First Period

A Chapter by Mason

Second Chapter...

Alexa found a desk on the far end of the classroom from where the door was. It was neither too close to the front, nor too far from it; to her, it was just right. She sat with her chin resting on the palm of her left hand while her teacher called out names to ensure that everyone was present. When she got to Alexa's name on the list, Alexa threw her arms in the air and cried out, "Hee-yur!" causing anyone in the class who wasn't half-dead to start laughing. Her teacher didn't appreciate it, however, and made certain that Alexa became aware of that fact.

"Thank you," the teacher said sourly, "but next time, a simple "present" will suffice." Sensing the teacher's dislike, Alexa rebutted wittily.

"Well," Alexa said in a very serious, but mocking, tone, "I wouldn't have the slightest idea what you would like for a present." The teacher's expression twinged with anger as the same students--and a few others who only awoke from their morning daze to satisfy their curiosity--tried to hold themselves back from bursting out into laughter.

"A troublemaker, I see," she said, trying to remain calm, "I'll keep that in mind." A hush fell over the crowd of students as the teacher loudly cleared her throat before resuming with roll call.

Alexa smiled, and returned to her original position for the rest of the class period, feeling triumphant. This was going to be her math class and her math teacher for the rest of the year, but Alexa wasn't bothered by it. She has a history of getting along poorly with her math teachers. Math was never a subject she particularly liked as she found it difficult to grasp the concepts. Karen is the opposite; skilled at math and science, while Alexa is gifted in artistic elements. They don't clash on any level, as their lack of talent in a certain subject causes them to admire their counterpart's ability in that subject.

Karen is often tutoring Alexa and helping her with her math and science homework. Since Karen isn't skilled at artistic things, she tends to avoid taking any such classes because they're optional, unlike math and science, and so Alexa is left feeling somewhat useless. Though, Karen insists that it's okay, since Alexa makes her laugh.

Karen's first period class was math, as well. A different math class than Alexa's though, since Karen took gifted classes. In fact, all of her favorite classes occurred at the beginning of the day. She wasn't exactly sure what to make of this. If she has these classes now, will the concepts be buzzing through her mind during the rest of her class periods, jeopardizing her concentration? If they all happened at the end of the day, though, she would probably be too anxious during her first few periods to pay attention as well. She shook her head, erasing the thoughts from her mind.

"Whatever happens, happens," she thought, reminding herself. Karen heard her name being called and looked towards where it was coming from. It was just the teacher...the teacher!

"Oh...uh...here!" she fumbled with her words, having just come out of her daze. She could here the faint laughs coming from a few students, as well as the teacher himself. She was a little embarrassed. She started to wish Alexa was there with her. She never felt embarrassed about anything when Alexa was with her.

Karen rested her chin on the palm of her right hand, looking out the window and admiring the trees and flowers, as well as the birds and insects. Today was the only day that she would be able to appreciate it. The first day of the school year is the same for every teacher. They go over the syllabus and their expectations; such as how they expect you to pay attention to them when they're going over these things. Pfft, as if.

Karen didn't resemble the kind of person that people usually associate with good grades. She dressed very casually, and she always seemed so calm and peaceful; or chill as some might say. She lacked nothing in style or grace; quite the contrary, in fact. She simply preferred to be silent and kept her thoughts as just that; thoughts, not words. The only way to read her is through her actions, provided that you can even get her to act at all. The only person that can accomplish that would be Alexa, of course.

People often wonder why Alexa and Karen get along so well. The simple answer is that they complement each other well. In whatever ways they are dissimilar, they can compromise, as you know. However in the ways they are alike, they find great connections. For example, they both love to dance, and they dance very well. Karen is a well-tempered dancer, and so is Alexa, surprisingly. They're especially excited for this year of high school because they are now juniors and can attend the prom.

They've endured the temptation for years. The middle school that they went to had something like a dance, but it was terrible. The high school that they're currently attending hosts a dance for freshmen and sophomores; constantly renaming it and building it up, but rarely anyone ever shows up. Alexa and Karen tried to find someone to go with, but, luckily, they couldn't. They swore to each other, before the Summer Break, that they would find someone to go to prom with. In fact, they pinky swore, and, to them, that was something of utmost importance.

Karen heard a noise. "Psst!" She turned to the guy in front of her. He was holding a series of pages that were stapled together. She grabbed it from him and looked at the top of the front page. It was titled "Syllabus." Karen raised and lowered her shoulders in accordance to how she inhaled and released a sigh. Her gaze returned to the scene outside the window. A poem that Alexa had once written entered her mind, and she recited it in her head.

"Lying just beyond this wall of glass,

Is a beautiful, magnanimous world.

It's such a fragile barrier.

It would take little effort

To breach the intellectual sanctity

Of its carefully crafted structure,

And immerse oneself in the spirituality of nature."

A smile made itself nearly visible as her eyes squinted slightly. She was happy.

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