I know it's been awhile, but I've been really busy lately. I'm
probably just going to cut the story short and end it right before the
musical starts because really, I don't have the time, and it's not like
anyone's reading this thing. This one's quite long and I'm afriad my
chapters will just get longer and longer, so I'll have to learn some
discretion I guess. I hope you enjoy it though. Oh yea, and I
know someone left a review about my format, and it's not there anymore
because I deleted the story and reposted it to change a few things. So
please don't think I just deleted your review.
It was 4:30 a.m. and Peter
was still awake. The fact that he had to get up in two hours didn't
exactly calm him down. He never really gave much thought into
starting school until that night when he started packing his lunch.
He comforted himself by saying that everyone else was new too, and
also didn't know anyone. He sighed. Jason was lucky; at least he
had his sister. Peter turned on his side to face his fast asleep
roommate. How can he be so calm? Peter turned over as he went over
his back-to-school checklist in his head for the hundredth time.
Pencils? Check. Paper? Check. Backpack? Check. Oh, what's the use?
He knew he had all the crap he needed, so why can't he just shut
his eyes and sleep? 4:31. It was a long night. When he first lay in
bed his heart was racing, Jason went into his own bed and turned the
lights off. "Jason?"
"Yea?"
"You nervous about
tomorrow?"
"Not really"
"Oh…well we have our
first class together, right?"
"Yea"
"We should go together"
"Whatever"
And that was it. Peter had
hoped for someone to talk to, someone as nervous as him. What in the
world made him expect that of Jason? Oh well. Things had slowly
gotten better over the past few days. Jason didn't tense up
whenever he was in the same room anymore, and he didn't seem so
angry all the time. Then again, his sister and her roommate were over
a lot, so maybe that helped. Ivy didn't make any more advances on
Jason, though it seemed like it sometimes. Nadia assured him that she
was like that with every guy, and it didn't really suggest
anything. Ivy was actually a sweet girl when she wasn't trying to
hook up with anyone. Peter laughed at the whole thing. They were only
11 for goodness sake! He learned that they all had their first class
together, but the rest of their schedule was a mystery until they got
there. Peter felt better about Jason's attitude, even though he
still seemed slightly uneasy when no one else was around. Peter
decided that he probably was nervous; he just didn't like to show
it. He felt the same way a lot of the time, but as much as he didn't
like to show it, he found himself expressing quite a bit without
realizing it. He really needed to work on that. He shut his eyes in a
last attempt to get some sleep. As soon as he did, new worries and
anxieties popped into his brain. He hated being so nervous. He was
naturally a bit jumpy, and it had gotten worse ever sense his dad
left. He was only eight, yet he remembered so much. There was a point
when he couldn't even look at Peter. He was never sure why. His
parents argued a lot as he got older, and even now it was hard for
them to be in the same room together. When he was young and clueless,
he often asked why he almost never saw him anymore. His mother never
gave a straight answer, and always made a face as if she was looking
for the right words, yet she could never find them. After that they
had started going to church more often and Claire was always talking
privately to the priest. Even though Peter never heard their
conversations, he knew they were about him. It was also then that she
really started getting interested in Saint Cecilia's. It seemed
like his life was off somehow, like normal kids never had to worry
about this stuff. But wasn't he normal? What was so different about
him, that all this had to happen? Receding in his memories, Peter
managed to close his eyes one last time, and drift off to sleep.
The alarm buzzed and beeped in such a way, Peter feared it woke the kids in the next room. He leaped out of bed, oddly alert for how little sleep he got. Jason was slowly turning over and burying his face in his pillow, until he let out a large yawn and slowly sat up. Peter was already in the kitchen making toast and eggs and moving around propelled by his adrenaline. He set two plates on the table just as Jason walked out, looking like he was still dreaming. "Hurry and eat" Peter said, trying to give an encouraging smile. Jason silently sat down and slowly ate. He reminded Peter of a zombie. Peter ate quickly and bounded back into the room and changed into his uniform. It wasn't his first uniform, but it was his nicest. He felt like he was entering a whole new plane once he put that uniform on. He was a middle-schooler now. As he was checking his backpack, Jason walked in, looking a bit more alive then before. "Out" was all he said. Peter let out a nervous laugh as he grabbed his comb and headed into the bathroom.
