Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast."
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
So now that I had found out that the twins were suspended I felt more comfortable. Especially since I was hanging out with Jorge now. The only problem with this was me and Jorge only saw each other at lunch and football practice. Jorge just liked to watch the practices even though he didn't have to come to them at all. And when I asked him why he came to the practices all he said was. "I just like watching, maybe I'll go to school to be a coach".
"Joined the football team huh". A voice said to me. I looked up to see the girl that was at the twins house. She was smiling with a camera around her neck. "Noah right"? I asked. "Huh i'm surprised you remembered my name considering our meeting was brief". "Uh yeah that and your school Id". "Oh yeah that too". Noah chuckled, leading me to chuckle also. "But uh yeah I joined the football team. My family thought it would be a good way for me to make friends".
"Yeah clubs are a good way to make friends although i'm surprised you were able to make the football team its very how you say-elite". "Yeah well my cousins the quarterback so maybe that had something to do with me joining". "What"? Noah had this confused look on this face. Looking at me like I didn't realize what I had just said. "I know you're not talking about Oliver Walkman"? I nodded confused. "Yeah Oliver's my cousin". "Thee Oliver Walkman"! She said, almost yelling. "Yeah whats the big deal?". "Oh I don't know only that he's our star player".
"Star player huh". "Uh yeah everyone knows about the Walkman his uncle was our star player when he went to school here. His dad was a running back and his brother was the quarterback".
Right away I knew she was talking about my dad and I began to preoccupy myself by opening my locker. She began to do the same thing shaking her head and the thought of me being Oliver's cousin. Until she paused and did a slow turn to look at me. "Wait if you're his cousin and his uncle was Quarterback-". "Yes, that was my father". "Wow now that you mentioned it i'm pretty sure Oliver didn't help you out on getting on the football team". "Quarterbacks don't have that much power even if he is a star player". "I mean I was a Quarterback too at my old school". I said annoyed at her somewhat praising of Oliver.
Her eyes grew huge and this somewhat mischievous grin appeared on her face. "I can see the school letter now". "Man the genes in your family can't imagine what your kids are gonna be like". "Uhhh okay". I said. It was awkward. I could sense it and I'm pretty sure Noah could sense it. Or maybe not because she held up her camera to take a picture of me. "Smile". She said and for some reason I followed her order and put up a peace sign and smiled. "Nice". She said looking at the picture on her camera. "So uh what club are you in"? "Uh the yearbook club, newsletter club, or any other club that requires pictures and writing of some kind". She nodded closing her locker. "I would've been on the student council-". She paused for a moment showing this annoyed look on her face. "President in fact but your cousin somehow someway made sure I wasn't student body president nor any other role on the student body-". She trailed off with a sigh. "But it's okay". She said. I nodded agreeing with whatever she was okay. "Well uh if you ever want to join a different come to the newsletter club-". "Or you know to make more friends-". "Yeah sure I will-". "Jc". Oliver cut us off putting his arm around my neck. He came out of nowhere and was staring down at Noah like she was some type of bug. "Nola wasn't it". Oliver said smugly. "Noah". She said with a straight face. She closed her locker as did I. "Oh yeah Noah hows the newsletter going"? "Good you won't be featured on it this week though". She sneered. "See you later JC". She said walking away, almost skipping. "I guess you won't be on the newsletter". I said removing his arm. "Grandad's waiting for us, let's go".
The weekend came and went and on Monday school came again. The only thing i was excited about was seeing Jorge,the twins (Who would be returning from suspension, and Noah if i ever caught her again at our locker. They seemed to be cool to hang around. At my old school even though I had friends they weren't like these more like Oliver and I only hung out with them at school. Never in person kind of the stuck up bunch of kids who gossiped about other kids and gloated about their parents money.
I arrived at school as usual. Oliver left to meet up with his friends, stealing glances at me being alone and laughing so loudly as if he had everything all figured out. Jorge was never there in the morning. I had only seen Noah for the first time yesterday. But today was different. Two energetic voices yelled from behind me. Following my grandad's voice and Mahkai. "JJ"! The twins yelled hooping out of Mahkai's pickup truck. "Hey"! I yelled back running towards them. "Wow that's the most I've seen you move since you've been with me". My grandad said laughing.
"Aww JJ's happy to see us". Kitchi said, patting me on the back. "I wonder if we have any classes together". Kateri said. "I met Jorge". I said walking into the school with them. "Oh you made the football team"? "Yeah". "Did you try for Quarterback". Kateri sneered. "Nah I got running back though". "Shouldve tried for Quarterback". They said at the same time.
School was much easier with the twins although I only had one class and lunch with them. It was better than being alone for most of the day other than lunch and football practice with Jorge. Noah joined us this time from what she said her and Jorge usua; had lunch in the newsletter clubroom but Noah had been busy with other things last week so Jorge stayed in the lunchroom. The best part about being with friends is that even if it was silent I wasn't silent alone this time. While they talked I mostly stayed quiet. Laughing at all the things they were talking about. The days went by fast with them it seemed.
"Cameron seems like he's sick or something or is it just me"? Jorge said. I took a sip of water and stared at the blonde haired boy. Cameron was caucasian. His skin wasn't tanned by the sun although he was a football player and was in the sun almost everyday. But today he looked paler like a vampire or something. His usual bright blue eyes looked dim and his usual intact blonde curly hair looked like it was damaged by bleach. This appearance was unusual for Cameron especially since he hung out with Oliver and his crew and Oliver and his crew were full of appearances. "Maybe he's going through a rough patch". I said. Jorge shook his head. "Maybe I mean Oliver and his crew haven't dropped him yet maybe it is a true friend group". There was a silence with me and Jorge staring at each other. Trying to figure out whether this could be true or not. "Yeah right"! We said busting out laughing. "Ah he'll throw him out of the group sooner or later". Jorge said. "Especially if this keeps up".
