CHAPTER 2: My Newfound Friends

I sat next to some guy with an affinity for the color orange. I didn't know what it was about him, but he seemed like a friendly do-gooder type of person.

"Hi," he beamed at me eyes closed, "I'm Jack! What's your name?"

No one had really asked that to me so genuinely. It made me feel… happy.

"Vlad," I say sharply, "Vlad Masters."

"You a James Bond fan, Vladdie?"

"I'm just a Packers fan."

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You are by far the funniest person I ever met before, myself excluded, of course."

"I really don't know what to say…" I knew what I wanted to say, but part of me actually wanted to be his friend. This was my first real connection with someone, so I couldn't just lose it to a tiny bit of an ego!

"So what do you like to do?"

"I'm into theatre and science…"

"Ah, so you're with the squares that do that musical theater malarkey!"

"There is nothing wrong with musical theatre!"

"Relax! I was just kidding!" I retract my defensive stance. "I respect a man who can wear tights and be proud of it!"

"We don't wear tights!"

There is an awkward gap of silence. I kind of wished this didn't end here. He seemed like a nice guy. Luckily, Jack was thinking the same thing I was thinking.

"So what kind of sciences are you into?"

"I am kind of fascinated by quantum physics, chemistry, and a touch of engineering."

"Whoa, that's the hard stuff! I couldn't even get a B- if I were in a quantum physics class."

"Only a B-?!"

"Don't judge."

"Okay, okay."

"You and me, we're a lot alike."

"Hm?"

"Sure, I got my more right-brained, creative side, but I am too a man of science."

"Really! Wait, are you in Dr. Spectra's Honors Psychology?"

"Good god, no! Heard she was negative Nelly. Chemistry is my jam! That and building machines and stuff!

"Fascinating…"

"Okay, you caught me!" What did I do? What did I say? Was this guy an overly emotional lump of meat? "I'm into ghosts!"

"Ghosts?"

"Yeah, ghosts. Parapsychology and demonology and stuff like that. Not that you would care anyway…" Great, I upset him! He had those puppy-dog kind of eyes that just made you feel guilty of something you're innocent of.

"No, no, I do care; I just was surprised. That's all. It's not everyday that someone says they are into paranormal studies."

"Yeah, but who cares? No one seems to think it's real science…"

"Well, I'm still on the fence about it."

"Sorry to interrupt," a female voice says. We looked up to see a girl with a light brown perm and a preppy look to her. "I couldn't help but overhear you talk about ghosts and stuff, so I thought I would like to join in."

"Maddie!" Jack exclaimed warmly as if he wasn't previously down in the dumps. "I'd like to introduce you to my new pal, Vlad!" Jack's friend(?) looks at me.

"Vlad… That's Vlad with a 'V', correct?"

"No, with a 'B'," I joked. For moment, she looks as though she thought I was being serious, but she then laughed which showed me she got it. We shook hands.

"Please, sit," offered Jack. She sat next to me. I wonder how long they've known each other…

"So I don't know too much on the paranormal, and I was curious what that was all about, so…"

"He's a normal," Jack sidebars. Maddie giggles.

"What do you want to know exactly about parapsychology?" Maddie inquires fervently.

"Just what it is!" I exclaim.

"Attention, seniors!" the principal starts, causing everyone to quiet down miraculously. "Please give a warm welcome to our speaker of the say, the parapsychologist, Dr. Ether."

"She's an expert!" whisper yells Maddie to me. "Listen to her!"