Chapter 4: Trevor and Phoebe have School
(The Next Day at the Farmhouse…)
Date: Tuesday 22nd June 2021
Time: 6:30am
The next morning, Phoebe woke up and noticed a white pawn had been moved.
"What?" Phoebe asked, as she was confused, got up, and put her glasses on.
"Come on! Trevor and you school leaves in 15!" Callie called.
Phoebe moved a black knight forward.
(Meanwhile…)
As Callie, Trevor, and Phoebe drove by a grain elevator. Phoebe played with a Rubik's cube in the back seat. Callie looked at Phoebe in the mirror.
"Hey, Pheebs, at school today, don't be afraid to just start a conversation." Callie said.
"Are you kidding me?" Trevor asked, as Callie turned her head to him. "That's horrible advice. You're setting her up for failure."
Trevor turned to his sister, in the back seat. "Hey, how are the jokes coming along?"
"Why should you never trust atoms?" Phoebe said, as she looked at her brother. "Because they make up everything."
Trevor silently turned back to her mother. As Trevor crossed school.
"That's funny." Callie said.
"No, it's not. You can drop me off here." Trevor said.
"Are you embarrassed?" Callie asked.
"Yeah." Trevor said.
"You have a phone?" Callie asked, as she turned her head to her son.
"Yes. I have a phone change." Trevor said, as he turned his head to her mother.
"Good. You are at school today, don't be afraid to just start a conversation." Callie said.
"You're right, Mom." Trevor said.
"Trevor, you came to Ewen High School." Callie said.
"Yeah, sure." Trevor said.
"There it is. Rita!" Callie said.
Rita turned around to Callie's car.
"Oh, Callie." Rita said.
"Rita, Trevor here." Callie said.
"Bye." Trevor said, as he took his seat belt off.
Trevor left her mother's car and he took his backpack and walked.
"Hi, Trevor." Rita said.
"Hi, Ms. Desjarden." Trevor said.
"Good. How are you?" Trevor asked.
"I'm good." Rita said.
"Phoebe has a school. Where?" Callie asked.
"Chamberlain Junior High School." Rita said.
"Thank you, Rita. I love you Trevor." Callie said.
"I love you too, Mom." Trevor said.
"So long, Callie." Rita said.
"So, you're the teacher, right?" Trevor asked.
"Yes, I'm the gym teacher at the school. And here we are, Trevor...Ewen High School." Rita said, as they pulled up to the school and drove towards the parking lot along one side of the building. Trevor was impressed by the frontal architecture of the front of the school; it certainly looked a lot more old-fashioned that the more modern school he went to back in Ewen and appeared to be taller as well. What made it especially different was that it was a three-storey building, unlike the one he went to back home which was a two-storey building. In the middle of the front of the school building was a higher part with a smaller floor that was about level with the roof.
Along the street in front of the school, there were a number of cars along the sidewalk and students, with their bags on their backs, were clambering, either singly or in pairs, out of the backs of the passenger sides and walking up to the school. And at the same time, a number of bright yellow school-buses were pulling up and disgorging students. Trevor was amazed, the school buses before him were exactly like the ones he'd seen in the movies and on TV.
"First thing though, we'll go into the principal's office. Principal Henry Morton would like to meet you before the day begins and give you a few of the things you'll need for your time here." Rita said, opened the door.
"Dear me…I haven't even started yet, and I already have to go to the principal's office." Trevor said jokingly, and he chuckled for a few seconds. Rita did too, clearly, she had heard that joke more than a few times before, and she also knew that Trevor was trying to keep calm, as he was no doubt feeling very nervous inside.
"Are you feeling nervous?" Rita asked, just before she opened the door.
"I am a little...but I suppose that's to be expected, and once I get into the routine of coming here day by day, I suppose then everything will be alright." Trevor said. And to say he was nervous was no exaggeration, he had the feeling of butterflies churning within his stomach, though he looked quite calm on the outside.
"Don't worry about a thing, Trevor...you'll be fine. And once you get into a routine...then it'll be quite a normal thing to come here day after day." Rita said. And giving her a nod, Trevor reached for his bag.
Getting out of the minivan, Rita led Trevor into the main administrative building. Trevor could feel this strange feeling in the pit of his gut the closer and closer he got to the main entrance, after all the excitement, the planning, the waiting, the uncertainty of the last few months...this was it.
Going up the steps to the building's main entrance doors, and then entering inside, through the main entrance foyer, he could see there were few other students, including a mixture of Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors, as well as some cheerleaders in their distinctive outfits, standing at their lockers in small groups and getting ready for the school day ahead. And just like him, many of the other students were wearing normal everyday attire instead of school uniforms.
Then a few of them turned their heads when they saw Trevor come into the school with the gym teacher leading the way, and that caused almost all the others near them to turn their heads as well in curiosity to see what was going on. Then, after seeing Trevor, they all began whispering to each other, wondering who this new guy was as he passed them by in the corridor with Rita leading the way.
"Well, well, well...it looks like we've got a new kid on the block today."
"Hey, I've never seen him before. Who is he? Does he live near here?"
"I saw him arrive with Ms. Desjardin. Do you suppose they know each other?"
"He looks like quite a handsome guy. Do you think he'll feel confident here?"
"I think that it'll be nice to have a brand-new face around these corridors."
