walk; this time Haley had to catch up.
It was a seat yourself place, so we found a booth near a window, and sat down, both immediately grabbing a menu.
"So, in the mood for pizza? We could share one." I looked over my menu to see Haley still behind hers. I could just see the very top of her dark eyebrows and forehead.
"Sure. What do you like?" Suddenly those brilliant blue eyes were staring into mine with an intensity.
"Meat. Lots of meat." I grinned, nodded as I set my menu aside.
"Okay. Order up."
The waitress came, and Haley ordered our medium pizza loaded with hamburger, sausage and Canadian bacon. I ordered my usual, Dr. Pepper. Our drinks came, and as Haley sipped her Coke, she stared at me.
"Why don’t you go by your name?" I looked at her, taken aback.
"My name? I do go by my name."
"No, I mean Andrea. That’s what your mom called you, and well, mothers do know best." I shook my head.
"Not this time. I hate that name."
"Why?" She grabbed a napkin out of the table dispenser, and took her gum from her mouth, wrapping it up in a piece of the napkin. I shrugged as I watched her.
"It’s so girly." She smiled as she tucked the wad into the plastic ashtray near the wall.
"Well, you are a girl, Andi."
"Eh," I grabbed the pepper shaker, turning it around in my hands. "Not an Andrea-kind of girl." I really didn’t like the conversation being based on me, and certainly not on my choice to go by Andi. Hell, I understood it, so why should I have to explain myself? "So what about Haley? Where did that come from?"
"My father is an astronomer."
"Ah. The comet, huh?" She groaned and looked away as she nodded.
"Yeah. He’s a little obsessed. My parents felt the need to name my brother and I after their respective careers. I don’t get it." I sipped from my soda.
"What’s your brother’s name?"
"Holden Dante Corregan." I raised my brows in surprise.
"Wow. I guess. So the kid’s a theological cynic?" Haley chuckled.
"More like a pain in the ass, but that works, too."
"How old is he?"
"Fifteen. He just started Winston t
his year."
"Hey, mine, too." I grinned.
"Really, who’s your brother?"
"Chris Littman."
"Don’t know him."
"Here you go, ladies." The waitress set a steaming pan of pizza down between us, giving us each a plate and fork. "Enjoy."
We both dug in with abandon, savoring every bite of hot, spicy, sauce smothered pizza. Neither of us felt the need to say a word; our only thought was food.
I sat back, having just finished my third piece, knowing full well that Haley had matched me slice for slice, yet she grabbed a fourth.
"Wow, and people say I have a healthy appetite." The only answer I got was a grunt as Haley quickly put it away. I had to admit, I was truly impressed. I had absolutely no idea where she put it all, her thin, well-toned frame gave no secrets away. I knew she probably worked at it like I did, as soccer was on its way in a few months.
Finally she sat back, wiping her mouth, a satisfied look on her face.
"Now, that’s good pizza," she said with a smile, patting her stomach.
"Yeah, I’m getting that impression. Enjoyed it, did you?" She grinned, nodding, pushing her plate away.
"So, Andi."
"Yes, Haley?"
"What is it like to be you?"
"Excuse me?" I nearly spit the soda I’d just drank back into the cup. What an odd question.
"Well, I mean, you’re so different from most of the people we go to school with, you’re just, just, well, unique."
"Oh, so you’re wanting to know what it’s like to be the school wallflower?" She cocked her head to the side, sizing me up.
"You know, I think you could make yourself very known if you wanted to. You’re a smart girl, I think you do it on purpose. Why?"
"Well, you figured me out." I set my cup onto the table, and sat back in the booth. "To put it plain, I think most of the people we go to school with are idiots."
"Well, you are blunt, aren’t you?"
"Why lie?" I shrugged to emphasize my point. "Most, from what I’ve seen, aren’t real serious about their education, and are there because they have to be or their folks would get a nice visit from the cops. They have no interest in bettering themselves, and they’re cruel."
Haley looked at me for a moment, absorbing my words. She played with the straw in her cup, taking it out to chew on the end of it.
"What do you mean cruel?" she asked, her words sounding strange wrapped around the plastic of the straw.
"Well, haven’t you just walked down the halls and watched how they treat each other? Saying terrible things, doing stupid pranks, all the cliques. It drives me nuts. I have one more year left in this hell called high school, then I can head off to college and really start life."
"Wow." Haley put the straw back, and leaned forward. "I had no idea you felt so strongly about it." I shrugged.
"Most don’t, and you asked."
"Hey, hey, don’t get all defensive with me, Andi. I was just curious. I imagine you have very solid reasons behind your views, and are certainly entitled to those."
I looked away, feeling bad, as I know that Haley was friends with most of those that I had just had my rampage about. It wasn’t right for me to go off like that, but I didn’t know what to do about it without making myself look even more like an idiot, so I said nothing. I grabbed my cup, taking a long, slow sip of the cold Dr. Pepper as I thought of what to do or say next.
"So, what about you? What is it like to be on your side of the proverbial tracks?"
"Well, it’s filled with it’s own kind of pressures." She looked at me, "believe it or not."
I smiled, before wiping my face of any expression.
"I have a lot of friends, but I’ve had to work for those, Andi. You and I have different personalities; I love to talk to people, and I’m very open about it. I’ll walk up to anyone and just start chatting. People are people, I just enjoy them for who they are. You know?" I nodded. "I get involved, and that will usually set you up for certain types of friends, unfortunately." I imagine it also helps to be one of the most gorgeous people to walk the earth.
