The excitement of the first day of school wears off quickly, and the sky seems to reflect everyone's mood: overcast. I decided to take the bus again, worried it might rain on me and my bike. Buster is late to the bus stop, and I sit alone. Francine and Muffy were both on their phones, and they occasionally laughed at something the other showed them.
Most of the kids in the courtyard are troublemakers. The Tough Customers were hassling some freshman, and Binky ignored my presence as I walked past them. Inside, I am immediately greeted by Fern and Sue Ellen.
"Hey guys, what's up?" I choose to not bring up what happened at the Sugar Bowl yesterday.
"Not much. We were just talking about Leo. You?"
I shrug and start for my locker, and they continue to walk beside me.
"I did end up calling him last night. We studied for a while at the library." Sue Ellen seemed to be talking mostly to herself, but I listened and nodded.
"That's cool. I heard he's a nice guy."
Sue Ellen smiles and remarks, "He is!" Then her expression falters and she scowls a bit. "Way nicer than Binky. Can you believe him?"
I dial the combination to my locker and get it right the first try. Fern watches me and then answers, "He can be a jerk sometimes."
Sue Ellen scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Obviously. I don't know why we were ever friends with him. He cares more about his reputation than us."
I put my backpack in my locker and leave it open. "He's not the only one. I haven't seen the Brain at all lately. It's like he never knew us at all."
Fern nods and bites her lip. "Maybe he's just busy with all of his AP courses…" she begins, but Sue Ellen interrupts.
"I agree with you, Arthur. He's become one of those snobs who thinks they're better than everyone else."
I sigh and lean against the lockers. I hated to talk so badly about someone I used to be such good friends with, but I knew Sue Ellen was right. People change, and there was no point wasting my time thinking about someone who wanted nothing to do with me.
Francine comes to mind and mixed feelings soon follow. I knew that she liked me somewhat, albeit in a platonic way. Should I continue to pursue her, if I didn't pursue this friendship between me and Brain? It seemed kind of hypocritical.
"Maybe I'll find him and talk to him after school," I said, glancing at Fern. She looked like a sad, abandoned pet left on the side of the road. It was hurting her as much as the rest of us that the Brain had been ignoring everyone. They were friends in an intellectual sort of way. They, along with Sue Ellen, were the only ones who enjoyed talking about literature and whatnot.
Sue Ellen shrugged and crossed her arms. "Go ahead, but I wouldn't even bother."
Fern shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Finally, she looked up at me and gulped. "I wouldn't either."
With that, the bell rang and they left to pick up their books and head to class. I grab my stuff and start up the stairs. My heart stops when I see Francine at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me. She smiles and we walk up to the third floor. I tell her about my plan to talk to Brain after school.
Her temper flares and she says in a loud outburst, "I think I should talk to him, too! Yesterday, I was walking in the hallway between sixth and seventh hour, and I saw him talking with some upperclassmen. So I said hi, and you know what he did?"
"What?"
"Nothing! He completely ignored me!" I knew Francine had a temper, but it had been a while since I'd seen it in action.
She continued to rant until we sat down in our seats. After calming down, she turned to me again. "I wish I could come with you, but I think it'd be better if I didn't. If I see him, I just might punch him in the face."
Once again, Francine Frensky and I were proven to be complete opposites. Maybe it was the naïve young boy in me, but I liked it. As the old saying goes, opposites attract.