Closed Windows, Opened Doors

Wandering Eyes, Lost Soul

I looked at my watch, realizing that my slip into painful reverie might just make me late for Geometry. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I took off running across the plaza, headed for the other side of campus. The five minute bell rang, causing me to run even faster, dodging other frantic students who were also sprinting, racing against the clock.

Stumbling into the classroom, barely escaping tardiness, I felt heat rising to my cheeks as the other students stared at me. With messy, windblown hair, damp dew still clinging to my form and grass stains on my jeans, I must have looked very odd, crazy, even.
A few boys in the back snickered as I slid into my seat.

Ignoring them, I pulled my textbook out of my bag, pretending to be interested in the diagrams. I suppressed a sigh, instead opting to remain silent.

The final bell sounded, signaling that class had begun. I stared at the floor, counting the linoleum tiles, wishing I was anywhere but here.

"Good morning," Mrs. Wright said, smiling from her place at the front of the room. Her black hair was wavy, and she had attempted to wrangle it into a bun, but a few rebellious curls still framed her face. Her brown eyes glittered behind the lenses of her glasses, bright and lively.

When was the last time there was light in my eyes..? I wondered.

Ages and ages and ages ago, I answered myself, gazing blankly at the wall behind my teacher.

The sound of the clock ticking once, announcing that a minute had gone by, tuned me back in to reality, and I realized that Mrs. Wright was speaking.

"Class, we have a new student. She has just transferred here, so I expect you all to be kind. She'll be arriving any moment now," she announced, and the classroom erupted into conversation.

My eyes wandered, flickering across the room, as my mind journeyed to places far away. I barely listened as my classmates theorized about the new girl, occasionally tuning in to the conversation two of the boys to my left, who had gotten into a heated debate. One of the two insisted that if she was pretty, she couldn't be smart, while the other bragged that his girlfriend was both beautiful and intelligent. The first then accused the second's girlfriend of cheating to get her good grades, and things went downhill from there.

"Everyone, settle down!" Mrs. Wright shouted over the chaos that she had inadvertently created. A few students lowered their voices to hushed whispers, but the conversation continued. The announcement of arrival of a new student had shaken the wasp nest, and now the buzzing continued.

The door to the classroom opened, and in walked the principal, whose name I had either forgotten or not cared to remember, and a girl. The room grew silent.

"I'll leave her in your care, Mrs. Wright," the principal said, smiling. His grey eyes twinkled.

"Thank you, Mr. Caldwell," she replied.

So that's what his name is, I thought to myself. Hmm. Maybe I should remember that.

Turning to the newest addition to our Geometry class, his grin broadened.

"Let me know if you need anything, okay?" he said.

She nodded in reply.

Turning to leave, he waved goodbye to her, and she reciprocated with little enthusiasm. I could tell she was frightened.

A few murmurs began as she was scrutinized and studied by my peers.

Her blue eyes were soft, deep like the sea, and they held a flickering flame which, at the moment, danced with anxiety. Her long hazelnut colored hair fell to her shoulders, shiny and wavy. She smiled faintly, her lips upturning ever so slightly.

"This is Rosemary," Mrs. Wright said, gesturing to the girl, who waved. Still busy picking her apart in their minds, no one laughed; had she waited and repeated that gesture after her newness had faded, she would have earned a few giggles. "She just moved here from Montana."

"Hello, Rosemary," the class chorused.

She searched the sea of faces, looking for someone friendly, I assume, or someone who looked friendly, at least.

Her eyes met mine and she paused, watching me. It seemed that she stared straight into my soul, saw what was there. I felt my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

She can't have seen that much of me already...

But it seemed that she had. Realization flickered across her face as she read the silent words my soul was screaming, as she looked past the wall I had built.

Then, she smiled at me, in the same manner one would smile at a dear old friend.