The Last Shot

Chemistry

Students filed into the doors of Westmond High longing to return to the leisure they had so suddenly had to leave behind them in exchange for the hours behind closed doors sitting in a cold classroom while taking in very little of what the teachers were saying.

Katlyn Silklyn, a pretty brunette with big brown eyes filled with pain from all of her disaterous relationships in which she had fallen hopelessly head over heals for a boy whom had treated her as if she were a wad of old chewing gum on the undersoles of their shoe rather than a princess they would do anything for, and a very fit body as she was one of Westmond High's head gymnasts.

Pulling up to the school, Katie couldn't wait for another good year on the gymnastic's team with her close friends Carson and Makayla. Katie had known Carson and Makayla since elementry school. It was the first day of school when all three of the girls were due to start first grade. Robert Silklyn and Angela Silklyn, Katie's mother and father, had decided to send her to a learning center for kindergarden rather than an elementary school.
When she had walked into her homeroom for the first time, Katie saw Carson, a beautiful girl with warm big brown eyes, naturally wavy brown hair, and glasses talking to a Latina with small dark eyes and black hair which flowed down to her hips. Beaming at Katie, the girls gestured for her to join them and the three of them had been friends ever since.

Reaching over to the passenger's seat, she picked up her backpack and put it onto her lap before unzipping it and extracting her schedule for the first trimester of school. Her first stop of the day was homeroom. Katie enjoyed homeroom very much as it gave her the opportunity to talk to her friends and hear what everybody had been up to over the summer before being forced to sit in a classroom the entire day learning things she would probably never actually apply to her everyday life once she had a steady job after college. That is, if she went to college. Ever since her last breakup, her latest heartbreak, Katie has been less motivated to get things done. It had been the longest relationship she had ever been in and had lasted for three years. Everything was perfect for the first two and a half years then suddenly, things had fallen apart when she had walked in on her boyfriend having a fivesome at a party a few weeks after school had ended. Ever since she walked in on that horrid sight, she had never been able to get it out of her head. Lie after lie.
"I'll never hurt you." He said
"I want to be with you forever." They all said. It was as if she was trapped in a maze and every way she turned led to another dead end.

Unfastening her seatbelt and opening the driver's side door, Katie got out of her car and shut the driver's side door before arming her car. Walking up a few steps to the front doors of the school, Katie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly before opening her eyes and putting her hand on the door and pulling it open.

There were already about twenty or so people in her homeroom which was her bandroom when Katie arrived.
"Hey Katie." Katie turned around and saw her friend Micheal standing there smiling.
"Hello Micheal." Katie said smiling back before hugging him. "I haven't seen you all summer!"
Micheal scratched his head before continuing the conversation.
"We went down to visit my older brother Eli in Nevada." "He's stationed there on business for airforce training." He said a look of concern on his face. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she comforted him.
"Don't worry about Eli." "He'll be okay." "He can stay in contact with family and friends can't he?" Katie asked as Micheal looked at her a smile breaking out upon his face.
"Yeah he calls us whenever he has the chance."
katie smiled.
"You'll see him for holidays as well and you can spend time with him then." "Eli will be okay."
Grinning broadly then turning a light shade of pink, he locked eyes with her.
"Thank you for all of that Katie." "I'm really close to my brother." "He was the person I would go to whenever I needed somebody to talk to."
"Of course Micheal." She hugged him then broke away as the homeroom teacher walked in.
Walking over to a wooden podium in the center of the band classroom, Mr. Ashlack the band teacher looked around at the class and started off with attendance.
"Parker." He said loud enough for all to hear as he looked around the room.
"Here." Mr. Ashlack crossed his name off on the attendance chart.
"Watson."
"Here."
Name after name was called and Katie was zoned out staring at the clock on the wall watched the minute hand make it's way slowly around.

"Silklyn."
Squinting at the clock, she was unaware that her name had been called.

"Silklyn." Mr. Ashlack called a little louder.

"Present." Katie called jolting back to reality.

"Evans."

Looking around the room to the person the band instructor had called upon, Katie's heart skipped a beat and her stomach seemed to tie itself in a knot as she was overcome with a swarm of butterflies which had filled her stomach the instant she laid eyes on the Evans boy whom she hadn't noticed before since he was sitting in a corner on the opposite side of the room listening to the dull conversation of the three girls in front of him.

Forgetting what she was doing, Katie continued to stare straight at Evans her mouth hanging slightly open. Meeting her eyes, the boy looked into them as a warmth seemed to fill his then he suddenly looked away blushing furiously.

As she made her way to her locker before she went to her first period of the day which was chemistry, the image of the blushing boy floated around Katie's head. She hastily pushed her backpack into her locker and went to take her chemistry notebook and folder from her backpack before closing her locker. Upon checking her phone to see how much time she had to get to the chemistry classroom, Katie realized she had twenty seconds. Sprinting down the hallway and to the other side of the campus, she made it to the chemistry classroom a few seconds after the bell had rung.

"You're late." Ms. Knutson, the chemistry teacher said dissaprovingly.
"Take your seat." She snapped as Katie opened her mouth to give a lame excuse. Embarrassed, Katie looked around the room and felt herself turn red. She walked over to the only open table where she sat right next to the Evans boy at the back of the classroom.
She looked down at her notebook and folder then felt the insides of the pockets of her denim shorts.
"Excuse me."
Katie blushed furiously before turning to the boy who was smiling broadly at her and holding a pen in his hand.
"It seems as if you need one." He held the pen out towards her inviting her to take it.
"You thank." Katie said turning even redder and taking the pen quickly before putting her head down embarrassed about the mistake she had just made.
"It's okay." He said running his fingers through her hair softly. She lifted her head up and their eyes met. Warmth flooded her entire body as he put his hand down on the table and she put hers in his. Looking deeply into her eyes, he held her hand tight then brought it to his lips and kissed it.

"Luke, Katie." Ms. Knutson said sharply. "Do I have to split you to up?"

"No mam." Luke said, a look of seriousness crept upon his face. "We are sorry about the disruption we have caused."

Her nostrils flaring, the chemistry teacher surveyed him.

"Very well then." She said her eyebrows furrowed. Walking back over to her desk and facing her students, Ms. Knutson continued. "Whoever is sitting next to you will be your lab partner for this trimester if not the year." Looking at the white board at the front of the room, Katie felt Luke wrap his hand around hers from beneath the table. Understanding dawned on her as she looked into his warm blue eyes. This was her one last shot.