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Chapter 3 – The Hallway
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Setting: The hallway at Arcadia High School, Friday, a few weeks after Valentine's Day.
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Joan stood at her locker switching books to those that she needed to take home for the weekend. Grace stood next to Joan's open locker door, leaning against the adjacent lockers.
"I'll tell you Giradi, you have got to kill it and put us all out of our misery."
"Grace, I can't."
"And just tell me why not? The voice alone is shear agony and I will not even go into how the whole interrupt the sub-defective trio thing she has going is making me mad. I thought at least that last part would have set you off worse than me."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well let's see, there's Rove, and there's me. For what, more than ten years the * only * person Rove shows any continuing type friendship with is me, then Giradi shows up on the scene and it's like this instant connection between the two of you. Even through what we can only consider lunatic behavior by you toward him, you still manage to be friends. Now she is like sticking her nose in the middle and interrupting that connection."
"Grace you don't understand."
"Try me Giradi, I know I might act as if I am not all that intelligent but I really can grasp the basic concepts associated with this situation."
"Grace, he's happy."
"Yeah, so? And you're miserable."
"He deserves to have a chance to be happy."
"And you want to commit ongoing suttee for your remaining high school years."
"Grace, that's a little harsh don't ya think."
"Well maybe, but this attitude of; I'll let myself be miserable and I'll put up with this new person, just so he's happy is going to wear thin after a while. Just give me fair warning before you hit your explosion point, cause if there is one thing I know Giradi, sooner or later it will come."
"It's just that I have done enough to hurt Adam in the first six months that we've known each other to last a lifetime. I've got to do this to even out the scale so to speak."
Looking up to see Iris approaching Joan's locker, Grace offered, "Looks like it's time to do that balancing act and I'm out of here. Catch ya later Giradi."
"See ya Grace."
Iris came up to Joan's locker and stopped.
"Hey there Joan."
"Hey, Iris," Joan responded as she started to close her locker door. As she did though, she caught her ring on the edge of the door.
"Ouch."
"What did you do?"
"Oh, I just snagged my ring on the edge of the door and about pulled my finger off. I hope I didn't scratch my ring though, I've become sort of attached to it."
"Can I see?"
"Sure."
Joan took the ring off and handed it to Iris.
"Interesting scroll pattern Joan. Where did you get it?"
"I found it a few months back. I don't really know why I started wearing it, but now, like I said, I've gotten sort of attached to it and I kinda feel lost when I'm not wearing it.
"What's that on the inside, an inscription?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"Well what's it say?"
"It says, 'What God has brought together...'"
"Sounds ominous."
"Yeah I guess so."
"Here ya go."
"Thanks," Joan said, taking the ring back from Iris and placing it back on her finger. "Did ya need something else Iris? If not, I've got to get going, I'm suppose to drive Luke over to his dentist appointment this afternoon."
"No, I was just waiting here for Adam. We were going to study for a while and then go out to a movie."
Just as Iris finished speaking, Adam walked up to the two girls.
"Cha Jane. Hey there Iris."
"Hey Adam," Joan responded.
"Hi," Iris said, leaning over to kiss Adam on the cheek.
Adam smiled back at Iris, surprised by her greeting, then glanced over at Joan wearing a slight blush and trying to understand why Joan all of a sudden was regarding the floor tile as if it were a masterpiece.
Joan all of a sudden was mumbling and managed to get out, "I hate to run off, but like I said, I'm supposed to take Luke over to his dentist appointment. My mom has a conference today after school. I guess I'll see you all on Monday. Um...have a good time at the movie."
With that, Joan turned quickly and headed for the door.
"See ya, Jane."
Joan didn't turn back toward Adam's comment. She just waved back over her shoulder and continued out of the building making every attempt to keep her back straight and her tears hidden.
"She was sure in a hurry," Iris offered.
"Well she did say that she had to take her brother to the dentist."
"Ready to go study? I'm anxious to get through preparing our art paper so that we can go out."
"Yeah, me too."
"Hey, Adam."
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering, why do you call Joan, Jane?"
"Um...it's kind of a hard thing to explain."
"Well you can tell me can't you, after all we don't have any secrets from one another do we?"
"No, no secrets, but I'm not sure we should hang here and talk about anything. The movie starts at 7 and we have at least two hours of work at the library on our paper first. If we want to grab something to eat too, we'd better get going."
"Oh, okay, but * you * Mr. Rove are going to explain yourself. Otherwise, how can I fit in with your friends?"
"Um...sure. Let's go."
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Joan felt as if she had barely gotten out of the building with her dignity in tack. Maybe Grace was right. Having to openly accept the situation of Iris and Adam together was beginning to push her buttons. But that still didn't sufficiently offset her other feelings on the matter. She had to keep Adam's happiness foremost in her concerns.
Meeting Luke by the car, they both got in and drove nearly in silence to the dentist office.
