Alyssa's first day of school in Everwood had just ended. Thank God. She
placed the huge Algebra 2 textbook that she had been carrying around with
her since 5th period in her new locker. She glanced at the inside of the
locker for a few seconds before slowly shutting the door. The hinges on
the locker door creaked. She slightly cringed at the sound it made. As
she turned around, she found Ephram walking towards her. She turned her
head away, looked back at her locker, and sighed heavily. She didn't
really feel like talking to anyone right now. She just wanted to go home.
"You left in a hurry today," Ephram stated.
Alyssa turned to face him, but didn't really look at him. She was looking at everything but him. "Oh. Yeah. About that. I'm really sorry. I had to go find my next class," she said uneasily.
"But lunch had just started. You still had at least 20 minutes left," Ephram said. He had a suspicious look on his face.
"So what? I just walk slow." Alyssa shrugged her shoulders.
"Slow? If the speed with which you left the library was your slow mode, then. Well, then, I don't know." Ephram rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Alyssa with a questioning glance.
Alyssa shut her eyes real tight and frowned slightly. She ran her hand through her medium brown hair that came down a few inches past her shoulders. She took a deep breath and let it out gradually. She then opened her eyes. She was kind of hoping that she would have somehow ended up back home or anywhere else other than where she was. Ephram was still looking at her with a confused look.
Alyssa frowned. "I should go, Ephram." She looked down.
Ephram, still noticeably confused, took a step back. "Yeah. I should probably be getting home, too."
"Bye," Alyssa said, as she walked right past the boy not even waiting for a reaction.
Ephram stood still for a second. He turned his head to the right to some extent. He still had that questionable look on his face. He then shook his head and took off in the opposite direction of which Alyssa had left.
*****
"Bright!" Amy shouted. "You failed ANOTHER history test? Mom and Dad are gonna freak. You heard what Dad told you last time. They're going to kill you!"
"No they're not, because they're not finding out." Bright looked at Amy with an intimidating look on his face.
"Um, Bright? Did you somehow forget that when people get an interim, which you definitely will, all of their test grades are on it?"
Bright's eyes got wide. "Oh, man. They ARE gonna kill me!" Bright yelled.
*****
"What do you guys want for dinner?" Andy asked Delia and Ephram, who were playing each other in a video game. Both pairs of eyes were glued to the TV.
"You're going down!" Delia squealed.
"Oh yeah? Take that, you little monster!" Ephram had just won the game, as he usually did when playing against Delia.
"Hello? Am I talking to a wall, here?" Andy asked the two.
They both turned around to face their dad. "Yes," they both said at the same time.
"We want food," Ephram said sarcastically. "Edible food."
Andy laughed to himself. "Mamma Joy's it is, then."
*****
"How was everyone's day today?" Rose Abbot asked the family at the dinner table.
"Really good. There's a new girl at our school. Today was her first day." Amy said.
"Yeah. That was the only exciting thing today. I haven't actually seen her though. But other than that, it was an okay day, I guess." Bright shrugged his shoulders and tried to act nonchalant.
"Just okay, dear? Nothing else happened?" Rose furrowed her brow a little, looking somehow concerned.
Bright took a bite of ham and looked across the table at Amy. Amy was trying to hold in her laugh. If she looked at Bright one more time she would probably burst out laughing. She stared down at her plate.
"Well," Bright started, "I got another test back in my history class."
Harold looked up and over at Bright, taking notice to the last thing he had said.
"And?" Harold lifted his eyebrow waiting for an answer.
"Well, Dad. See, the thing is. I forgot to study. The test was on a Monday and I totally forgot over the weekend and then all of this stuff was stressing me out and."
"Bright? What did you get on the test?" Harold then furrowed his brow as well.
Bright paused and looked over at Amy one last time. "An F. But I swear it was because I didn't have time to study. It's not like I just blew off studying. I actually had important things to do."
"And studying for a test is not important to you?" Rose asked with an appalled look on her face.
Bright spent the rest of dinner trying to explain to his parents why he failed another test. There was a moment or two where Amy tried to help him out, but there was no stopping Rose and Harold Abbott that night.
"Bright, you're grounded!" Dr. Abbott yelled. His words rang through the dining room, and all was silent.
*****
Ephram and Delia sat on the couch. Delia was flipping through the channels to see what was on.
Andy walked into the living room and sat down in the chair. "Have you met the new girl at your school yet, Ephram?"
"How do you know about her?"
"Her father came into the office today. The Taylors, right?" Andy asked.
"Yeah. Her name is Alyssa."
"Have you two met?"
"Kinda," Ephram said, remembering how she had just left him there in the library and the hallway.
"Is she your girlfriend, now, Ephram?" Delia teased.
"No."
"So your girlfriend is still Amy?" Delia laughed.
Ephram shook his head. "No." He got lost in his thoughts for a second, but then stood up and started to walk away. He laughed out loud for a quick moment, and then started to head up the stairs to his room. "No," he said again, smiling to himself.
