Unforgotten Love

Chapter 2

~Kathrin's POV~
Bbrriiiinnnggggg!

The bell jolts me out of the focus I had placed on the teacher's lesson. I'm still not used to it's abruptness, even though I've been here for 4 years. I haven't really talked to anyone since the teacher asked me to speak on that first day. Sure, I've talked to some people if we've ever had a group project, but nobody really wants to carry on a conversation with me after the project is over. They don't even call out those cheesy, unoriginal nicknames anymore. It's like I'm invisible, a rock that get gets surrounded by water passing by through the creek. Thank God for small blessings, I guess. 

I get out of my seat as quickly as possible and grab my bag, ready to go to the gym for my PE class. Gym scares me. I don't know what it is with these kids, but if someone even whispers the word "dodgeball", they all go bonkers. More so than dogs over peanut butter. Every single last one of them. It's never changed, not since 2nd grade, nor 3rd, 4th, or 5th. I think the dodgeball obsession will last for a decade past 6th grade. I'm never picked to be a team leader, never picked first to be on a team, and almost always get away with not playing. I usually get to spend the time doing my homework, except for the rare occasion that I get hit by a ball. Or a frisbee. Or an insane child. 

I don't miss being homeschooled as much as I did when I started learning at this school. But I would give anything, anything, to actually have someone notice me enough to start a conversation for once. I'm so bored of just studying, turning my homework in before the school day ends, and going home to read even more books, or teaching myself to draw more flowers, or teaching myself to speak another language. 

I make it to the gym surprisingly quickly, considering the fact that I usually struggle to make it through these hallways that are always packed. Whoever I got my height from must have severely lost in their gene pool, because my brother - who is 2 years younger than me, no less - is a whole head taller than me. There's no way he won't be as tall as mom by the time he's my age, but dad is a giant. It'll take my brother at least 5 years to even get close to his height. 

So lost in thought, I don't realize until now that I've missed what the gym teacher said we're doing today. The thunder of 4 dozen feet around me is what calls me back to reality, combined with the excited cheers and yelling about who is going where. Oh, come on, I think to myself. Don't these people ever get tired of playing dodgeball? I try to get to the side of the gym as fast as I can, but it's too late. The gym teacher's whistle has sounded, and silence is restored to the room, but I know it's just barely restored. 

"After what happened last time we played," the teacher starts, "I'm putting all of you in equal teams. We're going to have an even number of people on each team, and we're going to play fair. No hoarding all of the dodgeballs," - at this, the teacher makes eye contact with a redhead that I've always seen, but never talked to. Which is fine by me, since he gives me the impression of being a troublemaker - "and no ganging up on one person for an entire game." the teacher finishes stating the rules while looking at a blonde girl with pin straight hair. 

I remember that girl. It's been a long time since I've seen her, but there's no mistaking that upturned nose, or that lopsided looking freckle at the corner of her left eye. She's the one who first called me "Katie-cat the Fraidy-cat" in 2nd grade, I think to myself. For a moment, I am lost in the suffocating loneliness I felt that day, but I'm not allowed to dwell on it as I hear the whistle blowing and directing each kid to one side of the gym or the other. Luckily, I'm not placed on that girls team. In another minute, the gym teacher's whistle blows again, and everyone around me runs towards the middle of the gym floor, where all of the balls are laid out in a haphazard line. I stay back, because I'm unathletic as far as these kids are concerned, and not in the mood to be the first one sitting on the sidelines today. Maybe I should try to get out first, though, I think, mostly tuning out the excited yells of everyone around me. I'd have a good deal of time to finish up that math assignment from earlier. I just have 7 problems left to finish.