I was almost put in a good group. Three boys, that was the good part, and one girl that was the almost good part. I have found that it is relativity easy to blend in and not make a fool of myself in front of boys. All boys make fools of themselves that is what they do, to not do something foolish with a group of boys would simply be foolish, but a girl that was a different matter. Girls required a whole different set of skills. A set of skills I did not have, in fact, I did not even have access to a list of the set of skills that were prerequisites to the actual set of skills. The only skill I had going for me is that I was aware that I had no set of skills. Not only was a awkward in front of girls, I was bound to be awkward, foolish and embarrassed in front of this one. Sarah Jenson, popular, tall, and mean. She had long black hair that matched her black eyes and one of those sneering, intimidating smiles that says I am smarter then you, and we all know it. She was one of those girls you wanted to like you because school was safer that way. If she didn't like you she would chew you up and spit you out. Not right away, of course, she chewed slowly, and her spit was like sugar; sure sugar sounds good, but in the long run it will kill you. Her cruelty was simple; she just told the rest of the world how stupid you were, and everyone else listened. To avoid my name being spread like sugary spit; I made a plan. The plan was to do nothing. (Ya, the plan was as stupid as it sounds). I would just follow the crowd, right down answers, don't disagree, don't try to lead, don't do anything to be noticed. That might have been a bad idea because when I did eventually make a fool of myself I stuck out like a pink flamingo in a Montana cow pasture.
I was doing well; sticking to the plan. Regrettably the other boys had the same plan as me, so the group was quiet and Sarah was annoyed, and Sarah being annoyed was dangerous. We were like idiot henchmen following the evil princess around in her kingdom, but we were almost safely done with the scavenger hunt. We had one coordinate to go then it would be over, back to the boring but safe classroom.The last problem must have been a tricky one because the group was completely silent. No one moved, and Sarah had no answer for the group. The wind started to rustle the leaves, and the air got colder. At first I was not even reading the questions to find the correct coordinates, but everyone was so quiet and just standing there I did not know what else to do. I glanced down at the question, and like a volcano exploding out of my mouth I said way too loudly, "what in the heck is a gaz-a-boo?" Slowly they group turned toward me. The boys smiled and Sarah sneered. As their minds began to catch up to my words they began to chuckle and then laugh, and then howl. The tension of being in a group all mourning with Sarah Jenson was being released. "A gazebo, a gazebo," one boy said between laughs. Sarah didn't say anything she was laughing too hard. I was doomed. My unpopular, awkward high school existence just got much worse. After everyone recovered, we solved the final problem together.
As I headed back to the bus with my head down hoping to find a seat well away from Sarah Jenson, I felt a tug at my elbow. I looked up. It was Sarah. Still smiling. "That was the best laugh I had in a long time and the best part of my morning. That was fun, and you are funny. See you in class." I was stunned. Was that sugary sarcasm or a real connection? When she sat behind me on the bus, I cringed ready for a tornado of insults as she told her friends how I couldn't read, but she didn't, in fact, she said she had fun. The teacher stepped on the bus. "Did everyone reach their objective?" She asked. I shook my head yes. I had almost reached the objective.
Footnotes
(Sarah Jenson was not the girl's real name)
(The simile It exploded out of my mouth like a volcano was first said by Kadence after she accidentally told her cousin what she was going to get for Christmas.)
I was doing well; sticking to the plan. Regrettably the other boys had the same plan as me, so the group was quiet and Sarah was annoyed, and Sarah being annoyed was dangerous. We were like idiot henchmen following the evil princess around in her kingdom, but we were almost safely done with the scavenger hunt. We had one coordinate to go then it would be over, back to the boring but safe classroom.The last problem must have been a tricky one because the group was completely silent. No one moved, and Sarah had no answer for the group. The wind started to rustle the leaves, and the air got colder. At first I was not even reading the questions to find the correct coordinates, but everyone was so quiet and just standing there I did not know what else to do. I glanced down at the question, and like a volcano exploding out of my mouth I said way too loudly, "what in the heck is a gaz-a-boo?" Slowly they group turned toward me. The boys smiled and Sarah sneered. As their minds began to catch up to my words they began to chuckle and then laugh, and then howl. The tension of being in a group all mourning with Sarah Jenson was being released. "A gazebo, a gazebo," one boy said between laughs. Sarah didn't say anything she was laughing too hard. I was doomed. My unpopular, awkward high school existence just got much worse. After everyone recovered, we solved the final problem together.
As I headed back to the bus with my head down hoping to find a seat well away from Sarah Jenson, I felt a tug at my elbow. I looked up. It was Sarah. Still smiling. "That was the best laugh I had in a long time and the best part of my morning. That was fun, and you are funny. See you in class." I was stunned. Was that sugary sarcasm or a real connection? When she sat behind me on the bus, I cringed ready for a tornado of insults as she told her friends how I couldn't read, but she didn't, in fact, she said she had fun. The teacher stepped on the bus. "Did everyone reach their objective?" She asked. I shook my head yes. I had almost reached the objective.
Footnotes
(Sarah Jenson was not the girl's real name)
(The simile It exploded out of my mouth like a volcano was first said by Kadence after she accidentally told her cousin what she was going to get for Christmas.)