Jason let out a loud yawn and tried to get his focus back. Ok, so he's up and 6:30 a.m. why, exactly? Then it came to him. School. He dug through his drawers and found his uniform, which was now wrinkled, thanks to Jason's less then desirable organization. He changed tentatively; for fear that his roommate would walk in, then slipped his shoes on, and grabbed his bag. He set his stuff down on the couch and combed his hair. Peter walked out of the bathroom looking rather peppy despite the ungodly hour. Jason rushed in a brushed his teeth, and then was ready to set off. "Let's go." he said quickly, walking out. "Wait!" Peter said, rushing into the kitchen. "Don't want to forget your lunch." he said rushing back out with two paper bags. "Here." he said as he held one out to Jason, an excited smile lit up his face. "Um…thanks." Jason said, as he took it, not sure what to think. "We're getting Nadia and Ivy, right?" Peter asked as they walked out into the hallways. "The girl's dorm is too far away, I said we'd meet them by our class." Jason said. Peter was a little comforted by idea of their solitary walk. They walked on in an awkward silence with Jason more then a few steps ahead. "Slow down! We're early." Peter said, struggling to keep up. Jason pretended not to hear him and continued on his way. He was almost running. 'What are you running from?' a small voice inside him asked. He slowed down as he started losing his breath. Peter caught up, a little exhausted himself. "What's wrong?" he asked in between breaths. "Nothing. I just don't want to be late. A little nervous, I guess." Jason said as he walked at a slower pace, with Peter at his side. For some reason, Jason didn't want to be seen coming to class with him. He had nothing against the kid, but something in him said 'People will talk' if they came together. He reminded himself that it was silly, what would people have to talk about? It's not that unusual for two guys to go to class together, especially roommates.
They finally got to their
classroom door and saw that it was still locked. Peter looked at his
watch, "We have about ten minutes." he said. There were other
people walking around, but no one else by their door. "Guess we can
get here a little later next time, huh?" Peter asked, trying to
start up a conversation. "Yea." Jason simply responded. He knows
what Peter wanted, and he wouldn't give him that satisfaction.
Peter sighed and leaned against a locker. He saw kids come and go and
get things from their lockers and meet up with friends. Hopefully
that would be him someday, just being able to casually roam the
hallways with his friends. With any luck, Jason would be one of them.
He wasn't sure why he was being so stubborn right now and started
to wonder if this was normal behavior for him. They stood in silence
as more kids started arriving, including Nadia, Ivy, and another boy
who was talking to her. "When did you get here?" Ivy asked as she
scooted closer to Jason. "A little while ago." Jason replied and
smiled. It was much easier to talk to this girl now, and he wasn't
sure why. He felt like he didn't have to worry as much around her
as he did with Peter. Something about that boy just sets off an
alarm. The first bell rang, but there was no sign of the teacher. "Oh
yea, this is Matt." Ivy said, as she presented her friend. "This
is…Peter, right? And Jason, Nadia's brother." she continued.
"Hey" he said with a small awkward wave. After a few more minutes
of waiting, a small woman came rushing through the small crowd of
students and quickly used her keys to open the door. They all entered
the small class, and Peter noted that there couldn't have been more
then 20 students. "Take a seat please!" the small woman shouted
as she dropped her bag on her desk at the front of the room, and
shifted through it. She pulled some papers and her glasses out and
breathed deep to calm herself down as the class settled in seats.
"How's everyone doing?" she asked with a nervous smile. The
class gave a collective "good" with the occasional "I want to
go back to bed". "Are you ready for the big leagues now? This
ain't elementary school anymore, so I hope you're prepared."
she said as she stood at the pulpit in the front of the room,
shifting through papers. "Because I know I'm not! I'm Sarah
Margol, I suppose you'll have to call me Ms Margol, won't you?