"So, you didn’t like set out at birth to be miss known, and miss popularity?" she shook her head, nose scrunched up.
"God, no. I don’t really care about all that. Hell, Kelly and I have been friends since kindergarten, so we have a lot of history. We just sort of went through everything together. Everything else just kind of gravitated together, all my friends."
I looked at her, surprised by how down to earth she was, how grounded. I had known about Haley Corregan since the day I first started school; she was exceptionally talented, beautiful child from day one. There was not a person under the age of twenty in Winston who didn’t know who she was. I had no idea she was human, and kind. I always had my preconceived notions, most of which are right on, about her crowd, and the way they treated everyone. I had had my own run-ins with a few members of the pop clique.
"Would you like to see how the other side lives?" I was torn from my thoughts, pulled back to the pizza place and stared at her.
"Huh?"
"Great answer." She grinned. "I said, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?"
"Um, where?"
"There’s a party at Brad Martin’s house, his folks are gone again." She rolled her eyes. "One of these days he’s going to get so busted. Anyway, want to go?"
Brad Martin, as in cutest guy in four counties, ex-boyfriend of Haley, biggest asshole in four states.
"Um, sure?" No! I couldn’t believe I’d just said that. I don’t want to, don’t make me! My inner voice was squashed by my politeness and curiosity.
"Really? You’ll go?" I nodded dumbly, internally beating myself senseless. The biggest smile spread across Haley’s face. "Who knows, maybe you’ll see they’re all not so bad."
Famous last words.
* * *
I pulled the black tank over my head, and then pulled up my satin soccer shorts. Running my hand though my hair as I headed downstairs to where my bag and practice mats were. It was late Thursday, but I was wide awake as I thought of tomorrow night. Why did I agree to this? I despised parties of any kind, certainly those hosted illegally by some half-wit who played off his looks to get through life.
I guess what it boiled down to was I had little to no respect for so many of Haley’s friends, and it made me sad, as she was proving herself to be a fine person.
I stood in the center of my mats in the basement, my eyes closed as I readied myself to my workout. I began to breathe deep and even as I cleared my head, bringing my focus and concentration to its fullest and purist point.
Eyes still closed, I began to slowly, smoothly move through the room, heading for the targets I had scattered around the room, using force of mind and body to find them, striking out with feet, legs, hands and arms, flipping to avoid the oncoming attack by my imaginary foe, dodging his punches and kicks with skill borne of eleven years of practice and work.
I felt the satisfying, solid smack of the bag against my wrist as I swung. In real life it would have hit my opponent square in the neck, bringing them to their knees.
"Ha!" I yelled out, as I struck again, rolling out of the way to spring up and hit the pad behind me.
I could feel the energy running through my body like a surge of electricity through the wires to power an entire city.
Breathing heavily, sweat streaming into my eyes, I headed to the wet bar in the corner and the tiny refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water. Plopping down on one of the bar stools, I allowed my body to relax, the water running through me like a built in air conditioner, cooling me down.
Draining the bottle, I crushed it in my hand and tossed it into the trash as I headed back upstairs, running the back of my hand across my eyes to wipe the sweat out. It was late, nearly midnight, and I was exhausted.
Taking a quick shower, I slid into bed, dead to the world within seconds.
* * *
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
<
br /> "Grrrrr," I reached out, smacked my alarm silent. I hated that noise. The sun wasn’t even up yet, so why should I be? I turned over to lie on my stomach and bury my face in my pillow. It was Friday, and that’s always good.
With a groan, I managed to drag my butt out of the warmth that is my bed, clicked off the electric blanket. The cold morning air breezed against my naked skin as I padded over to the window. The grass and roofs had a thin, white glaze over it, obviously from a light snow over night. Halloween was a week away, and yet you’d think Thanksgiving was next Saturday.
With a shiver running down my spine, goosebumps erupted allover my body, I hurried to my bathroom and a hot shower.
Dressing in jeans, a tank - never leave home without it - and a sweater, I was armed to face the day and my English test.
I had been blessed, or cursed, by a very high tolerance for cold. I knew that by the time I got to school I would already be too hot for the sweater, and it would find its new home around my waste until lunch when I started to get cold again for about an hour, then off it would go. Nice to be predictable, I suppose.
I enjoyed my early morning walks, they were invigorating and peaceful. The sun was beginning to show its face above the houses and illuminate the land around me. Flurries were beginning already, and I knew by time I walked home this afternoon there’d be measurable snow on the ground.
I walked up to the building as the bell sounded and I hurried to my locker to grab my books for my first two classes.
* * *
I was not in a good mood as I left my AP English class, the test behind me. I did well, but I really had to work at it. English was in no way, shape or form my strong spot, nor did I pretend it was. I headed to my locker again, dumped off my books and grabbed my lunch. Today we’d have a good old fashion turkey and Swiss sandwich and an orange.
Finding locker 218, I slid down to the floor, brown lunch bag to one side, my novel to the other. As I got settled, bringing my sweater over my head and stretching my arms though, I watched the others, calling out to each other, waiting in line for a hot lunch, or the guys throwing food at each other. My eyes automatically scanned toward the middle of the lunch room to the rowdiest table of them all. There she was, leaning over as she tried to listen to something Kelly told her. Haley sat back, laughing as she dug her fork into her lunch. For just a moment I wondered what had been said, and what it felt like to have that kind of camaraderie.
