Edison

Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Predicting Earthquakes (October)- Edison

After the first disastrous day, I came home and went straight to bed. No homework. No talking. No dinner. The adrenaline drained out of me. I slept--no, crashed—in my bed without a single thought. Mom and Dad must have known how bad it would be, because they didn't wake me or try to coax me out of my room.

Images of the school map, bright lights forming constellations, laughter, metal clanging, trays clattering, shiny trophies, girls in pink tank tops chewing on pink gum, and boys with long hair sleeping on desks swirled through my dreams, but my mind could not make sense of it. A computer overloaded with data shuts down. I had no way to define and sort, to assimilate. There was no order to the chaos. No mathematical formula that could explain what to wear, who to talk to (or avoid), how to make friends. If I was in space, on the outer reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, I could still find my way back to Earth by looking at the alignment of the stars and planets nearby. But in school, I was completely lost; it was unchartered territory in my universe.

I woke up in my dark bedroom, feeling no better than I had when I went down. A headache caused a dull throbbing sensation behind my eyes. Despite my deep slumber, I felt groggy and disoriented. My school clothes, which I hadn't bothered to take off before plunging into my bed, were wrinkled and foul. The clock on my nightstand displayed the time in bright blue; it was time to get ready for school again. There was a part of me that wanted to pull the covers over my head and stay home. I would admit to my parents that I hated school, and they would forgive me for my temporary insanity and help me patch things up with Dr. Freitag.

Life would go back to normal. I would return to my lessons and my research, my days filled with visits to Al's house, video games and physics homework. My parents and I would play Scrabble in the evenings and visit museums on the weekends. Everything would be calm and predictable again. Safe.

I didn't need high school. I didn't need new friends. I wasn't going back.

The decision to return to homeschooling lifted a burden off my shoulders that I hadn't known was there. I threw back the covers and walked to the bathroom, eager to wash off the nightmare of the previous day.

Mom was already awake when I arrived downstairs, the scent of tea instead of her usual cup of coffee filling the living room as she read her book. "Good morning, sweetie! Are you feeling better? You were so tired yesterday that I didn't get to talk to you about your first day." She set her mug down on the side table.

"Morning. I'm fine. I was just tired." I stood before her, not sure how to announce my decision. Would she be disappointed? Relieved?

"Well, let's go to the kitchen. I'll make you something to eat while you tell me about school."

I followed her to the kitchen, practicing the words in my head. Mom, I don't want to go back. It sucks. You were right. I'm sorry. School is for losers. Don't make me go back to high school. I would rather study with Dr. Freitag than worry about getting beat up or made fun of every second of the day.

Mom had brought her tea with her and took sips in between asking me questions. "Well, what was it like? Did you meet anyone? Did you like your classes?"

"It's...different than I expected." I sat on my bar stool and rested my arms on the counter. "It's like...chaotic. There are people everywhere, and everyone seems to know what's going on but me. My classes are fine, they're easy, but the rest of it is really hard. I didn't know what to say to the other kids."

Mom turned away from the stove and walked over to the counter. She placed her hands over mine and gave them a squeeze. "I know how you feel, Edison. You want to quit, don't you?"