It's Ms, not Mrs. just yet, and I don't want any of you to rub it
in. I just graduated from a little place called Berkeley, it's over
there in California, you all should check it out." she said with a
smile. "I actually graduated from this place about…four or five
years ago. Jeez, not much has changed. Father Flynn's still here
though, he's pretty cool. Anyway, this is an English class, so
expected to read quite a bit." she chattered on. "You know, I
always hated it when we had to do work on the first day of school. I
liked it when we had to get to know each other and talk about
ourselves." she said has she clasped her hands in front of her. "So
how about it? We'll go around the room, and you say your name,
where you're from and some things you like and dislike." she
said. She pointed her finger up and down the rows as it went along
and children introduced themselves. Peter was surprised at how far
some kids had come. There was a small girl from Florida who seemed so
terrified she could hardly speak. After they had gone all around, Ms.
Margol thought for a minute. "Oh, how about a game!" she asked as
she clasped her hands again. "I think we should play a favorite of
mine, it's called 'Musical chairs,'" she said with a smile.
Peter laughed at the idea of playing such a puerile game. Weren't
they in the big leagues now? The class sat up as they moved their
desk and arranged their chairs in a circle. "You over there(I
forgot your name already!), you look confused." she said as she
pointed at Jason. "Oh well, it's just I've never played this
game before." he said, a few snickers were heard amongst the class.
"Oh, well it's not that hard. You just walk around in a circle
with everyone else while music plays until someone turns it off."
she explained. "Well, what happens when the music stops?"
"Then you have to find
your place."
"What if you can't?"
"Then you lose, I
guess."
They found out that they
all had almost every class together. However, only Peter, and Jason
were in the same gym class, and consequentially, they were in a
different lunch then everyone else. It had been quite a first day.
First they had English with the ever-casual Ms. Margol, and then they
had social studies with Mrs. Adams, the Austrian, after that was gym
with coach Tamber. Gym was more fun then Peter would've thought, as
he finally got to see Jason in his element. It was the first day, so
they weren't kept too busy. They all decided to play soccer, and
Peter was lucky enough to be on Jason's team. Lucky, as in he
didn't get totally annihilated as the other team did. Jason was an
amazing player, and Peter hypothesized that soccer wasn't the only
sport Jason was good at. More importantly, Jason actually enjoyed it,
and never took anything about it too seriously. If someone(namely
Peter) would mess up, he never got angry, he just said "It's
alright" and it was. Peter figured he would like gym. Since it was
right before lunch, they could take their time in the locker room,
and Peter often liked to sit around and watch everyone go by. Some of
the boys showered, which Peter found rather amusing and almost taboo.
He commended the bravery of those boys. He saw that Jason hung around
too; the only difference was that Jason actually talked to people.
They all seemed to respect him, and that was no surprise. Peter could
suddenly see why he was so popular in elementary school. He showed
pure confidence and it was hard to feel ill at ease around him. He
seemed so comfortable in crowds, which confused Peter. He could be in
large crowds, yet he was awkward around him? It was strange. Five
minutes after the lunch bell rang, Peter decided to leave. He decided
to be bold and ask to sit with Jason, as he had no one else. Jason
was standing alone now, deep in thought when Peter interrupted him.
"Wanna eat?" he asked, trying to be as casual as possible. "With
you?" Jason asked, surprised by this random question. "Sure. You
don't really know anyone else do you?" Peter asked. He was
determined to not look stupid. "Ok." Jason said apprehensively.
Peter had a point. They walked down stairs and headed for the
cafeteria. "Look, I promise my lunch won't poison you, okay?"
Peter said with another one of his smiles. Jason had to laugh, "Okay,
then you wouldn't mind switching." Jason said as he pulled out
his bagged lunch. "What? It's the same thing!" Peter exclaimed,
laughing. "Exactly, then switch." Jason said mockingly. "Oy,
okay then." Peter said over dramatically as he took out his lunch
and handed it to Jason. "Great, more for me. Thanks" Jason said
as he grabbed the other lunch and ran through the hallways. "Hey!
That's not fair!" Peter shouted as he chased him. He was vaguely
aware of the other kids in the hall who were probably eyeing him
strangely, but he didn't care. " 'Hey' is for horses!"