Jorge's words seemed to haunt Cameron. Day after day Cameron's health kept looking worse. The buff and cheerful guy that I had met on my first day of school was now looking like skin and bones. Two months had passed by With Cameron now coming to school with his hair almost a white color and this stench that smelled like he was around dead people. But still he wore his rich people's clothes and his hair was done like it usually was. Only Oliver and his gang whispered to each other giving him the side eye.
Cameron didn't seem fazed by not being in their group anymore. In fact he didn't seem to think of anything and nothing seemed to faze him at all. His eyes were dead…like a soldier who had came from war.
I couldn't help but stare at him. The only thing that broke my sight on him was getting shaken by Jorge. "Dude, did you hear what we said?". "What's up"? "It's Noah". "Noah where"? I said looking around. "Nowhere we're talking about her camera".
"Oh yeah her camera broke she told me that yesterday". I said. "Yeah but this is the second broken camera in two months". "Broken arm too". Kateri cosighed. Kitchi shook his head and pointed our attention to Noah who was talking to her teacher.
That was another thing that was changing or maybe it'll already been here I was just seeing it for the first time. A disheveled Noah with a blue cast on her arm. You'd usually see her walking around with her camera around her neck that had stickers all over it. Her hair was messy and pulled back into this curly bun. Her backpack was barely hanging on her shoulders and she held a lab top under her arm that wasn't broken.
We all paused and moved closer to hear what was going on. "What do you mean you broke your camera"? The teacher asked. "How'd you do that again and your car someone popped your tires"?! The teacher looked concerned and almost sad. "Yeah uh my moms been taking me to school that's why I've been late lately". Noah answered.
She pulled up her book bag that was sliding off her shoulders and winched in pain when it hit her broken arm. I wanted to go over there and take her bookbag for her. I knew she carried a lot of books that had to be heavy, especially with that broken arm. "Any word on your brother"? The teacher asked. There was a silence and then a sigh from Noah. "No". She answered. "I just need to narrow the club camera until I can get mine fixed". She said, "Okay but it has to stay here okay. Lets hope you're just clumsy and it's not something else". She said, leading Noah into the classroom.
"It could be OI". Kitchi said, strolling through his phone. "Oi"? I asked. "Yeah where your bones break easily". Kitchi answered. "Are you seriously looking that up"? Kateri said. "If she had some type of disease Noah would have told us". "I agree". I cosigned. The bell rang and we separated to go to our classroom. Noah didn't come out until much later with the club camera around her neck. "Doesn't Noah work at the new coffee shop"? I asked Kitchi. "Aww yeah man they'll probably put her on the registers like last time". "And knowing Noah she wont let my dad fix it for free she always has to pay". "I'm surprised they haven't fired her". I said. "Nah Noah and her family has been through alot especially since the passing of her dad and her brother went off to the army once he graduated. Haven't heard from him since". "Everyone in the town knows they take pity on their family even though her mom is married to the sheriff". "Really"? Kitchi nodded.
What seemed to be days of turning up seemed to go dark over the next couple of days. Noah wasn't quite herself anymore. Quiet…she was already quiet but she was more quiet than usual. I didn't even wanna know what was going on with Cameron. Even though he wasn't on the football team anymore he came to the practices staring down at the field at us all. Coach bill wouldn't say anything he would just look at him for a moment, heck we all would and with the clapping of coach Bill's hand we looked away.
It was getting cold and Cameron's body looked like it was swaying in the wind. Like he was walking around in a dead person's body. "When do you think he's gonna stop that"? One of my teammates said.
"Just let him watch Jorge does the same thing and none of you guys say anything". Another one replied. "Yeah thats because Jorge inspires to be a coach not salty because he got kicked off the team"! Someone snapped. "Oliver what's going on with your boy"! "My boy"? Oliver sneered. "Yeah your boy shouldn't you be talking to him or something? What's going on with him? He's coming to school smelling like a dead body"! If Oliver could blush from embarrassment i'm sure it would be showing right now. Because he stood up with a sigh and looked at Cameron. Who was just standing at the top of the bleaches staring down at us. Jorge who usually sat up there was now at the very bottom row of the bleachers.
"I'll-". Oliver swallowed hard. "I'll go talk to him". Everyone watched in silence as Oliver went up to Cameron. A few words were said from Oliver's side but Cameron neither replied or looked at Oliver. He just stared down at the field. Oliver said something else and put his hand on Cameron's shoulder. This was the only thing that made Cameron move. It was like he was some type of turret. He grabbed Oliver hand twisting it causing Oliver to yell out and fall on the bleachers.
"What the"! It took four guys to get Cameron off of Oliver. As skinny as Cameron had gotten he had the strength of a body builder. The only reason Oliver left with scratches and a mark around his neck was because he was a football player. Had it been anyone else they would have had to go to the hospital. Oliver got up coughing and holding his neck. "Thats why you're not on the team anymore"! He shouted. "Look at you, what's going on with you"?! Oliver shouted again. "Youre a deadman Oliver". Cameron said. Then he looked at me. His eyes were brighter than usual. They were back to their usual blue and weren't dull over like they were previously but he still looked like he would drop down and die somewhere. "Your cousin too". He grinned. Oliver looked back at me and back at Cameron. "Walkmans walkmans walkmans". He said over and over. It was the first time I saw Oliver rattled. He grabbed me and moved me out the way while the coach and a couple of other students dragged him away. While still muttering walkman.
"You stay by me at all times". Oliver said, still holding his neck. "You got it"! He shouted at me. I nodded shaken by how Oliver was shaken. I couldn't do anything but agree to what Oliver was saying.