Jitterbug
I had just gotten on the bus with the idea in my head that my day would go by in complete perfection. I was ready and superlatively prepared for my French midterm, and was finally about to finish the school faculty mural. I was even excited about the demented party my parents were throwing later tonight. Just my luck that little things delighted me, and I was willing to lavish in them.
I walked to the two vacant seats somewhere in the middle of the standing jocks and the prissy gossiping Barbies. I swung my Jansport from my back and set it in my lap, unzipping the seal and pulling out the small endless page book of French conjugations. I repeated tomar and the phrases I could think of to use it in.
"I will pass this test." I repeated that one phrase to myself until I felt the seat next to mine rise up as if someone had seated themselves and that was confirmed when I heard his anxious voice piped up courtly, "Hi." I turned to him and eyed the thin fair skin boy behind the glasses. I smiled politely as he held out the thin hand and offered it toward me as I greeted with the small taken, "Hey." My smile went and I turned back to my motivational foreign language pep talk of telling myself I would pass this test. I found my shoulder hunch over instinctively when his heavy breath reached my ears. I turned to him looking genuinely concerned as he rested his elbows on his legs. He did what I could swear was a wheeze and he turned to look up at me. "Yeah," he wheezed slightly once again and took his glasses off, and with a handkerchief swiped the lenses conscientiously. "It's…just…a little motion sickens I get sometimes with my asthma," he breathed heavily between the words but I simply smiled reassured that I believed him and turned back, yet again to the book in my lap. His breath was hot against my neck and I turned looking oddly at him as he panted against my shoulder. He raised the piece of his glasses that connected the two eyepieces and gave a sudden snort that startled me. "Whatcha got there?"
"Uh…French." I held the book over on his side of the thick leather seat where he should've been and he sat back. "Well, you know…I'm a… Math man myself, but I know a little French." I laughed weakly to encourage him as I viewed the school outside the translucent window. "I find it fascinating that in the process of something as simple as fractions that the actual procedure of division would derail and differ from the other three forms-" I felt the bus heave forward, cutting him off and I continued with the interruption. "You know, I should really be going now. I…guess I'll see you later, bye!" I rose from my seat and sped past him, speed walking ahead of them all to the front of the bus.
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I watched her rest herself on the desk and give the instructions to the class, one of the only things she even contemplates saying in English. "You will have thirty minutes to complete this test. Keep your eyes on your paper. Begin… now." I lifted the pen and began conjugating and translating. A few minutes later I heard the now familiar wheezing to the side of me. "Psst… psst." I looked over at him in the corner of my eye. "Do you have a pen?" He whispered to me as he wheezed I tried to signal a 'no' and he whispered in reply. "What?"
"No." I jumped at the sound of the instructor's voice. "Is there something that you and Mr. Kindle would like to share with me doing this test, Kayla?" I swallowed and turned to her. "No, Mrs. Don Veton."
"Good." I went back to my paper and heard his whisper again. "A pen."
"No."
"Ms. West. I winced and watched as she walked towards me and retrieved both Wheezer's test papers and mine. "You should finish your conversation now since you'll be retaking the test in detention this afternoon." Great, well, nothing left to do but sink in my seat and listened to the sounds of pens hitting paper and wheezing come through nostrils.
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The swing of a locker was heard and then a greeting. "Hey K." I turned to the sound of Jett's familiar voice. "Hey Jett."
"What's up with you?" I packed the textbooks into my bag.
"Let's just say my day isn't starting off well."
"What do you mean?" I handed him the slip I was given on the way out of French. He looked over the thin piece of pink. "'Class disruption and probable evidence of cheating'?" He sounded surprised and I snatched the sheet from him at the sound of the bell. "I'll see you later, Jett."
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I sighed, placing down the tray with the overrated school lunch on it, and sat myself down. "Hey Kayla." J.B.'s happy go lucky voice hit me hard this lunch period. "Hey J.B." He over at me and eyed me oddly. "What?"
