Chapter Eleven: Manny
"Okay everyone take out a piece of paper." Henderson all but yelled. Dropping the tattered brown briefcase on his desk. His teal pocket square is impeccable as always. His usual smirk is missing as his unnaturally white teeth said hello.
"Someone had a good night." The unfamiliar voice spoke up next to me. In the two weeks of school, we have done nothing with our advisory partners so I had no reason to speak to the quiet boy next to me. Not that he seemed to care. Each day a book was clenched firmly in hand and he was often too engulfed to talk. I didn't mind.
"Now I want you to write two interesting facts about yourself. Once you are done crumble the paper up." Taking a long pull from his travel mug Henderson sat back looking exceptionally pleased with himself.
I have always hated icebreakers especially the ones that require you to list interesting facts about yourself. What does one consider interesting? These exercises always make me feel as though I am the most uninteresting person on the face of the earth. I'm an only child and my hobbies include blending in and watching reality television. I thought the point of icebreakers are to get to know other people not make me feel as though I needed to get a life. Oh, I can eat a double cheeseburger in less than two minutes, does that count as an interesting fact? Probably not.
Settling on two completely random facts I crumble the paper and wait for a still humming Henderson to give us further instructions. Writing his name on the board he underlined it three times before drawing an exclamation point next to it. Touching his dark hair he faces the class still smiling brightly.
"Let's move these desks out of the way! Leave enough room in the center." It is too early for all of this. Doing as we are told we all stand in the center of the classroom pieces of paper in hand. "When I say launch you're all going to throw your papers into the center."
"Ready. Set. Launch!" The pieces of paper landed in the center as Henderson cheered loudly. This man has to be missing out on something in life. There is no way this is making him as happy as it seems to be.
"Snowball fight!" He screams as the last view papers hit the floor. "Now grab a paper and we'll go around the circle reading them. We'll guess who is who."
I don't think Henderson thought this through. We knew nothing about each other and reading random facts about each other is not going to change that. Four pieces of paper in and all of our guesses are wrong. Some of these people actually have really interesting facts. One girl's interesting fact was that she's a triplet. One of the guys has broken five bones in the last eight months all on separate occasions. Although the game started out terrible it is actually intriguing.
Henderson asked questions whenever he found a fact very impressive. It often resulted in a story and I hate to admit it but I'm actually enjoying homeroom today.
"Okay, the last one before class ends. Manuela I believe it your turn the read." Unraveling the crumpled paper I try to smooth it out. Black ink and connecting words scribbled haphazardly across the paper.
" I have different colored eyes and I have read more than two hundred books in the last year." I read. Everyone looks around trying to see who had different colored eyes. That's a trait that should be easy to spot. Yelling out guesses everyone points to the various people. Each shaking their heads.
"Anymore guesses before we have the person reveal themselves?" Henderson asks. Looking around the circle eyes connecting with my advisory partner I try to get a good look at his eyes. He's too far for me to notice them completely.
"I think it's him." I point. Folding his arms he looks at me the corner of his mouth turned up softly. He's still holding his book so it just makes sense.
"Well, Enzo is it true?" Henderson ask.
"Yeah, that's me." Henderson looks as though he just discovered the cure to cancer. Staring at Enzo he looks as though he were trying to find the right words to use. As though he already knew the coming questions Enzo strode to the center of the circle. Getting a good look at him the entire class seems to be staring and he is unfazed as though being on display is normal. His eyes are blue, the color stands out against his dark skin but what is the other color?
"I have one brown eye and one blue eye. This one-" Pointing to his right eye " is a blue contact."
"Fascinating and what about the books?" Henderson asked but the bell interrupts and for the first time in two weeks I'm actually sad to see homeroom come to an end. Quickly fixing the classroom back everyone exits leaving Henderson to his humming.
"You pay attention," Enzo said pushing the desk closest to the door back.
"Uh yeah, I guess I do."
"It's a good trait to have." This is the most he has said to me in the last two weeks. However, his timing is kind of terrible I need to get out of this class now if I'm going to make it in time.
"Some people don't think so."
"I do. See you later." Weird.
Checking the time I pushed through the small crowd forming by the door. Throwing an apology over my shoulder I try to get to the boys' locker room before Nile got out. Today he was going to find out if he made the team. I couldn't make it to his try-out but I wanted to be there after he finds out.
Why do people not move out of the way when they see others walking? If you're just standing in the way taking up space at least have common decency and move. The guys' locker room is on the lower level and unfortunately, only one staircase led to that side of the building.
"I'm sorry." yelling at the girl whose books I nearly sent flying I continue my trek. To an outsider, I must appear as though I'm trying not to be late to my class. Unfortunately, my class is on the complete opposite side of the school and on the third floor. Gripping the rail I race down the stairs praying my tractionless flats don't embarrass me. This has to count as my cardio for the day. Finally, I just need to turn the corner and I'd be there. Fighting the urge to stop I push forward.
