Just One Drop (39 page)

Second hour I’m sitting in English Comp III thinking about how this room didn’t make it when they were going for kids being proud of school. The prison cell gray cinder block walls have two windows that look out over the dumpsters. I see the secretary sneak out and huddle behind one of the dumpsters having a smoke, totally breaking the no tolerance rule. I turn my attention back to class when I notice everyone is whispering like a swarm of bees. Gossip. It is impossible not to turn my head and see what everyone is talking about. She is the hottest girl that has graced my school’s hallways since Allison Chambers, class of 2009. Now
that
girl was hot.

Julie Tidsdale, the one girl that drove most everyone crazy, is sitting directly in front of me. Julie is the queen of girls at school, and you can almost see her back arch and her fangs come out as she notices the girl that walks in. Mrs. Horn comes over and introduces the class to Prudence Phelan.

“Please call me Pru.” Her gray eyes look confident as she stands there in front of the class for everyone to gawk at. The curves of her body not hidden under the navy blue baby-tee, it just so happens to make her red hair look amazing. Her voice, oh man her voice is incredibly sexy, husky but not in a boy way. I knew at that moment what my dad meant when he said a girl that has everything you could ever dream of was trouble… and
trouble
just walked into my English Comp III class.

My next class is US History, my least favorite subject. The teacher is new to the school and looks just like Jack Black. Actually, he looks so much like him I practically died waiting for him to talk. Sadly, he isn’t J.B., I think to myself. He has the most monotone voice I’ve ever heard in my life. My brain is fading in and out and I struggle my best not to fall asleep.

The woods were so thick, I could hear them gaining on me. She kept telling me to go left and once I hit the clearing skirt around the edges to the right for about 30 feet and head back into the woods. A hiking trail is there so it will be easier to gain speed. I was getting hot but I had to keep going. I lost them at the clearing so that gave me a little time. I heard a warning shot, I knew it was a ploy though there were three of them and the one with the gun went another direction. I could hear the brush moving behind me so I knew the guy with the bow was back there. Her voice, I heard it again (in my head),
Run! There is a cave close to where you are.
She was talking but I could see the image of what she was telling me. It sounded just like Pru. Damn, the devil’s thorn was thick and growing over the path, I knew I was bleeding but I couldn’t stop yet. That voice again,
hurry, get in the cave, they won’t see it, you’ll be safe. I’ll be there soon. Don’t move.
I jumped over two fallen trees and climbed into the cave just in time to hear the hunter stop, I peered out, he didn’t see me… but I took a mental picture so I’d remember his face. I lay down, the ground was cool and I was so hot. I needed water.

I feel someone shaking me, I jump sitting straight up. “Whoa! What the?” I turn to see everyone looking at me. I hate it when I fall asleep in class. Thankfully I didn’t drool all over myself.

During lunch, I see Julie trying to take pictures of her and Pru. I notice Julie is the only one making the kissy face, Pru looks bored out of her mind, which I admire. Every time I look in their direction, Julie has her arm stretched out as far as it will go taking self portraits. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the point. I mean seriously, is it really necessary to document your look, minute by minute?

Girls in high school have their own set of rules. One, keep track of the competition, from what she wears to who she knows. Two, what does she drive? Three, who has she done? Four, who are her parents? The list goes on and on. Guys, well we don’t get that deep, we just want to know what’s for lunch? I’m not what you’d call the ladies man, sad but true. I haven’t had a steady girlfriend since eighth grade and I’m not totally sure if two weeks is considered a steady relationship. Our school is so small that we are environmentally friendly, relationships are frequently recycled yet Julie Tidsdale isn’t worth recycling to me.

“Hey Shane, did you see Julie trying to get the new girl to be her new bestie?” I say as I shove a French fry in my mouth.

“She’s just dumb, I can’t stand that girl. I can’t believe I’m friends with someone that had their lips on that pain in the ass,” Shane says as he digs frantically through his backpack. He pulls out permission slips for his home economics class.

“Being you’re the only guy in school who hasn’t made out with her, don’t hate. It was eighth grade; I’ve raised my standards since then. Is that a home ec slip?” I ask pointing at the paper in his hand.

“Oh,
don’t hate
Abe, I’m sure not taking cooking classes from my mom, if you know what I mean?” Shane says as he laughs to himself.

Even though I agree with him about his mom’s cooking, I’m not going to admit to it. “I’ll see you at the meeting. I’ve got to stop by my locker before math so I’ll catch you on the flip side.”

The rest of the day is full of the same crap every day is filled with. By the end of the day, every guy had taken a pic of Pru’s assets and shared it with all of their friends; their friends shared it with theirs and so on and so on. Everyone had the nerve to sneak a pic, except me. I luckily have friends that feel it their personal responsibility to make sure I have copies of the pics too.

Where to find Devyn Dawson Books

http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Kilkenny-ebook/dp/B0055JCFDQ

http://www.devyndawson.com/