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Chapter 3 – The Hallway
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Setting: The hallway at Arcadia High School, Friday, a few weeks after Valentine's Day.
---------------------------------------------------
Joan stood at her locker switching books to those that she needed to take home for the weekend. Grace stood next to Joan's open locker door, leaning against the adjacent lockers.
"I'll tell you Giradi, you have got to kill it and put us all out of our misery."
"Grace, I can't."
"And just tell me why not? The voice alone is shear agony and I will not even go into how the whole interrupt the sub-defective trio thing she has going is making me mad. I thought at least that last part would have set you off worse than me."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well let's see, there's Rove, and there's me. For what, more than ten years the * only * person Rove shows any continuing type friendship with is me, then Giradi shows up on the scene and it's like this instant connection between the two of you. Even through what we can only consider lunatic behavior by you toward him, you still manage to be friends. Now she is like sticking her nose in the middle and interrupting that connection."
"Grace you don't understand."
"Try me Giradi, I know I might act as if I am not all that intelligent but I really can grasp the basic concepts associated with this situation."
"Grace, he's happy."
"Yeah, so? And you're miserable."
"He deserves to have a chance to be happy."
"And you want to commit ongoing suttee for your remaining high school years."
"Grace, that's a little harsh don't ya think."
"Well maybe, but this attitude of; I'll let myself be miserable and I'll put up with this new person, just so he's happy is going to wear thin after a while. Just give me fair warning before you hit your explosion point, cause if there is one thing I know Giradi, sooner or later it will come."
"It's just that I have done enough to hurt Adam in the first six months that we've known each other to last a lifetime. I've got to do this to even out the scale so to speak."
Looking up to see Iris approaching Joan's locker, Grace offered, "Looks like it's time to do that balancing act and I'm out of here. Catch ya later Giradi."
"See ya Grace."
Iris came up to Joan's locker and stopped.
"Hey there Joan."
"Hey, Iris," Joan responded as she started to close her locker door. As she did though, she caught her ring on the edge of the door.
"Ouch."
"What did you do?"
"Oh, I just snagged my ring on the edge of the door and about pulled my finger off. I hope I didn't scratch my ring though, I've become sort of attached to it."
"Can I see?"
"Sure."
Joan took the ring off and handed it to Iris.
"Interesting scroll pattern Joan. Where did you get it?"
"I found it a few months back. I don't really know why I started wearing it, but now, like I said, I've gotten sort of attached to it and I kinda feel lost when I'm not wearing it.
"What's that on the inside, an inscription?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"Well what's it say?"
"It says, 'What God has brought together...'"
"Sounds ominous."
"Yeah I guess so."
"Here ya go."
"Thanks," Joan said, taking the ring back from Iris and placing it back on her finger. "Did ya need something else Iris? If not, I've got to get going, I'm suppose to drive Luke over to his dentist appointment this afternoon."
"No, I was just waiting here for Adam. We were going to study for a while and then go out to a movie."
Just as Iris finished speaking, Adam walked up to the two girls.
"Cha Jane. Hey there Iris."
"Hey Adam," Joan responded.
"Hi," Iris said, leaning over to kiss Adam on the cheek.
Adam smiled back at Iris, surprised by her greeting, then glanced over at Joan wearing a slight blush and trying to understand why Joan all of a sudden was regarding the floor tile as if it were a masterpiece.
Joan all of a sudden was mumbling and managed to get out, "I hate to run off, but like I said, I'm supposed to take Luke over to his dentist appointment. My mom has a conference today after school. I guess I'll see you all on Monday. Um...have a good time at the movie."
With that, Joan turned quickly and headed for the door.
"See ya, Jane."
Joan didn't turn back toward Adam's comment. She just waved back over her shoulder and continued out of the building making every attempt to keep her back straight and her tears hidden.
"She was sure in a hurry," Iris offered.
"Well she did say that she had to take her brother to the dentist."
"Ready to go study? I'm anxious to get through preparing our art paper so that we can go out."
"Yeah, me too."
"Hey, Adam."
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering, why do you call Joan, Jane?"
"Um...it's kind of a hard thing to explain."
"Well you can tell me can't you, after all we don't have any secrets from one another do we?"
"No, no secrets, but I'm not sure we should hang here and talk about anything. The movie starts at 7 and we have at least two hours of work at the library on our paper first. If we want to grab something to eat too, we'd better get going."
"Oh, okay, but * you * Mr. Rove are going to explain yourself. Otherwise, how can I fit in with your friends?"
"Um...sure. Let's go."
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Joan felt as if she had barely gotten out of the building with her dignity in tack. Maybe Grace was right. Having to openly accept the situation of Iris and Adam together was beginning to push her buttons. But that still didn't sufficiently offset her other feelings on the matter. She had to keep Adam's happiness foremost in her concerns.
Meeting Luke by the car, they both got in and drove nearly in silence to the dentist office.
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