Trevor turned these comments out as best as he could as he followed Rita towards the main office. After asking Trevor to wait outside in the corridor for a few moments, Rita, after knocking on the door, went into the principal's office and so Trevor stood outside and just waited.
As he did, he noticed a few of the early arriving students, including a few of those he'd already seen a few moments before, gathered close by and giving him a curious look over, curious as to who this unknown boy was. Trevor glanced over at them and, unsure if he should say anything, merely gave a smile and a nod. And a few of them also smiled and nodded back in return.
"Okay Trevor, in here please." Rita said, as she opened the door. Trevor went inside and from there went past the assistant principal's office and the secretary's deck and into the School Principal: Henry Morton's office.
"Ah good morning there, Trevor." Principal Morton said in a pleasant tone, as he stood up from his desk and walked round it while extending his hand.
"Good morning, Principal Morton." Trevor said, as he shook Principal Morton's hand.
"Have a seat, please." Morton said, as he sat down behind his desk.
"Thank you." Trevor said, as he sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk and Rita sat on the other one. Principal Morton took a sip of coffee while it was still hot before he spoke again.
"Welcome to Ewen High School, Trevor. We're very honored to have you over here. You must be very proud to represent your school and country here." Morton said.
"Yes sir, I am. In fact, this is the very first time that I've been over to the United States. And I'm very pleased to be over here." Trevor said.
"Ah, very good. And did you have a good arrived over from Chicago?" Morton asked.
"Yes sir, I did. It was quite…uneventful. My mom, my sister, and I, we arrived here in Chamberlain." Trevor said, as Morton opened a copy of his file on his desk before him.
"Excellent. Anyway, I've had a good long look at your record and I'm very impressed with it. Now let's see, in your Sixth Year in your secondary school over in Chicago, a very good attendance record...not a day of school missed, very high grades in all chosen subjects...A+ average, tested I.Q. of 250…average I.Q. of 245…and no detentions or suspensions on your record at all. And believe me Trevor, that record of yours is a lot better than quite a few of the other students in this school, may I say." Morton said.
"Well sir, I've always avoided situations that could get me detention or into any sort of trouble. I don't intend to spoil that record now just because I'm going to school in a different country." Trevor said, as Rita smiled: she was really very impressed with Trevor's school record.
"That's good, Trevor...very good indeed, and I hope that your light will shine very brightly while you're over here. And if you need any help at all, don't be afraid to ask me or any of the other teachers." Morton said, as he closed the file.
"Thank you very much, sir." Trevor said, as Morton reached down to one of the drawers under his desk, opened it and grabbed some papers.
"So you stay here?" Morton asked.
"Yeah. My grandfather." Trevor said.
"Serial killer?" Morton asked.
"No, he had a heart attack." Trevor said.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Morton said.
"It's fine, sir." Trevor said.
"Her mother Callie and I were in our childhood." Rita said.
"Yeah, last night my sister Phoebe and I met her." Trevor said.
"Here's a few things you'll need for the next few weeks, a journal, a map of the school so you can find your way round, a page with the school rules and, of course, your class schedule. The classes marked over with red marker pen are those you're exempt from, due to what I've read in your file, so for those classes you can go either into the cafeteria, the library or the student lounge upstairs. And of course, not forgetting a locker key." Morton said, passing the papers and journal, as well as a locker key, to Trevor. Looking at the plastic tab attached to the key, Trevor could see he was assigned to locker 95.
"Thanks, sir." Trevor said, as he placed the papers and journal into his bag, and then placed his locker key into a separate pocket and attached it to a length of cord so he could find it easily.
"Well, now with those…formalities out of the way, all that's left now is getting you the necessary schoolbooks. Rita, if you could take Trevor over to the library, he'll be able to get his books there. Ms. Watson should have them ready by now." Morton said.
"Yes, Henry." Rita said, as she and Trevor stood up.
"And best of luck with your classes, Trevor. And welcome to Chamberlain." Morton said, as he shook Trevor's hand again.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Morton." Trevor said, as he and Rita left the office.
(Later, at Chamberlain Junior High School…)
Callie walked Phoebe to Chamberlain Junior High School.
"What's wrong? You love school." Callie said.
"I love learning. This is a state-sponsored work camp for delinquents." Phoebe said.
"Fine. You can help me scrape asbestos out of the attic." Callie said.
"I'll take my chances with public education." Phoebe said.
As Callie took her sunglasses off and stopped at the entrance. Phoebe the entrance school.
"Hey, don't be yourself." Callie said.
A man by the name of Gary Grooberson, opened the door next and looked to Callie.
"You okay?" Gary asked.
Callie turned her head to Gary.
"Uh, yeah. First day. Can you imagine who they've got to teaching summer school?" Callie asked.
"I can. I teach here." Gary said.
Callie turns her head to Gary.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Callie said.
"No, it's okay. It's- Most of the kids that go here, they're not very bright." Gary said.
Gary greeted a boy named Ben. Ben pushed past Callie without acknowledging Gary at all.
"Hey, Ben." Gary said.
Ben the entrance school.
"He's…" Gary revealed pointed to Ben. "I can kind of do whatever I want."
Callie nodded yes.
"Score." Callie said.
"Right?" Gary asked, as he nodded yes. "Dream job."
"Mm-hm." Callie said, as she walked outside, turned her head once, then resumed walking.
To Be Continued…