How to Be a Gentleman

Step 1.

        "So it's that time of year again," Eden Connells said with a hint of sarcasm to no one in particular as she made her way down the hallway. There was a bulletin board next to the drama room, and dozens of students had crowded around a blue piece of paper that had not been posted the day before. Everyone was talking excitedly, and a few kids were even crying.

        "You know you're excited, Eden," a tall blonde in a worn-out flannel tee shirt said as she walked up next to her. They looked like an odd pair as they walked since there was a near foot of height difference between the two.

        "And why would I be excited, Sage?" she said as she adjusted the frame of her thick glasses. A red-faced boy pushed past the two girls with tear stains on his face, nearly knocking Eden down due to her short stature. She glared at the boy and shouted at him to look out where he was going, but he was too far down the hallway to hear.

        "Because you auditioned," Sage said with an unbelieving expression making its way onto her freckled face. A potbellied teacher stepped onto the white tile and barked in an especially nasally voice for the students to get to homeroom and to stop clogging up the hallway. All of the chatter made it difficult for his voice to be heard, but it was doubtful that anyone would have listened anyways.

        A touch of pink played at Eden's cheek, but she turned her head away from Sage so that she wouldn't see. "That doesn't mean I'm excited."

        They passed the room of the potbellied teacher, and he was still shouting at the students, who, quite frankly, didn't care about anything he was saying.

        Sage rolled her eyes. "'You will find peace, not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace, not in denial, but in victory'," she quoted in a dramatic voice.

        Eden made her way to the back of the crowd and tried to jump up to see the list, but it was hard due to the rows of students. Her brows knitted together. "Who is that one from?" she asked her friend.

        "Kriyananda."           

        Eden started to try and shove her way through the crowd. Sage stayed behind her. "And who is that?"

        One girl screamed in happiness and started to clap her hands together. She turned to a group of girls behind her and informed them that she was officially in the ensemble of The Music Man. They screamed along with her, and Eden plugged her ears.

        Sage let out a huge gasp. "Did you really just ask that question?"

        Eden turned back towards Sage, unintentionally flipping her brown, shoulder-length hair across her face. "Are you going to tell me all about him now?" Her tone made it obvious that she did not want to hear all about him now.

        Sage began to leap into the entire history of Kriyananda's life and accomplishments before Eden could even finish her sentence. She sighed and continued her attempts to push through the crowd.

        "And not to mention that he founded Ananda!" Sage continued. "It's all about finding happiness and harmony. He's absolutely brilliant!"           

        "Oh, yes, tell me more," Eden said sarcastically over the chatter of the other students.

        A boy with greasy hair that reached his elbows pushed past Eden to get into the hallway; he had already seen the blue sheet of paper. Eden recovered and had to yell at someone for the second time that morning to look out where they were going.