Soryx: The Second Dimension - Book One

Chapter 2

-Laelyn-

The first two hours of school went by pretty quickly, the only notable part being that Joshua had paired up with me in first hour and we were done with our project before Link and Chanson, not that it was a competition. Josh and I always paired up when I wasn't claimed by Link, and we'd become pretty good friends because of it. He was just as competitive as I was, and we worked better with each other than anyone else. The funny thing was, we hadn't become friends until last year when we'd known each other our entire lives. My mom knew his parents, and they would meet up frequently. I guess they tried to force us into friendship, but it worked itself out.

He was supposed to come over today after school to help me study, since I was really bad at geometry and science. Well... not really bad. I got straight B's in those classes. I guess when you grew up with Link, B's weren't as impressive as they should be. Either way, Joshua got good enough grades to rival Link's, putting them both at the top of the class. And even though I loved Link, I really did, I didn't want him tutoring me. So I chose Josh to help me.

I walked into third hour with Link and prepared for the worst. English with Mrs. Turner was the worst. We both agreed it was the most boring class on our shared schedule. Sitting through a class with Mrs. Turner was about as interesting as watching grass grow. She was a short, irritable, monotone woman who hated change. She gave us back-to-back essays and only had us read classic books. Not great classics. Just the most boring and long ones like War and Peace or Moby Dick. Link and I sat by Isaac and Treyden, best friends and class clowns. Isaac talked constantly and laughed at everything Treyden said, and Treyden usually just told countless bad puns.

"Alright, what's the pun of the day?" I asked as I sat down beside him.

"You aren't prepared for how great this one is," He said, eyes shining. I laughed.

"Just tell me."

"What is a thesaurus' favorite dessert?"

"I don't know, what?" I asked. I didn't have to, he would tell me anyway.

"A synonym bun." He laughed hysterically and slapped Isaac's elbow, causing him to laugh as well. Link facepalmed.

"Oh my God that was great." I giggled. Puns were my kind of humor.

"You guys are ridiculous." Link commented, turning to the front of the classroom just as Mrs. Turner walked in the door.

"You all know what your assignment is. Get writing and stop talking." She said unenthusiastically, sitting down at her desk and opening her book. We were writing an essay based on the areas of culture influenced by the novel we finished reading last week. I stole a glance at Link, raising my eyebrows. Mrs. Turner was extremely irritated today, apparently. He chuckled quietly and whispered, "Werewolf week," under his breath. It took all I had not to burst out laughing.

It didn't take long to realize that my essay was going to be terrible. I didn't even finish reading the book- it put me to sleep. I had no idea what areas of culture were affected or how, and I had honestly given up on trying to come up with fictional influences. I ripped the page I'd been working on out of my notebook and began writing a note on the next page, to Link.

You have any idea what's going on?

I crumpled up the paper and threw it in his direction. It landed on his desk and he gave me a confused look before opening it up as quietly as he could. He shrugged his shoulders. School was usually pretty easy for him, so I wouldn't be surprised if he understood this assignment. I gave him a pleading look. Finally getting the point, he raised his hand.