"Hey, Linda, you going to class or you just wanna sit there?" Sophie asked.
I looked around and noticed that all around the hall people were getting up out of their seats and exiting the Assembly Hall. Obviously the Start of Year Assembly had just finished, and I had been so busy thinking about the past that I hadn't even realised.
"Yeah, sorry Sophie" I said, as I got up, trying to see where Adam had gone.
"Who you looking for?" she asked.
"Oh, just seeing who's new this year. Maybe we can convince some of those freshmen to sign the petition. Maybe when everyone else sees all the signatures they'll just sign right on."
"Yeah, good idea, besides who doesn't want there to be a vegetarian dish when most of the stuff here is covered in gravy".
Neither Sophie nor I were vegetarian, but we thought that it was time to take action anyway seeing as though there were quite a lot of vegetarians now attending Eden Hall, and even more that were just plain sick of eating all the variations of the school menu with a huge glob of compulsory gravy splattered right on top.
"Yeah, maybe we could get…" Sophie continued to talk as we entered the hallway, and I spotted him some distance ahead with a group of the Ducks who were all listening to one of Averman's really lame jokes.
I could see them groan and punch him on the shoulder before splitting up to go to class. Which reminded me…
"…and then I suppose we could ask the -"
"Hey Sophie, is Math in the same class as last year, or are we up in Mr Joseph's old room?"
"Oh, um, Mr Joseph's, doesn't your timetable tell you?"
"No…well yeah but it's smudged. There must have been a mark on the printer or something. I better get a new one later on. Anyway, better hurry up."
*
After Math there was a particularly uneventful English lesson in which our teacher took to pacing the classroom telling us about our assessment schedule and then digressing onto how much he enjoyed his holidays in South Africa. When lunchtime came he abruptly told us to "get out of my classroom" and so we left feeling quite confused. I decided that Mr Byron was just a tad bit odd.
When we managed to reach our normal table, the majority of the Ducks were already sitting down. Instantly my eyes wandered over to Adam who was in deep discussion with Charlie and Guy. Russ and Goldberg were snorting milk out of their noses while a pale looking Connie pleaded with them to stop. Luis was busy writing something in his notebook.
"Didn't know that you were the type to study during lunch" teased Sophie. Luis looked flustered.
"Nah, it's not that. It's a letter."
"So who's it for?" I asked feeling somewhat interested.
"Mindy...wants me to go out on a date. Have to explain I'm not into her without actually speaking to her. So sick of her…" he grumbled whilst still writing.
I returned to picking through my meal (covered in gravy, ofcourse) and Sophie started passing the petition along the table, pestering everyone into signing their names and then passed it back to me. It was a good start, and if I could get some more before class, things would be even better.
For the rest of lunch the two of us went around the tables getting signatures for the petition. I nearly avoided the jock/cheerleader table; however, Scooter's little brother was there, so I knew I had a chance.
"Hey Sam, would you like to sign the petition?" I asked him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Wait, I'm a jock, aren't those petitions usually not my sort of thing?"
"Well, do you like all your meals covered in gravy?" He frowned.
"No…"
"Then you're the right sort" I said, passing him a pen, "Anyone else?"
While a couple of the others signed their names, Sam asked how Julie was going. Scooter was clearly into her, and Julie always blushed when we talked about him, so we didn't understand why they didn't go out. He invited her to the prom when we were back in our freshmen year but after that…a movie here, a coffee there…it was hardly exciting stuff.
"Oh, by the way, Scooter wants Julie to get this note." He held out an envelope. "Think I heard something about a date." He grinned.
*
On my way to Double Modern History I bumped into Adam who was heading to the same class. Literally…
"Whoa there! Watch out, I want to be injury free for the start of the hockey season" he joked. I blushed as I collected my petition off the floor.
"Sorry, guess I was kinda distracted. You would not believe how popular this issue is. I've got a whole page already."
"Yeah, well anything to do with getting better food onto the menu is going to be popular…Looking forward to studying the Russian Revolution?"
As we walked across the classroom we saw Julie sitting down near a poster of Stalin and quickly joined her, Adam sitting in between us."Guess what I've got Julie?" I asked her with a teasing smile. Both she and Adam looked at me curiously.
"This" I said, handing over the envelope "from Scooter". Julie blushed, while Adam smirked, pulling his books out of his bag as she opened it.
"So?" he asked. Julie looked ecstatic.
"I'm going to see the Anaheim Mighty Ducks!" she squealed. Good old Scooter. Maybe he did know what he was doing.
*
"So?" asked Adam "Do you reckon he's actually going to 'go out' with her after this. I'm not sure how much more waiting we can put up with. It's so obvious"
I laughed. "I know how you feel. But then, he's probably just shy"
"Shy? Scooter is not shy by nature. I was in the same hockey team as him. I should know." He replied, drawing back on experience.
He was referring to our freshman year when he was put into Varsity with Scooter and a whole other bunch of thick-headed morons. Not that Scooter was a moron, but by some cruel twist of fate, he was Rick Riley's best friend. Apparently he was nice when you got to know him. I was not the only one who doubted Scooter when it came to that.
All the trouble between the Varsity and JV teams had disappeared now that the original Varsity players had graduated. The Ducks had gotten older and better and became the new Varsity team, and the Warrior logo had been banished. Or at least when it came to hockey. The other sporting teams kept the name, but I'd given up on that the year before when Charlie told me that I was just making enemies.
"Yes, you're probably right" I continued as we reached my locker "but then; wouldn't you be a bit shy around the girl you really like?" Adam blushed.
"Well, yeah but um…I'm normally shy. Scooter isn't…hey, I've gotta see Charlie about something. See you tomorrow, ok?" he said before walking off down the hall in search of his friend.
I watched him disappear into the crowd, still musing over how cute he looked when he blushed.
