April 12th 2021

Chapter 102
Our Start For Sophomores

The charade of coats and hoodies did not carry on into the next group of students who walked into the art class that day. They would have known by then that the surprise was already sprung, so there was no point in coming along and trying to pretend like they weren't wearing those t-shirts underneath, same as the seniors had done. In compensation, the majority of them came along in a variety of what could only be called 'dramatic entrances.' Some would draw her attention by stopping in the door, big smiles on. Others would almost dance into the room, even hum one of the band's songs under their breath. A couple of them went for a fake-out before showing that, yes, they were also doing it.

Maya just had no words here, in all humility. These were her sophomores. If they were honest, this was her first day actually standing as their teacher, in front of them in the class, the whole period, everything. But they knew each other, to some degree or another, they did, enough that it didn't matter how much time they had or had not spent in this room together. In a way, it brought balance to any worries she might have had, where she didn't know what her having been absent would have done to hinder her connection to these kids.

"I have a feeling like you might have had something to do with this," Maya stated with a suspicious but amused squint when Bodhi came sliding into the room with that great toothy smile of his. His short braids had gone away over the summer, beads and all, leaving him with a very trim covering over his head. It made his ears stand out, gave him a whole other look, but it also suited him very well, and to Maya it seemed like he felt happier for it.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Mrs. Friar," the boy shrugged, and they held one another's gaze for a moment, a staring contest which ended with Bodhi's face twitching.

"You've been spending too much time with those girls," Maya teased, which got a chuckle out of her student. They were silent for a beat, and it was an unspoken agreement that, for their own reasons, they were both glad to find the other in this classroom on this day. "So, I would say thank you, but if you had nothing to do with this, well…"

"If I had though…"

"If you had, yes…" Maya's brow raised. Bodhi just smiled.

"Happy to do it."

With all of the group present, and the bell calling the class to start, Maya was able to do just that. For a moment, she couldn't help recalling how she'd met these kids a year ago, when she'd come in to kickstart the first round of diaries. It brought back memories of the end of her pregnancy, naturally, and she liked to think how those events would remain linked as they went forward. She remembered being up here, just under two months shy of giving birth to Marianne, and she remembered seeing these kids for the first time. Even if she'd been at home all of last year, she'd gotten to know them through their diaries. She looked at them today, and she could see the growth in them, the progress of their freshman year, just as she could look to each one and call up certain pieces from their old diaries, pieces who informed her on who they were.

"Alright, well, I feel a bit out of the loop now," she gestured at all of their shirts with a smile, and it made them laugh. "I am so glad though, that I finally get to be here with all of you, and this right here," she gestured again, "Thank you, all of you." The class cheered at this, and Maya felt another push of those tears trying to get out. "Okay, alright, alright, let's get started," she called them to attention again, all in the added effort to keep a straight face, for however long that would last.

The first day had always been about introductions and catching up, and it didn't deviate too far today either. Maya asked everyone to tell her a bit about how their summer had gone, but on top of that she asked everyone to tell her one anecdote from their freshman year she would likely not know about, from the school, in this class or out of it, as they wished. Then, she asked them what they looked forward to in the year to come.

"Who wants to go first?" Unlike last year, there were more willing volunteers from the start, which was always encouraging. With how he had gone last the previous year, Maya was both surprised and happy to find Bodhi's hand among those first ones in the air, and she called on him. He still had an open sketchbook in front of him, pencil pinched between his fingers, but he was definitely paying attention more than he'd done last time. She could also see that the book was his freshman diary – volume two – and that it was on its last pages, suggesting he had been filling it up over the summer.

"Last year," he started, recalling, maybe trying to come up with something that didn't have to do with the quiz team, which would have felt too obvious. "There was one Friday, the refrigerators in the cafeteria broke or something, and they didn't want to lose everything in there, so we got a lot of extras at lunch, even those who brought their own." The memory sent chuckles across the room as they all remembered that day, too. Maya had heard it from her seniors already, and she would probably hear it from the juniors, too, but it still made her laugh every time, almost more for the fact that she could see a few others in the room who suddenly had a look of 'crap, now I have to think of another thing.'

"Well, I missed out," Maya nodded. Bodhi carried on.

