Rainbow Jam

Part Three: The Sea Urchin

January 4th, 2018

     The next day, I went to school, as normal. Kila met me at the door, as normal. Everyone else ignored me, as normal. But then, someone walked up to my locker, leaning up against the locker next to mine. This was strange: usually my ridicules didn't approach me directly. They usually shoved rude notes in my belongings, or whispered about me behind my back when the knew I could hear them. The last time someone had been bold about being rude to me, a teacher caught them, and they had to "have a chat" with the school counselor. It was unusual for a bully of mine to use this tactic of direct confrontation.

     "Hey, Sam."

     Not a bully.

     "Oh, hi, Julian!" I winced. That was the most fake sounding thing that had ever escaped my lips.

     Julian didn't seem to notice. "What class do you have next?" He asked.

      "Choir. You?"

      "Art. We can walk to class together. That is, as long as you don't mind."

     "I don't," said I. "Can we wait for someone though."

     "Sure," he said. There was a tone behind his words that said, 'uh, duh.'

     As we waited for Kila to get to my locker, we conversed. Small talk, mostly. We didn't have much time to talk about the meaning of the universe. Within about a minute, Kila had reached my locker. The inquisitive look she gave me did not go unnoticed.

     "Kila," I said, "this is Julian. Julian, this is Kila."

     We walked Kila to her first period class: geometry, then, we went to the creative arts hallway. Julian and I went to our respective classrooms. They were right across from one another. 

    After first period, we walked to our second period classes together. We both had English. I had Mr. Franklin's class, he had Ms. Georgia's class. They were also right across from each other.

     I had English with Kila, and, since we were working on group projects, Kila and I spent the entire class taking. We didn't talk about our project, though. We had finished that a few days ago. No, we were speaking about Julian. Or, rather, she was.

     "He seems to have attached himself to you. And you only met yesterday? Yep, he's attached to you. Like a . . . Like a sea urchin. Yep, he's like an Italian sea urchin."

     I wasn't sure how I felt about Kila calling Julian a sea urchin, but I ignored it. Instead I asked, "Italian? Why Italian?"

     Kila laughed her eyes at my cultural and racial ignorance. "Yeah, he's obviously Italian. Just look at him! He looks exactly like a young Al Pacino! Besides, he was waving his hands around so much that he almost hit me. Classic Italian."

     At this, I rolled my eyes. Kila had an unhealthy obsession with The Godfather, and I was pretty sure she still thought the twenty-something Al Pacino in the movie was hotter than the sun.

     "You're not actually comparing the first friend I've made in years to a sea urchin and Al Pacino at the same time. And watch your stereotypes." It was a statement.

     "Denial. Interesting." Kila stroked her chin.

     I smiled. "Shut up."

     Really, it was strange that Julian had become so close to me, and I to him, in just a day. I already considered him my friend. It happened so quickly. And, really, I didn't mind that Julian was, as Kila said, "clinging to me like a sea urchin." He was nice, he was funny, and he didn't suck. Besides, sea urchins are cool-looking.