Jason yelled back as he ran through the halls. As he took a sharp
corner, Peter tripped over one of the small benches laid out through
the hallways and landed flat on his face. Neither of them could stop
laughing as Jason walked back over to inspect the damage. "Smooth"
he said sarcastically as he held his hand out. A mischievous smile
dawned Peter's face as he grabbed his hand and pulled Jason down on
the floor. "Ah! You know, they say two wrongs don't make a
right." Jason said as he rubbed his knees, which collided with the
tile floor. "No, but I think if you go left a few times you make a
right." Peter said, with a smug look on his face as if he had said
the cleverest thing in the world. "That doesn't make any sense."
Jason said dubiously. "So? Just because it doesn't make sense,
doesn't mean that it's wrong." Peter said as his smile
softened. Jason liked that concept. It was like a voice inside him
gave him the "Ok" to move forward. He felt a massive weight
lifted from him and he smiled, "True". Peter snatched his lunch
back and snapped Jason out of his musings. "Ah, I'll get it next
time." Jason said, as he got up and sat on the bench. "Oh ho how
do you know there will be a next time?" Peter asked as he sat next
to him. "I'm the one who made this. I don't have to make it for
you, you know." he continued as he took out it sandwich. "Are we
allowed to eat here?" he asked, as Jason did the same. "Who
cares? The cafeteria's probably full anyway."
"Ok. That makes sense."
"But it doesn't have
to, right?" Jason said with a sarcastic smile. "Oy, you're not
going to start making fun of me for that now, are you?" Peter asked
as he ate his sandwich. It was actually quite terrible. "Sweet
Jesus, this is good!" Jason exclaimed as he ate his sandwich. Peter
laughed, "Really? I'm pretty bad at this stuff; I can't even
make a sandwich properly. So far you're the only one who's
complimented anything I've made." Peter continued. "Isn't
kind of depressing that we're the only ones in this lunch and
Nadia, Ivy and Matt are all having a grand old time in the one before
this?" Jason asked. "Not really. This isn't so bad. Plus, we'll
have lunch with them next semester." Peter replied. "Oh yea."
Jason said, a little disappointed. It's not like they were annoying
or anything, but this was nicer then he expected it to be. "So what
do you think of them?" Jason asked. Partly because he wanted to
know what he thought of his sister, but mostly to know what he
thought about Ivy. "Well, Nadia's nice. I wish she was my twin."
Peter said. "Aha! I knew you two would get along." Jason said as
he sipped his drink. He thought about that first night when they had
talked about Nadia and Jason mentioned that Peter was cute. He was
afraid that Peter remembered the exact moment too, but he didn't
seem to. Looking back on it, what was so weird about that? What was
so weird about this short boy that he ever felt so uneasy? There was
nothing wrong with him, and Jason had to laugh at himself for being
so unreasonable. "And Ivy? Matt?" Jason pressed. "Ivy's a
nice girl. Very pretty. Matt's a nice guy too, a little shy
though." Peter replied. "That's it?" Jason asked. "Well,
it's not like I know them that well." Peter replied. "I
barely even know you. Just today I found out your last name
was McConnell." he explained. This was true. The fact of the matter
was, they really had known each other for about a week and that was
it. It was easy for Jason to forget that sometimes. "By the way,
you were acting really weird all week. Was something up?" Peter
asked. Suddenly it struck him how rude that sounded. You don't say
something like that to someone you barely know. At the same time,
Peter didn't really feel like he did anything wrong. It was a valid
question, and Peter really wanted to know. "Nothing." Jason said,
trying to keep a casual air, "Just nervous, I guess". Peter was
glad that the question didn't seem to bother Jason. "About what?
School?" he asked, as he finished his lunch. "Yea, you know, the
usual. What, you weren't nervous?" Jason asked. "Well of
course, but it didn't effect me that badly." Peter
responded.
"Was I really that bad?"
"You wouldn't even
look at me! I thought I offended you or something."
"Sorry."
"Did I do anything
wrong?"
"…."
"Jason?"
"No. No you didn't. It
was just me being stupid, that's all." Jason said as he stood up
to throw his trash away. "All right then." Peter said as he
followed. The bell rang which meant they had to head to their last
period, math, which they also had together. "Are you good at math?"
Peter asked as they headed to class. "Sure, I'm alright, I
guess."
"Thank God! I hate it,
you'll have to help me, I assure you."