" Nile! Congratulations." Hand on his forearm, ponytail moving as she jumped around Sasha stood with the rest of the cheerleading squad by the locker doors. The guys were walking each bearing a different expression. It was easy to tell who made it and who didn't. Staring at the door, still catching my breath I bit back the laughter.
"I'm not Nile." Jake said moving back. Gear in hand he looks at the line of girls smiling at him before seeing me.
"She always like that?" Pointing his stick at an already recovered Sasha he stood next to me.
"So, identity issues forgotten is she right about congratulations?" Holding the hockey stick up proudly he nods.
" CONGRATULATIONS!" The octave a little too loud earns me glares from the cheer squad but I can careless. I know how hard he worked to get on the team. Thanks to Lex I knew how much he wanted this, it was his sense of normalcy. As much as Nile's life has been turned upside down in the past year, so has Jake's.
"Man I'm happy." The smile on his face supports his words. His mouth moving a mile a minute he continues to talk about how excited he is for the season. Although hockey season is short the coaches definitely made up for it.
"You tell Lex yet?" I ask.
"Nah, picking her up after class." Listening I try not to make my lack of attention to noticeable. Focusing on the grey doors I watch as the rest of the guys continued to flow out. Sasha cheered whenever she saw a smile and stayed quiet when she didn't. You have to give the girl credit being a fan took a special kind of dedication. One that I didn't have before this summer. Each time a guy walked out the butterflies in my stomach would flutter only to crash each time it wasn't him. Seriously, one person should not be able to make you feel like this.
" Okay, since he apparently died in there, did Nile make the team?" Shrugging Jake smiled down at me before turning his attention to one of the guys congratulating him. What is he here for if he can't even provide me with useful information? "Seriously where is he?"
"Coach is talking to him." He threw over his shoulder clearly amused. " Wait a minute puri don't you have class?"
"I hate that name." Laughing he snaps a picture of me. Vibrating in my back pocket my text tone goes off. Puri gone bad. It read accompanied by the picture he just took. He sent it to the group chat we created over the summer.
Manuela Marie r u skipping class?- Lex.
"I don't know if I've told you this lately but I hate you." Hand over his heart he stumbles backward before laughing. Replying to Lex the two continued the conversation in the chat. Each placing bets on what "Puri" would do next. I need new people in my life. What would the universe give me if I trade these two in?
The last few people trickled out of the locker room. Some stopped to acknowledge the girls standing by waiting and others bypassing them completely. I think cheerleaders get a bad rep. Watching as they celebrated with some of the guys I almost missed Nile slipping out of the locker room. Gripping the strap of his gym bag tighter he looked at the older man in front of him. Bumping my shoulder Jake smiles. What's going on?
"I need your decision tomorrow okay?"
"Yeah, thanks, coach." Shaking his hand Nile turned on his heels. Sasha's hand shoots out stopping him before he could get too far. Eyes wide and stance defensive Nile takes a step back.
"Did you make it?" She asks. His face gave nothing away.
"Uh yeah." His hand graze the back of his head right where his scar is. She continued to talk to him and he nodded politely. His face is still unreadable as he listened to her. Jake's eyes moved from the two to me and then back.
"Bro, your girl's here," Jake says more to Sasha than to Nile. Turning his attention to us his eyes find mine coaxing a smile out of me. Sasha doesn't stop talking but it's already too late as Nile makes his way over to me. Planting his lips on my cheek he kisses me. To most, the small gesture would seem childish or just a polite greeting but everything with Nile had meaning.
"Well, she answered my question." Looking down at the bag he dropped at his feet the feeling of disappointment settled in. Well, that was anticlimactic. For some reason, Sasha asking him took away a moment I didn't know I wanted. Do I always sound so stupid?
"I'll see you guys later," Jake says before heading off leaving Nile and me in the hallway. Once bustling with sound it has been reduced to quiet conversations. Only a few people lingered by the locker room.
"Ask me."
"Why? She already did and I know that you made it. Congratulations by the way. I probably should have led with that instead right. You have to be excited. I'm so proud of you but why'd you take so long to come out of the locker room? What was coach talking to you about?" Shifting. "I saw you touch your head are you okay?"
"Ask me again."
"Why I-
"Baby, ask me." His voice softer than normal, eyes bright with determination held me in place. It was completely cretinous, it was just a question. Knowing he wouldn't drop the subject I give in.
"Did you make the team?" Looking everywhere but at him, I try to shove down how
doltish I feel.
"Hell yeah" Drawing out each syllable he cages me in his arms. The infectious smile was hard to ignore. How could you not celebrate with him? The ground is no longer under my feet laughter spilling out of my mouth. I didn't care that there were people watching. There was no time to be self-conscious as he kissed me before putting me back down. The short kiss still succeeding in sending shivers up my spine.
"I mean I knew that." I try to play it off.
"You make all the difference. You get that right ?" How was he able to go from being completely playful to serious so quickly? The words hit me. Everything with Nile has meaning and I didn't have to question his words. Nodding I step back needing the space.
"Wait what was coach talking to you about?"
Touching the scar yet again "he wants me to be captain."