Jekyll and Hyde (That '70s Show)

chapter 11 (stolen car)

SONG: I'll Be Your Mirror by The Velvet Underground

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Okay, Ida thought to herself, November 11, 1918. World War I ends. January 30, 1933. Hitler appointed German chancellor. September 1, 1939. World War II begins with the German invasion of Poland. September 17, 1939. Soviet Union invades Poland. Sept-

'Hey.'

Ida looked up from her huge stack of notes that was now coming to be taller than her. Across the table stood Amy, holding her own books. 'Hi,' Ida replied and then went back to reading.

'Mind if I sit down here?' Amy asked, motioning to the free chair.

The library was literally empty besides the librarian and one more kid who sat at a table next to the one Ida was sitting at, looking at pictures in an encyclopedia and leaning back and forth like a madman. Ida thought that he was probably on drugs or something. She shrugged. 'Yea, sure, I guess.'

'Thanks.'

Ida watched from the corner of her eye as Amy sat down and opened her own history textbook and started underlining something with a pencil. Deciding to take a short break, she asked, 'Are you nervous about the test?'

Amy shrugged. 'Not really. My grandpa fought in the Second World War so I grew up knowing everything about it from Poland to Dresden. I can even cite Churchill's 'We Shall Fight on the Beaches' speech.'

'Wow,' Ida said, feeling a bit impressed but also jealous. Why couldn't her grandpa be a WW2 veteran instead of WW1?

'But I'll tell you, I am worried about math and biology,' Amy continued. 'Man, I've been studying for that non stop the past few days. Last time I slept was on Tuesday... and it's Thursday now.'

Their teachers went a bit insane and gave them three tests for next week, first one being history on Monday, and then math on Wednesday and biology on Thursday. Ida didn't know if it was an accident or if they actually wanted to drive them insane, but whatever it was, she felt oddly tempted to start a revolution against all educational systems.

She frowned. 'How are you not tired?'

Amy turned a page of the book. 'I've been taking naps throughout the day. For example, in P.E., I asked to go to the bathroom but instead of going, I just fell asleep in the locker room. Twenty minutes is really all you need to get back on track. And also, I've been taking these.' She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small pill bottle.

'What are those?' Ida asked curiously and then lowered her voice, 'Are you taking drugs to stay awake?'

The librarian didn't hear them but the kid that was looking at the encyclopedia did and he looked over at them. 'Drugs?' He said out loudly.

'Shh!' The librarian screeched and then went back to reading.

Amy rolled her eyes. 'No, I am not taking drugs for Christ's sake, Ida. Seriously?' She extended her hand so Ida could take a better look at the bottle. 'It's caffeine pills. Just like coffee but in a more convenient form and I found they work much better.'

Ida cautiously took the bottle from Amy to examine it more closely. Should I just get these for myself and take them until the tests are over? There was so much to do and not enough time and Ida was notorious for studying until late hours of night until her eyes would start closing on their own and she'd be forced to sleep. And she really wanted to do well on these tests. What's the harm? I'll just take them for a few days. 'Where can you get these?'

'You can get them at the pharmacy in the section where they keep vitamin supplements,' Amy answered. 'If you want to, you can take that bottle, there are a few left. I have another one at home.'