"Alright. I can't say
how good of a teacher I'll be though."
"I don't care! I just
need someone to help me. I never understand what the teachers
say."
"Fine, I'll help. I'm
pretty sure you can understand me."
The rest of the week went by smoothly with the occasional nap in first period. Middle school really wasn't as big of a deal as Peter originally thought. The work was getting difficult though. Thank God for Jason. The kid was as a lot smarter then Peter would've imagined, and when Peter told Nadia that he was helping him she gasped and shouted "I had him first!" so now he helps them both together every so often. After awhile, Matt and Ivy joined them too, Matt was no idiot either, but he spent most of his time helping Ivy. Every time there was something Peter didn't understand, it didn't matter what subject it was for, he could ask Jason and he would know. Jason was a better teacher then he thought and Peter was a diligent student. "You know, have you ever considered being a teacher?" Peter asked after having helped him figure out what x equaled. "Not really." Jason responded with a laugh. "You should! If you can help an idiot like me then you can do anything!" Peter yelled. It almost seemed like he really could do anything. Peter saw what an amazing athlete he was, and he never expected him to be such a good student. Peter always thought he had the qualities of the perfect nerd. He was neurotic, obsessive, and horrible at sports, but for some reason, academics never really came easy for him either. He wasn't stupid; he just wasn't that smart, either. Plus, he had the curse of procrastination upon him. Meanwhile, Jason did everything as soon as he got home and never wasted time. "What's your secret?" Peter would ask him. "I don't know. I just come home and I do my homework. It's always been that way." Jason replied, he seemed so confused that Peter didn't get it. Really though, they did waste quite a bit of time when they did homework together. There was always something for them to talk about and something to say. Somehow they got things done and they would continue conversations deep into the night. Peter looked forward to doing his homework everyday and Jason felt the same. Whatever strangeness he had felt before was long gone and he still couldn't place what it was. He thought back to when he first met Peter and shook his hand. He remembered that feeling of dread that took over, but now when he thought about it, it wasn't a bad feeling at all. It was hard to explain.
Ivy was faring about as well as she expected to. She managed to move around all the social circles that developed and even befriended some older girls. Guys weren't too into her yet, but it was no skin off her back. The workload was getting heavy and she really had to time for flirting anyway. She was a good girl, who always did her work well, and on time. She was friendly with her teachers, but somehow managed to avoid the stigma of teacher's pet. She partly owed her academic success to Matt, who helped her whenever he could. He welcomed any opportunity to help her, but he wasn't too thrilled when they worked with everyone else. They were nice kids though, and they had fun. He made a good friend in Nadia, when they bonded over complaining about Ivy's flirtatious nature. However, they would get into a rut where all they could talk about was Ivy, which annoyed Nadia immensely. She worked with Peter and Jason whenever she could, just to talk to Peter. Plus, she was used to Jason's teaching method, so that was her excuse. Every so often she would get a strange feeling like she wasn't welcome there though, and she felt like a third wheel. She tried to avoid this by becoming better friends with Peter, but somehow she was always left out of their little world. She wasn't faring quite as well as Ivy in the social department, and academics weren't much better. She wasn't off to the good start that she wanted and found it enormously hard to talk to anyone. She thanked God for the people she knew and hoped that she could network through them. She did make a friend named Rory during lunch, but she didn't really see her any other time. She was happy now though, as she knew someone in all of her classes, but next semester she had PE with Ivy, which was the perfect equation for misery. She talked with Peter a lot about how horrible they were doing and how much they missed the simple days of elementary school. Nadia was happy to see her brother getting along so well with Peter. By the end of the first semester they were almost inseparable and Nadia managed to make her own little niche in the group. Ivy gave up on Jason entirely after awhile and became an almost tolerable human being to Nadia and they could finally talk about something other then her brother. Jason found it easier to talk to Ivy after awhile but he could never really connect with Matt. He seemed like a cool kid, but for some reason he just didn't trust Jason and it was obvious. He talked to Peter though, and found him very approachable. Peter liked Matt, but he was rather shy and had a bit of a difficult time adjusting to the new school. Peter wasn't exactly the most popular kid, but he talked with several classmates and sometimes he and Jason ate lunch with Alan who was in their math class. Their first year was going by smoothly and Peter never imagined that he would've enjoyed St. Cecilia's so much. In fact, he didn't even want to go home by the time Christmas break came along. Sure, he missed his mother, but she visited him often and called almost every weekend. Claire was happy that Peter had made a friend like Jason, who could be such a positive influence on him. She was formally introduced when she went to pick Peter up for Christmas, but she never got to meet his parents. Jason felt uncomfortable around her, however. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason she just made him feel guilty whenever she smiled at him.
