Back to Where We Started From (Miracle)

Chapter Ninety-Two

November 15th, 1972
Mounds View High School
11:56 a.m.

"Miss Brooks! Is there something outside of that window that is more interesting than Shakespeare?"

Julia snapped out of her daze, looking up at her English teacher. He was a short, stocky man with a perpetually red face, which Julia thought came from the fact that he was always angry. She thought about his question and decided it was likely rhetorical.

"Sorry, Mr. Knight," she mumbled. She had been staring out the window, her chin resting on her hand and her elbow resting on her desk. She wasn't even sure that her copy of Hamlet was open to the correct page. She just hoped she hadn't been drooling, but she was bored enough that it seemed possible.

"Please, enlighten us on what's more captivating than Ophelia's descent into madness?" Mr. Knight inquired. Julia felt heat rising up her neck as the class all turned to stare at her.

Robbie thought it was an unfair question to direct at his best friend, but Mr. Knight probably didn't realize that, like Ophelia, Julia had lost her dad. It was just coming up on the first anniversary of his death. In all fairness, Julia probably hadn't been paying enough attention to realize what she had in common with the female lead of Hamlet.

"Watching the dead leaves fall off the trees," Julia finally answered flatly. Giggles could be heard around the classroom. Mr. Knight's face turned an even more vibrant shade of red, which his students had previously thought impossible.

"Excuse me, Miss Brooks? I'm going to give you a chance to correct your answer," he fumed.

"I said, watching the dead leaves fall off the trees is more interesting than this class," she said just as nonchalantly. She swore his face was purple.
Julia could've guessed what he was going to say before he said it.

"Detention, Miss Brooks. After school."

Julia just sighed under her breath, nodding her head as Mr. Knight continued to drone on about Hamlet. It wasn't exactly anything new to spend her afternoon in detention. It seemed like hours before the bell rang, sending the students flying to lunch. Julia gathered her things, seeing Robbie waiting for her by the classroom door.

"Ugh, does he hate me or what?" Julia groaned as soon as they were out of the classroom.

"He hates everyone," Robbie assured her. He was known to be one of the tougher freshman teachers, and Julia was exactly the kind of student that a teacher liked to make an example out of.

"Why do I even need to know about Shakespeare?" She scoffed.

"At the very least to graduate," Robbie reminded her. Julia looked at him as if she knew something he didn't, but Robbie didn't prod. He picked up his pace in the sea of students rushing to the cafeteria. "Hurry up, I'm hungry."

The rest of the day seemed to drag for Julia. It was a cold, gray day and all she could think about was Thanksgiving break.

"Want to walk home together? Practice usually gets out around the same time as detention," Robbie offered as they walked to their lockers at the end of the school day.

"Yes, please," Julia grinned. "Wanna come over for dinner so my aunt and uncle don't yell at me? They won't do it in front of you."

"No, that's your battle," Robbie laughed. Just then, a couple of the upperclassmen on the hockey team walked by, giving Robbie a nod. The tallest boy in the middle looked to the girl at his teammate's side, checking her out quickly. He smiled at Julia, who returned it shyly. Once the boys had gone, she looked to Robbie eagerly.