No One Like Violet

Chapter 2

"Eli Walker!"

Crap.

"I, uh, 8?" I stutter, sitting up straight at my desk once more. The class erupts in mocking laughter and my cheeks go warm immediately.

"Unfortunately, 8 is not the answer, because there was no question. I suggest you start taking notes instead of visiting dreamland during class," Mrs. Heiner scolds me, turning around to continue scribbling words on the board.

I sigh loudly, picking up my pencil and twirling it in between my fingers, annoyed. Not with Mrs. Heiner, not with this stupid science class, but myself. It was the third time I had zoned out today, and it was really embarrassing. It wasn't my fault though -- it just happened. It's hard to pay attention correctly when there's a mystery at hand. That mystery was Violet Greene.

Rumor had gone around that Violet had introduced herself to every single person in Everside High School, and to be honest, I entirely believed it. After her scene on the bus this morning, it was hard to believe that she wouldn't do that.

"We are going to be quizzing each other on the notes you should have been taking today," Mrs. Heiner states. A few kids immediately turn to one another and I roll my eyes. Great. I have no friends in this class. At least this is the last period of the day. I glance at the clock, and silently fist bump myself when I realize we have 20 minutes left of class.

"...because a few of you are obviously still asleep," she finishes, flashing the famous I'm-talking-about-you-and-I-hope-you-realize-it look in my direction that all teachers in the universe seemed to have mastered. I look away from her knowing gaze and she dismisses us to get to our partnering.

Then the door swings open.

It bumps against the wall with a loud clang, causing me to almost fall out of my chair. I hear a few gasps but my attention is focused on the brunette standing in the doorway, books stacked in her arms.

"Hello," she smiles, walking calmly towards the teacher's desk like she didn't just interrupt any study sessions going on. I can feel everyone's eyes glued on her, staring in awe. Including mine.

"Violet Greene." Mrs. Heiner clears her throat, standing from her desk. "You're late. Very late."

"They invented clocks for a reason!" a voice pipes up from the back. Laughter explodes through the classroom but Violet doesn't seem to care. She's laughing with them. I feel my hands clench into fists, but I know I would never be able to defend Violet against that jock. I would be history.

"Silence," Mrs. Heiner snaps sharply as she walks around her desk to place her hands on Violet's shoulders. The click of her high heels comes to an eerie stop as she stands behind the girl, who is still cracking up. I can feel everyone's quiet urge to whisper to one another but they are afraid of Mrs. Heiner's bark. Who isn't?

Violet. Right, sorry.

"Class... Violet Greene," the teacher says, annoyance laced in her words. "I'm sure you've all heard of her already," she mumbles under her breath, removing her hands from the laughing girl's shoulders. Violet stops her fit of laughter, scans the silent room, finds me, and our eyes meet.

"Eli!" she exclaims, obviously excited to find her.. friend? I slouch down in my chair, my cheeks probably as red as one of those really spicy and hot Doritos. By the way, they taste REALLY spicy... Don't have one. Just a tip.

"Hi," I mumble as the snickering and whispering behind me grows louder. Mrs. Heiner rolls her eyes and drags herself back to her desk, pinching the bridge of her nose as she throws herself into her chair. Violet rushes to my desk and places all her stuff on it.

"Yeah, okay, make yourself at home," I stutter out, surprised by her sudden action. She flashes a blinding white-toothed grin at me as she settles down, and I am momentarily stunned. If you could have plastic surgery done on your teeth, that's what they would look like.

Wait.. Can you have plastic surgery on your teeth?

Violet suddenly laughs, making me jump in my seat. She smacks her knee just to show how funny whatever she's laughing about is before turning to me. "Eli Walker, you're hilarious!" she comments, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

What?

"I.. Um... Didn't even say anything... But... Uh... Thanks?" I choke out, confused by her outburst. She shakes her head as if I'm a naive child and places a hand on my shoulder.

"It's genetics, I suppose," she states confidently. I wriggle away from her touch and sit at the edge of my chair, utterly confused. I raise an eyebrow at her as she picks up my notebook to read my notes.

"Um.. What is?" I ask, thinking of taking back my notebook, but deciding against it.

"The whiteness of my teeth."

Wow.

"How.. How did you..?" I question, and she shushes me. This chick is totally bonkers. She literally just read my mind, and now expects me to be quiet?

She points to a note on the paper, glancing at me to make sure I see it. "Actually, only the plant cell has a cell wall. The animal cell has a cell membrane, while the plant cell has both."

"Oh.. Okay, thanks," I manage to say, picking up my pencil and scrubbing the eraser on my incorrect words as hard as I can. She watches me in amusement, the corners of her lips turned up slightly. I look away from her and swipe the eraser shavings off my desk.

"Have you ever wondered how many of those tiny pieces of eraser shavings it would take to fill the Grand Canyon?" she asks. I stop writing and look at her.

"Not... Really." I say. She picks up one of the pink rubber pieces off the ground and studies it, placing it between her pointer finger and thumb. I stare at her as she continues.

"It's a very interesting question, but it would take a long time to figure out, don't you think?" she asks, looking at me. Directly in my eyes.

And my Dorito cheeks return. I avert my gaze immediately, but I can still feel her strange violet colored eyes boring into the top of my head.

"I guess," I murmur, writing in my corrected note. Plant cells have cell walls, animal cells don't.

"You should meet my parents sometime. They'd love you," she says, ending the awkward silence that had lasted for about two minutes. I look at her and she looks back at me, and I can tell she is completely serious. I nod, blinking a few times. "Sure," I finally say, and she blinds me with another one of her smiles.

"Great!" she exclaims, standing from her desk just as the bell rings. Like, at the exact same time. I stand too, gathering my belongings. "How about today?"

I stop. "Today?" I repeat. She nods. Great.

"Yeah, that's, uh, cool," I confirm. She smiles again giddily. "Awesome!" she shrieks. Then she rushes out of the room.

"Wait! What time?" I call after her, but she is already swallowed by the crowd of high schoolers rushing out of the school building. Fantastic!

I don't even have her number or anything to ask. She's lost forever. Now I just have to show up at some random time, I think to myself as I rummage through my locker to collect my homework. What if I show up when they are eating dinner and I have to come back later? Geez, those situations are always weird. I swing my bag over my shoulder, slam my locker door, and begin walking down the hallway, thoughts swirling in my mind. What should I wear? What should I say if her parents open the door? Hi, I'm Eli, your daughter's friend? Peer? Fellow student? Neighbor?

"Eli! Eli Walker!" a voice yells from behind me. I spin around to see Mrs. Heiner waving for me to come over.

And for probably the fifth time today, the only word on my mind is crap.