"What happened to your shirt?" I looked down at the lilac blouse I wore and the blue inkblot on the upper right sleeve. "Pen accident." He raised his eyebrows. "I was giving out a pen and it graciously exploded on me." He held back a smile that only disappeared when I glared icily at him. "Sorry," he mumbled before taking a bite of his sandwich. "Hey guys." The superhero had arrived. "Hey Jett," J.B. returned his greeting. My eyes bulged when I heard that sound…that heavy breathing. The two looked over at me. "Hi…Kayla." I turned around to view him. "Hi." I turned back around and looked superbly traumatized. "Can…I…sit here?" I signaled to Jett. 'No! No!'
"Sure you can!" I glared at Jett through the corner of my eye who patted Wheezer on the back. "In fact, you can have my seat!" Jett stood, walked around the table and sat across from Wheezer, next to J.B. "Gee…thanks." He sat his breathing was more than almost inaudible. "Uh…J.B. Halliburton." J.B. held out a hand and he took it. "Gus, Gus Wellington."
"Well, hey Gus. I'm Jett Jackson. How do you know our Kayla?" He was enjoying this! "Well… I…met…her…on the bus this morning."
"Well, isn't that something."
"Yep, that's something. Isn't it Kayla?" J.B. was looking over at me now. "Yeah…we even have…all the same classes together." They grinned at me. "Must be fate!" Jett went on from his new position. "Yeah, fate, well I better get started on my mural."
"But your lunch. You must sit and eat a healthy lunch, Kayla. Besides, you've got a free period to do that mural."
"Thanks…Jett. I must've forgotten about that…"
"So, Kayla…I never finished telling you…about my interest in mathematics." I let out a nervous laugh. "That...that's great."
"Yeah, we want to hear!" J.B. blurted out, both boys still grinning. "Well I think that-" I lost interest and I stopped paying attention while I sipped at my soda. Why were they enjoying this? He'd ruined the little effort it took to make me day perfect. I let out a noise when I felt a cold dampness hit me. "Uh-I…I'm so sorry." I froze up and watched him fumble while hearing the jackass laugh. "Stop it!" They all froze and I grabbed the tray, threw the contents into the garbage. I heard his voice call behind me. "I'll see you in detention!" and I fixed the tray on top of the bin.
I watched the bristles swirl in with the mauve, my hand blot it in the corner of the wall. I stepped back and eyed the merging colors and detailed faces of the faculty around the emblem of the school. I placed the brush back in the half empty tin can and looked to the direction of the squeaking footsteps I heard. Oh no. "Hi, Kayla. I'm… really… sorry about your shirt."
"Uh…water dries." There was silence other than the shuffling sound of his books and plastic binders. "That's really good." I gave a small smile. "Thanks." He put down his books and I inwardly cringed. "So, how do you do it?" I opened my mouth but he went on. "I bet it's something like this, huh?" He took up a brush with the painted bristles and swiped it across the mural. "No, stop!" Two faculty heads had been covered with a fleshy pink and so had the school doors. He stood back and dropped the brush. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to." My mouth was parted but nothing came out as I just stared at him and watched him gather his things before running down the hall. I turned back to the mural and I sighed at the mangled thing in front of me that required repair.
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I walked off the front steps of school and left detention behind me. "Kayla! Kayla!" I paused and he caught up with me. "Hey…Kayla…look…I'm really sorry about what happened today. I mean…I guess…I got nervous…I mean…I-"
"It's fine Gus. I really should be getting home now."
"Can I walk you?"
"No!" I blurted out and I tried more calmly. "I mean…no, that's okay."
"Oh…okay…. Well I'll see you at the party tonight."
"What?"
"The party that your parents are throwing."
"What?"
"I was invited."
"What?"
"My parents. It was the whole town right?"
"Uh…right…."
"Great…bye Kayla!" Now I'm wheezing.
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