Memory

6 - Back To School

The time had come. It was finally August, which meant it was time for school to start again. At first, she was worried that the school would not have opened back up, but the governor released a statement saying the schools could open up in the fall, as long as everyone wore masks.

Memory was excited. To see her friends again, new teachers, and see people's faces again. Well, half of their faces. The fact that they had to wear masks did not bother her though. She was just happy to see other people again. To finally get out of the house, even if it was to go to school.

The first thing she did when she got to her campus on the first day was to look for her friends. Going to where they normally sat, she searched across the cafeteria for them. Their usual table was empty, which concerned Memory. Then, she saw Ashlynn's long black hair sitting at a different table on the opposite side of the cafeteria. Sitting next to her was Maya on one side and Ian on the other.

Memory practically ran towards her friends. Ian saw her first before Maya did, and Ashlynn never turned around to look at her. Something was wrong, she could feel it, which made her slow down to a walk. Ian got up from his place at the table and walked up to her, stepping between her and Ashlynn.

"What is going on?" Memory whispered to Ian.

Ian looked down at his feet before responding, keeping his voice even with hers. He was usually so cheerful, but sadness covered his eyes. "Ashlynn's dad died yesterday to a severe case of Covid. She wasn't sure if she would come today, but her mom wanted her to."

Memory's heart dropped until it felt like it was in her gut. She knew that Ashlynn's dad had health issues, but this was much worse. Slowly, she walked to Ashlynn's side and gently placed her hand on her back. At her touch, Ashlynn jumped, but quickly calmed down when she saw that it was Memory. It looked like she had been crying a lot and had not gotten much sleep if any.

More and more people began showing up. Zac and Derrick arrived and began talking with Ian away from the group. It looked like they were in deep conversations. Maya stayed with Ashlynn, eventually joined by Teagan, while Memory went to fill in Devin since she was the last to arrive.

It was not long before first period started. It was hard to tell who everyone was with masks on. She had to go solely on role call to find out who was in all her classes.

As usual, Math was first. None of her friends were in that class with her; however, she recognized a few of her classmates' names that were called during role. The teacher was someone she did not expect to see. All of her Math teachers were older in the past, but this one was a lot younger.

"My name is Ms. Acre. I am new here so be nice to me, would ya? Now, I am going to let you guys do whatever it is you want to do. Sleep, draw, doodle, or play Solitaire. That is your choice. Do not disturb any of your classmates who do want to learn and you will not get on your phone. If I see you on it, even once, I will take it and you can have it back at the end of class. Does everybody understand?"

The class nodded, almost in unison, murmurs of agreement rippling across the students.

"Good. Now I will tell you a little bit about myself and then I will ask everyone to take out a piece of paper to answer some questions about yourself."

As Ms. Acre continued on and on about herself, Memory began daydreaming. It was not long before she heard movement and saw everyone grabbing pieces of paper out of their bags. She did the same and did the assignment. The class continued to drag on by.

Finally, first period ended and it was on to second period. Then the rest of the day followed. It felt never-ending to Memory. At lunch, the group was chatty, but it was because of Ashlynn that they were not themselves. It was so heartbreaking, knowing what had happened to her and her family.

Memory was in a better mood by the time seventh period came around. It was usually her favorite class of the day. Mostly because it was the last class of the day. This year, it was chemistry.

Immediately when she walked in, she noticed Derrick sitting with a few of his football buddies. She felt relieved that she had him in her class. This class was truly her favorite.

"I am Mr. Dunbar because I am done with teenagers. Thank the Lord mine are out of the house. I'm not your average, run-of-the-mill science teacher. I like to have fun, and that is why I went into chemistry. I'm about to be your favorite teacher." Mr. Dunbar had a farmer's tan and spoke with a slight southern accent. It was already hard not to like him.

Most of everyone was already outside when Derrick and Memory joined. They were waiting for their buses. Zac and Ian started teasing Derrick about something, but Memory could not overhear what they were saying. She assumed it was boys being boys. She joined Ashlynn, Devin, and Teagan away from the rowdy boys.

It was good to finally be back.