Ivy and Matt when home for Christmas together, as they were neighbors and their families always spent Christmas together. Nadia was happy with the quiet, but soon got bored after she finished packing. She went over to Jason's room to wait with him, after all, he was probably bored too since Peter left. She let herself in and sat on the couch "Hey, it's me!" she shouted as she turned the TV on. "When do you think mom's gonna manage to get over here? I think some of the staff here has already left." she got no response to this however, and wondered if her brother was even in the dorm. She looked around seeing no sign of him and wondered where he could've gotten to. She found some of his things packed up in several bags, but no Jason. Passing by the kitchen window, out of the corner of her eye she saw a lone figure sitting by a small grassy knoll by the small, man-made lake. She noticed the shirt and blond hair of her brother right away, but wondered what he could've been doing out there. It was on school grounds, but it wasn't that close, and Nadia couldn't even be entirely sure it was him. She sighed. Her brother was so weird sometimes. She knew it was her sisterly duty to retrieve him. As the logical one, it was her job to knock sense into him in times like these. He had to be here to wait for mom. She was pretty sure she wouldn't leave without him, but at the same time that it wouldn't surprise her if she did. She didn't really feel like hiking all the way out there, but it had to be done, and her dad would say that she could use the exercise.
There was an overwhelming
silence when Peter left with his ever-so-cheerful mother. It was
snowing out side but one night they managed to figure out the heater
and successfully avoided freezing to death. He sat at the kitchen
table and looked out the window at the stretch of land covered in an
icy white blanket. He found it funny how the trees could be bare, yet
covered with snow at the same time. He knew his mom would take her
sweet time in picking him and Nadia up, and it couldn't hurt to take
a little walk. Plus, he was bored now that he had no one to talk to.
Ivy and Matt were still there but he just wasn't in the mood to talk
to them. He thought about heading over to talk to Nadia, but once
again, he just wasn't in the mood. He couldn't really think of
anything to say. Even though at the moment, there were plenty of
things to talk about. He could talk about his parents, Christmas, the
weather, starting a new semester once they got back, even about how
he planned to join the middle school baseball team in the spring, but
for some reason he just wasn't in a talking mood, and left it at
that. He got up and put on his heavy jacket, headed downstairs at out
of the building. He hated how you had to go through a whole process
before leaving the building, even if you were going to stay on
campus. He knew several older kids who found other exits and used
them to sneak out at night, but that wasn't for him. He wondered how
those kids could do that, then go to church the next day and call
themselves Good Catholics. He checked out, then walked along a small,
snowy trail until he got to the frozen lake. He sat out and breathed
heavily, it was a lot further then he thought. Still, it was nice to
be surrounded by nature and not have to worry about another soul
finding him. He took in the silence and the cool air and rested his
head on his knees. He could stay there forever and never have to
move. He knew this spot would change with the seasons, but it would
still offer the same comfort, and the fact that it was just him and
the trees and no one else added to the peace. He laughed at the idea
of such an innocent secret. Really, there was nothing wrong with him
coming out here, but at the same time, he didn't want anyone else to
know about it. He wasn't sure why, but he knew people would laugh at
the idea of him having a spot like this, even though they probably
had one too. Or maybe they'd just be jealous because they wouldn't
let themselves find a place like this. He wished Peter were there
right now. He laughed at how deep his thoughts were getting, but he
knew that Peter wouldn't laugh. He'd want to know more. He always
did, that boy could not stop asking questions. Sure, Jason was happy
to answer, but after awhile he felt like he was chatting on about
himself while Peter was forced to listen. He felt like Peter knew him
more then he knew Peter, which was probably true. Jason decided that
it would be a new years resolution for him to get Peter to start
talking about himself more. He lay in the snow and tried to stop
thinking, to just relax and enjoy himself. He knew his parents were
coming soon, and he'd have to spend two awkward weeks with the family
with his only comfort being his sister and the fact that he was
coming back here. He was sinking into sleep when he heard someone
approaching. He quickly sat up and turned around, to see Nadia
standing there panting and frowning at him. There goes the secret.
