Chapter IV: Tara James I:
I just about made it to my AP biology class on time! I was still panting as I quickly got my utensils and my books out. "Wow, you're in even more of a rush than you usually are!" Maria exclaimed from next to me. "The news just took me longer than expected, but I'm sure I'll improve as I carry on," I said, quickly jotting down the date and neatly underlining it. "Knowing you, you'll probably have it perfectly planned out by next week," Maria chuckled and hit me with one of the most radiant smiles I'd ever seen. "Also, you looked so gorgeous in the projector, you need to be dropping your tips, girl!" Maria rushed out as she also began writing the date. Coming from her, that was a huge compliment, considering how she always managed to look so good and laid back while I was always stressing about something. Or at least that's how it felt to me.
Mr Lee then began to give us instructions on what he wanted us to do in the most monotonous tone I think I'd ever heard. Many people complained about how boring he was, but since I usually just got on with my work, I didn't really care. Eventually, we all began doing work and talking with our assigned partners. "So, any chance of a boyfriend for you soon?" Maria giggled at me. "I seriously doubt it," I responded. "Oh come on, I'm sure there's someone!" She shrieked out, "Sorry to disappoint you, Maria," I responded with a smile.
Maria got along with everyone in the school for the most part, but everyone knew she had her two best friends. I, like many others, would consider her a friend, but we weren't exactly close. Despite everything, we didn't really run in the same circles. Although that did mean it was nice to speak to her, as there wasn't any drama or strings attached for the most part. "Okay, okay, fine, new question then. Out of every guy in the class right now, who would you want to go out with the most?" She asked with intent eyes. I decided to humour her. "I think Sam's cute, most of my friends, and I all find him cute," I whispered back. Sam was always someone that my group of friends, especially Stephanie, often talked about. His good looks were well known in our friend group. He was tall and lean and one of the most recognised people at the school. He had both the looks and the status. "You didn't even look around the class! For all you know, someone could have over taken him!"
Maria whined. I pretended to roll my eyes in annoyance while she smiled at me again. I began to look around. There was Patrick, who was also a star on the football team and very good-looking, although, among the high-level football players, he was definitely the least known; I continued to scan and saw other decent-looking men like Ned and Omar, but they had almost no standing to speak of. Their personalities were just not it. There were others, like Matthew, who was on the football team and well known, but far from eye candy. There were also people like Jared who were often picked on by those in my group for no reason. In all honesty, I don't like it when my friends do things like that, but it would still be awkward to have a crush on someone whom no one in my group liked, and he'd clearly lost a lot of his confidence because of it. As I continued to scan, I made eye contact with another boy, Jake, and quickly turned back. In all honesty, I didn't know him well; we had a few conversations here and there, and he seemed nice. He was on the football team and quite good-looking himself, but I still remember how angry he looked at my group and me last year. So I'd rather not make things awkward. "What, see something you like?" she asked slyly, then began to turn around. "Nah, I'm still picking Sam," I said. "Fine, be boring then," Maria then pretended to be in a mood with me, but she couldn't keep it up and began laughing as we continued to do our work.
The lesson ended surprisingly quickly, and I was satisfied with the work I got done. Since it was a double period, it was straight to recess! I quickly found my friends sitting together. Stephanie, Grace, Piper, and Amber were my closest friends in our group, and I hugged each of them as I sat down. Amber was a gorgeous woman who also modelled outside of school. Her dark skin always glowed, and her hair was always perfectly done, perfectly matching her tall 5'9 "body. She was also the only other person who attended multiple AP classes besides me, and we often studied together. Both Piper and Grace had very bubbly personalities and were stars of our cheerleading team. Piper had long flowing golden hair that reached the small of her back, and her presence almost felt larger than her slim 5-foot-6 body. Grace, on the other hand, was slightly more timid by our group's extroverted standards, slightly more cynical, but just as beautiful with her curly brunette hair, and stood at the same height as Piper. Stephanie was always seen not just as the leader of our group, but as a leader of the school. She had the same business mindset as her CEO mother. She was also just as beautiful as the rest of my friends, with piercing blue eyes that looked like the very sky and straight brown hair that perfectly contrasted them. She was the most vocal and opinionated of our group. She was seen as a very strong woman, and despite the whispers of others behind her and our backs, I truly do believe she is kind, albeit a bit blunt.
"So, girls, are we all going to training after school?" Asked Grace. "Of course we are. This is going to be our best year yet!" Piper screeched in response. "Well, I think we're all going unless Tara is busy again," Amber said inquisitively, almost like she was probing the information out of me. The entire group's head turned to look at me. They all knew how busy I usually was. "Come on, you guys, I told you that this year cheer is going to come first, and it is! I'll be there every session," all of their faces smiled at me. "Thank God! I don't know how I'd deal with being the only one who acts their age again," Stephanie added sarcastically with a cheeky smirk lining her pretty face. "Hey, you know I act my age even if they don't," Amber added. "Hey, we're not that bad!" Piper pouted as we all began to laugh.
That was when the bell rang, reminding us all that we were, in fact, still in school, and so we all got up and headed to class.
Chapter V: Jake III
During recess, I did what I usually did, which was try to get some sleep until my friends started pestering me instead. Michael, Tyler, Mo and Matilda all pestered me until I gave up on the idea of sleep. These were my closest friends at the school, and to be honest, they were one of the few reasons I even put in a smidge of effort to begin with. We all sort of just chatted about whatever and joked around until it was time to go back to class. Despite my tiredness, I felt like I was at least making good progress in my biology class and managed to do extra work beyond what was assigned. I liked to stay ahead on work despite what many would think, because it allows me more freedom, and I mean it beats being bored and doing nothing.
