The Mystery Fighter II

The Mystery Fighter II (2)

The school's front yard filled with the hollering and cheering of the students on the bus returning from what I could only assume was a soccer game. Their loud and excited voices were cutting through the silence from recess, making my earlier relaxed stance, with my back and head against the smooth surface of a Red Maple tree, tense up. I reluctantly opened my eyes as irritation steadily rose, overpowering the moment of peace I felt only a moment ago. I had a clear view of the steady stream of annoyingly excited soccer players and cheerleaders unloading from the bus.

Why, oh why did they have to return so soon?

I snorted at myself. Why did they have to return at all?

During the time they had been gone that morning, school had seemed more manageable. I didn't know if it was their never-ending loud voices, or maybe even just their obnoxious presence: whatever it was, it never seemed to allow me to completely get through school as smoothly as I liked.

Especially now that two people knew.

That's two people too many knowing my secret. Well, part of it.

A feminine figure separated from the crowd of students and made her way toward where I sat. Her blue cheerleader outfit fit her snugly around the waist and the skirt reached her mid thigh, as did all the others. Her short, pixie hair was styled away from her face with the help of several hairpins, and what I could only assume was a buck load of hairspray and glitter. It was ridiculous.

Before I could look away, I noticed another figure appear in my peripheral vision. He emerged a couple of feet away from my tree and headed in the direction of the pixie-haired girl. I had met her in the hallway not too many weeks before, I realized as the boy gestured excitedly to her outfit. This was the same duo that had approached and asked me to join them for lunch.

An offer I had of course declined.

I could hear their excited voices. However, because of the music blasting through my earplugs, I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I changed the song to one with a heavier bass and more drums, also turning up the volume to tune their voices out completely.

Looking down at the Chemistry book on my lap, I sighed. Of course, I had postponed studying to the day before the Chemistry test. Although I somewhat liked math; chemistry, more often than not, always seemed to confuse me. Even now, after going through every chapter we'd focused on in class since I had gotten here, I had trouble remembering what I read just a couple of pages before.

I took a deep breath as I felt the steady rise of frustration bubble up inside me. When my mind wasn't occupied trying to figure out the reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, it automatically drifted over to Celine. Was she safe? Was she making friends, or was she still getting pushed around by that Sam kid.

I shook my head, ridding myself of the paranoid thoughts and wonderings. This overly protective mom instinct has gotten out of control after the motorcycle trip to the end of the city yesterday -- when Celine had claimed someone was watching her. However, as we rode back home, driving over the ridiculously low speed limits, I saw no signs of vessels anywhere near the forest path we had taken.

"Mind if we sit here?"

I looked up at the pair; the pixie-haired cheerleader and the green-eyed boy I remembered from math -- the one who had made me bump my already bruised abdomen into my desk after class a week or so ago.

I wasn't in any hurry to let them join me under the Red Maple tree, nor did I want their presence to disturb my already distracted mind. However, the schoolyard was a free place; I had no right to decline.