After a summer of completing less than half of the things I had written for myself to do on my, 100 things to do before summer ends, bucket list, I woke up groggily at six thirty in the morning, to the blare of my seemingly soothing alarm sound. I went to hit snooze before realizing that today was relatively important on my internal scale of importance. There wasn't such a thing that didn't go on it.
"You getting up, Pip?" My father called from down the banister. I groaned and shoved my duvet over my head in an attempt to make myself into a burrito. I heard a chuckle sound from downstairs and a twinge in the stair boards as he started to climb them.
"School's an important part of your life, kiddo. Just think, in six hours you can come home and become a burrito again," He joked as he tried to peel the covers off of me. My father was an eccentric man. He worked for the International Archeology and Astronomy Society in the Astronomy division. We moved around quite a bit but it was good to be home again. We'd moved back last year and I had remade some connections with some old friends. We were peas in a pod again.
"Can't I just call in sick? We really, technically, don't do any learning on the first day," I asked him, my voice was muffled from the layers of cloth.
"You want to come fishing with me instead?" He asked. We lived in a small house right on the lake. It gave us access directly to the water so that the small fishing boat my father owned didn't have to be stored off in some marina.
"I'd rather just stay in bed," I told him, hoping that he'd let me.
"Then no can do, Pip. It's the fish or the sea monsters at school." He gave me a referendum. I could go out on the small boat, all day, cast a wire and wait for something to bite. Or I could go to school, where the sharks lived to bite our heads off. I realized that life was no fun unless you chased the bigger game and slowly sat up, at least I'd know I was doing something.
"That's my girl," He said and stood up. I could see now that he was dressed in a yellow raincoat and hat. His scruffy beard fit perfectly with my vision and definition of a fisherman.
"I'll go, but you owe me my ice cream. I better have it waiting for me in the freezer when I get home from that black hole," I reasoned with him as I stretched and walked into the bathroom to brush through my hair and wash my face. Fishing and space were the two things that my dad and I could really talk about. We knew quite a bit, and whenever we got the chance, a reference was bound to wind itself into the conversation.
"Deal. I'll bring you some fish too," He told me and I wrinkled my nose. The idea of eating the fish we caught didn't reside well in my brain. I wasn't a vegetarian but sometimes I wished I was. My father and I were pretty much the same person. We liked nature and the quiet of our life. We didn't feel the need to fill it with a mansion or three cars. I didn't own any designer duds, and would rather read a good book than gossip about the latest new boy or phone. I was simple, never needing more than I had, and I enjoyed it. I didn't have to think too much about worrying about what other people thought of me.
"Have fun on your trip," I said as he gathered a few key items and started towards the back door. He gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead before exiting. I watched him from the doorway as he stepped into the boat and started up the engine. We waved and then he was gone. I walked back into the kitchen to get my breakfast ready. I found a sticky note sticking on the counter when I arrived.
Pip, I packed a lunch for you just in case. Don't let those trouts get you down. - Dad
I laughed and picked up the note. In the fridge was a reusable lunch bag and inside was a sandwich, peppers and a few other snacks. This made me feel like I was in grade school where he would drive me on the first day. I put the note into the bag and took it out of the fridge. My rucksack was sitting open on one of the chairs and I stuck it in. After, I popped up some toast, slathered it with butter and jam and took it on a plate up to my room so that I could get ready.
I opted for a more comfortable look. I wasn't sure what to expect today and I certainly did not want to sit for six hours and be horribly uncomfortable. I threw on some cargo pants and a white t-shirt. I took out a pullover sweater just in case it was cold and then grabbed my shoes, brushed my teeth and swiped on some mascara. I rushed out the door, practically feeling as if I was late and hurled myself into the car. I almost forgot my bag.
Finding a parking spot was practically like finding your place in high school. Sometimes you thought that you had a spot but then you realized that it was really just a tiny car fooling you. Last year, I had had a hard time, not only fitting in with the old crowd, but also reestablishing my relationship with my two best friends. We had spent so much time apart that it was quite awkward when we had reunited. It had worked out in the end, just as I had found my parking spot—all the way as the back of the lot mind you—and we were great again, but at first it had been extremely hard.