Next period, luckily, Tyler and I would both be together at least: AP chemistry. Tyler and I walked into Mrs Sandhu's room, took our usual seats, and got our books out. We were sitting in the very back left corner, which are the best seats in the entire class because we can whisper without being heard and sleep without it being too obvious.
Mrs Sandhu herself was on the younger side for a teacher. She was newer, as she only joined two years ago, but she seemed nice enough and treated each student fairly and was probably one of our best teachers. If I had to guess, she was in her mid-twenties and about average height, with a black bob and glasses that made her look more like a librarian.
As more students began to flood in, I realised that sleep wouldn't be an option in today's class. "What's with the scowl, man? Surely sitting next to me can't be that bad," Tyler quipped. He was a charismatic man who was of average height with a typical dark-haired fringe. Where Michael and I would spend most of our time enjoying the gym and dreading cardio (although we would still do it just begrudgingly), he was the opposite: he loved running but disliked lifting weights. He therefore had a leaner build than I and Michael, who were more stocky. However, his greatest asset was by far his humour. He was just about the funniest guy I had ever met and could turn anything into a joke. "It's not the sitting with you that's the problem, it's the fact that the rest of them are all so loud for no reason", I complained. "Come on, man, are you whining about people having friends? You're telling me of all the things you would want right now, it's just for people to actually do work?"
Tyler scoffed. "Well, if they did the work, then I could sleep..." I muttered. "And there it is. Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. So you're really just annoyed because you're tired and you're tired because you stayed up playing games. Those all sound like your issues to me," he shrugged as he retorted. I laughed and weakly punched his arm in response. Even though I was tired and he was making jokes, they always somehow livened up my day. "Wow, and now you're even hitting your friends, maybe you do really want no friends," he said, winking and humming to himself as he worked.
Despite our constant chatting, we were both good at multitasking, and so we still made very good progress on our work. "So then how're you and your girlfriend going?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Well, same old, same old. She switches between thinking I'm an asshole and thinking I'm just charming. It really is just a coin flip. But I mean, I'm not gonna change who I am if people don't like the way I act, well then they can choose to ignore me. The real question is what about you and your girlfriend..." He implied as he began raising his eyebrows suggestively. I could tell he was shifting the conversation, so I decided to see what he meant. "What the hell are you even talking about?" I said, confused. "You know who I'm talking about, that Tara girl. I know, I know you said you're not interested in her anymore, but still she's good looking, and you are too, so why not give it a shot, eh? You only live once, so you might as well go for it, no?" Tyler always seemed so carefree, and if I was being honest, I was quite envious of him for it. "Well, why would I ask out a girl I don't like anymore?" I said matter-of-factly, now wanting to change the subject. Tyler wasn't ready to let it go just yet, though.
"Okay, okay, fine then, but I bet you enjoyed seeing her on the projector in the morning, though. God, the amount I would've paid to have been in the same home room as you to see your face," he cackled like a hyena. "Okay, if you want to know the truth, she is very pretty and attractive. That part has never been in question for me; it's the rest of her that's the issue," I stated, angrier than I meant to. "Okay, fine, bro. I'll drop it then, but still, you might as well be a go-getter this year, after all, it's gonna be our last," he said, sensing my discomfort. That's the thing with Tyler, he joked around a lot, but he always knew when to push someone's buttons and when to stop, and I respected him all the more for it.
Our conversation continued as we both got on with our work. Yet again, we were both running ahead, and so we continued to the next lesson's content and got some of that done before the bell rang for lunch. As soon as it did, we both rushed out, quickly wished Mrs Sandhu a good day, and hurried to the cafeteria to get our lunch. Tyler and I managed to get our usual spots. A couple of minutes later, Mo and Matilda followed, and then, a bit later, so did Michael. "Ughhh, I almost forgot how much I hated this place," groaned Matilda as she played with her sloppy Mac n cheese. "Seconded," I added as I took a bite of my food. "Come on, you guys, it ain't been that bad, and if anything, the annoying people haven't been as annoying as I remember," Mo insisted. "Oh, trust me, they still have time to turn back to how they always are. But you guys complaining about school are just lying about not liking it here. After all, I'm here, and how could you have a bad time when I'm here!" Tyler sounded like he was giving a speech to a huge crowd, waiting for applause. "For once, I agree with Tyler, the usual assholes are only being less shitty because they're still on their summer high, as soon as that runs out, boom, we're back to normal." Michael usually wasn't so negative, but when it came to those he didn't trust, it was rare to hear him say anything positive. "Wow, well, these guys are all sunshine and rainbows, am I right, Ty?"
Mo joked. Mo was a tall 6-foot-4, but unlike the rest of the guys in our group, he rarely exercised, and his true passions were gaming and music. Honestly, the pieces he could play were some of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard; it was like I was hearing the earth sing. He said that he learned from his grandma back in Yemen, where his family was from. Matilda, on the other hand, was a short 5-foot-3 girl who loved to game with us. She is also the most recent addition to our group, but when she first hung out with us, she fit like a glove, and so we all became close with her fast. She always had her hair tied in a neat bun that contrasted with her messy attitude.
"Well, Mo, apparently, we can't all be as happy as we are," Tyler chuckled in response. The rest of our conversation quickly pivoted from topic to topic; if anyone outside our group was in the conversation, I doubt they'd be able to keep track of what we were saying. That was just the kind of group we were, though, and it was the only place I felt like I could do that.
Soon after, the lunch bell rang, signalling the start of the next period. So we all got up and prepared to leave the oasis that was our small area in the cafeteria. I was dreading this last double period, but I knew that after that, I would have training, then go to the gym and be free. I hurried towards my next class, which was AP history.