40 days

chapter two

Instead of rushing to my sixth period class like most of the kids are doing, I shove my way through the crowd, trying to spot Brenda's obnoxiously orange hair amongst the crowd.

There she is!

Pushing past the crowd more, I approach Brenda and Pamela side by side.

"David! Hey!" Brenda calls out, waving. "Why aren't you in class already?"

"Yeah, you and Exer are almost always the first ones in class!" Pam laughs.

I tense up and I can almost feel Brenda glance at me. "I was just wondering if I could talk to you, Pam?"

She tries and fails to hide her surprise. "Me? Uh, sure. What's up?"

The crowded hallway seems to fade out, leaving just the three of us and a few people passing by. I try to hurry the conversation up.

"Not right now, uh," I look at her. "Like, after school. If that's okay?"

Her and Brenda exchange looks. "I guess. About what, though?"

"It's just, um," The first bell abruptly interrupts me and I let out a sigh of relief. "I just have a question! That's all."

"Oh, okay." She gives me a small smile and then turns to Brenda. "We should probably go. See you later, David!"

I wave and quickly walk to my class, barging through the door just as the second bell rings. Everyone's gaze shifts to me, but I ignore it and walk over to my seat beside Ron. My eyes scan the room, half of me hoping to spot Exer's dark hair somewhere.

"Exer not here." Ron claims, looking straight ahead.

"What? I, I wasn't-" I turn around quickly, scooting my chair in. "I wasn't looking for him or anything. I was just, um, seeing who sits behind us. That's all."

"Sure, excuse." He says dryly, looking at me.

I roll my eyes and stare up at the front of the classroom, trying to push my thoughts about Exer to the back of my head.
So what if he's not here? Why should I care?

It really doesn't matter if I should or shouldn't care, because I do. A lot. Even if I haven't talked to him directly, I've overheard conversations between him and some other classmates, seen him around a bit. He doesn't seem like his old self, for some reason. He also didn't come to school for awhile, and I was half tempted to ask Brenda if she knew anything. But then again, I'm not even sure if they're speaking to each other right now. I'm not sure of a lot of things at the moment.

Even if I had the guts to talk to him, how would I be able to do that if he doesn't even show up? I don't even know why I care at this point. I keep saying I don't, that I don't miss him and our friendship, but I do.

Even though he hasn't been coming to school that much lately, whenever he does, he seems different. He's not as talkative or out going as I remember, and I'm sure other people have noticed it as well. I just wish I could talk to him about it. I wish I could fix this whole mess.
—
I stand awkwardly outside of the school entrance, waving back at people that I don't even bother to recognize. I catch a glimpse of Pam and Brenda walking together, as usual, and call out to Pam.

She turns around with a confused expression on her face. "Oh, David! Hey!" She quickly hurries past the crowd and faces me, Brenda behind her.

A moment of silence passes by until Brenda speaks up. "Anyways, um, I guess I'll leave you guys alone! I'll let Mom know that you're gonna be a bit late, David."

"Oh, yeah! Thanks, Sis!" I smile as Pam and I wave to her, and then face eachother.

I open my mouth to say something, but then get cut off by Ricky bumping into my shoulder harshly, most likely with intention.