"What are you doing all the way out here?" she managed to
breathe out. "Just waiting, I guess." Jason responded.
"When did you get out here?" she asked as she sat right
where she was just standing. "I'm not sure. I headed out as soon
as Peter left." he responded. He figured if anyone would've
found out about this place, it would've been her. He was sad, but he
should've expected it. "That was almost two hours ago! You
probably didn't even say goodbye to Matt or Ivy. Plus, mom's going to
be here soon, so we better head back." she said as she slowly
stood up, "Come on". Jason sighed. He knew he could return
once he came back, but he'd rather not leave at all. He sat up and
Nadia helped him wipe the snow off of his back. "Don't you just
love winter?" she asked as they walked back to the building.
"It's okay. Awfully cold though, don't you think?"
"Well summer gets
awfully hot, but that doesn't stop people from loving it."
"This is true. So
then why don't you like summer?"
"It's too hot."
"But you just said-"
"I know what I said!
That's why I said some people. We can't all like the same
season. So what's your favorite?"
"I don't have one,
really."
"No? That's weird.
Most people usually know what season they like. It's pretty simple.
You either like hot weather, or cold weather."
"I'm not really
sure."
"Well I guess you
better think about it."
"Why?"
"No reason. It's just
a nice little fact to know about yourself, I guess." she said as
they arrived at the building. Their mom was waiting for them in the
lobby. Once she saw them she ran up to them and told them to hurry
and get their things or they were going to be late. Jason took one
last look at his school and had to remind himself that he was coming
back. He also remembered that he had Peter's phone number, so he felt
fine.
Once Christmas was said and done, everyone returned and got used to new classes all over again. Jason made it on the baseball team, Peter became an altar boy, Matt joined student government, Ivy joined drama, and Nadia played the cello in the middle school orchestra. Late January, Nadia and Jason's birthday rolled around, and Peter found out the interesting fact that Jason and Nadia were technically born on different days. Jason was born at 11:57 pm on January 22 while Nadia was born at 12:01 am on January 23. "So he's a Capricorn, while I'm an Aquarius" Nadia would say with a smile. They also celebrated Ivy's birthday in April and Matt's in May. Peter told them that they'd have to wait for July to celebrate his and they agreed to do something for him before they left for summer. Thing really weren't too different once spring came around though. They were just as busy, and despite a little drama between Nadia and Ivy, things were pretty peaceful. Towards the end of the year they saw the seniors put on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew before they graduated. Every year they put on a Shakespearian play and Peter thought of how cool it would be if he could be in the one they did. Easter break wasn't anything special, they were only gone for a week, then had to come right back to work. The last two months of the school year were the worst, it's when things started slowing down and everyone was anxious to go home for the summer. Peter envied the seniors who finished in May, while everyone else had to wait until June. He felt sorry for Jason though. He couldn't hear the end of how awful it was during Christmas from him and his sister and felt bad that they had to spend almost three months with their parents during the summer. He reminded them that they spent more time at school then with their parents and that made them feel better. He gave Jason his phone number before winter break, and told him to call if it got too bad. They talked almost everyday; it didn't even feel like they were several hours apart. He figured the same thing would happen over the summer, so he felt just fine.