I walked in just as the warning bells sounded and had to quickly scan my schedule before rushing off to first period, english. I hurried in behind a few other stragglers and spotted Kale sitting in front of an empty desk. When he saw me, he held up his hand and I gave him a high five before taking the seat.
"Hey, is French in this class?" I leaned forward as Kale leaned back to listen.
"She's suppose to be. How much do you want to bet she either doesn't come or comes in half way?" He asked me. A wicked smile crossed my face as we settled in for our lesson.
"Forty tokens says she'll come in within the next ten minutes." I held out my hand.
"You're on." We shook on it and for the next few moments, we stared motionless at the clock. I droned out the voice of my teacher, even though I knew I should be paying attention. But arcade tokens were far more valuable to me. With practically twenty seconds to go, a very rushed brunette ran through the door, her curly ringlets bouncing all around her face. She sent a quick apology to our teacher and took a seat next to me, exasperated.
"I'll pay you when we go this Friday," Kale grumbled sourly at the thought of losing with only twenty seconds to go. I smiled sweetly at him and then paid attention to the class. Ms Ellis was different, if not slightly odd. She knew her stuff, which was why I loved that I had her for a second time, and she understood my writing. People didn't like her because she was different and not quite like the easy going, careful and quiet teachers. She liked to tell stories and get off topic until you hadn't remembered quite where you were in Shakespeare's Macbeth. She was much like me in that sense.
"Psst, Maddy," Someone whispered from behind us. I didn't bother turning around to take a look at the person who so rudely was practically leaning over my shoulder. I knew that they would be talking about football and the upcoming season. Even though school had just started, football practice had been happening since the middle of summer. There was never an early enough time to start.
Kale was on the team, and had been since grade nine, as I had heard. His last name was Madison, but everyone on the team called him Maddy. I had no idea why, and most likely would never know. It would have most likely been the subject of an inside joke or bro code thing. Nonetheless, Kale turned around and they whispered for a while.
"Listen up, please! The bell's going to go in a few minutes and before your phones and friends swallow you up in all the drama that goes on in your virtual worlds, I want to tell you that we will be starting The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde tomorrow, so if you have a copy please bring it in!" Ms Ellis called out before waving her hands and dismissing us. We still had a few minutes before class was officially over but everyone gathered their things and poured out into the halls, eager to leave. I was excited at the fact that we were reading Dorian Gray, it was one of my absolute favourites.
"Elie!" Someone sang from behind me. I knew that voice, and I also knew that unless it was perpetually necessary, that I should avoid her at all costs. She sauntered up to Frances and I, perfectly put together for the first day of school. Kennedy Gray was our resident popular along with a few of her friends and the football team.
"Kennedy." I acknowledged her. After a few mishaps surrounding her last year, I had told myself that I would acknowledge her, not agree with her, but definitely not disagree. I had learned my lesson that you don't cross her, unless you want a miserable year. Technically half year in my instance.
"I'd love to see you come and try for the squad this year!" She told me chirpily. I sighed.
"You know that's not something that interests me, Kennedy," I said slowly. She pouted a bit, but with all the people around us, she didn't cause a scene for not getting her way.
"Well, if you change your mind, we could have a lot of fun, I know Francie does and I'm sure it would look great on your application for college," She told me as she placed a hand on my best friend's shoulder. As unfortunate as it was, I bet she was right about the college thing. She left shortly after, typing away on her phone, with a gaggle of friends trailing behind her.
"How do you stand her at practice?" I asked Frances, watching the head cheerleader disappear down the next hallway.
"You know, I ask myself the same thing every time I put on that uniform." She stood beside me. The bell rang and the halls became a school of fish, darting everywhere, and swimming in hordes. The amount of analogies I could make were endless.
{any Dorian Gray fans?}