Delia and Andy looked at each other after seeing Ephram head upstairs almost in a daze. Delia winked at her dad and they both laughed softly, making sure Ephram couldn't hear them.
"You left in a hurry today," Ephram stated.
Alyssa turned to face him, but didn't really look at him. She was looking at everything but him. "Oh. Yeah. About that. I'm really sorry. I had to go find my next class," she said uneasily.
"But lunch had just started. You still had at least 20 minutes left," Ephram said. He had a suspicious look on his face.
"So what? I just walk slow." Alyssa shrugged her shoulders.
"Slow? If the speed with which you left the library was your slow mode, then. Well, then, I don't know." Ephram rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Alyssa with a questioning glance.
Alyssa shut her eyes real tight and frowned slightly. She ran her hand through her medium brown hair that came down a few inches past her shoulders. She took a deep breath and let it out gradually. She then opened her eyes. She was kind of hoping that she would have somehow ended up back home or anywhere else other than where she was. Ephram was still looking at her with a confused look.
Alyssa frowned. "I should go, Ephram." She looked down.
Ephram, still noticeably confused, took a step back. "Yeah. I should probably be getting home, too."
"Bye," Alyssa said, as she walked right past the boy not even waiting for a reaction.
Ephram stood still for a second. He turned his head to the right to some extent. He still had that questionable look on his face. He then shook his head and took off in the opposite direction of which Alyssa had left.
*****
"Bright!" Amy shouted. "You failed ANOTHER history test? Mom and Dad are gonna freak. You heard what Dad told you last time. They're going to kill you!"
"No they're not, because they're not finding out." Bright looked at Amy with an intimidating look on his face.
"Um, Bright? Did you somehow forget that when people get an interim, which you definitely will, all of their test grades are on it?"
Bright's eyes got wide. "Oh, man. They ARE gonna kill me!" Bright yelled.
*****
"What do you guys want for dinner?" Andy asked Delia and Ephram, who were playing each other in a video game. Both pairs of eyes were glued to the TV.
"You're going down!" Delia squealed.
"Oh yeah? Take that, you little monster!" Ephram had just won the game, as he usually did when playing against Delia.
"Hello? Am I talking to a wall, here?" Andy asked the two.
They both turned around to face their dad. "Yes," they both said at the same time.
"We want food," Ephram said sarcastically. "Edible food."
Andy laughed to himself. "Mamma Joy's it is, then."
*****
"How was everyone's day today?" Rose Abbot asked the family at the dinner table.
"Really good. There's a new girl at our school. Today was her first day." Amy said.
"Yeah. That was the only exciting thing today. I haven't actually seen her though. But other than that, it was an okay day, I guess." Bright shrugged his shoulders and tried to act nonchalant.
"Just okay, dear? Nothing else happened?" Rose furrowed her brow a little, looking somehow concerned.
Bright took a bite of ham and looked across the table at Amy. Amy was trying to hold in her laugh. If she looked at Bright one more time she would probably burst out laughing. She stared down at her plate.
"Well," Bright started, "I got another test back in my history class."
Harold looked up and over at Bright, taking notice to the last thing he had said.
"And?" Harold lifted his eyebrow waiting for an answer.
"Well, Dad. See, the thing is. I forgot to study. The test was on a Monday and I totally forgot over the weekend and then all of this stuff was stressing me out and."
"Bright? What did you get on the test?" Harold then furrowed his brow as well.
Bright paused and looked over at Amy one last time. "An F. But I swear it was because I didn't have time to study. It's not like I just blew off studying. I actually had important things to do."
"And studying for a test is not important to you?" Rose asked with an appalled look on her face.
Bright spent the rest of dinner trying to explain to his parents why he failed another test. There was a moment or two where Amy tried to help him out, but there was no stopping Rose and Harold Abbott that night.
"Bright, you're grounded!" Dr. Abbott yelled. His words rang through the dining room, and all was silent.
*****
Ephram and Delia sat on the couch. Delia was flipping through the channels to see what was on.
Andy walked into the living room and sat down in the chair. "Have you met the new girl at your school yet, Ephram?"
"How do you know about her?"
"Her father came into the office today. The Taylors, right?" Andy asked.
"Yeah. Her name is Alyssa."
"Have you two met?"
"Kinda," Ephram said, remembering how she had just left him there in the library and the hallway.
"Is she your girlfriend, now, Ephram?" Delia teased.
"No."
"So your girlfriend is still Amy?" Delia laughed.
Ephram shook his head. "No." He got lost in his thoughts for a second, but then stood up and started to walk away. He laughed out loud for a quick moment, and then started to head up the stairs to his room. "No," he said again, smiling to himself.
Delia and Andy looked at each other after seeing Ephram head upstairs almost in a daze. Delia winked at her dad and they both laughed softly, making sure Ephram couldn't hear them.