Foreign Objects

01 • Spe

"Well I don't want you to be late for school," she retorts.

"I'll get there just fine, besides, classes doesn't start until 8:30, I'll just miss the assembly."

🛸🛸🛸

I noticed absolutely nothing wrong with my body when I showered. There were no marks or scars or even internal pain. I am in good health as I normally am.

As the Uber pulls up on the side in front of my school, I blow a breath and get out, hating how my heart is still pounding so hard in my chest, the same feeling of dread or sadness heavy, and a few moments ago, my eyes were itchy, like I was about to cry and it doesn't make sense because, while I'm freaking out, it's absolutely not to the point of tears. I have a different way of processing things and crying is usually not one of them.

The halls of Bowcreek High are as busy as always, assembly is over and everybody is preparing for the first class of the day. The halls are a chatter of noise, and busybodies. I suavely (I like to believe) avoid bumping into a few people.

As always, the cool kids are standing by Peyton's locker. Her locker has now become sort of like a default meeting point for us, where we gossip, comment on Jessica Holland's wrong choice of shoes, and hear Peyton's latest agenda. Usually, I'm already there, standing besides Peyton but, today is an exceptional day and I have this feeling that now that there's been an error in my daily activity, things are just going to keep on changing. I hope not but, it's kinda obvious that's where things are heading right now.

"Yo Dee!" Mike calls, grinning widely as he beckons me over, as if I'm not already doing so.

Jenny turns in my direction, face turning up into a smile as she waves.

She hugs me when I get there, her lavender scent filling up my nostrils.

I do a bro shake with Mike after the hug. Still remember how hard I begged him to teach me before he did.

"I'm sorry I didn't pick you up," Peyton says, pouting.

I smile. "Babe chill, it's okay."

"Why are you late?" Mike asks, passing me a curious look. "Got abducted by aliens on your way here or something?"

He gives a little laugh after he said that. And, if what happened to me and Jeremiah didn't happen last night, I would've been on his ass about the joke being lame.

"Or something," I mutter under my breath. I should tell them what happened right? But I'm hesistating and I don't know why. Maybe this isn't the right time. Yeah, it isn't. It's so early in the morning. I need their brains to calm down first.

"So how did your speech go?" I question my best friend and she immediately grins and I don't know but, I'm sort of relieved it went well. For some reason, I expected it to go badly, to somehow prove to me that things really are haywire but maybe I'm thinking about this too much. Apart from being late, nothing else has gone wrong.

"Thankfully it went well but, Principal Howards was on my ass for being late."

Mike tsks. "And by late she means by two minutes."

"He needs to unclench," I say, chuckling but when that does nothing to soothe the heaviness in my chest, I grit my teeth.

"Okay we got like five minutes till first period," Mike says, stepping closer, kinda putting us in a huddle. It's his gossip move. "Did y'all see the news this morning?"

"Nope but you're gonna tell us what you saw." Peyton has an amused look on her face because she knows the direction this gossip is likely to go in. We all do. Since the UFO sightings started, there's mostly only been one topic worth discussing.