HSMTMTS: The Core Four

11

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Ash and I walk up to the entrance of the Laboratory with our friends and other classmates. There needed to be two teachers, so Mr. Mazzara and Miss Jenn were leading this Field trip. I see a man walking in front of us next to the door.

"I can't believe you talked me into this" Ricky grumbles to me, rolling his eyes. "Well, better to be bored together than alone, right, Bowen?" I smile, trying to cheer him up. He rolls his eyes again jokingly and we turn our attention back to the man.

"Hello, East High students, I ham Charles Rogers. Welcome to the Salt Lake Chemical Laboratory. I hope you enjoy you're visiting here, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask any of the employees. But other than that, have a great time here."

We all start to walk in, but Ricky stays there, his hoodie up and hands in his pocket. I walk up to him and sling my arm around his shoulder. "Just a few hours Curls, then we'll be done, okay?" I ask giving him big puppy dog eyes. Ricky looks down but he does nod, letting out a small groan. "Thanks, Ricky" I smile and we walk up to the rest, him leaning on my side for a while, like he's clinging on me.

We've been walking around for a while and this place is so cool, like S.T.A.R. Labs. I look at the end of a hall, it looks like the particle accelerator from the flash, only smaller and could fit in a room, wonder what it does. The same man I saw earlier, Charles Rogers walks by, at a perfect time.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rogers?"

"Yes?"

"What does this do?" I ask, pointing at the...well, I'm just gonna call it an Accelerator.

"Oh, this is an Atomic Accelerator, it propels charged particles, such as protons or electrons, at high speeds, close to the speed of light. We're using this one to create pure clean energy, maybe with this, we can further the advancement of the science."

Yeah, I could understand some of that, but not all, so I just nodded at him. "Oh, you go to Duke?" He asks, pointing at my sweatshirt. "Oh, no, just my parents, the Caswell's."

"Ah, the Caswell's, they were one f the best students at Duke, you must be so proud," he says and he walks off. I want to smile, but I can't, I've never been able to smile when someone says I should be proud of my parents, cause it's always been a painful reminder of one thing.

They're gone.

For good.

"Hey, Caswell."

I turn around to see Gina, but her smile kinda fades after she sees me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just, another person says I should be proud of my parents."

"What's wrong with that?" She asks. Oh, that's right, she doesn't know yet.

"My parents died in a bombing years ago, so I don't really like when people say they're the best, or I should be proud of them," I say. I guess I just don't like being reminded that the two people I could go to for anything, are now gone, and as much as I don't wanna admit it, when it comes to my problems, I'm alone.

All alone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, EJ" Gina says.

"No, it's okay, I just wish they were still here," I say. "They both were one of the best students at Duke and now most of the adults in my life say I should be proud of them, and I'm kinda sick of it" I try to force out a laugh, but I can't. I try not to cry in front of Gina, but I'm slowly falling, I felt a single tear fall from my eye. She quickly wipes it away and pulls me in for a quick hug and I melt into her soft touch.