Peter went to the church one last time and said a final prayer before packing for the summer. He prayed that seventh grade would be as good as sixth and that no tragedies should strike him. He thanked the Lord for his family and friends and prayed for their health and safety. He said goodbye to the Priest and went back to his room to pack. He saw that Jason didn't even bother to start, and he said that he knew his dad wouldn't get him until later that night. "Well, sorry to leave you alone again." Peter said as he neatly placed his clothes in his suitcase. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll cope somehow." Jason responded with a smile. Peter put his bags by the door and sat on the couch and waited for his mom. She would be there soon. Jason sat at the kitchen table and looked outside again. He saw in the distance, his spot by the lake that was so different now. Where there was white, there was now vivid green, and the lake had a new life to it. He was stirred out of his reverie by a knock at the door. Peter sat up and greeted his mother as she walked in. She said hi to Jason, and Bill and Ted were waiting right there to help them with the bags. "We better hurry." his mom said, "Your father's home". They picked up his things and headed out the door. "I guess I'll see you...next year." Peter said, with a sudden melancholy. "I'll call you." Jason said as he waved goodbye. Once Peter left, that same old silence took over. Jason knew what he was going to do. He sat up and hiked over to that same spot. It was quite warm, and he sat under a tall tree for shade. He sat for a while a looked out on the lake. It was so still on the surface, yet there was so much going on underneath. There was a whole life that no one saw. He sat with his thoughts until he heard the grass ruffling with the approach of his sister. The poor thing looked exhausted as she waved her hand to beckon him to follow her back. He obediently sat up and walked back with her. The sun was setting and cast a lovely shade of scarlet on everything. His dad wasn't there yet, but he was on his way, so him and Nadia brought their things down and waited in the lobby. "I miss everyone already. Even princess Ivy in some twisted way." Nadia said as they waited on their father. "We'll have to call Peter quite a bit." she continued. "Yea." Jason said, as he thought about the summer without him. Jason had gotten so used to him being there and seeing his face, that he knew it would be hard to adjust. It was hard enough during winter break, and that was just two weeks. "I'll miss them. But we'll see them next year. I hope they don't change too much over the summer." Nadia said. "Yea." Jason replied. He realized that he wasn't being too talkative and Nadia probably knew that something was on his mind. She always knew. For some reason, she didn't ask though, and Jason was wondering what she was thinking of. "He's a cool kid, isn't he?" she said softly with a smile. Jason looked up at her. He just realized that he had been staring at his hands on his lap the entire time. "We got lucky with this one, didn't we?" she asked, her smiled widening. 'We?' Jason thought, 'Last time I checked, he was my roommate'. Just as she seemed to read his mind, he could read hers. He could tell by the way she acted around him that she probably liked him. She found any excuse to be around him and she didn't talk to anyone quite like how she talked to Peter. "Why don't you talk to Rory?" he asked as he looked around the lobby. "She's your friend, right? I'll probably be talking to Peter most of the time." he said. Nadia's face fell at this. She had hoped that they could share a friend, but perhaps she became too possessive. He's right. Peter's his friend. He had his friends, and she had hers. Peter would probably rather talk to Jason anyway. She wouldn't get jealous of Jason's relationship with Peter. It was completely different from the one she wanted with him. How awesome would it be for your boyfriend to be your brother's best friend? As soon as she had that thought she regretted it. That would defiantly not be awesome. It always sounded good on paper, but never really worked out. She decided to not let that scare her. She liked Peter, and that was that. It didn't make a difference whether he was Jason's friend or not. Right now, she was pretty sure that he was closer to Jason now, but she would have to change that. That would be her goal for next year. She didn't intend to have a rivalry with her twin brother over a friend, but so be it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of their father and they were ushered out the door. Once again, Jason took one last look at the school. For some reason he felt like Lot's wife who turned into a pillar of salt after looking back upon Sodom and Gomorrah. He wasn't sure why though. St. Cecilia's was anything but Sodom and Gomorrah. As they drove back home, Jason was already compiling a list of what he wanted to talk to Peter about. He smiled. Maybe they could get together over the summer. He could probably spend a few weeks at his place. It's not like his parents would care. Plus, Nadia wouldn't be there, though he wasn't sure why that thought was so comforting. He'd have to call Peter about it. As he headed back home to be with his ever-loving parents, he couldn't help but smile, and think that summer wouldn't be so bad after all. In fact, he was starting to think he rather enjoyed hot weather.
Was it okay? I realize that this had almost no Ivy or Matt. I was thinking of writing a chapter devoted to them. It's not like it would be this long, but it would just help develop them and there relationship with everyone else a bit. I'm going to try to make the chapters after this a bit shorter, but I really hope I have bored anyone.