"And this summer…" He paused again, and the indecision on his face came off to Maya at first like something bad might have happened and he'd been made to think about it, but his next words, tilted on a smile, changed the narrative completely. Maya had a feeling now like the indecision had more to do with knowing that she'd be able to put two and two together and his not knowing whether he was supposed to say anything or not. "Spent most of it with friends… and my girlfriend." It could have been anyone, but it wasn't, and that little bud of a happy feeling in him… "This year is the first one in a while where I only had to do the one before once, and it feels pretty good."

Right after Bodhi had finished his turn, Maya called up one of those whose hands had been up after the first call to volunteers. She had to admit on curiosity in this case, as she was surprised to find the Shelby twins ending up at stations on opposing sides of the class. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it, but for as long as she'd known them, Ruby and Abby had been a packaged deal, really coming almost attached at the shoulder. Was there something wrong? They didn't seem particularly upset…

"Last year, the girls' basketball team had a bet going with the boys. The top scorers on each side would face off at the end of the school year," Abby started. "Ruby got that spot for the girls, against Kai Avelino for the boys, and she just edged him out," she finished this with a proud grin, suggesting she was the one to share the story because Ruby wouldn't have done it. That would have felt like bragging. Across the room, the straight-edged twin smiled back, which furthered the mystery in Maya's mind regarding the split. She didn't have to wait long to understand. "This summer, we started doing more things apart. We figured it could be good for us to sort of… branch out when we're out in the world. Not at home," she specified, and Ruby nodded along from across the room. "I guess it sort of counts for what this year is going to look like, too."

"Would you like to add anything?" Maya asked Ruby.

"Oh, yeah! Can I…" Ruby pointed to the front of the class, and Maya happily gave her the floor. The girl moved to the front, bringing the notebook she used for 'trip and fund matters.' From it, she pulled out a colorful sheet of paper which she presented to her teacher. "Could we put it up somewhere in here? We made a page, with all the information about the senior trip and events we will be hosting in order to raise funds for it. You guys can go and find out what's coming up, the first one will be a bake sale at the Fall Festival. If you're on board with the trip or you're thinking about it, you can register, and it'll be easier for us to keep track of everything and keep you informed," she finished her address to the class.

"That is great," Maya moved to hang up the notice at once. She was very proud of the progress they were making, the initiative they were taking.

Little by little, she made her way through hearing out all of the students, their anecdotes, their summer tales, their plans for sophomore year… She was both unsurprised and bordering on concerned to find that Talia Ríos held out until the end again, coming in the last slot this time. Last year, it was under this reasoning of her not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, being the vice-principal's kid and all that, and it might have been a great part of the reason here as well, but Maya wasn't sure if that was the whole story either.

"Last year…" she started, her hesitation stretching on the way toward uneasiness, like she couldn't think of a single thing about her time in school which felt noteworthy enough to bring up. It wasn't even a matter of her having gone last, with all the others having claimed all the stories before her. To Maya, it just looked like the girl was sitting out there and realizing she had nothing to show for her freshman year except schoolwork.

Whether it was a saving grace or the opposite, the bell rang before she could finish her statement. Maya hadn't even realized how close they were to the end. Everyone started gathering their things, and she had to hurry and bring the diary box around, passing everyone their new sketchbooks with an instruction that their first assignment was the same as last year, to decorate the covers as they wished. The last one in the box was Talia's, and Maya brought it to sit on the girl's station, where she'd been asked to wait.

"Did you keep drawing this summer?" she asked. Talia looked at her, hesitant of where this was going.

"A little, yeah," she replied with a shrug.

"Can you bring it in tomorrow? I'd like to see it, just for me, you know? Curiosity," Maya told her.

"I can do that," Talia agreed. "I'm sorry I didn't…" she gestured, which Maya understood to mean her silence earlier.

"No, hey, don't worry about it. Happens sometimes," she promised. Talia opened her bag, slipped in the new sketchbook. The care she took with it showed how happy she was at the prospect of this one element being back in her life for the coming year. Maya had a thought, her eyes falling on the Shelby twins' notice up by the door. "You like the Fall Festival?" she asked. Talia nodded. "So, Miss Alcott and I work to get it together every year. If you're up to it, we could use some extra help with the decorations. What do you think?"

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners