World Upside down: (An Avery Garcia Story)

3. Revelations

All the students in the classroom quickly look me up and down and stare at my face for three seconds. Yes, I counted the seconds.

I turn my head slightly to the left and the back of the classroom by the windows, and you won't believe who I see. It's the airport boy. He's smiling and waving at me. I ignore him completely and he frowns. I don't want to look awkward standing here, so I hurry to find a seat. To no surprise, all the chairs are taken. This is just my luck. Of course, the only seat left is the one next to him.

After I sit down, the teacher walks by and places a textbook on my desk.

"It's great to have you in this class Avery. I'm Mrs. Caddel. The textbook you have is the one you'll be using for the rest of the school year. Take good care of it."

She turns to go back to the front of the classroom to finish talking to us students.

I couldn't resist the urge to peek and see what airport boy was up to. I notice his green eyes. It's like they are staring into my soul. He catches me staring and smiles.

"It's fancy meeting you here, airport girl. I never got to tell you my name. I'm James."

"Hi, airport boy. You're still calling me airport girl. How many times do I have to tell you that my name is Avery, not Airport Girl."

I make sure that I whisper that part so I don't get in trouble with the teacher.

"I keep forgetting sorry Avery."

"Apology accepted James."

We both turn our attention to the teacher.

"Students remember this is a statistics class. You've been aware for some time now that it's important to study every day. The test may appear unexpectedly, so it's best to always be prepared. Please be mindful of that. I have your best interests at heart, which is why I ask that you please take this class seriously.

***

After math class was over, I went to my next few classes. They went pretty well. What's surprising is that James and I are in the same classes together. We were both surprised, but I've come to find him to be quite bearable to be around.

At lunchtime, James invited me to sit over at his table with his friends. He says that Anna, Jackson, and he aren't close, but they still consider themselves friends. He said that they only talk when They are having lunch and rarely on the weekends. Hanging out with them was fun. They're extremely cool. My last class for the day is Spanish.

"Avery, are you ready for Spanish class," James questioned.

"Yes, I am. I'm also excited about it because I've always had an interest in it. My Mom and Dad are from Spain, so I grew up learning Spanish from them."

"That's great! I can cheat off of you then."

I chuckle at his little comment.

"You're funny James, but no you can't cheat off of me. You'll never learn a new language that way. It's best if you do the best you can when doing the work.

We headed to our seats upon entering the class, and the teacher handed me my textbook for this class.

"Hola clase, I'm Mrs. Escarra. We have a new student. Como se llama?

"Me llamo Avery Garcia-Moreno."

"How much Spanish do you know?"

"Un poco. Mi madre es de España. I learned from her."