On The Highest Branch

Chapter 6

The big red C- stared up at June from her first Math quiz.

She folded the offensive paper and hastily shoved it down the front pocket of her backpack. As she trudged to the cafeteria for lunch, she wondered how she was going to keep this from her grandfather. She didn't know how she'd survive without her manga collection.

She caught up with Kedz already in line, and immediately joined her.

"Did your class get your Math quiz results yet?"

June nodded, not really eager to share her score.

Kedz groaned dramatically, "I got a B! My parents are going to raise hell again."

Too heartbroken to say anything, June kept her mouth shut. If she had gotten a B, she'd have been celebrating right now. Luckily, Kedz had always been able to carry an entire conversation on her own.

"They keep harping on me to try harder. Just last night they spent an hour enumerating

the benefits of an Ivy League education, and the many ways I'd miss out on them, because quote,

I'm lazy, unquote."

They found an empty table at the far side of the hall. Before anyone else could take the stools away, they immediately grabbed them.

The crowded cafeteria was buzzing with noise, but it was easy to hear Kedz. Her voice always carried through any interference.

"Anyway, I put them in their place. I reminded them that the goal of life should be living a life of virtue, in accordance with nature. And, it's beyond nature's – Hey! There's jello!" Kedz pointed at a student passing by, with a strawberry jello on her tray.

"I didn't know there was jello. I didn't see any earlier. They should have the day's menu clearly visible at the entrance. I'll drop that down the suggestion box."

"There is no suggestion box." Kedz didn't even seem to notice that these were June's first words since she had started talking.

"Then, I'll set one up." Kedz stood up. "I'll get some jello. My unerring sense of justice dictates that everyone should be given jello."

As Kedz left to line up again, June laughed at the lightning storm that was her friend, and started digging into a mud-colored sludge that she guessed was supposed to be curry.

It's actually not bad. Or, am I so hungry that my standards have stooped so low?

"Hey, I was wondering when I'd bump into you again."

She looked up and saw Parker smiling down at her. She, who seemed to have again lost her ability to speak, had to make do with a wave-like fluttering of her fingers.

"How are you? Have they bothered you again?"

She shook her head. "No. It's been 3 days, so they'd probably forgotten about me by now. Or, are biding their time and..." She was quite proud to find that she could still string words together to form a coherent sentence.

"Just be careful, okay?"

She smiled. Handsome boys shouldn't be this sweet.

"Make sure someone always knows where you are when—" Parker's voice trailed off and June followed his gaze to a spot behind her shoulders. Kedz was on her way back to the table.

"Listen, I've got to go. But, don't be a stranger again, alright?" Parker winked, and was gone in an instant.

"Was that Parker I saw?" Kedz asked as she sat down again.